Hank's first Meazzi

[dave robinson]

Being as we are in a big debate about the magic sound, can anyone confirm when Hank got his hands on his own Meazzi, or when he began to record with one?

[dave robinson]

OK I've done some digging and come up with May 1960 as a starter, can anyone go back further than that?

[rockinscott]

Ive been thinking about this myself the last few weeks and have been wanting to have a look at the Cliff recordings as well and recording dates etc just to get a time line of things.

Ps. did you get my email?

[Derek Mowbray]

Hank said in an interview that it was Joe Brown who introduced him to the echo chamber but Joe did not like the sound.Hank did and said he started using it on recording sessions.I think that the single version of "Voice in The Wilderness" sounds like Hank using an echo chamber that would be 1959

[Didier]

Hank did and said he started using it on recording sessions.I think that the single version of "Voice in The Wilderness" sounds like Hank using an echo chamber that would be 1959

In his book, Bruce Welch wrote that Hank recorded for the first time with an echo machine for the Apache and Quatermaster's Stores session on June 17th 1960.
It was also the first time that Bruce recorded with an acoustic guitar (a Gibson J200 he borrowed from Cliff).

Didier

[Amanda]

Hi Didier,

I knew I'd read it somewhere!

Amanda

[dave robinson]

I just had a look in Bruce's book and found that statement confirming the first use of the Meazzi Echomatic, so now there are two scources of evidence that prove that the Meazzi didn't arrive until the 'Apache' recording session in June 1960.

This means that tracks such as 'Livin Lovin' Doll', 'Saturday Dance', 'A Voice In The Wilderness', (both recordings) 'Fall In Love With You', 'Nine Times Out Of Ten', 'Gee Whiz It's You', Please Don't Tease' and 'Where Is My Heart' - all of which feature THAT SOUND big style, as well as all the other stuff recorded before June 1960, were recorded without the Meazzi. Food for thought - or what?

[roger bayliss]

On this video clip of Gee Whiz it looks like the Meazzi on the floor by HBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb5bWpesdK8

Maybe the EMI REDD 17/37 desks were part of it all ?

http://www.studiomastering.net/e/EMI_RE ... soles.html

[dave robinson]

Yes it does look like a Meazzi on that clip, but it's been documented somewhere that this recording which was attended by a studio audience , was quite a while after the actual record was made on March 17 1960. Someone may know the date somewhere.

Those REDD desks were certainly part of the sound, but more so was the Abbey Road reverb.

[fenderplucker]

Hi Dave,

An intriguing question that you raise! There is evidence of the Shadows using a Meazzi on the 19th March 1960 Cliff Richard Show (seen just behind hank on the floor) so they at least had it by then. Just when they first got it is unknown as far as I can tell. However, they clearly had it for Gee Whiz it's You, Nine Times out of Ten, Willie and The Hand Jive, Please Don't Tease, Where is My Heart and Fall in Love with You. I can't find any evidence of echoes on Living Doll (other than reverb) or Travelling Light or probably Voice in the Wilderness and songs before that, so I would place it at sometime between Jan 1960 and March 1960. Whether the tunes before that had "That Sound" I'll leave for debate!

I have just put together an article to appear on the TVS website that gives the full chronology of the echo units used by the Shadows (as far as we know at the moment). It should be available very shortly and Spiro will post an announcement on where to find it in a day or so.

Regards,

Paul