Friday, June 26, 2009

The Eagle has Landed!

So - my good friend Michael Ackerman spotted this on Craigslist, in Orange County (about an hour from here). It was an old A&M Records recording console, custom built in 1969/70. It took a lot of sleuthing to find anything about these, but information finally showed up. The photos of it in the ad were really poor quality - so I (and anyone else looking) couldn't tell much about it.

This is the console, as it sat in storage for a plumbing firm for 26 years...

I finally got better photos, but could not identify it in the few vintage A&M Studio photos that survive. As it turns out, it was used in a rarely-photographed room, called "Mix 2" where people would simply mix - and not record new parts. All the desks were built by HAECO - by their chief technicial engineer at the studios, Howard Holzer, a famous designer and engineer himself. These desks are excellent quality, built of various legendary components; Spectra Sonics, Electrodyne, API, Stephens, etc. Many famous records were done on these A&M desks - Almost all of Joni Mitchell's LPs, Herb Alpert, The Carpenters, Carole King's Tapestry, etc etc.



It took months and several trips to the O.C. warehouse, but we finally got the console up here to L.A. again, it's old hometown. (A&M is actually just up the street from my house). It took a sturdy trailer (we tried trucks and lift-gates - all too small) and a special winch to get it on and off...



The cool trumpet logo is for Herb Alpert, who was the "A" in A&M:


Colorful sucker - isn't it? From the mellow/yellow formica top, to the colored switches, and the custom-made plastic balls on the fader tops! One of the reasons I'm happiest to find it, is that almost ALL vintage consoles have been removed and repackaged from their original situation - the desk and frame are usually changed. This one is intact, including the "belly up to the bar" brass footrail underneath! (See top photo).


One of the few shots of these mixers is this one of The Carpenters sitting at one of the sister Haeco desks made for A&M. Smiling because it sounds SO good, I think! Or maybe because theirs has the colored-ball tops too!


I stored it for now in a space right near a friend's studio. They are gonna refurbish it and get it running. In return I will let them install it in their studio to use. (I have a GREAT mixer already to use - so this will be nice for them, and I can keep my eye on it while it gets used!)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Great view as a storm comes into Hollywood (hoping to make it big I bet)

Largo club doors - empty after the final show. Spent well over 10 years going here, off and on. Some great times, and some terrible ones. But memorable...

"DO NOT..." what?

Honesty is the best policy at "The Smelly Cheese Shop" in Australia...

Monday, June 1, 2009

More randoms...

I never get tired of this one...



I guess someone decided this is a better band name than "The Who" which is very old and tired now...



Their FIRST selling point sure does grab the customer!



New Years' Even with my very mature friend Paul, who had just heard that shaving cream could be ignited. And we threw firecrackers.



Finally!



Another effect of the slow phone camera - like the propeller in the posts below, this one is out the car window in London. Love it.



The guitar guy sometimes plays VERY hard for a man in his 60s!



And so does the keyboard player!



Wait, are these the dummies the display, or are they for sale, or is this "The Emperor's New Clothes"?

Traveling?

You could do worse than wait for your flight in the VIRGIN Atlantic lounge at Heathrow airport in London! I took these pics on the way home last winter...





Completely unrelated to that last post...


Saw this shop in Newcastle, Australia (a hellhole in some parts).