Jeff Lynne Vocal Sound

[Buzz]

Hey, this might not be the right group for this, but I figured there
might be a few wannabe producers here!

Does anyone know how Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys, Beatles,
Petty) gets the backup vocal sound that he gets? His backup vocals
almost sound like a keyboard or a keyboard mixed with the vocals. It's
a very cool sound. Not wild about the drum sound he gets, but his
vocal sound has always intrigued me.

Thanks!

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Dave Boothroyd]

Buzz <bryannosp...@earthlinknospam.com> wrote in message
news:r94ccugopfde0u150...@4ax.com...

> Hey, this might not be the right group for this, but I figured there
> might be a few wannabe producers here!
>

> Does anyone know how Jeff Lynne gets the backup vocal sound like a

keyboard or a keyboard mixed with the vocals

Do you mean the Vocoder on "Mr Blue Sky"?
Its a Vocoder- the speech formants (fliter changes if you like) from a
Vocal line are applied to a synth chord.
Cheers
Dave

[Lee]

I kinda thought I managed to get as near as I could to ELO (without knowing
the secret) with some of the backing I done in two of my songs, Seperate
worlds and the other being Blackwater. Quite proud really, Lol,
Have a listen,
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/leekane.htm

Doing all the music vocals and backing in the tunes is fun but I get a kick
doing my Backing,
Cheers,
Lee

"Dave Boothroyd" <da...@gypseyrace.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:aa5j5a$o3k$1...@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk...

[Buzz]

Not the vocoder sound that I'm hearing. If you listen to the Wilbury
albums, the backups sound really compressed or something, but they
don't have that vocoder sound. I could be wrong too. I just like that
sound.

[Pjschindel]

I think you're right that he uses a lot of compression in general, and I agree
with you that I don't like it so much on the drums but it sounds decent on the
vocals.

Peter
http://www.soundclick.com/peterschindelman
http://www.demo-exchange.com/dx.html
http://www.mp3.com/peterschindelman

[mark]

What I want to know is how Jeff managed to take an exciting band (Tom Petty
& The Heartbreakers) and make them sound so dull and uninspiring, and how he
managed to produce(or co produce with Harrison) the two Travelling Wilbury's
albums in a style completely wrong for their greatest member(Dylan)
Also why he left a bunch of Dylan songs off the second Wilburies album in
order to fit on some of his own ditties(and as we all know Jeff Lynne as a
songwriter makes Graham Nash seem like a musical and lyrical genius)
Then there's his brilliant idea to write and record a solo record and put it
out under the ELO name,despite the fact that that band has been the subject
of ridicule for decades. Can't imagine why the album was such a bomb(lol)

Pjschindel <pjsch...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020424091002...@mb-mv.aol.com...

[Buzz]

Obviously, you're not a fan of Lynne's production. However, I thought
the few albums he did with Petty were pretty good. The ones after
Lynne are a lot more on the dull side to me. Since Tom lost fired his
drummer, they've kind of been in the dumper to me.

The Wilburys were NOT a Dylan vehicle. The Wilburys were the Wilburys.
I liked Dylan's stuff with them more than anything else since the
early 70's. To each his own.

On the ELO album, you're correct that he should've just called it Jeff
Lynne as he played nearly everything on it. However, it's a great
album IMHO.a

Sorry to digress the group! Back to songwriting!

BZ

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Irene Jackson]

I always liked Jeff Lynne's sound...and his songs too. Ssshhh...don't tell
anybody :-)
There was a show on television not that long ago that had him performing
some of his old hits, mostly from ELO. It was great :-)

Irene

--
Irene Jackson
http://www.irenejackson.com
MP3 Songs
http://www.mp3.com/irenejackson
Tips
http://www.irenejackson.com/tips.html

"Buzz" <bryannosp...@earthlinknospam.com> wrote in message

news:t8mecuckvprp18ru8...@4ax.com...

[Pjschindel]

I'm mixed re Jeff Lynne. I do like his 1990 solo album, Electric Armchair,
quite a bit. I think he's a fine singer and instrumentalist. I like his
Wilbury work -- and agree with the person who said that it wasn't (only) a
Dylan vehicle; I think Dylan's role was too prominent, and Lynne was mainly a
harmony vocalist and guitarist (and co-producer) on those albums. My main
problem, as I stated before, is with his preference of drum sound -- too
compressed for my taste. I only heard clips from "Zoom," the solo album he
released under the E.L.O. name; based on those I'll probably buy it someday. I
like some E.L.O. stuff but some doesn't grab me much/irritates me.

