Direct to Disc

From Judy Tate’s Recollections (read the full story here: https://citizenfreak.com/artists/110623-tate-judy-judy-barlow For Judy Tate, Overholt, Tate and Phillips remains one of the most unforgettable and unnerving sessions of her career. Recorded direct-to-disc at Phase One Studios in 1977, it placed the three singers not in the main room but in the narrow “airlock” between the studio and the control room—two sliding doors, almost no air circulation, and absolute silence required. “It was hot, we couldn’t move, and I was terrified,” she recalled. “Beyond trepidation—I was hyperventilating.” The pressure was immense: any slip from any musician meant stopping the entire take and starting the sixteen-minute side over from the top. Tate could still hear the nervous quiver in her voice on the group’s cover of Player’s “Baby Come Back,” though by the time they reached “Dancin’,” the fear had subsided and the three singers locked into the joyous, blended sound they were known for. Despite the tension, the session left her with enormous respect for everyone involved. Micky Erbe’s arrangements, Paul Gross’s direction, and the precision of the Phase One orchestra gave the project its unique scale, but it was the chemistry between Tate, Elaine Overholt, and Colina Phillips that defines the record. “We were squeezed together in that little space trying not to breathe,” she said, “but somehow, when the music started, it all worked.” This album stands as one of the rarest glimpses into the high-pressure world of direct-to-disc recording—and one of Tate’s most vivid memories from a long life in the Toronto studios. In the years since, Tate has also reflected on how this session marked one of the few times her “light voice” was pushed to its limits in such an intense, high-stakes environment—noting with humour that she has “never forgotten that airlock.” -Robert Williston Elaine Overholt: lead vocals, backing vocals Colina Phillips: lead vocals, backing vocals Judy Tate: lead vocals, backing vocals Tom Szczesniak: bass Brian Leonard: drums Eric Robertson: keyboards Bob Mann: lead guitar Brian Russell: lead guitar Maribeth Solomon: synthesizer Vair Capper: percussion Bernie Piltch: flute, alto saxophone, alto clarinet Sid Beckwith: flute, tenor saxophone Brad Warnaar: French horn Graeme Page: French horn Charlotte Moon: harp Bob Livingston: trombone Eugene Watts: trombone Fred Mills: trumpet, flugelhorn Ronald Romm: trumpet, flugelhorn Charles Daellenbach: tuba Peter Schenkman: cello Dick Armin: cello Ron Laurie: cello Jack Neilson: viola Paul Armin: viola Susan Lipchak: viola Andy Benac: violin Bill Richards: violin Carol McCartney: violin Jack Groob: violin Lenny Solomon: violin Morry Kernerman: violin Myron Moskalyk: violin Stan Kolt: violin Arranged and conducted by Micky Erbe Produced by Paul Gross and Micky Erbe Engineered by Mark Wright, assisted by Jeff Stobbs and Mick Walsh Recorded at Phase One Studios, Toronto, Ontario Mastered at The Lacquer Channel Disc mastering engineer: George Graves Assistant disc mastering engineer: Robin Brouwers Executive producers: Douglas R. Hill and Gordon R. Pedwell Photography by Bruno F. Cantieni Concept by Maribeth Solomon Made by World Records Distributed worldwide by Discwasher Group Producers Comments: The direct to disc process presents a producer with a whole new series of problems not present in the regular recording process. The most prevalent is that one must work in real time. That is to say that actual recording time for a sixteen minute side is sixteen minutes. The musicians only have a few seconds rest be­tween tunes. Thus should an error be made in the last minute of the side, we must stop and start over from the beginning. This problem becomes increasingly difficult when dealing with vocalists. In this particular case however, the girls gave an enduring effort of excellence. They made virtually no mistakes. Their presence, cooperation, and desire to succeed was considerable. They deserve a great deal of credit for the success of this project and I respectfully thank them, for this is truly Overholt, Tate and Phillips. -Paul Gross Overholt, Tate and Phillips credit to disc on KIRAS RECORDS achieves the ultimate in direct to disc clarity and recording excellence. They went through the insert door into Pilchner Schoustal’s custom built custom 20 input/4 output recording console fed direct to the Neumann VMS 66 cutting lathe. The finished Neumann disc mastering lathe. Among microphone used were Neumann U87, AKG 451 and Neumann KM 84. Beyer M160, AKG 414 and Sony 37.