I know the internet is full of rubbish and this might well be another bit, but I've just been reading Steady Rolling Man which looks at Robert Johnsons recordings and asks whether the bluesman we know may well be the product of archaic recording techniques. It's proposed that RJ was recorded at the wrong speed and pitch and there some examples of his recording slowed down and reduced in pitch. I've had a bash at lowering the pitch on these samples. I'm not completely convinced but I think there may be something in it. I always thought that the original Dock Boggs recordings have a similar feel.
Crossroad Blues original
Crossroad Blues pitch lowered 10%
Yes! Yes! Yes!-since I read this blog/article it all made sense-or is it that I could never play as fast/accurately as my mate Dave?
ReplyDeleteThe most convincing aspect for me is that Johnsons heroes/contemporaries sounded the same (when slower) and it was common practice to speed up recording for Juke dances-I used to use an old Grundig reel to reel to "record slow:play back fast"-just like old Les paul did.