Mamas and the Papas: Isolated Vocals

Jul 4, 2023 4:55 AM

BluesFish

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151547

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2910

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33

Is it just me, or is this just incredible?

(sound on, ofc)

Sauce: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoqQJ8GAWJO/?igshid=OGIzYTJhMTRmYQ==

Always tearing up when I hear this one

3 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 1

I no longer know what it was like with music. Beautiful. Thank you.

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Great group, like so many others back in the day.

3 years ago | Likes 192 Dislikes 5

Wonderful harmonies

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Oof

3 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 2

3 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

They don’t need anything, but I’m gonna miss that wild flute solo..

3 years ago | Likes 35 Dislikes 2

Eddie Hazel, of Funkadelic, did a great version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqDGTT2OtsQ

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

"Preacher locked the door" not "liked the cold". The Preacher is not waiting for the singer to leave guessing (correctly) that the singer needs the place to sleep for the night.

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Crazy how skilled some singers are.

3 years ago | Likes 432 Dislikes 6

They could do this professionally

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 1

I miss when everyone didn't have to have a perfect singing voice. These people aren't perfect by today's standards but they sounded great and their music has soul. Just feels like the music industry is exceptionally more elitist these days.

3 years ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 0

The blond girl was one of the boys girlfriends and he wanted her to sing. She said she wasn’t a singer and he told her all girls are singers.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

So cool!! I think there's a YouTube account that isolates vocals in songs, the beach boys harmonies are unreal, like on good vibrations. https://youtu.be/Foa9Luk88sw

3 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

That’s incredible

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

🤘🤘🤘

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I had never realised how much attitude he puts into KNEES since normally the music and the girls drown him out.

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I can still hear the bass line when he sings the "walked into a church" :))

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Hate this song because I worked in retail. Fuck you rite aid.

3 years ago | Likes 23 Dislikes 3

I feel the same way about a few other songs. Heard them so many fucking times that I just never want to hear them again.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Rest in Peace, Mama Cass.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I don't know the name of the soloist, but my 8 year old neighbor looks just like him. But shorter.

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 1

Denny Doherty.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

I have been summoned

3 years ago | Likes 8 Dislikes 0

Back when people had to have talent

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

If you listen really close on the original you can hear one extra voice.

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 2

Who?

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Barry McGuire

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Shaolin Kung Fu ho yeah. Ho ho yeah.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

dun ho yea

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

3 years ago | Likes 155 Dislikes 1

Hearing her pure voice brings tears to my eyes. (Sigh)

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

I fucking love The Carpenters

3 years ago | Likes 30 Dislikes 0

This feels like a lullaby.

3 years ago | Likes 14 Dislikes 0

To me, one of the most beautiful voices ever.

3 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 0

A little long, 18min. Karen carpenter pitch perfect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWB96ZLWUUw

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

I DON’T know why, but female American singers have the smoothest, warmest, most appealing voices to me. Karen Carpenter, Dusty Springfield, Julie London… something about the accent?

3 years ago | Likes 26 Dislikes 1

Waht ar yue Scottish?

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

* Linda Ronstadt

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

Yes. Nobody like her, doubt there ever will be

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Anneliese Braun...

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Always thought it was "began to pray". Pretend is much better

3 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

I watched video specifically about this lyric a couple months ago and it blew my mind. It changes the whole meaning of the song. He just went in the church to get warm, not to talk to god. The priest knows this, but also knows it’s too cold to leave.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Amazing how you can't hear the guitar

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YAcOPPRpVY&ab_channel=TheBeachBoysVEVO The Beach Boys - California Dreamin' (Official Music Video). An honorable mention by the Beach Boys!

3 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 2

Also this version by Lee Moses is astonishing imho: https://youtu.be/4YBdr5vVqvs

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Thank you for sharing that! Brilliant.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Glad you liked it! The whole album, "Time and Place" is amazing. :)

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

anneliese braun

3 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 2

Danke, diesen Kommentar habe ich gesucht! +1

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

so findet man die deutschen :D

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

*deutschsprachigen ;)

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

As a vocal performer who occasionally does audio engineering, the guy holding the mic is giving me an aneurism

3 years ago | Likes 9 Dislikes 1

How would one isolate vocals?

