2 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Rick Massimo's avatar

Frank Zappa wrote that there is no way to arrange the instruments and singers in a rock band so that it sounds like a record—that there’s manipulation in any form of recording. As you point out, that’s true of Frank Sinatra in front of a big band as well. I mean, literally anyone can tell the difference between a live band and a record without looking.

BTW, do you know a book called The B-Side, by Ben Yagoda? Some of it is just “Let’s remember some Tin Pan Alley guys,” but he has a lot of great stuff on how technology changed the music—not the music business, but the actual music. Really worth checking out.

Expand full comment
Chris Dalla Riva's avatar

I'm not familiar with that book. I need to check it out.

Expand full comment