{"id":594,"date":"2021-11-14T15:00:45","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T15:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moonsmind.org\/rufuskrisp\/?p=594"},"modified":"2025-03-12T10:17:20","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T10:17:20","slug":"righteous-recording","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rufuskrisp.com\/index.php\/2021\/11\/14\/righteous-recording\/","title":{"rendered":"Righteous Recording"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stories from a zillion studios<\/strong> and Zappa<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"
Fiddlin Dick @ that Delicious Iconic RCA 77<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BEHIND STUDIO MICS<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I was rudely interrupted into a decade of band management at 21, the Righteous Bluegrass Band had already been into a studio at the University of Colorado and laid down a few tracks.  The tape they played me was fun but thuddy, the acoustic bass not recorded well, but it was a start and their teeth were cut in front of mics as a band for the first time…1970. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


Robert Anderson was an Elton-like voiced singer in the higher register, but the band needed more depth. Eric kept his mic at banjo level.  Dick could sing light doubling. Robert Anderson recalls, \u201cI grew up with Scott (Brownlee) in Yuma and we were in a high school band together and Scott never opened his mouth to sing.  Then we got into our bluegrass band in Boulder and he did a few backup things doubling me, and then we discovered we could harmonize and it sounded great, and then we discovered he could sing lead and it was clear he was a real singer and so we started to take advantage of that and became a little riskier.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n


But vocals aside, the challenge with this band was trying to translate the high energy magic of RBB\/RK onto a studio recording, not the first bands facing that challenge.  Denver front range studios were really varied from little 4-track rooms to bigger Denver suites with giant Neve consoles and isolation booths for vocals and drums.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then of course there was the world-caliber Caribou Ranch<\/strong> just 40 miles into the mountains that drew Stills, Eagles, Elton, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Wonder, Lennon\u2026.why not us?  The piano on our Caribou recordings was on Bridge Over Troubled Water<\/em>\u2026damn!!!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n


We did ALL the Colorado front range studios over the years\u2026recording commercials, soundtracks, film songs, demos and a record.  Frankly the band was captured better live and not many remote recording outfits existed back then.  What we have is a lot of fair-to-good recordings off the PA, and those are mixed for the live house, not headphones.  Of course live recordings depended on how good the stage monitors were mixed, which impacted how they played and harmonized.  So many uncontrollable variables to insure great recordings.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not just Colorado too, we were in Bell Sound in NYC doing music for an ABC Afterschool Special<\/strong><\/em>, two major LA studios and in Chicago as well.  Plus self-recording in Yuma and Boulder.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band did three TV Specials, two in Denver and one in Tulsa. TV paid attention to getting good sound and Tulsa had a bonus live audience. In Denver the band shot pieces in a symphony hall, at 12,000 foot Loveland Pass in the snow and even donned tuxes to record their bluegrass rip on Jacque Offenbach’s 1858 Can-Can.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n