Napoleon XIV is dead
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Thursday April 20, 2023
David Mellor
David Mellor is CEO and Course Director of Audio Masterclass. David has designed courses in audio education and training since 1986 and is the publisher and principal writer of Adventures In Audio.
Robert Quinn: I remember it well. Thank you for bringing our attention to this awesome songwriter, his work, and his passing...hat held on chest in respects for both he and our long (seemingly lost) era.
Lestatkatt’s Channel: Motif XIV (Jerry Samuels cat) says “They’re Coming To Take Me Away, Ha, Haaa!” and his legendary unissued follow up “For God’s Sake, Stop The Feces” will be reissued/issued on colored vinyl and CD on Needlejuice Records. Both with Bonus Tracks. Pre-Orders start on 4/20/2023
Morbid Man Music: The deck had vari-speed built in, and and while he was singing they slowed down the tape over the time, and he just manually stayed in time with the track as he sung. Then playing it back wi the speed normal, it would appear to raise in pitch. . Easy really. Not so easy in digital.
Matthew Gayton: Jerry will be missed. It brings back memories of my childhood listening to Dr. Demonto. Very interesting analysis. Thank you!
mcpribs: I am only 42, but my parents had a record of this, and I played it over, and over again, as a child. Even then I wondered how this would’ve been made, since I’d never heard anything else like it. Now that I am quite knowledgeable in the dark arts of audio engineering…I wonder even more. Fascinating technique, and great song, and thank you for sharing this, and allowing me a moment to think fondly on the music of my youth. 🥰
David Halliday: When I was a kid we did something similar with my dad's Phillips, real to real. We slowed it down by pressing on real feeding the heads.
Now I am older I realize not only could it stretch the tape but also damage the player. I guess it may be worth it for a hit recording, but for some kids to laugh at their high-pitched voices, I am not so sure.
k d: RIP Jerry Samuels.
Jeff Christian: Yes, I saw the post of his passing. Very sad, but it also put a smile on my face as I replayed the song in my head.
PIMI AnimaVDO: A good friend of mine used this as an intro to a cassette taped super mix that faded perfectly with "you got yo be a winner, you got to be the best,thebest,the best, the best"... Great souvenirs :)
Also, cool video subject :)
Andy Wray: FWIW: this is one of my all-time favourite songs from my childhood ... I've shared it with many younger folks in recent years and they have all loved it both for the way it sounds and its weird lyrics. I usually share it with people who are a bit stressed at work and it makes them laugh and relax.
Mister Henri: Yes, I want that in my DAW! I'm pretty sure David Bowie got away with a variation on this trick at least twice.
Robert Williams: At that time they had DC motor speed controllers which compared the spee of a taxhometer with an adjustable speed referemce oscillator. If they had recorded the backing at a set speed, then replayed that using the record head into headphones while Napoleon recorded the vocal in time to the backing replayed at variable speeds, the result when replayed at a fixed speed would have resulted in the desitrd ffrct, To keep the echo time constant they may have had to replay the vocal track again from the record head and add rhe echo separately.
Paul: Good Job
Marley Pumpkin: I had thought that Kim Fowley had recorded this track.
CHRIS LJ: Couldn't make that these days, it would offend someones delicate sensibilities. But it was funny at the time.
Michael Chavez: Weird Al