The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Today I have been enjoying some lesser-known gems from Burt's early days: "Get Rid Of Him" by DW, and "Wendy, Wendy" by The Four Coins.

Besides finding them gorgeous records, I find myself wondering if overdubs were used at this particular juncture in Burt's recordings, and, if so, just how many were permitted before the hardware limitations of the period began to show themselves...

For example, in "Get Rid Of Him", I hear a girl choir of about 4 girls doing the call-and-response thing with Dionne (I hear what is almost certainly Dee Dee's contralto voice in there, too) but *simultaneously* I hear another girl choir in the background providing one of those sublime, reverbed gospel-ly "pads" that Burt is famous for.

So I'm wondering just how many backup vocalists were present at the gig... ?

Ditto "Wendy, Wendy". By the moniker "Four Coins", I'm assuming there were four guys comprising this late-50's "forever plaid" harmony boy-group... Yet on this record, there are moments where I almost certainly hear more than four guys singing at once.

I wish I knew the *exact year* that multitrack recording became feasible, commonplace and cost-effective for younger record-makers like Burt. I'm assuming that your Nelson Riddles, Henry Mancinis, Frank Sinatras, etc., probably had practically unlimited budgets for their recording gigs during this period, which would have allowed them to experiment with this new technology before your more "youngish" kiddos like the Brill Building aspirants would have had access to it (?)

I know that artistes like Patti Page (a.k.a "Little Miss Overdub"), Les Paul & Mary Ford, and of course, England's fabulous weirdo/genius Joe Meek were doing overdubs by around 1958, '59, correct?

And to what degree Burt preferred to use multitracking/overdubs during his early days.

I know he has proudly declared the new Ronald Isley album to be free of overdubs... they did the tunes all in one take, for maximum "togetherness" and integrity of sound and spirit amongst the musicians...

To my ear, the PAINTED FROM MEMORY album also has a minimum of overdubs (though I could be wrong).


Comments? Further info?

Dave B.

aside from atlantic records who had an early 8 track...most studios had
4 track,and very few overdubs happened...until brian wilson and jan berry(jan and dean!)those 2 fellows started the trend for bouncing all of the 4 tracks onto one or two then adding again...this would have been in late '63..
les paul was the grandaddy of all of that,but no one else was really doing that in the 50's like les.
certainly by 1965 and '66 a lot of it was going on.mama's and papas, etc.
when you reffered to wendy wendy by the four coins...yes,groups like that
were supposed to be 4 part..but of course they cheated and added voices at certain points..becasue the ultimate goal was the rich sound...i doubt
seriously if there were any over dubs on those four coins records.

forgot to mention spector,phil spector...he would have been doing that also in those days