Members WRGKMC Posted August 31, 2016 Members Share Posted August 31, 2016 Came across this article which I thought was pretty interesting. I've always thought Elliott's guitar work superb. http://elliott-randall.com/2012/06/g...iew-june-2012/ He was mainly a studio musician who prefers small amps today, but the amp he used on Reeling in the Years surprised me. When he went to record the only amp the studio had was an SVT and 8X10 cab which they cranked up to get that lead sound. No pedals. The SVT is like a 300W amp and the volume must have been deafening. The more notable part was he only did two takes. The first take the engineer forgot to hit the record button.The second and only recorded take was played through beginning to end, "All Improvised" which is what I appreciate the most. I rate a musician who can improvise on the fly like that as being a much better player then someone who has to memorize ever note. There's a place for that kind of playing too but keeping it from becoming lifeless can be much harder. Improvising is as risky as it gets. Its like surfing. Some times you catch a great wave and sometimes you simply wipe out. The difference is you can wipe out playing memorized notes just as easily and an improviser is much more likely to recover quickly and still finish up well. You really have to know your music to anticipate the upcoming changes, but the rewards of pulling it off blows the doors off of playing the part like a trained monkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gdsmithtx Posted August 31, 2016 Members Share Posted August 31, 2016 Great article; love Randall's playing. Elliott Randall recalls Donald Fagen’s advice about playing guitar on Steely Dan records… “Even though you hear talk about tension in the studio, whenever I was with those guys it was smiles and sometimes broad belly laughs,” Elliott says. “Because that’s part of what the music experience is. Another curious thing is that right before I started playing any given solo, Donald would lean over to me and whisper: "Just play the blues!" He actually got that one from Duke Ellington. Ellington was absolutely one of Donald’s number-one idols.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted August 31, 2016 Members Share Posted August 31, 2016 I'm not the hugest Steely Dan fan, but the guitar solo on Reelin In the Years, might be one of my favorite guitar solos ever recorded. I did the tune too. Cool article. I thought the SVT was only 300 watts. They did make a 100 watt one too, called the V4B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thatsbunk Posted August 31, 2016 Members Share Posted August 31, 2016 Aja was an album I wore out back in the day. Still have the vinyl in my basement somewhere. I should download it from iTunes & give it a listen again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted September 1, 2016 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 I owned a V4B which is essentially a 100W V4 Head without a reverb and voiced for Bass. It was my favorite bass head. Hated to have to give it up. The original SVT's were 300W depending on the tubes used and biasing. He mentions it being 400W. It may have been modified but its more likely a simple gaff. The new SS amps are all different wattages. I think the newest is 1000W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted September 1, 2016 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 The Royal Scam was one of my favorites. It had some oddball lyrics, as do many of their songs, but the Jazz/Rock fusion music was well written, recording quality excellent even by todays standards, and the musical performance was performed flawlessly. I often use a track from that album for setting up playback gear or doing A/B mix comparisons. The separation of instrument frequencies in their mixes is so well done it helps allot to make comparisons unmask instruments in a cluttered mix. Their music compositions has allot of modern Jazz chord changes which allows you to expand your guitar skills beyond the typical blues rock stuff. The music of that time using a Rhodes Piano and Jazz/Blues riffs were being used by allot of players at that time. Jeff Beck's Wired and Blue Wind albums came out around the same time. I learned a few tricks off this one. The guitar riffs and arpeggio work and his control over the driven tone he gets on this one is some of his best work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 1, 2016 Share Posted September 1, 2016 Elliot Randall is just a monster player... he's a really nice guy too. I've been a huge Steely Dan fan for ages. Those records were incredibly influential to me as a recording engineer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted September 1, 2016 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 How much Air and Space there is between the instruments in the mixes amazes me. I've been able to get some mixes that clean, but they sure don't happen every day for me. The one lyrical line in their song FM - No Static at all - sums it up nicely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bucksstudent Posted September 1, 2016 Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 Steely Dan, Genesis, Tom Waits, and Phish are the sound of my college years. I drove my ex crazy playing Aja so often. Can't Buy a Thril and Gaucho are my favorites, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 1, 2016 Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 The song Sign in Stranger has some of the most tasteful but badass guitar work ever. That was inspirational for me when I was a young teen. Along with Kid Charlemagne of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted September 1, 2016 Author Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 I found it interesting he worked with a bunch of pedal manufacturers too. http://elliott-randall.com/2010/05/guitar-digest-interview-on-gear/ Do you use or collect any effects? And if so, which do you feel in particular are most useful? Yes, I have loads of vintage effects boxes. I would never give up the Mosrite Fuzztone I got back in 1966. Been through quite a few wah wah pedals… I used to work for Musitronics, and have several Mutron IIIs (the first commercial ‘auto-wah’ – actually an envelope follower), Mutron