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

One way is to use an app like Steinberg's Spectral Layers

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I love this, but my favorite isolated vocal still remains Merry Clayton singing backup on the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter".

3 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0

But have you heard Lisa Fisher do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhy_17_DExU

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

She was on radio 6 the other day talking about her life. Amazing stories

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Check out Grace Potter (not isolated) but pretty good: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ps9xy2iaSs

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Source please?

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

And here's the entire song. https://youtu.be/ilGVDgZj5mA

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Here ya go. Sixty years later it still puts a chill up my spine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdACTl2myMA

3 years ago | Likes 4 Dislikes 0

Super talented. I wish they weren't tainted by what came out about John Phillips eventually

3 years ago | Likes 148 Dislikes 6

The abuse allegations are interesting. Mackenzie was a hard core drug user, so they seem to be debatable with most who knew him. Could have been a drug fueled psychosis on her part.

3 years ago | Likes 18 Dislikes 117

True. Drug addicts never get raped.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Several people who knew him, including his bandmate Denny Dougherty, seem pretty willing to believe it

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

You are one sick fuck

3 years ago | Likes 36 Dislikes 5

Could it be, that a victim of abuse had a drug problem? No, it must have been a figment of the female’s imagination

3 years ago | Likes 126 Dislikes 7

This! Omg yes! My own parents tell me they abused me because I was on drugs. Like no bitch, you were beating me senseless when I was 5. The drugs made your abuse tolerable.

3 years ago | Likes 48 Dislikes 2

Well his other daughter defended him…but she also defended her husband Danny Masterson sooo…….

3 years ago | Likes 19 Dislikes 0

True that

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Mama Cass was a veritable drug hoover as well

3 years ago | Likes 67 Dislikes 6

I can handle that over absolute nausea inducing incest abuse they’re miles apart

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Which is not a problem. Abuse is.

3 years ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 0

Even more incredible that they didn’t have $20k worth of vocal processing behind them.

3 years ago | Likes 1049 Dislikes 19

If you like that check out Cindy Lauper: https://youtu.be/whgG-XOPHhc

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

I love how 'down to earth' their voices feel

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

LSD was legal then. They could see the music

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

v

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

That's still processed. There's reverb happening there that hides a lot of crimes.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Plus compression and eq and natural tape distortion.

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Yes it's impressive even compared to older bands like the Bee Gees, who often used production techniques to enhance their voices, like recording dozens of layers of their own voices (a manual version of autotune, basically).

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 1

um yeah they had 20K worth of processing, but it's still amazing

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Ummm there was tape and eq

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

And reverb. Long Capitol reverb

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

So where did all that echo come from? Did they record the lyrics in a cathedral?

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Every time you say things like this, a T-Pain cries

3 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 3

Not really. He is just sighing and that is auto tuned into a cry.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

But we're on a boat

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 1

Everybody look at us cause we're sailing on a boat

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

HmmMMMmmmMmMmmMMMmm

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Analogue gear and microphones from that time are worth tens of thousands… because it sounds so good (like this!). Look up vintage u87 mics, or a neve console. Consoles can go for 100k alone. Digital processing is mostly trying to emulate the sound of gear from the 60s/70s - the golden era of recording!

3 years ago | Likes 48 Dislikes 4

Ummmmm analogue stuff stil exists

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

In 1980 a 32x24 console cost 100k, a 24-track recorder 80k and a U87 2.5k; also, most of the sound of 'the golden era' came from the studio room acoustics and experienced engineers, two things that are missing nowadays and can't be emulated.

3 years ago | Likes 15 Dislikes 1

Yeah, folks forget all the bad recordings, flops, has-runs, and instead are left with the top 0.1% of the past half century of brilliant musicians at the best studios mastered by engineers with amazing ears. It's the golden era because all the bronze is discarded.

3 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 0

Audiophiles are gullible crackpots. More news at 11.

3 years ago | Likes 11 Dislikes 3

Begs the question, if it's that good, why hasn't someone started building them that way again?

