By RICO (131.118.93.182) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 07:05 pm: |
From what I understand, an oscillator was dragged across a sound stage in order to create this unique introduction. I wonder whether any keyboards were used to assist with the BEEP BEEP Intro. Does anyone have a clue?
By stephanie (64.63.221.236) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 07:46 pm: |
I always thought the backgrounds in that song should have been higher. I have an alternate version and its beautiful and you can hear Flo and Mary front and center..
Stephanie
By boynextdoor (67.24.156.13) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 08:01 pm: |
I always thought the backround should have been louder.....where you could hear Mary and Flo. Wish I had the alternative version!
By Sly fan (67.119.53.130) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 08:35 pm: |
Yeah, the effects on that are unique..I was just listening to that the other day. Who is the personel on that song?? I know it the "FUNKS" but which members?? That beat won me over as soon as I heard it..and who was the producer?
By Sly fan (67.119.53.130) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 08:38 pm: |
ps: Mary and Flo do stand out especially when the "bridge" comes on.
By RICO (131.118.93.180) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 09:16 pm: |
I guess you all misunderstood what I was trying to ask. I was simply trying to see what were the technicalities behind the introduction, which is why I brought up the "Oscillator" and the "soundstage". Does anyone know exactly how it was completed?
By larry (12.141.160.25) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 09:51 pm: |
Rico,
I was playing T-Ball when this song came out, but, My guess: The opening sound panned L-R could be an early Moog synth. Next you hear a tape insert of some spacey sh_t. No idea what that is, but, John Lennon did alot of tape loops in this vein.
I've always loved this track and felt it was a producers/engineers experiment studio experiment inspired by George Martin and the lads in the UK. Listen to the blatant tape edit at 2:30 and the experimental EFX along with one of the most unconventional of Motown arrangements. Still this song is Amazing!
Where's the kick drum? The Bass is holding down that area. Tambourine from start to end in your face panned hard left. Also, those string arrangements are wild.
I'd love to hear a DEKE storytelling of this track.
By Eli (141.151.63.121) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 11:08 pm: |
Eli here...
It was the audio out of an oscillator with a bit of a slow triplet tape delay.
There was no such thing as digital delay ay that time so they carefully, thru trial and error set the tape loop accordingally.
By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, April 01, 2003 - 11:28 pm: |
My brother discussed this some time back. He merely used a signal generator that was normally used for testing electronic equipment. Russ was extremely creative at coming up with odd sounds with whatever was at hand during those times.
By John Lester (81.132.0.183) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 01:06 am: |
Ralph - you keep telling us all that your memory is failing you!!! I am not gonna believe you any more.......LOL
Since Russ's post on "Reflections" he will always be known to me as "the man that put the beep de beep in Reflections"! LOL
Larry - I agree that we need a "Deke" on Reflections and whilst we are it..I want a similar "Deke" story on the Temps "Psychedelic Shack" album and after that a......
A search here on Russ should also tell you about the footstomps on "Jimmy Mack"
By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 08:55 am: |
John, RE: My memory. Once in a while I suprise myself.
By STUBASS (152.163.188.68) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 09:56 am: |
RICO: RALPH GOT IT RIGHT!!!...WE WERE TRYING TO FIGURE THIS OUT A FEW MONTHS AGO...AND RUSS INFORMED RALPH THAT IT WAS IN FACT A SIGNAL GENERATOR THAT GENERATED THAT UNIQUE SOUND...ALTHOUGH MANY POSSIBILITIES WERE DISCUSSED...INCLUDING THE ELECTRONIC EQUIPTMENT USED BY THE "BEACH BOYS" ON "GOOD VIBRATIONS"...SIMILAR SOUND!!!...BY THE WAY...I BELIEVE THAT "REFLECTIONS WAS ONE OF JAMES JAMERSONS FINEST PERFORMANCES ON BASS...SIMPLE BASS LINE RUNNING ALL OVER THE FRETS!!!...STU
By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 11:18 am: |
"Reflections" has one of the best sound effect "intro's" ever recorded.
Sidebar story - When I was a radio DJ in Rochester NY during the 1980s, the station had a "quality control" manager who would transfer all of our records onto tape cartridges for broadcast (commercial radio rarely played any songs right from the LP or 45 at that time). This idiot took it upon himself to transfer "Reflections" without the signal generator at the beginning! His so-called "reason" was that "we're an adult contemporary station and we can't play records that may make our listeners turn us off." Well, within days of playing this "abridged" version we were BLITZED with phone calls and letters from our listeners demanding that we play "Reflections" in its entirety! Needless to say, I had the pleasure of bringing in my "Reflections" stereo album to the radio station so they could have the full length version to air and this so-called "quality control" idiot was shipped out to a low-watt FM station in Buffalo!
Kevin Goins - KevGo
By Larry (216.23.183.2) on Wednesday, April 02, 2003 - 07:59 pm: |
Nice story Kevin. Buffalo was too good for that putz!
Ralph, Russ was at the helm of Reflections' production? Wow! It will always have it's own special spot in my heart. A song that stood you up straight and made you pay attention. Groundbreaker really.
By doc3824 (152.163.252.68) on Saturday, June 21, 2003 - 03:22 pm: |
I remember reading that Diana Ross had said that the song Reflections was a direct result of being influenced by the Beatles records that were out at the time. I'm assuming Diana was refering to Strawberry Fields, or, I Am The Walrus, as I believe they were out before Reflections was released.