The Great 48

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Lately I've been finding myself getting nostalgic for the way records used to be produced in the '80s, around the time that 48-track recording capability came into being. Here I'm thinking about the sound of albums where the artists/producers/engineers all seemed to say, "Well, we paid for 48 tracks, might as well use them all." Gajillions of guitar overdubs (and you could hear them all, cause they were clean '80s guitars), keyboards washes, and usually what seemed like at least a dozen tracks given over to various isolated drum-kit bits and various discrete percussion. The thing is, such production seemed to create this enormous artificial sonic space, where you would hear little cowbells clunking somewhere way back in the distant stereo field, with competing plinky rhythm guitar parts in each channel, some of it echoing like an aircraft hanger, some of it right up front. I'm not saying that I want a return to that sound, but I sort of admire it from afar now (I hated it at the time). Anyone else?

Oh, examples. The one's that spring to mind are big, would-be epic singles like like XTC's "Wake Up" or Tears for Fears' "Shout," as well as maybe those early '80s Def Leppard albums. Other faves/not-faves?

― Lee G, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Isn't it strange that as the number of tracks went up, the number of names on the credits went down? Any MOR album from the 70s seems to have at least 400 people on it, whereas on a Whitney Houston album there seems to be 2 people who program everything.

― dave q, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

2 people who program everything

I think programming is the key, and going digital is the even bigger key -- they couldn't get 48 tracks in the 70s because they didn't have computers to manage the task very well. And guess who was the first guy to record the all-digital album which is so taken for granted today?

Yes, it was your true master, Giorgio Moroder (1980's E=MC2, with partner Harold "Axel F" Faltermeyer).

― dleone, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

what's sort of funny about this is that the decade's hands-down best artist, Prince, was notable in part because he was a MINIMALIST. but Born in the USA wasn't, and I think that album had a LOT to do w/that aesthetic--that, and Arthur Baker remixes. (by the way, I LOVE "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and Marshall Crenshaw's Field Day, the epitome of the "big '80s drum sound")

― M Matos, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ah yes, the '80s remix--most often a super-extended middle eight with louder snares and added synthetic handclaps. The mention of Arthur Baker does bring to mind another Great 48 classic: Black Uhuru's Anthem.

Born in the USA flirted with that Big '80s Sound, but it was much more minimal than the prime suspects I have in mind. And Field Day was a Steve Lillywhite joint, which adds its own layers of complication to the correlation, i.e. Lillywhite used so much reverb in those days that EVERYTHING sounded like it was playing back in an aircraft hanger.

Side note, vis-a-vis the Lillywhite Reverb Effect: Ever notice how his records never really sound loud, no matter how loud you turn up the volume. (See U2's War)

― Lee G, Friday, 21 June 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

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