Common Time VT: 2015

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Randolph Singers Concert 12/6/15 Recording Technical Data

This recording was produced by Christopher Smith on December 6, 2015, at Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont. The audience occupied the main floor as well as the balcony, and the chorus stood in front of the proscenium, on risers that cover the orchestra pit. The main stage curtain was left open and no shell was used behind the chorus. The program was Rachmaninoff's Vespers.

The Randolph Singers in concert, December 6, 2015 (Singers, 2015).

Two separate recording systems were utilized: a Tascam DR-40 was placed on the shelf in front of the balcony [the 'balcony' tracks], and a Fostex MR-8 was used in the uppermost balcony. Two unmodified Realistic PZM microphones were placed facing frontward, on the top banister of the balcony railing [the 'PZM tracks']. Notices were posted, warning patrons of the active (and very 'hot') mics placed at the top of the stairs. The placement of these mics, just beneath the curved upper edges of the theater, was critical in capturing the full sound of the chorus. At the close of the performance, four discreet tracks (captured at 16 bit, 44.1khz) had been successfully captured.

View of the interior of Chandler Music Hall, from the upper corner of the first balcony (GBA, 2015).

(Mic Hawk, 2015).

The PZM microphones-- being each powered by a AA battery-- were far more successful in capturing the frequency range and dynamics of the chorus. While the stereo track produced by the Tascam DR-40 alone is a quality representation of the performance, the PZM mics captured quiet passages and the ambiance of the theater far better than the center-placed Tascam: this may be related to the architecture of the room, the physics of the microphones themselves, or simply my personal preference.

In post-production, experimentation in mixing these two sources together yielded interesting results-- though, in the end, the most unadulterated mix proved most enjoyable. Using the program Reaper, the 'balcony tracks' were placed in the center of the stereo field, and the 'PZM tracks' were each panned to 60% left and right, respectively. This mix provided what seemed to be the best sense of stereo separation. As no time coding was used, the two sets of tracks were synched manually. The sound of the chorus within Chandler Music Hall was tremendous; thus, artificial reverberation was not applied to any track, or the final mix.

Tascam DR-40. (Stevens, 2015).

Equalization of each set of tracks also proved difficult; the final product represents the most minimal modification to the frequency response captured by both recording systems. I tried a variety of notch filters and bass-cut methods, to remove some rumble from the 'PZM tracks,' but those results were consistently detrimental to the sound of the bass and baritone singers (across the broad range of 31-125Hz). The 'PZM tracks' also suffered from chronic electrical hum, likely related to the system being plugged in to the venue's 110v AC wiring. For this reason alone, the battery-operated Tascam DR-05 is a preferable (and far more portable) device. In fact, the Tascam DR-05 is able to capture more than two discreet tracks simultaneously; for this occasion, I was interested in having redundant systems at work, in case of battery failure or operator error. The final mix was rendered in Reaper and edited in Cool Edit Pro. For the best listening experience, each track was normalized independently.

This recording will be posted to YouTube, and will be played in its entirety on The Superhero Sandbox, my weekly program on WFVR 96.5FM South Royalton, on Christmas Eve 2015 (and will also be available for streaming live and on-demand at wfvr.org).

References:

GBA Architecture. (2015). Chandler Center for the Arts. Retrieved from http://gbarchitecture.com/projects/chandler-center-for-the-arts/

Mic Hawk. (2015). Musical Instruments and Gear. Retrieved from http://mic-hawk-vintage-microphones.myshopify.com/collections/musical-instruments-gear-pro-audio-equipment-vintage-pro-audio-equipment/condition-good?page=7

Randolph Singers, The. (2015). Welcome to the Randolph Singers. Retrieved from http://www.randolphsingers.org/

Stevens, L. (14 Oct. 2015). How to record a remote podcast. Retrieved from http://howtomakeapodcast.org/6-how-to-record-a-remote-podcast-part-1/

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Art and Music Resources for Educators

This collection of resources was compiled in 2008, as part of studies related to the Masters of Education program at Vermont College (Union Institute and University), and is republished here for reference.