[mark]

Dylan can never be too prominent<g>
The Wilburys had the great Jim Keltner as drummer and Lynne together with
Harrison mixed the drums way too low for a start and then compounded the sin
by putting some hopelessly bland bass playing alongside Jim(I assume Lynne
was the bass player here)
Dylan is a wonderfully soulful piano player, instead Lynne resorted to the
dreaded synths.
None of the Wilburys were in Bob's class as a songwriter.

Pjschindel <pjsch...@aol.com> wrote in message

news:20020425075511...@mb-ba.aol.com...

[Brad Grier]

> None of the Wilburys were in Bob's class as a songwriter.

I agree. Although George Harrison definitely had his moments.

[mark]

Brad Grier <gr...@tconl.com> wrote in message
news:jwXx8.315$oC6....@news.uswest.net...

> > None of the Wilburys were in Bob's class as a songwriter.
>
>
> I agree. Although George Harrison definitely had his moments.

Yeah he did, although his most creative period ended after All Things Must
Pass, seems to me as if his songwriting exploded towards the end of The
Beatles lifespan, after he used up all of this stuff, he never manged to
match it.(Guess the same argument could be made for John & Paul too)
>

[Pjschindel]

"Dylan is a wonderfully soulful piano player, instead Lynne resorted to the
dreaded synths."

I agree re disliking the synths. Because they're more prevalent on the Vol. 1,
I tend to prefer Vol. 3 as a listen (though I prefer Vol. 1's songs from a
songwriting point of view).

Dylan's vocal on "Seven Deadly Sins" sounds like a sick cow to me. :)

[OSSONGS]

>> None of the Wilburys were in Bob's class as a songwriter.
>
>
>I agree. Although George Harrison defini

George would have had a few more moments, if L&M had let him get a song in
edgeways...

Dolores

[OSSONGS]

>Dylan's vocal on "Seven Deadly Sins" sounds like a sick cow to me. :)
>
>Peter

Dylan sounds that way more than not.
JMO.

Dolores

[Brad Grier]

"mark" <a...@chester19.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message
news:aa9gv3$3f3$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...

You're right. I remember someone loaning me All Things Must Pass. I liked it
so much I ended up getting all of his albums except maybe Cloud Nine and The
Concert For Bangladesh. (Yes, I even found a used copy of Gone Troppo or
whatever it was called).

There were a few good moments here and there but for me he never matched All
Things Must Pass. Not even close. Maybe that's an argument for the power of
creative tension/competition. I don't know, it's a mystery.

[David Robinson]

"None of the Wilburys were in Bob's class as a songwriter."

Except Roy Orbison, who beat the pants off Dylan as either singer or
songwriter.

David

[Buzz]

Yeah! It's like we can't be honest about the stuff we like. I HATE
that.
Liked your songs by the way!
BZ

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Buzz]

yeah, his drum sound DOES stink. Everything else is cool though. I
think I mentioned that in earlier posts. It's Armchair Theatre. It's
great!

BZ

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Buzz]

Actually, he came VERY close with Cloud 9.
Hey, Lynne produced that!
;)
BZ

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Buzz]

I hate Dylan's voice. As a writer, great. As a singer... no way.

BZ

http://www.mp3.com/bryan_woolley

[Irene Jackson]

"Buzz" <bryannosp...@earthlinknospam.com> wrote in message

news:mkihcuobii5kb5edg...@4ax.com...

> Yeah! It's like we can't be honest about the stuff we like. I HATE
> that.
> Liked your songs by the way!
> BZ

Thank you! :-)

Irene

[Peter Campbell]

The thing is, George never wrote anything until 1965 with Help's "I need
you". Although he did write "Don't bother me" which appeared on Beatles for
sale it wasn't a great effort. I can't blame John and Paul for taking up
the most space on subsequent albums to Help because they had contributed the
most to previous albums. By George's own admission, in the early Beatles
years, he wasn't writing that much that he demanded space on an album.

But he did have his moments.

[Peter Campbell]

I was wondering what you meant at first with the "vocal sound". I get it
now, I think. Jeff Lynne also produced a lot of Paul McCartney's Flaming
Pie album (if not all of it). There's a song called "Little Willow" that
has that Jeff Lynne sound to it. It's a lovely little song and I think that
Jeff Lynne sound wastes it, but just a little. He seems to use that sound
quite often.

