In the Particular Player, and the General Intran- Sigence and Unpredictability of Just What It Sounds Like
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Apart from drums, the electric bass is perhaps the most difficult instrument to re- cord, because of its tonal range, the variables in the particular player, and the general intran- sigence and unpredictability of just what it sounds like. Some nights your bass sound is there, an others it's not, having to do (man) have said with whether the spirits are happy or not. Most would agree that on those nights when it's not there, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it. Cherokee's Dee Robb, Davlen's Leonard Kovner, and independent engineer Ron Malo (though he works a lot at Devonshire), talked about the way they approach and execute recording the electric bass. DEE ROBB LEONARD KOVNER RON MALO Dee Robb was born in Ann Arbor, Mich- Leonard Kovner is a fairly remarkable Ron Malo, like many, became an engineer igan in 1943. While still in his teens, he, two guy. He started playing guitar at 7, study- "by accident ", through answering an ad for a brothers, and a cousin formed a band, known ing under four of Los Angeles' finest teachers in job with the Northwest Sound Company in unsurprisingly as the Robbs. At age 17 he had Stanley Black, Jay Lacey, Ted Green, and the Detroit that had a position for a "radio repair- his first release, a single on Chess called "The venerable Ernie Ball himself. By 12 he was man, no experience necessary". While still in Prom ", penned by Del Shannon, which fea- immersed in creative home recording, having high school, he began recording band concerts tured Dee as the artist /vocalist. They were Del's fashioned a primitive home studio where he and making - literally - his own records. band at the time (Dee played guitar), and taped space noises via a microwave receiver, He graduated to building quite a few little would back a number of the day's top pop original comedy monologues, and all manner of recording operations in the Detroit area, artists, like Bobby Vinton, Brian Hyland, and sounds and sound effects. And none of this and at the same time doing remote radio the then -reigning Gene Pitney. prevented him from seeing "every science broadcasts for station WJLB. During this After four or five singles for Chess, Dee fiction movie ever made" and amassing a period he recorded the Royal Tones and and the other Robbs went to RCA. And, formidable collection of monster magazines. Johnny and the Hurricanes, two of the ear- amazingly, Dee had been able to grab two years During this time he was doing "a great deal of liest -ever rock bands. of college at Marquette University in Milwau- listening" as well, to artists like the Everly He met Motown founding father Berry kee. For two years during the middle '60's, the Brothers, Duane Eddy, Phil Spector, Ricky Gordy at the Flame Show Bar, a "black and tan Robbs were regulars on Dick Clark's "Where Nelson, Del Shannon, Dick Dale ( "to listen to club ", ultimately building the original Hitsville the Action Is" TV show, and had a few mod- him have his Dual Showman on 10 with his for him at the site of a former photo studio on erately successful records on Mercury. reverb unit was like really a . you know, West Grand Avenue. Around Christmas of Dee "stuck" (as they say) as a staff moving experience "), and even country artists 1959, he left Detroit to become head engineer producer for Mercury, and later formed his own like Roy Clark and Chet Atkins. at Chess Records in Chicago at a salary of independent production company, producing By 1964 he had made it to disc. Only 3150 per week. records mostly for the Atlantic label, but also 14 at the time, his mother drove him to the Malo remained at Chess for over a decade, United Artists and Columbia. Dee laughs when studio, where he and his band cut a single for during which he had at least something to do he remembers these days and these records. Capitol Records, made possible, Leonard with almost every record released by the label "They were mostly silly things, like Wolfman thinks, because somebody big at Capitol was and personally engineered a huge disproportion Jack... one of the band member's Little League coach. of the classic first- generation rhythm & blues From there it was into engineering, Three years later, he began playing sessions as a records. Some of the artists he worked with: recording artists like Little Richard, Rick guitarist. And shortly after that, he started Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Nelson, Dr. John, and Richie Havens. He engineering, doing much work at American Chuck Berry, Etta James, Little Walter, Willie had co- founded Cherokee Recording Studio, Recording with Richie Podolor (whom he Dixon, one of the Sonny Boy Williamsons, Otis which was located originally on a ranch in credits as a major influence recording tech- Rush, Buddy Guy, and Jimmy Witherspoon. Chatsworth, California. However, there were nique- wise), and later producing. These records were the very founda- some problems with the location (not the least In the fall of 1972, frustrated with work- tion of the British R &B boom in the 60's, of which being unamenable neighbors) and so ing in not -so -good studios and on product that and so when those artists came to America, they had to move. In January of 1976, Chero- was going nowhere, he decided to build his they wanted nothing more than to come kee opened its doors at its present location, at own studio. He spent a full year in preparation, to Ter -Mar (the Chess studio's real name) 751 N. Fairfax, in West Hollywood. Since amassing as much information on the subject and work with the "legendary blues engin- that time, Cherokee has become one of the as he could. He took a tour of the United States eer" himself. The Yardbirds cut one of their really "happening" studios, and Robb one of and Europe to see personally all the great early albums with him, and the Rolling Stones the hottest engineers in town, working with studios. He didn't just "visit" - he took along cut 21 tracks at Chess in just two sessions, artists like Rod Stewart, Art Garfunkel, Cat some of his own tapes ... booked time . appearing on their second through fifth U.S. Stevens, Donovan, the Manhattan Transfer, and ran some mixes ... and took it all in at over LPs. They were just knocked out with Ron, the Joan Baez. 100 different studios, some being Sunset studio, the equipment, the sound - everything. ... continued on page 62 ... continued on page 66 ... continued on page 70 R-e/p 60 .