Dion DiMucci and Teacho Wiltshire

[mjzee]

Marc Myers has another one of his great portraits in today's WSJ.  It's of Dion DiMucci and the making of "Runaround Sue."  The whole article can be found here: http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-story-behind-runaround-sue-1452616310

But this paragraph caught my eye, about the actual recording session:

Fortunately, Gene had brought in some of the city’s best studio musicians. We had Teacho Wiltshire on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, Panama Francis on drums, Buddy Lucas on tenor sax, Mickey “Guitar” Baker on lead guitar and Bucky Pizzarelli on rhythm guitar. 

After the guys looked over the music, they made suggestions. Bucky said, “Dion, should I play in this position or inverted in the higher register?” which would give him a different sound. I told him to go for it. I let the guys come up with great stuff. There were timpani drums in the corner of the studio covered in canvas. Panama played on top of those, giving the drum a thud factor and primitive vibe. He also put his wallet on the tom-tom so it had a deeper sound.

[paul secor]

Great story! Laurie Records used good backup musicians and Dion was more than just a typical teen age idol (though he was that too). He knew what he wanted on his records.

[felser]

19 minutes ago, paul secor said:

Great story! Laurie Records used good backup musicians and Dion was more than just a typical teen age idol (though he was that too). He knew what he wanted on his records.

Agreed.  Amazing muscian and man.  Surprised no one has ever made a movie about his life.   A shame that his mid-60's Columbia recordings were ignored at the time.  And his later autobigraphical song, "The Truth Will Set You Free", is one of my favorite songs by anyone ever.

 

 

[catesta]

Nice story. The guy has put out some great music over the years. Count me as an admirer and fan.

[JSngry]

Not just Dion (although, yeah, him, always), but I still listen to all those 45-era pop records, not because they're all great songs/singers/etc. but because on so many of them, the backing track are saying something that's coming from a different place than the "intent" would want you to believe. Tones, pockets, accents, you can so often hear so many things going on behind what is otherwise a total POS record and LOL because, hey, THAT guy! THOSE guys! That choice was made and was not removed, WIN!

But you don't hear that so much these days, there's less manual input on pop records these days, fewer differing minds in the mix, fewer potential outcomes. It is what it is.

[paul secor]

3 hours ago, felser said:

Agreed.  Amazing muscian and man.  Surprised no one has ever made a movie about his life.   A shame that his mid-60's Columbia recordings were ignored at the time.  And his later autobigraphical song, "The Truth Will Set You Free", is one of my favorite songs by anyone ever.

 

 

There was talk recently about a Broadway show about Dion's life. Not sure how that stands.

[catesta]

5 hours ago, JSngry said:

Not just Dion (although, yeah, him, always), but I still listen to all those 45-era pop records, not because they're all great songs/singers/etc. but because on so many of them, the backing track are saying something that's coming from a different place than the "intent" would want you to believe. Tones, pockets, accents, you can so often hear so many things going on behind what is otherwise a total POS record and LOL because, hey, THAT guy! THOSE guys! That choice was made and was not removed, WIN!

But you don't hear that so much these days, there's less manual input on pop records these days, fewer differing minds in the mix, fewer potential outcomes. It is what it is.

I'm the same way. I listen to the stuff all the time, especially when I'm cooking on a Sunday. Even when guys and gals were copying each other, there was still something different about it.

[felser]

11 minutes ago, catesta said:

I'm the same way. I listen to the stuff all the time, especially when I'm cooking on a Sunday. Even when guys and gals were copying each other, there was still something different about it.

The documentary on the Wrecking Crew is pretty fantastic (and has 6!! hours of extras).  HAL BLAINE !!  Listen to him on the choruses of Gene Pitney's "Last Chance To Turn Around" - marvelous.

[JSngry]

Oh, Hal Blaine was a one-man WMD.

 

 

Coming from a different place, check out the pocket on this, that bass/drum hookup (likely Freddie Washington & Ollie Brown or Ricky Lawson)...not "flashy", but we're talking micro-milli-seconds here, at any given moment, one of them gets off, and PHLAAAAPPP, groove lost, pocket gone, just another softpop POS. But that never happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NC9OWQEeqc

That sucker just will not populate on this board. I have no idea why. Point just being that there's a reason why stuff like that is so popular...you can get to people by feeling their rhythms and their shapes, get to them deep. It's a dangerous game, but those who play it well and do it with a clear conscience have my respect, if not always my love.

 

 

 

 

[paul secor]

There are some good stories in the liner notes to Dion's Bronx Blues, like hearing John Lee Hooker's "Walking the Boogie" with Willie, the super in his family's building when Dion was a teenager, and years later using the stomping beat from that on his hit, "Drip Drop".

And showing up for a gig at a supper club on Long Island with Buddy Lucas on harp and himself on electric guitar. The patrons showed up in tuxes, expecting and elegant evening on the town and got something entirely different. "They never booked me back after that."