By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.154) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 01:46 pm:

I just picked up the recent mastering of Isaac Hayes' "Hot Buttered Soul" from Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. Not only did I get a very nice sounding version of this landmark album that plays in either CD or Super Audio CD players, but it also included an essay called "The Recording of Hot Buttered Soul" by Bill Dahl.

The second part of this essay which discusses the "sweetening" and mixing sessions in Detroit, has numerous quotes from Russ Terrana, Ralph Terrana, and Ed Wolfrum. The liner notes are also interspersed with pictures provided by Ed, and in the bibliography at the end of the essay, they reference the "Terra Shirma Story" article from this web site.

Apologies if this has already been covered, but if it was, I either missed it and/or couldn't find it in the archives. Check it out if you get the chance. It's a bit pricey at $25, but worth saving for.

Regards,
Ken

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 01:54 pm:

KEN: I THINK I'LL GET SOME "HOT BUTTERED POPCORN" AND CHECK OUT THE "HOT BUTTERED SOUL" DISC THAT YOU SPEAK OF!!!...THOSE TERRANA BROTHERS SEEM TO SHOW UP JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE!!!..."HBS" WAS TRULY A GROUNDBEAKING PROJECT!!!...STUBASS

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 01:58 pm:

I've been holding out on buying Isaac's Enterprise/Stax CDs until the remastering was upgraded.

Thanks for the info, Ken. Now I gotta find the bread for that SACD player....

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 01:58 pm:

I've been holding out on buying Isaac's Enterprise/Stax CDs until the remastering was upgraded.

Thanks for the info, Ken. Now I gotta find the bread for that SACD player....

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.154) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:39 pm:

Well, in the meantime, since this is a "hybrid" SACD, it has a regular CD layer that will play in just about any CD player out there.

Regards,
Ken

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 02:45 pm:

Ken:
Thanks! I'll get the SACD this week..
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Monday, May 19, 2003 - 03:02 pm:

Ken,
Thanks for posting the info on HBS. What I think is really cool is the reference to Soulful Detroit. I suppose there is not much more I can add that is of much interest regarding this landmark recording. I do remember the Stax staff present and especially Al Bell being so very nice to me and my studio staff. It was apparent at the time that we were dealing with true professionals.

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.33) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 09:17 am:

This is one of those recordings that really benefits from the audiophile geek treatment it gets from MoFi. The album is all about dynamics, and there's no better example than "Walk on By". That track just builds and builds over 12 minutes. If it had been run through the digital limiting/compression that's typical of most CDs these days, the whole impact would have been ruined.

Oh, and by the time I get to Phoenix, Isaac's monologue will still be playing.

Regards,
Ken

By Uptight! (24.55.6.144) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 10:03 am:

OMG, like I've said before, The Terranas are an inpsiration to us audio enthusiasts. This is great news, and I will be purchasing this disc soon. I didn't know Mobile Fidelity was making SACDs now. I wonder what other titles will be in this series.

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.33) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 10:11 am:

http://www.mofi.com

Since they re-launched, they have eight titles out on hybrid SACD with a few more in the pipeline.

Regards,
Ken

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 10:25 am:

Uptight,
My brother should be your inspiration. Not me. I'm just the guy that stumbled and blundered his way along trying to make things work. Art through intimidation or something of that nature.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 11:11 am:

Ralph:
If it weren't for you creating Terra Shirma Studios in the first place, God knows where Isaac & company would have sweetened the album. Both you and Russ deserve the credit for helping create a pop/soul masterpiece.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 11:16 am:

Thanks Kevin,
I suppose it was one of those right place right time situations.

By medusa9e (66.73.7.11) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 04:17 pm:

..and can anyone understand the lyrics to Isaac Hayes' song"Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic"?
if so, let us know what he's saying...OK?

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.101) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 04:23 pm:

The gist of the article's Detroit content (from my memory since it's not in fron of me right now - correct me if I am wrong, those who were there)is that while the rhythm tracks were laid down at Ardent studios in Memphis, the "sweetening" and final mixing was done in Detroit. Time was booked at both United Sound and Tera Shirma (all of the orchestra stuff was recorded at United Sound with engineer Ed Wolfrum). Al Bell was impressed enough by a temp mix that he had asked Russ Terrana to do that he ended up asking him to mix the whole album. The rest is "mixtory".

That means HBS is a Memphis-Detroit joint production, although none of it was recorded at either "Soulsville" or "Hitsville".

Regards,
Ken

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 04:35 pm:

That about sums it all up Ken.

By Russ Terrana (198.178.8.81) on Tuesday, May 20, 2003 - 06:12 pm:

It's a real thrill to be a part of history. Thanks to my buddy Ed wolfrum for doing such a fantastic job on recording the sweetening, it made mixing fun and left me more room to be creative. Al Bell was a joy to work with. I remember Isaac just sat in the back and left what I was trying to do up to me. He was great to have around.