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ArtsConnectEd. (2005). “Art Gallery.” Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center. Retrieved March 21, 2008 fromhttp://www.artsconnected.org/art/

This site documents over 1600 images of artifacts, and background data, found in the collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Arts Center. This archive is searchable, with access to over two hundred library items available online, as well as a small collection of corresponding K-12 lesson plans.

Art Institute of Chicago. (2008). Collection Holdings. Retrieved March 20, 2008 fromhttp://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artists

This site represents the holdings of the Art Institute of Chicago, in a database that is searchable by genre, title, artist name, or geographic region. This site provides biographical information on artists, as well as related events and external links to themes in visual art.

Asia Society. (2002). “Art and Creative Writing.” Asian Art Outlook Teacher Resources. Retrieved March 18, 2008 fromhttp://www.askasia.org/features/AsianArt/lessons.writing.htm

This lesson plan utilizes online images from the Rockefeller Collection of Asian Art. Students are offered writing prompts on each of six images of artifacts, from Japan, Chine, and the Indian Subcontinent. Historical and cultural background is provided for each image.

Chapman, J. (2007). A Treatise on the Aesthetics of Symmetry. Retrieved March 17, 2008 fromhttp://home.earthlink.net/~jdc24/symmetry.htm

This site provides useful visual and textual explanations of the appeal of symmetry in art and design. Rotation, translation, reflection aid in a discussion of symmetrical ‘operations,’ as a criteria of a viewer’s ‘interest level’ is established. This resource may be used to enliven a discussion of repetition and new methods of revision in poetry.

Dharkar, A. & E. Flaherty. (2007). Impressionist Artwork. Retrieved March 14, 2008 fromhttp://www.adobe.com/education/instruction/adsc/pdf/dc_lesson_impressionism.pdf

This short lesson plan employs digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop; students review concepts of “light, surface, color, and capturing fast-fleeting moments” at work in impressionism, as they manipulate their own digital photography. This may be used as an introduction to advanced methods of descriptive writing.

Getty Trust. (2008). “Grade-by-Grade Guide to Building Visual Arts Lessons.” J. Paul Getty Museum. Retrieved March 21, 2008 from http://www.getty.edu/education/for_teachers/building_lessons/guide.html

This site contains detailed instructions for constructing lesson plans about visual arts materials. Separate grade-specific guides offer learning goals, prompts for student discussion, and suggestions for art projects to introduce. A handful of example lessons are provided as well. This information may be used in the development of lesson plans for use in the language arts classroom.

Harden, M. (2008). Artchive. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm

This site represents an encyclopedic reference list of artists whose work is readily available via the Internet. Artchive provides biographical information for each artist, and a listing of links to images of the artist’s work. While this site operates through pop-up advertising, this massive resource may be useful to educators seeking to supplement their curriculum with visual art.

Kohl, A. (2008). Art Images for College Teaching. Retrieved March 14, 2008 from http://www.arthist.umn.edu/aict/html/

This site provides an extensive image archive, available for download and educational use, without licensing. The collection is divided in five sections: ancient, medieval, renaissance, 18^th-20^th century, and non-western. Concordance to a number of modern art history textbooks is provided for each image.

Ruder Finn Interactive. (2008). “Mr. Picassohead.” Retrieved March 14, 2008 fromhttp://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html

Remarkable interactive animated canvas on which face elements from Picasso’s line drawings may be manipulated, resized, flipped, rotated, and colored. Students are implored to utilize elements of abstraction and abstract design; each unique virtual painting may be saved or emailed, or may be displayed in a gallery of images online. Educators wishing to teach students concepts of graphic design and composition, in both visual art and writing, may use this resource as an introduction.

Sotto, T. “Dali & Desnos: Surrealism in Poetry and Art.” ArtsEdge. Retrieved March 18, 2008 from http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3798/

This lesson plan introduces the work of surrealist painters, alongside the poetry and imagery techniques of Robert Desnos and Andre Breton. Directly serving educators in both the art education classroom as well as the language arts environment, these lesson plans help teach students concepts of surrealism, abstraction, and their utilization in visual and written expression.

University of Michigan School of Information. SILS Art Image Database. Retrieved March 15, 2008 fromhttp://www.si.umich.edu/Art_History/demoarea/htdocs/index.html

A free-use image database created “to investigate ways of providing intellectual access to images in electronic databases.” This site allows searching by a number of parameters, including nationality, object type, date, and subject. Utilizing the search function of this database, in the language arts classroom students may be asked to evaluate similarities and differences between different works of art from the same country of origin, subject, or time period.

