by timstar78 » Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:47 pm
This album is about 5 years past due for a bonus edition treatment, complete with remastering, expanded liner notes, bonus tracks, and a DVD of videos from the album, and maybe even this studio footage. (There are a few other videos on YouTube, and I'd bet there is more lying around somewhere....)
Here are a couple of interesting quotes from the "Heart In Studio" book:
Ron Nevison on Ann Wilson:
"It's so easy to work with great singers, and [Ann's] such an amazing singer, and I lover her voice so much. She was so easy to record and Ann is still one of my favorite singers. Ann always came in very prepared, and she has great pitch. With Ann, she knew what to do; she is one of the most incredible singers in the entire world. I usually just had to push the record button. I remember how in awe I was of just having her in the studio; I was amazed. Nancy too was very, very good and very professional, so it was easy to record both of them. I loved their professionalism in the studio. Ann and Nancy had this great history of singing together since they were like five years old;' they had a vocal blend that made me look good."
Howard Leese on "These Dreams":
"We recorded 'These Dreams' and cut the basic track, and Nancy was really sick that day, so when it got to the part in the chorus vocal of 'Every moment I'm awake,' the higher notes in the song, her voice cracked because she was so ill. So Ron was cutting the track just as a reference vocal, then a couple months later we went back in to do the real vocal, and Nancy comes in and is all healthy and fine, and she sings and hits those notes perfectly. Then we listened to it and I don't remember who it was, but someone, I think Ron, said, 'I miss the cracking parts from the guide vocal. There's a certain vulnerability and empathy that the listener gets when you hear her straining to hit those notes. You're subconsciously rooting for her in a way.' So we went back in ad got the bad notes from the original guide vocal, took the flaws and imported then onto the perfect vocal."
Ron Nevison:
"What happened was Christmas break was coming up, so I recorded the lead vocal, comped that in and we made tapes and everyone went on holiday. So when we all got back to the studio after break in January of 1985, Nancy told me, 'My mom says my voice is cracking.' And I said, 'No! Please, please don't change anything, it's perfect!' And tehy agreed to go with it. It's in the chorus, and it's very important."