Bi-Phases (a unit with two 90 degree phase shifters, which, when ganged together give you the most beautiful figure-8 stereo phase – reminiscent of a Fender Rhodes), and all the Dan Armstrong mini-boxes (Orange Squeezer, Red Ranger, Purple Peaker etc). Then I worked for a while with ElectroHarmonix. So that gave me a good stock of Electric Mistresses, Big Muffs, Memory Man(s), Small Stones, Golden Throats, loads of stuff! They were cheap, they were undependable, but they sounded great – and still do! In the 80’s I consulted for Korg, Akai, and Roland, and collected a number of the more modern digital boxes. The two boxes I use most are: – the Korg PME-1 pedalboard for live appearances. It’s analog, a bit noisy, but warm-sounding and responsive to my instruments. – the Korg A3 digital effects processor for recording work. It will chain as many as six digital effects per patch, and it’s a great ‘quick-fix’ when working within time constraints. Korg hired me to write software for that machine, and consequently, I’ve got a lovely library of sounds that’s quite personal-sounding. What is your feeling on the current stomp box craze and their constantly rising prices? Well, the prices have gone through the roof, haven’t they? I guess if you MUST have that sound, and you’re willing to pay for it, then go get ’em! That’s the comment about price. As for the ‘craze’ – well, these boxes are only textures / colors for the artist’s palette. They don’t make you play better, although they can be the source of some interesting inspirations. But on the other hand, they generally don’t hide incompetence. I really enjoy hearing them used well, but I border on homicidal when they’re abused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted September 1, 2016 Members Share Posted September 1, 2016 Steely Dan' date=' Genesis, Tom Waits, and Phish are the sound of my college years. I drove my ex crazy playing Aja so often. Can't Buy a Thril and Gaucho are my favorites, though.[/quote'] I think Genesis needs the Exodus. Can't stand them but its subjective. Love Steely Dan and Tom Waits and never tried Phish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 You can't believe everything you read. SVT? I doubt it. It sounds more like direct into a vintage board. With phones on , you don't know where the sounds coming from, unless your doing it all yourself. Could be a fuzz into a small champ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted September 3, 2016 Share Posted September 3, 2016 You can't believe everything you read. SVT? I doubt it. It sounds more like direct into a vintage board. With phones on ' date=' you don't know where the sounds coming from, unless your doing it all yourself. Could be a fuzz into a small champ[/quote'] It was an SVT. I was told that by the man who recorded it. Unfortunately Roger Nichols died a few years back, but you can track Elliot down online easily enough and ask him yourself if you have a mind to... of course, if you look carefully you'll see that the link in the OP is to Elliot's own website. I can't imagine he'd lie about it in an interview, then proudly put it up on his own site... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 I still don't believe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members humbuckerstrat Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 I've always dug Elliot Randall's playing, beginning with Reelin' In The Years. I think he also did the guitar solos in the songs Flashdance and Fame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 You can't believe everything you read. SVT? I doubt it. It sounds more like direct into a vintage board. With phones on ' date=' you don't know where the sounds coming from, unless your doing it all yourself. Could be a fuzz into a small champ[/quote'] You have lots of experience with recording 350 watt amps at full volume? You can hear that there's massive volume and energy going on in Reeling in the Years. No reason to doubt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 Bullshi- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 3, 2016 Members Share Posted September 3, 2016 Nice one. You got me there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members *BLEEP* Posted September 4, 2016 Members Share Posted September 4, 2016 The SVT is like a 300W amp and the volume must have been deafening. I really doubt the amp was even close to being dimed for the recording sessions. I've played a bit of electric geetar through an original SVT before, which was mated with an Ampeg 6x10 cabinet. The amp sounded clean as expected and the speakers produced a squeaky clean hi-fi / jazz sound. It was an SVT. I was told that by the man who recorded it. Well, Elliot Randall himself posted a few times right here on H-C, a while back, and he did touch upon the situation with the cheap-o recording studio that cheap-o ABC Records sent them to for the recording of the first Steely Dan album. There was just the one amplifier available in the studio that week, the infamous Ampeg SVT. If I recall correctly, he was visiting H-C to promote his book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 4, 2016 Members Share Posted September 4, 2016 300 Watts is about twice as loud as 30, so I don't get why it's so unbelievable to some people that they'd be able to isolate the amp and crank it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 4, 2016 Members Share Posted September 4, 2016 You mean a 8 10's SVT cab right? The head weights so much it takes 2 people to set it on the cab. 6 6550's powers it. Its got headroom for dayz. It still puts out the same dbs as a 100 watt would, all bass dialed out. A high gain NOS preamp tube might break up in V1 but for bass that wouldn't be acceptable for most bassist. A fuzz would have been used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 4, 2016 Members Share Posted September 4, 2016 No, it would be twice as loud. 10 time 30 watt to get double output. Remember? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 4, 2016 Members Share Posted September 4, 2016 That's what I said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesmann Posted September 5, 2016 Members Share Posted September 5, 2016 I miss read..sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.