Appendix 2: Internet Resources for New Applications

of Music Education with Annotations

Daft, M., Geroge, L., Hasse, J., & Schoenberg, L. Smithsonian jazz classes. Retrieved April 2, 2008 fromhttp://www.smithsonianjazz.org/class/jc_start.asp

This resource presents a wealth of information on jazz history, performers, styles, and recordings. Language arts educators may utilize this information to provide the historical, musical background of a work of literature. As well, this material would prove useful in creating lesson plans on beat poetry, modern hip-hop, and spoken word.

Metropolitan Opera Guild. (2008). Macbeth teacher study guide. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from

https://www.metoperafamily.org/_uploaded/pdf/pressrelease/macbethhdfinal.pdf.

This comprehensive guide to Verdi’s operatic interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth provides a wealth of background information about Shakespeare’s play, Verdi’s life, and the process of production at the Metropolitan Opera Company. In conjunction with the teaching of Shakespeare, a language arts educator could utilize this resource in whole or in part.

Library of Congress. (2000). Band music from the Civil War era. American Memory. Retrieved April 1, 2008 fromhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwmhtml/cwmhome.html

Part of the Library of Congress’ American Memory online collection, this archive of Civil War band music provides historical information, images of original sheet music, and includes an extensive catalog of recordings. This site may be used in conjunction with any unit of Civil War history; in the language arts classroom, this music might help educators conjure a 19^th century sense of patriotism, to accompany the teaching of Whitman’s “Drum Taps.”

Library of Congress. (2008). Recorded sound reference center. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/.

The archive of audio recordings found within this online center spans the history of sound recording technology. While some recordings are available as audio streams or downloadable files, this site features resources that allow for the digital capture of information and media that might otherwise be lost—internet radio broadcasts are an example of this. In the language arts classroom, an educator may benefit directly from the catalog of extensive poetry recordings made available by this site. Also, educators may lead a discussion with students regarding this quality of permanence, as present in music performance, recording, and expressive writing.

Library of Congress. (2002). Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music 1870-1885. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/smhtml/smhome.html

This extensive resource includes audio and image files documenting over 47,000 works of sheet music, printed between 1870 and 1885.ArtsConnectEd. (2005). “Art Gallery.” Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center. Retrieved March 21, 2008 from http://www.artsconnected.org/art/

Art Institute of Chicago. (2008). Collection Holdings. Retrieved March 20, 2008 from http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/artists

Asia Society. (2002). “Art and Creative Writing.” Asian Art Outlook Teacher Resources. Retrieved March 18, 2008 from http://www.askasia.org/features/AsianArt/lessons.writing.htm

Chapman, J. (2007). A Treatise on the Aesthetics of Symmetry. Retrieved March 17, 2008 from http://home.earthlink.net/~jdc24/symmetry.htm

Dharkar, A. & E. Flaherty. (2007). Impressionist Artwork. Retrieved March 14, 2008 from http://www.adobe.com/education/instruction/adsc/pdf/dc_lesson_impressionism.pdf

Harden, M. (2008). Artchive. Retrieved March 19, 2008 from http://artchive.com/ftp_site.htm

Kohl, A. (2008). Art Images for College Teaching. Retrieved March 14, 2008 from http://www.arthist.umn.edu/aict/html/

This site provides an extensive image archive, available for download and educational use, without licensing. The collection is divided in five sections: ancient, medieval, renaissance, 18th-20th century, and non-western. Concordance to a number of modern art history textbooks is provided for each image.

Ruder Finn Interactive. (2008). “Mr. Picassohead.” Retrieved March 14, 2008 from http://www.mrpicassohead.com/create.html

Sotto, T. “Dali & Desnos: Surrealism in Poetry and Art.” ArtsEdge. Retrieved March 18, 2008 from http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/content/3798/

University of Michigan School of Information. SILS Art Image Database. Retrieved March 15, 2008 from http://www.si.umich.edu/Art_History/demoarea/htdocs/index.html

Appendix 2: Internet Resources for New Applications

of Music Education with Annotations

Daft, M., Geroge, L., Hasse, J., & Schoenberg, L. Smithsonian jazz classes. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/class/jc_start.asp

Metropolitan Opera Guild. (2008). Macbeth teacher study guide. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from

https://www.metoperafamily.org/_uploaded/pdf/pressrelease/macbethhdfinal.pdf.

