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Author Topic: Anyone See "Les Paul - Chasing Sound"? Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-17-2007 12:01 PM                     I rarely watch commercial tv any more but I was lucky to have caught this one Sunday night on PBS!! Sure some of us know his name but most of us have no idea of how important this guy was to music as it is today. From his development of the solid body electric guitar to multi traking, overdubbing and reverb to the still weekly performances he does in Manhattan in his 90th year alive its all presented in this documentary with a flow that won't let you go once you start watching. This is an excellent IMHO Emmy worthy documentary on his life from the time he grew up in Wakesha, Wisconsin to the present. Don't miss it! More info here. 10 minute you-tube trailer here. Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-17-2007 01:22 PM                     Kinda interesting that a couple of years ago, I had the "privilage" of making phone conversation with Les. His team was creating a museum of sorts that would depect his recording studio and was gathering some artifacts that would represent a recording studio. His team was searching for an AMPEX 300-8 R to R machine and I have a AMPEX 300 transport unit and made contact with his team on this. Les called me back himself, wondering where I'm calling from and told him in IDAHO ... "IDAHO??!! he said, Where's the hell is THAT??!!" Told him that it's next to Washington, Oregon ... Then, told me that's way out in the boonies - never heard of that state...then, he hung up on me. (what's real bad is when you're talking to phoneline people checking on your address and the state's initials are ID and most of them think IND .. INDIANA...and I have to correct the majority of them.... )  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-17-2007 01:55 PM                     Its interesting that Les was THE single person that conceived of multitrack recording. He paid Ampex out of his pocket to engineer the 300-8 for him and he still has the first example of it in his studio at home. It can be seen in the documentary. Its unfortunate that his music was out by the time they had it perfected... which took Ampex a little over three years. The one he has was never used by him for creating any of his famous albums. On another note(pun intended) he took delivery of the second Ampex 200 recorder as a gift from Bing Crosby, the 200 was the first production recorder ever made in the U.S.. He had Ampex come to his home and install a second head and with their help invented overdubbing. Mark  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-17-2007 03:23 PM                     He performs every week at Jazz club next to the Winter Garden Theatre in Times Square, about a block away from where I live.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-17-2007 04:56 PM                     Thanks for the info! This is certainly a must see for me.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-17-2007 05:19 PM                     Bill, Now that just might actually be worth comming there to see! Is it difficult to get in there? The Irridium looks like a small place... BTW: You can pre-order the DVD at amazon.com which is exactly what I did. Mark  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-17-2007 05:44 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen He had Ampex come to his home and install a second head and with their help invented overdubbing. (..and on a note on this side topic, check this forum page out on the story of AMPEX and its forum members)  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 07-17-2007 06:03 PM                     Damn...it looks like it isn't repeating anytime soon in my area...I just did a check on it. Steve  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-17-2007 06:06 PM                     The place is downstairs below the Stardust Diner at Broadway @ 51st. Street. Before the Irridium Club it was used for "Forbidden Broadway" a spoof on Broadway shows and they served dinner with the show. It is fairly small room.  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-17-2007 07:05 PM                     quote: Steve Guttag Damn...it looks like it isn't repeating anytime soon in my area...I just did a check on it. Steve, Just order it from Amazon.... There is a link below. If you preorder it now its only 17.49 plus shppg. If you wait it goes up to over 20 bucks.... Here is the link... Thanks for the link Monte. When I moved out here I brought a Studer A-80 two track with me that I had. It had the European wide gap heads and all.... capable of close to 90db signal to noise ratio! it was originally from fine arts station WFMT in Chicago... and they maintained it very well! Man that was a beautiful machine. It now lives in Alaska.... I shoulda kept it. I still do have a Technics RS-1500 closed loop machine that is also two track... Its a really great transport with even better features than the older 3-M closed loop machines but the electronics leave alot to be desired. Mark  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 07-17-2007 08:45 PM                       I saw it as well and his story is amazing. I knew some of it but this show was much more complete.  |  IP: Logged Hillary Charles Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 748 From: York, PA, USA Registered: Feb 2001 posted 07-17-2007 10:01 PM                     A friend took me to see him perform at the Irridium, and yeah, the place is small. You must reserve a table well in advance, and he might cancel at the last minute if he's not feeling well. We had a table right by the stage, and he still puts on a great show! Afterwards, we talked for at least 45 minutes. It was a true thrill to shake the hand of the man who created "The Sound" I wish his eyes were open for the picture, but he does look like he's enjoying himself.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 07-17-2007 11:00 PM                        This looks great. No reruns pending around here, so I just pre-ordered the DVD.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 07-18-2007 01:56 AM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen from fine arts station WFMT in Chicago (off topic a bit here)..one hell of a good classical music station. We used to get WFMT up here on cable (I might still have some air check tapes that I made back then..one of my small hobbies to do..) and that STUDER 80 is a machine to kill over for esp, with wide band heads (where they butterfly heads?)....and I do remember seeing your Technics RS 1500 machine..I was drooling a bit when I saw it .. Yet, I love my Pioneer RT-1050 unit as well... (Back on topic) - I even have two near mint Capitol purple/silver label 78rpm copies of his famous song that Les and his wife, Mary Ford sang .. "Mockingbird Hill" ..  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 07-18-2007 08:43 AM                     Awesome photo Hillary! quote: Monte L Fullmer where they butterfly heads Yep! They are standard in Europe but not over here. WFMT special ordered the machines in with those heads. My Nagra Stereo also had the same heads. They afford about an extra 1.5db signal to noise ratio over standard heads. BTW: WFMT is not what it used to be... still fine arts and such but now relegated to a small place and its more automated. Mark  |  IP: Logged

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