[mark]

Lynne co-produced some of the tracks on Flaming Pie, fortunately McCartney
must have pulled rank and prevented Lynne destroying his gorgeous melodies.
Peter Campbell <nos...@beatit.com> wrote in message
news:Thfy8.18106$dh5.1...@news-binary.blueyonder.co.uk...

[Pjschindel]

Actually, George's "Don't Bother Me" appeared on "With The Beatles." I quite
like the song too -- basic lyric but good and good music and beat. Nice
variation with the claves.

"Little Willow" is a good example of Jeff Lynne's production touch on vocals.

[Mike Morgan]

Yes, I'd just like to add my support for Jeff Lynne and ELO at a time when I
am sure he is suffering greatly from the harsh judgements of the rmms
fraternity <g>.

ever hear 10538 overture and kuiama and all that old stuff, it was bloody
sensational. Mr. Blue sky weren't bad either.

so long live Jeff Lynne, I say May his dark and understated lead vocals be
forever comfortable between his bright and over-compressed harmonies --
aaaaah!

[Mike Morgan]

Do you like anybody who isn't Bob Dylan?

[Peter Campbell]

> Actually, George's "Don't Bother Me" appeared on "With The Beatles." I
quite
> like the song too -- basic lyric but good and good music and beat. Nice
> variation with the claves.

I knew I should have checked that. Woe is me. That's what I meant.

> "Little Willow" is a good example of Jeff Lynne's production touch on
vocals.

I don't think it is.

[Pjschindel]

> "Little Willow" is a good example of Jeff Lynne's production touch on vocals.
<

"I don't think it is."

By "good" I meant a representative example, typical of his production work on
vocals -- though I don't mind his use of compression, etc., on vocals.

[Vicci]

If you are talking about the Jeff Lynne double tracking?

It was mostly done in the early days with a natty gadget that sat in the
corner of KPM [Keith Prowse] studios in the West End in London, just off
Bond Street. No one knows who designed or built it. I was told it was
owned by the 'Wizard' guy...what's his name? Oh yeah, I remembered, Roy
Wood.

I used it [without his knowledge] for an album I did with my band [The
Bachelors] of religious music, would you believe. Produced by the legend,
Norman Newell [now sadly, in a home in Rushtington, South England].

It looked like a record turntable, about an inch high with various play and
record pick ups around the side. I am told that a lot of the bands used it,
'Wizard' etc. It was really a very crude ADT [Automatic double Track]
machine...incredible for those days.

In today's music we don't bother with that stuff as we have plenty of tracks
available for proper double tracking, twenty tracking, even, unless we want
the 'hold up a flag, here comes the automatic double tracking sound' type of
deal. Or the automatic Digitech harmonies etc.

ADT is an accepted 'trick' today, but only if it is meant to sound like
ADT....do you get what I mean? To get a '2002', 'today' sound we still do
the 12 tracks of unison, each one breathier than the previous....that's how
it's done.

Regards

DEC d...@makehits.co.uk

Could you handle being rich from music? www.makehits.co.uk/annual.htm for
the latest 'Killer' success-in-music tool: 'One Minute with Dec - The First
Annual' 147 pages and 137 Audio minutes of help from today's 'greats' on 2
Interactive Audio CD's

Buzz <bryannosp...@earthlinknospam.com> wrote in message

news:r94ccugopfde0u150...@4ax.com...
> Hey, this might not be the right group for this, but I figured there
> might be a few wannabe producers here!
>
> Does anyone know how Jeff Lynne (ELO, Traveling Wilburys, Beatles,

[Peter Campbell]

> > "Little Willow" is a good example of Jeff Lynne's production touch on
vocals.
> <
>
> "I don't think it is."
>
> By "good" I meant a representative example, typical of his production work
on
> vocals -- though I don't mind his use of compression, etc., on vocals.

Right, I see what you mean. I just think he uses that sound all the time.

[mark]

Mike Morgan <mikem...@btopenworld.com> wrote in message
news:aacghl$mb7$1...@helle.btinternet.com...

> Do you like anybody who isn't Bob Dylan?

Oh yes-McCartney, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, Paul Simon, Lou
Reed , just to name a few.

>
>

[Mike Morgan]

"mark" <a...@chester19.freeserve.co.uk> wrote in message

news:aaec8f$5dg$1...@newsg4.svr.pol.co.uk...

I'm very relieved to hear that.