Enoch Light

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Enoch Henry Light (* 18th August 1905 in Canton , Ohio , † 31 July 1978 in Redding , Connecticut ) was an American classic - violinist , bandleader , producer and sound engineer . He was the founder, A&R boss and vice president of the record companies Grand Award Records and Command Records .

Production and sound engineering

Light is one of the first musicians to strive for extremely high quality stereo recordings and to take full advantage of the technical possibilities of the studio technology of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He did pioneering work in recording technology, dealt early with multi-track recordings and used 35 mm magnetic film instead of conventional magnetic tape in order to reduce various interfering effects. He also used massive stereo effects that let sounds wander back and forth between the right and left channels (so-called ping-pong effects).

He was the first producer to arrange his musicians' entries according to the type of sounds he wanted. The first album he produced for his Command Records label was Persuasive Percussion , which sold very well, but barely or not at all on the radios, as the radio stations broadcast a mono signal as standard at that time . The Command Test Record , a record with which you could check the setup and function of your stereo system , also appeared on Command .

Artwork

His record covers were mostly designed with abstract , minimalist art, which made them stand out from other covers of the time. The artwork for the first publications was created by Josef Albers .

Light was so fascinated by the sound of his productions that he described the individual sounds of each individual track in long prose. To ensure that all descriptions fit on the cover, he had sleeves made twice the size that could be opened like a book, thus making the so-called fold-out cover or gatefold popular. These gatefold covers became very popular in later decades and were used for many publications, such as the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band .

Labels and publications

Enoch Light released countless albums in various genres , under different names, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Records that were intended more for the older generation, he released on his, earlier founded, secondary label Grand Award Records, which was now a sub-label of Command.

Several albums appeared in the Persuasive Percussion series, the first release of which, “Enoch Light / Terry Snyder & The All Stars - Persuasive Percussion” (1960) reached number 1 on the album charts.

The recordings on 35 mm magnetic film (see above) were released as the "35 MM" series, which started with the album "Stereo / 35 MM" (on Command Records). With "Enoch Light & Light Brigade - Stereo / 35 MM" Light reached another number one position in the American charts.

Musicians who played on his albums included musicians from The Free Design , The Critters, Rain, Doc Severinsen , Tony Mottola , Dick Hyman and arranger Lew Davies .

In 1965, Light Command Records sold to the ABC Records label , which was subsequently bought up by MCA . After the sale, the quality of the records that came out under these labels dropped dramatically. From this point onwards, publications with gatefold cover format and “light prose” were no longer implemented, the covers became ordinary and the records pressed from recycled vinyl. In 1975 the labels were completely discontinued.

After the sale, Light continued to record records and released them on his newly founded label "Project 3", but no longer placed any increased emphasis on the use of stereo effects. Light recorded several successful albums with his big band Enoch Light And The Light Brigade , founded during the Command time . He kept the scores and arrangements as close as possible to the original. In 1974 he withdrew completely from music. He died four years later. Enoch Light was buried at the Umpawaug Burial Ground in West Redding , Connecticut .

Light's recording of Autumn Leaves was sampled by RJD2 for the theme song on AMC series Mad Men A Beautiful Mine .

Discographic notes

  • I want to Be Happy Cha Cha's (Grand Award, 1958)
  • Percussion (Vares Vintage, ca.1959)
  • Bongos performances by Los Admiradores (Command, 1959)
  • Stereo / 35 MM (Command, 1961)
  • Dimension "3" (Command, 1964)
  • Discotheque dance dance dance (Command, 1964)
  • Big Band Bossa Nova: New Beat from Brazil. Big Hits of the 70's, Vol. 1 (Compilation)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Billboard Magazine, November 6, 1961, p. 15, ISSN  0006-2510
  2. ^ The Rise of Command Records , Billboard Magazine, Jun 20, 1960, p. 13
  3. ↑ List of number one hits in the USA (1960)
  4. ↑ List of number one hits in the USA (1961)
  5. ↑ Selection according to Allmusic

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Light, Enoch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Light, Enoch Henry (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American musician and record producer
DATE OF BIRTH August 18, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Canton , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH July 31, 1978
Place of death West Redding, Connecticut