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 0

https://youtu.be/m37G-06ibAU

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

They do but it's as expensive as ever and most bands don't have / get the budget to work in those studios

3 years ago | Likes 6 Dislikes 0

Haha, no. Digital processing is mostly about reproducing the highest fidelity possible throughout the pipeline, then applying whatever effects the artist wants. You can always add the transfer function of a u87 or a tape deck, you can't take it away. Nyquist-Shannon theorem means we can quantize and still exactly reproduce the original signal exactly. I'd say now is actually the golden age of recording, because it's so much cheaper and easier to get quality sound.

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

I think we’re answering different questions here. Digital is great for preserving quality for sure, but there’s a reason most plugins are emulations of analogue gear. And if I compare something like an amp simulator to a recording through a real amp, the difference is night and day to my ear. But ofc digital is great and you wouldn’t catch me trying to splice tape ;)

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

not sure about microphones but I read that old electric guitars had hand spun magnets in the pickups and the imperfections from doing that is what gave each guitar its own unique sound as oppose to modern ones that are done exactly the same every time by a machine.

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 0

Sounds a bit like musician woo. Jim Lill has tested dozens of factors in his video series "Where does the tone come from in electric guitars" that musicians say "absolutely affects the tone" and there are only a few key properties.

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

just watched that video, the very first test was comparing pickups of a vintage stack to modern and it's the only huge difference in the video that I could hear

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

tbh, a huge amount of "singers" nowdays can't even sing at all. thats why they all need that processing.

3 years ago | Likes 20 Dislikes 7

It’s all about carisma more than talent nowadays

3 years ago | Likes 5 Dislikes 2

Always has been.

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

and how many Instagram followers they have

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

No

3 years ago | Likes 1 Dislikes 0

Even moreso now, charisma!

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

"nowadays" I'm near 50 and I've heard that complaint my whole life.

3 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

It's all subjective and what not but most of my favorite singers don't have a "good" voice, they have an iconic one, and all of the processing these days just takes away from the "soul" of the music

3 years ago | Likes 7 Dislikes 1

Did someone say Janis Joplin?

3 years ago | Likes 2 Dislikes 0

Bob Dylan.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

I agree with it being subjective. In highschool, I liked Owl City A LOT. Then I heard him live, and he is AWFUL at singing. But you know what? He created music that I enjoyed despite being a shitty vocalist and musician. I see the tech as a boost for average folk to create something others might enjoy. It also makes good vocalists and musicians all that more respected (to me). But yeah, we are saturated with processed music.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

No but they had multitrack recording and put dozens of layers of vocals on top of each other to sound like that.

3 years ago | Likes 200 Dislikes 9

Multitrackrecording with several magnet tapes. not as fake as autotune today.

3 years ago | Likes 25 Dislikes 4

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3 years ago (deleted Jul 6, 2023 3:14 PM) | Likes 0 Dislikes 0

Multitrack recording?

3 years ago | Likes 17 Dislikes 1

The new vocals by The Mamas & The Papas were laid atop the original track, which fortunately was in the right key because the 4-track Ampex 300 recorder (which was basically two 2-track decks' electronics in a taller tower with new headstacks) didn't have much in the way of VSO capability. Howe set up the vocals the way the group naturally stood: the men and women facing each other, close in, each group with its own RCA DX-77 microphone.

3 years ago | Likes 59 Dislikes 0

“I took the two mics and set them in a directional cardioid pattern, with the dead sides facing each other,” Howe explains. “That gave us great rejection and allowed them to sing naturally. The song starts out with the guys singing ‘All the leaves are brown’ and the girls answering the lines. It's pretty much the group all the way through except for a few lines that Denny sang solo. When the time came for that, John walked around to sing at the girls' microphone.”

3 years ago | Likes 54 Dislikes 0

I wonder where this was recorded, cuz the room sounds amazing, but the reverb they used was incredible, too.

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

3 years ago | Likes 3 Dislikes 0

Love those insights into the production. Do you know how they did their reverb?

3 years ago | Likes 12 Dislikes 0

I thought your name was Handjob4Javert. Excellent info though!

3 years ago | Likes 21 Dislikes 0