Pal Recording Studio

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The Pal Recording Studio was an independent recording studio in Cucamonga , California . It was founded in 1957 by Paul Buff . He produced some surf hits there, including classics like "Pipeline" by The Chantays and "Wipe Out" by The Surfaris . Starting in 1961, Buff worked in his studio with the young Frank Zappa , who was there at the beginning of his career to acquire the skills in sound engineering matters. Zappa took over the studio in 1964 and continued to operate it under the name Studio Z until 1965.

history

founding

Tired of his previous work as a technician for the American military, Paul Buff founded the Pal Recording Studio in Cucamonga in 1957. After a neighbor complained about continued nighttime disturbance, Buff moved the studio to another house on the same street. This was at the intersection of Route 66 with Archibald Avenue. Buff named the studio after the "Pal-O-Mine" music publisher that belonged to his parents. (P. 86)

Innovations

A few years after its founding, the studio became known in the music business. On the one hand, this was due to its technical equipment. This included a tape recorder developed and built by Buff with five recording tracks on half-inch tape and an eight-channel mixer . These devices not only made it possible to record different instruments of a group one after the other in so-called overdubbing , but also to later position individual instruments in the acoustic space during later mixing - an essential technical prerequisite for the stereophony that was only becoming widespread at that time . The equipment also included an echo device and a "Rec-O-Cut" record player with a sapphire cutting head, which made it possible to produce your own pressings of the finished pieces, which made it easier to market the finished singles via record companies and radio stations. (P. 87ff)

Another reason for the popularity of the studio was its efficient way of working. Owner Buff could not only sing and compose, as a multi-instrumentalist he mastered the five most important instruments of rock 'n' roll : drums , electric bass , electric guitar , keyboard and alto saxophone . With the goal of becoming an independent singer-songwriter , he was able to (almost) single-handedly record songs - an inexpensive way of producing music. The finished master tapes of individual pieces - their music style was based almost exclusively on the current hit parades on the west coast, especially the surf sound - he then offered record companies such as Capitol , Del-Fi , Dot and Original Sound not too far away lying on Hollywood for marketing. He did this with some success. Some pieces became hits on the US west coast. (P. 42f) (p. 86ff)

In addition, some recording processes developed there contributed to the popularity of the studio. The best known is the technique of "close-miking", which later became a standard method in worldwide music production. A musical instrument is recorded on tape with a microphone placed directly in front of it, which reduces the amount of background noise that the microphone also records to a minimum. The poor acoustics of the small, L-shaped recording room provided the reason to do so. Buff invented the gate in order to be able to further reduce disturbing background noises during the recordings . A microphone is "muted" when the volume value recorded by it falls below a certain, previously set value. Buff carried out further pioneering work in the field of audio technology by developing one of the first fuzz devices in 1963 , in which the sound signal of an instrument picked up by a microphone is consciously and controlled electronically distorted. (P. 87, 100ff)

Recording studios at that time were usually run by or were dependent on large record companies. Compared to them, the small Pal studio had the advantage of being able to produce flexibly, quickly and inexpensively - with innovative equipment. This not only made it an inexpensive alternative for up-and-coming groups and ensembles: the typical “Pal sound” quickly became known.

