Customer Reviews

Studio Stories - How the Great New York Records Were Made (Softcover)

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This is a compelling read for history buffs and a must-have for anyone who's interested in the great jazz and pop sessions of the 1950's, '60s and '70s (and loves New York as well). The book contains fabulous details about many of the city's fine old recording establishments (Bell Sound, Columbia, A&R, Allegro, many of them long forgotten), the people who worked there, and the artists who recorded the hits on a daily basis. The author sets the scene wonderfully, supplying us with colorful images of Broadway and all of midtown Manhattan as it existed during that time. Nice big studio session shots as well (and not all the usual suspects either). I've been waiting for a book like this to hit the market for quite a while.

I am a New Yorker. The first session I ever went to was in Studio B at Columbia 52nd Street around 1966 to watch a group called The Virginians cut a couple of sides. (The Virginians failed but their lead singer later recorded the hit "Good Morning Starshine" under the name Oliver.) Since then I have been in about half the studios in the book as either a musician, a producer or a visitor/hanger on. Until "Studio Stories" I thought I knew a lot about the subject. But I didn't know that Elvis cut "Don't Be Cruel" and "Hound Dog" here or a pair of tracks on Led Zep II were made here.

"Studio Stories" is also a capsule history of popular music recording from the `50s of Mitch Miller, Sinatra and Tony Bennett to the advent of the Digital Recording Era. It is a mini-encyclopedia of how engineers, producers and musicians got sounds, overcame limitations and made some of the best recordings ever produced.

The title was suggested by an online group I subscribe with. I like the site, I like the book!
This publication covers a wide spectrum. Too wide a spectrum to treat all decades and styles well, but it covers the highlites.
From a technical standpoint Studio Stories makes a good read. From the persepective of someone with a casual music interest, it's easy to understand and entertaining.
I purchased the book for a behind the scenes reason and I wasn't disappointed.

Really nice language, gave me some nice confidence about creating my own unique sound and not being intimidated by big labels.

In Studio Stories: How The Great New York Records Were Made: From Miles To Madonna, Sinatra To The Ramones, musician and music history expert Dave Simons surveys more than 30 years of New York City's recording industry during a time noted for its expertise, brilliant improvisation, and off-beat eccentricity resulting in the creation of truly classics records for some of the best known and most popular artists working in such diverse fields as pop, rock, soul, jazz, and folk music. Readers are provided the perspective of producers, engineers, songwriters, and recording artists associated with the New York music industry expansive years between 1950 and 1980. Comprehensive, detailed, authoritative, informed and informative, Studio Stories is a superbly written and presented slice of American music history that is especially recommended reading and a simply outstanding contribution to 20th Century Music History and American Popular Culture Studies.

This book is very useful if, like me, you are a fan of how those fabulous records were made in the greatest period of Music. Well researched, with some great interviews with the poeple who were there.

I just got through working on his tapes and everything was done on 12 track in 1969. I found a couple bounce downs (12 to 8 track) those were done at another studio. Overall I find the book very informing and to someone who wanted to know what went on in those days. At Media Sound I was also surprised not to see anything about The Piano on Bridge over Troubled Waters being recorded there and also Bette Midler's conductor doing a song there called Mandy.One reason they closed is they wouldn't honor someone booking time and then giving it to someone bigger if they needed it. Also you can't overlook the fact that Tony Bongiovi and Bob Clearmountain didn't hurt the place while they worked there.