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From: rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Re: Great Guitarists (Les Paul)
Message-ID: <1148@pyuxn.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 20-Sep-84 12:47:07 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxn.1148
Posted: Thu Sep 20 12:47:07 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 25-Sep-84 20:14:50 EDT
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Organization: Bell Communications Research, Piscataway N.J.
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Without Les Paul, we wouldn't have the electric guitar as we know it
today (some may seek to go back in time and alter history for this
alone! :-), we wouldn't have multi-track recording (he virtually
invented the notion of multitrack recording and overdubbing),
and I think he also developed a number of sound processing techniques
(like tape echo and, I think, tape flanging).  Modern music owes this
man a debt that approaches unpayability.

He once gave a seminar in London to which he invited rock guitarists.
The only one who showed up was Steve Howe.  His work is greatly
underappreciated.

He used to have his whole house wired for sound.  His wife, the singer
Mary Ford, would often sing all the parts (overdubbed, of course).
In fact, there were microphones in so many places that she could put
on a pair of headphones and sing into a microphone while he engineered
the recording in the basement and she washed the dishes in the kitchen.

When his elbow joint was shattered in an automobile accident, he insisted
that if the doctors had to set his arm permanently in one position, it
should be slanted in just the right position for him to play the guitar.
His arm is still set that way.

Enough trivia.  If you find one of the Les Paul's greatest hits type
albums floating around in budget bins, pick it up, and check out the
overdubbed vocal harmonies and unusual guitar sounds on "How High the Moon",
and "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles", and remember this was over thirty years
ago.  It still stands up.
-- 
WHAT IS YOUR NAME?			Rich Rosen
WHAT IS YOUR NET ADDRESS?		pyuxn!rlr
WHAT IS THE CAPITAL OF ASSYRIA?		I don't know that ...  ARGHHHHHHHH!