- English
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eBook - ePub
About this book
This book tells the story of a life spent on the road recording the rich diversity of music in America when it was a major part of our lives, not just digital background noise. For music fans, there was a golden era of live music, stretching from the 1960s through the 1980s, and even evolving into the 1990s, if you want to be generous.
In the pre-digital era, music fans spent a large part of their free time (and money) listening to their favorite artist's recordings. It was an analog world so if they wanted to hear the music, they actually had to listen to the radio, buy the records, and go to the concerts. Popular artists had long performed live concerts in the major markets, but it took rock 'n' roll to make national touring a viable business.
Touring sound systems grew from scratch to keep up with larger and larger venues. Likewise, the ability to record those shows had to grow as well. The rudimentary collection of semi-professional gear grew into full-blown remote recording studios to keep up with the demand for live records, films, and broadcasts. The truly wonderful thing about the remote recording business was the author experienced so many different musical cultures. Where else could you go from recording a tour with the Rolling Stones to a TV special with Mohamed Ali at the Apollo Theater? How about the season opening of Carnegie Hall on PBS TV (with a different major orchestra every year) to Frank Zappa's annual Halloween Show? Or maybe a Yoko Ono tour behind the 1980s Iron Curtain to the Eagles in modern Australia?
Then there are worldwide live broadcasts like the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards to intimate jazz settings with Miles Davis or Wynton Marsalis. Compare the grandeur of the Metropolitan Opera to the irreverent comedy of Saturday Night Live.
On the Road contains the stories of recording all that music live in its natural habitat, the clubs, theaters, concert halls, and arenas. There were only a few companies that succeeded in the rough and tumble business of live recording. The author was one of the most successful live recording engineers and the constructor of remote recording studios during that era, with thousands of live shows to his credit.
In the pre-digital era, music fans spent a large part of their free time (and money) listening to their favorite artist's recordings. It was an analog world so if they wanted to hear the music, they actually had to listen to the radio, buy the records, and go to the concerts. Popular artists had long performed live concerts in the major markets, but it took rock 'n' roll to make national touring a viable business.
Touring sound systems grew from scratch to keep up with larger and larger venues. Likewise, the ability to record those shows had to grow as well. The rudimentary collection of semi-professional gear grew into full-blown remote recording studios to keep up with the demand for live records, films, and broadcasts. The truly wonderful thing about the remote recording business was the author experienced so many different musical cultures. Where else could you go from recording a tour with the Rolling Stones to a TV special with Mohamed Ali at the Apollo Theater? How about the season opening of Carnegie Hall on PBS TV (with a different major orchestra every year) to Frank Zappa's annual Halloween Show? Or maybe a Yoko Ono tour behind the 1980s Iron Curtain to the Eagles in modern Australia?
Then there are worldwide live broadcasts like the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards to intimate jazz settings with Miles Davis or Wynton Marsalis. Compare the grandeur of the Metropolitan Opera to the irreverent comedy of Saturday Night Live.
On the Road contains the stories of recording all that music live in its natural habitat, the clubs, theaters, concert halls, and arenas. There were only a few companies that succeeded in the rough and tumble business of live recording. The author was one of the most successful live recording engineers and the constructor of remote recording studios during that era, with thousands of live shows to his credit.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access On the Road by David W. Hewitt in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Media & Performing Arts & Music Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Foreword
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Into the Studio and out on the Road! Early Hall & Oates, Bruce Springsteen, and the Rise of Rock ’n’ Roll Radio
- 2 The Long and Winding Road: Record Plant Studios, John Lennon, and Later, Paul, George, and Ringo
- 3 David Bowie Live: The 1974 Live Album on through to Opening The Concert for New York City, 9/11
- 4 E. C. Was Here: The Eric Clapton Recordings from Comeback to Crossroads to Cream
- 5 Six Hundred Thousand: The Allman Brothers at Watkins Glen Racetrack to the Finish Line
- 6 Got Their Wings: Aerosmith from an Opening Act to Rocks, Lines, and the Oscars!
- 7 CSNY Rust Never Sleeps: Neil Young and CSNY, 1974 through to the Heart of Gold Feature Film
- 8 The Havana Jam in Cuba 1979: The Cold War, Where American and Cuban Stars Play in Peace
- 9 Billy Joel, New York State of Mind: Carnegie Hall, Yankee Stadium, Boat House Studio, River of Dreams
- 10 Recording at the Mansions: Eddie Kramer, the Art of Rocking in the Grand Acoustics
- 11 Comic Relief! Gilda Radner and Father Guido to George Carlin and Eddie Murphy
- 12 Video Killed the Radio Star: MTV and the Award Shows; Emmys, Tonys, Oscars, Grammys …
- 13 Jazz: American Roots; The Newport Jazz Festival Comes to New York and Miles Comes Back, Too
- 14 The Rolling Stones: We Finally Got the Gig; and Kept It through Many Adventures, Tours, Films, South America, Tokyo …
- 15 The Who: Quadrophenia Tour and the Not Exactly “Last Tour” in 1982 with Glyn Johns
- 16 The Artist Forever Known as Prince: Tales—Pre- and Post—the Purple Rain Tour
- 17 The Monster Shows: Live Aid, Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary, Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, Woodstock ’94 and ’99, Night of 100 Stars I and II
- 18 Those Magnificent Orchestras: Film Scores, Live from Lincoln Center, the Met Opera, the Three Tenors, and the Three Sopranos
- 19 Hell Freezes Over: The Eagles Fly Again, LA, New York, Florida, and Australia
- 20 The Divas: The Met Opera to Aretha, Whitney, Gloria, Madonna, and Barbra
- 21 World Trade Center 9/11/01: The Concert for New York City
- 22 The Last Gig: George Strait: The Cowboy Rides Away