Les Paul & Mary Ford on Omnibus (7min version with jokes)
by Monkey Wrench on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 | 25 Comments
Les Paul & Mary Ford appear on Alistair Cooke’s “Omnibus” (10/23/1953) to dispel rumors that their recordings are all electrical gadgetry. They perform two demonstrations of their recording techniques (one fake making fun of rumors and on real with his multitrack recorders. He is using his now famous Ampex model 200 machines (1-inch tape) given to him by friend Bing Crosby. He added an extra recording playhead to each to create the 1st multitrack system. (note: this is NOT the Ampex 8-track Les Paul commissioned in 1954 and finished in 1957.)
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Anyone know where I can get tubes for my Cinemafutzer? I put some heavy metal through it and it blew up 8-((
@elpresley
I’ve never been into computer manufactured music so I don’t remember. Sorry. It was about 10 years ago though.
What’s even worse is now there’s computer programs the write the music FOR you. You notice how all those “reality TV” shows’ background music sounds the same, yet they’re all different? You give the computer a set of rules to follow, and it can compose music automatically for a 1 hour TV show in 15 minutes.
I tend to agree with mstag, Les took credit for a lot of things, however, he was a great synthesizer of many things…Rheinheart’s playing, multitrack recording and reinterpretations of old standards. The demo part of this video is a bit misleading as well. The full song is lip synched and mimed by Mary and Les-it’s the relased song exactly. The demo was set up to show, somewhat, the process of overdubing. Les used two tape machines exactly as to not have to go back to bhe begining for mistakes.
@wado1942 : could you tell me what programm that is?
So why did the Beatles, with all their millions to spend on recording technology, do all those recordings on four tracks, with all the silly sounding ping-ponging, where, for instance, the entire drum track would be on one side and all the vocals on the other? Doesn’t make sense to me, when Les Paul was doing 24 tracks (granted, not stereo) more than a decade earlier?
This is Robert Saudek’s show, Omnibus… Alistair was the host…
Wow, this is the true origin of 24 track tape recording! Amazing! As a producer, this is just an amazing find.
To the victors go the spoils.
And he was no inventor – he took undue credit for the multitrack tape machine,an Ampex a concept, invention, and machine. He was a good musician but not very honest about his role in audio technology.
When you have the rhythm track on machine A and you monitor it while recording a solo track on B, you won’t screw up the A track – nothing was erased. Just rewind and do a new solo track. No need to start all over.
“ignorang rumor that the basis of Les Paul & Mary Ford music is electronics”
Too bad that’s not true anymore. My completely music illiterate room mate downloaded a free program off the internet and had a song done in a few minutes. It now takes NO talent to make music. Though I’ll state that GOOD music at least still takes talent.
Les Paul was so far ahead of his time, it was scary!
WONDERFUL
Les Paul and Mary Ford! Forefronts of the multi-track universe! Pay homage! What beautiful people! I bless them in multi-prayer-I-love-you-and-thanks-4-everything- format.
both (les-mary) really incredible & genius, thanks for posting
Does anyone have this audio track called “Jungle Bells” by Les Paul & Mary ford, I believe this was recorded and issued in the 1950′s. It’s a beautiful song with a solid tempo. I just can’t fine it anywhere.
It was one of his custom Les Pauls that he did work on notice the neck pickup is not a Gibson but a De Armond
Yes,Les Paul was a genius,but if it wasn`t for the Germans at the AEG plant all these new record things had been impossible.The americans stole the ide when ww2 was over.
Amazing talent.Les paul and Mary Ford are the only reason why rock n roll even exists.
I have been celebrating Les Paul’s life since I first met him. That gave me the opportunity to appreciate all that he has done for music and technology and gives me great memories of him. We had one-on-one conversations in the middle of the night in a little NY nightclub just talking about all the the good days in his life and the people we both know. I never was successful in getting him his Kennedy Center Honor, but I sure tried. Yes, when Les passed, the music died again.
26 with the 2 ongoing here
thumbs up
… 24 tracks?!? Les was a genius!! R.I.P. man
That is simply unreal!
Two people who can perform repeatedly on time.
Such talent they each possessed!
Only an Englishman like Alistair Cooke could keep the joke going for so long, play the straight man so perfectly and then switch effortlessly into an intelligent interview..
Thanks for posting this. They made these complex recordings using technology that would be considered primitive today but in meant that they both had to have incredible timing ana a feel for a tune that has rarely been matched since.