successes

Initially, the efforts met with moderate success. The early Pal recordings are no longer known today. Guitarist Ronnie Williams introduced Paul Buff to Frank Zappa, whom he had known since the summer of 1961. These three as well as singer Ray Collins and bassist Dave Aerni produced a large number of singles in the studio from the end of 1961 under various artist names and tried to sell them to the big record companies in Hollywood. Worth mentioning: Zappa's name appeared for the first time as (co-) author of a rock 'n' roll song on the B-side track “Breaktime” from The Masters single “16 Tons”. From 1962 the situation changed; At the end of the year Buff recorded the piece "Wipeout" with the group The Surfaris , which the rock journalist Barry Miles considers to be "the surf classic" (p. 88) . The song rose to number two on the US hit parade in June 1963. Another surf song recorded in the Pal studio was "Pipeline" by The Chantays . With the demo produced by Buff , the group received a record deal; the song, released in late 1962, became a hit. The song "Tijuana Surf" from "The Hollywood Persuaders" was also a great success. Paul Buff was the only one hiding behind the band name. The piece was a hit in Mexico and stayed at number one on the charts for 17 weeks. Tijuana Surf was also number one in the USA and stayed in the charts of Billboard and Cash Box magazines for ten months without a break . The collaboration between Buff and Zappa had developed fruitfully. The latter not only acquired the tools for his later career in terms of sound technology, but also acquired fundamental insights into the functioning of the music business. Buff also benefited from the division of labor: his Pal studio was only able to record noteworthy successes after starting to work with Zappa. (Pp. 79–100)

Takeover by Zappa

From 1963 Zappa could increasingly use the studio for his own projects. Buff had received an offer from the club and recording studio owner Art Laboe to work for his record label Original Sound in Hollywood. Both entered a studio partnership. Buff moved to Hollywood and gradually left the field in Cucamonga to Zappa, who used the studio for his purposes from the spring of 1964 and lived there. Zappa acquired the studio from Buff on August 1 of the same year and renamed it Studio Z. (P. 100ff)

Now an independent entrepreneur, Zappa threw himself into work and recorded six songs from his rock opera "I Was A Teen-age Malt Shop". He himself played the piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Other contributors were Don Van Vliet and Allison Buff (vocals), Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood (guitar) and Vic Mortenson (drums). He also worked on the script for a science fiction film, "Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People ”and to whom Don Van Vliet owes his stage name. Both projects were hardly commercially successful. A weekend engagement with his dance music trio "The Muthers" in the club "The Saints' N Sinners" in Ontario served to earn a living. Zappa played guitar and sang, Paul Woods played bass, Les Papp was the drummer. In order to be able to secure a living, he played in another dance band with, among others, Jim Sherwood, who now also lived in Studio Z. With the departure of Buffs the commercially successful time of the studio had obviously come to an end. In the booklet for his album “Mystery Disc”, which was included with the album cassette “The Old Masters Box One”, Zappa wrote about this time in 1985: “To be able to survive at all while I was living in Studio Z, I had a dance music job on the weekends [the club] The Village Inn (80 miles away in Sun Village). ” (p. 103f)

In the spring of 1965, Zappa was supposed to produce a tape garnished with sex noises for the acoustic background music for a “gentlemen's evening”. Zappa and his girlfriend at the time sat down in front of the studio microphones and did the job. Both were arrested when the tape was handed over. Zappa was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for "conspiracy to engage in pornography," of which he was sentenced to ten days. (Pp. 82, 102, 106ff)

End of the studio

The police raid and the subsequent imprisonment of Zappa marked the end of Studio Z. Immediately after his release from prison, Zappa only used it once for a short time to rehearse with the group "The Soul Giants", which he had since joined. However, he had to leave the building for another reason: he was behind on the rent. In May 1965, Zappa Cucamonga left and moved to Los Angeles. The building that housed the Pal Recording Studio / Studio Z was demolished about a year later when Archibald Avenue was being expanded.

Discography

Unless otherwise stated, all pieces were composed and produced by Paul Buff.