By Sly fan (67.115.73.2) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 05:22 pm:

I agree Kev!! Its almost a travesty listening to the cd..the quality could be much better in bringing out the instruments on that release..plus I wanna hear the alternate takes. The CD I have..you almost have to turn it all the way up to get a decent sound..same thing with The Commodores CD of the self titled release with "Brick House".

That "Hot Buttered Soul" album is brilliant!!

By Sly fan (67.115.73.2) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 05:25 pm:

supa dupa Props to Ralph and Russ making history once again!! I never would've put the association together..what albums havent you guys worked on??

Peace...


Speaking of which..is there a "dream" album that you guys wished to work on once upon a time?

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 05:30 pm:

Actually Sly I always thought the Beatles Abbey Road was one great piece of work.

By Sly fan (67.115.73.2) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 06:35 pm:

wow!! I can imagine...

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 11:49 pm:

SPEAKING OF MR. ISAAC HAYES...I BELIEVE I'VE MENTIONED THIS ONCE BEFORE...BUT THE STORY BEARS REPEATING TO SHOW JUST WHAT KIND OF GUY HE IS!!!...DURING THE EARLY-MID 70'S...I WAS JUST OUT OF COLLEGE...AND HAPPENED TO BE IN CHICAGO ON BUSINESS WHEN UPON MY RETURN...AT O'HARE AIRPORT...I RAN INTO ISAAC HAYES IN ONE OF THOSE *LONG* CORRIDORS THERE!!!...I INTRODUCED MYSELF...AND WE BEGAN A CONVERSATION...TALKING ABOUT MUSICIANS THAT WE BOTH KNEW...ETC!!!...WHEN WE GOT TO THE CORRIDOR THAT LED TO HIS GATE...AND I HAD TO WALK *ALL* THE WAY TO THE END...HE SAID..."HEY...I'M RUNNING EARLY...SO IF YOU DON'T MIND...I'LL WALK WITH YOU TO YOUR GATE"...AND WE WALKED AND TALKED FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 10 MINUTES...TALKING ABOUT MUSIC AND MUSICIANS!!!...WHAT A COOL GUY!!!...WE SHOOK HANDS...AND I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN TO THIS DAY...BUT IF I DID...I'D REMIND HIM ABOUT THAT TOTALLY COOL INTERACTION...AND HOW GRACIOUS HE WAS!!!...STUBASS

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:29 am:

Cool story Stu. I suppose that demonstrates the differnce between a true professional and an idiot.

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:36 am:

HEY RALPH!!!...IF THAT MAKES ISAAC THE TRUE PROFESSIONAL THAT HE IS...DOES THAT MAKE ME THE *IDIOT*???...(HOLD THOSE CARDS AND LETTERS FOLKS)!!!...STU(WAS I JUST INSULTED???)BASS

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 10:40 am:

Stu:
Great Isaac story. I've heard the same from colleagues who knew him from the local radio show he hosted here for a few years - Isaac is really a gem and loves talking about music.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 11:13 am:

Stu my man, you are as pro as they come.

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 11:18 am:

GOSH RALPH: THANKS!!!...I'LL BE SURE TO PUT IN A GOOD WORD ON YOUR BEHALF TO "CLOSE TO RE-ANGEL" DAR FOR THOSE KIND WORDS!!!...STU

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 11:25 am:

Thanks Stu. A few good words on your behalf would do nicely right about now.

By Handsome (170.118.157.133) on Thursday, May 22, 2003 - 05:48 pm:

What happened to the Isaac's background vocalists Hot, Buttered & Soul? Where are they now? Their sound was comparable to "The Sweeties" (of Philly), especially on Walk on By.

By Larry (69.3.130.46) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 02:35 am:

Great thread gentlemen.
I'd never heard any of these cuts til tonite.
Thanks for the tip.

"Walk on By" is a Bacharach song dear to my heart but this arrangement is way phukkin hip.
Who's on tremolo gtr???
This track is definitely Acid-Luv-Music.

By Larry (69.3.130.46) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 02:43 am:

Livonia Ken,

ROFL re: "by the time i get to phx".

Did the organist use paperweights for that 11th chord?? I can see him duct taping those keys down and goin' out for a pizza or something...

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 10:00 am:

Larry;
According to Rob Bowman's book "Soulsville USA" the guitar solo's on "Walk On By" are by Harold Beane, who spent a year or two with Funkadelic in the early 70's.

SteveK

By MEL&THEN SOME9 (217.14.178.82) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 11:23 am:

Ive always liked Isaac,
and when he was with David Porter.

Apparantly they were at the same school together and sang in rival bands.

David was known as Little David and sang
Lead with the Marquettes.

Whilst Isaac
sang bass with the Teentones.

Ralph,
your far to modest.
"your the man"(andthensome).

mel.

By Ralph (209.240.198.62) on Saturday, May 24, 2003 - 11:49 am:

Thanks Mel. You always have something kind to say to me. I appreciate it pal. One of these days I hope I'm in the position to buy you a pint or two.