The double album everyone says is too long
A sprawling 1970s double album is often called indulgent. Esteban argues for every side, talks to the engineer who sequenced it and shares the one pressing worth hunting for.
A soul record made in four days, and the pressing that got it right
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Show notes
Four days in the studio
A soul album cut in four days with a house band that never got paid properly. Esteban walks through the sessions in order, calls the bassist who played on every track and explains the mastering difference between the first and second pressings.
- The label, the room and the four-day schedule
- Track by track, with the bassist's memories of each session
- Why the album's running order was chosen the night before release
- The second pressing: a different cutting engineer and a warmer low end
- Collector's note: matrix numbers to look for and a fair price
Discography links and the pressing guide are in the notes.
Transcript
Welcome to Side A, Side B. I am Esteban Villarreal, and this is the show where one album gets one hour and all of my attention. Tonight's record came off the shelf behind me, a 1972 soul album cut in four days by a house band who were paid by the session and never saw a royalty. I have loved it for twenty years and I finally got the bassist on the phone. He remembers every take. We are going to go side A, side B, in order, no skipping, and he will tell us what was happening in the room on each one. At the end, the collector's note, including why the second pressing sounds better than the first and what you should pay for it. Needle down. You are listening on Witspeak Podcasts.
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