  • The Masters: "16 Tons" / "Breaktime" (Williams, Buff and Zappa) - 1962, single
  • Rene & Ray: "Queen Of My Heart" - 1962, single
  • Terri & Johnnie: "Your Tender Lips" - 1962, single
  • Ron Roman: "Tell Me" / "Love Of My Life" (Aerni / Zappa) - 1963, single
  • Paul Buff: "Slow Bird" / "Blind Man's Buff" - 1963, single
  • The Pauls: "Cathy My Angel" / "'Til September" - 1963, single
  • The Surfaris: "Wipe out" / "Surfer Joe" - 1963, single
  • The Hollywood Tornadoes: "Moon Dawg" / "The Inabriated Surfer" - 1963, single (producer: Zappa)
  • Baby Ray and The Ferns: "How's Your Bird" (Zappa) / "The World's Greatest Sinner" (Zappa) - 1963, single
  • Bob Guy: "Deer Jeepers" (Zappa) / "Letter From Jeepers" (Zappa) - 1963, single
  • The Penguins: "Memories Of El Monte" (Zappa, Collins) / "Be Mine" - 1962, single (producer A-side: Zappa)
  • Brian Lord and The Midnighters: "The Big Surfer" (Zappa) / "Not Another One" - 1963, single
  • Ned & Nelda: "Hey Nelda" (Zappa, Collins) / "Surf Along" (Zappa, Collins) - 1963, single
  • The Persuaders: "Tijuana Surf" / "Grunion Run" (Zappa) - 1963, single
  • The Hollywood Persuaders: "Tijuana" / "Grunion Run" (Zappa) - 1963, single
  • Conrad & The Hurricanes: "Hurricane" / "Sweet Love" - ​​1963, single (producers: Buff / Zappa)
  • The Tornadoes: "Phantom Surfer" / "Shootin 'Beavers" - 1963, single (producer B-side: Zappa)
  • The Pharos: "502" / "Steel Wheels" - 1963, acetate pressing (producers: Buff / Zappa)
  • The Rotations: "Heavies" / "The Cruncher" - 1964, single (Producer: Zappa)
  • The Heartbreakers: "Everytime I See You" (Zappa, Collins) / "Cradle Rock" - 1964, single
  • Mr. Clean: "Mr. Clean "(Zappa) /" Jessie Lee "(Zappa) - 1964, single (producer: Zappa)
  • various artists: Surfin 'Bongos - 1964, LP
  • The Hollywood Persuaders: "Drums A-Go-Go" / "Agua Coliente" - 1964, single
  • The Tornadoes: "The Swag" / "Raw-hide" - 2000, single (Producer: Zappa, 1962)

See also

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i Barry Miles: Zappa . German edition. Rogner & Bernhard at two thousand and one. 2005. ISBN 3-8077-1010-8 .
  2. ↑ Founding of a studio
  3. ↑ Studio location (as of June 2008)
  4. ↑ Studio move (as of June 2008)
  5. ↑ Studio equipment (as of June 2008)
  6. ↑ Frank Zappa, Peter Occhiogrosso: The Real Frank Zappa Book . Poseidon Press, New York, 1989. ISBN 0-671-63870-X
  7. ↑ Drew Wheeler: "Cucamonga Science & Beyond." Billboard, May 19, 1990 Pioneering work in audio technology ( Memento of the original from October 7, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (As of June 2008) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / home.online.no
  8. ↑ Pal Sound
  9. ↑ Early recordings (as of June 2008)
  10. ↑ Early recordings (as of June 2008)
  11. ↑ Tijuana Surf (as of June 2008)
  12. ↑ Takeover of the studio (as of June 2008)
  13. ^ Frank Zappa: "The Village Inn." In: Frank Zappa: "Mystery Disc". Booklet for the audio CD. Rykodisc, 1998. RCD 10580.
  14. ↑ I Was A Teen-age Malt Shop (as of June 2008)
  15. ↑ Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People ( Memento of the original from May 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (As of June 2008) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / globalia.net
  16. ↑ Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People (as of June 2008)
  17. ↑ The Muthers (as of June 2008)
  18. ↑ dance music job (as of June 2008)
  19. ↑ Clearance of the studio ( Memento from March 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive ) (Status: June 2008)
  20. ↑ Zappa leaves Cucamonga (as of June 2008)
  21. ↑ Demolition of the studio ( Memento of March 5, 2002 in the Internet Archive ) (as of June 2008)
  22. ↑ Publications (as of June 2008)
  23. ↑ Publications (as of June 2008)
  24. ↑ Publications (as of June 2008)