Library of Congress. (2000). Band music from the Civil War era. American Memory. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwmhtml/cwmhome.html

Part of the Library of Congress’ American Memory online collection, this archive of Civil War band music provides historical information, images of original sheet music, and includes an extensive catalog of recordings. This site may be used in conjunction with any unit of Civil War history; in the language arts classroom, this music might help educators conjure a 19th century sense of patriotism, to accompany the teaching of Whitman’s “Drum Taps.”

Library of Congress. (2008). Recorded sound reference center. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/.

Library of Congress. (2002). Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music 1870-1885. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/smhtml/smhome.html

This extensive resource includes audio and image files documenting over 47,000 works of sheet music, printed between 1870 and 1885.

Library of Congress. (2004). Collection connections: Music for the nation: American sheet music, 1870-1885. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from

http://memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/sm/langarts.html.

This site provides interesting concepts and methods that allow language arts educators to utilize a Library of Congress archive of post-Civil War sheet music, found separately in the American Memory collection (listed above). Through identifying themes of history, documentation, and lyric in these works, lesson plans and student writing prompts are presented. In these ‘teachable moments,’ the expression of political and social views through song lyrics during this time period is often utilized to help students better understand and create their own original poetry.

Rivers, J. (2004). Virtual playground. Retrieved April 20, 2008 from

http://www.keyboardmuseum.org/d_machines/vdrums.html

This online database of ‘virtual’ drum machines may provide a fun example of variations on rhythm, as well as exploring virtual editions of antiquated technology. A collection of sampled beats is controllable through a browser window, for each of dozens of machines. This site may serve as a functional and creative metronome for students, both in the music and language arts classrooms. These drum machines may allow students to practice their timing in music, or, experiment with their own spoken-word poetry delivery techniques.

Naxos Digital Services Ltd. (2008). Glossary. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from

http://www.naxos.com/education/glossary.asp?char=A-C.

Provided by a major publisher of printed classical music, this listing of music vocabulary is comprehensive and unique in its insight: many terms found on a printed musical page appear, and are well explained, including a great deal of Latin. Links are provided to a substantial history and categorization of classical music, as well as a classification of instruments. In the language arts classroom, students could be challenged to present an element of musical structure in words: for example, what does an accelerando, or speeding up of tempo, sound like, in poetry? Classroom discussion of the performance of poetry may as well be informed by terms and concepts found in this glossary.

Library of Congress. (2004). Collection connections: Music for the nation: American sheet music, 1870-1885. Retrieved April 2, 2008 from

http://memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/sm/langarts.html.

Rivers, J. (2004). Virtual playground. Retrieved April 20, 2008 from

http://www.keyboardmuseum.org/d_machines/vdrums.html

Naxos Digital Services Ltd. (2008). Glossary. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from

http://www.naxos.com/education/glossary.asp?char=A-C.

Monday, September 7, 2015

Photobomb: Labor Day 2015

In many sectors, the relationship between management and workers is strained. In thinking about the importance of Labor Day in the United States, I searched for images that help describe-- visually-- something about the history of organized labor.

A member of my family was an employee of Crozer-Chester Medical Center (now Crozer-Keystone) for over four decades. My first understanding of organized labor came when my family member went to the picket line, over compensation and working conditions. Crozer-Keystone has been widely criticized for chronically overcharging its patients.

The history of the labor movement in Vermont is a fascinating subject: Italian immigrants settled in Barre, working the quarries and granite sheds. Anarchists Saco and Vanzetti spent time in Barre.

Primo Maggio, at the Labor Hall in Barre, Vermont.

Pownal, Vermont-- -1910.

Thursday, September 3, 2015

The Superhero Sandbox Playlist 9/3/15

The Superhero Sandbox is a weekly program, heard on WFVR.org 96.5FM.

Waitin' For A Train-- Beck

With A Little Help From My Friends-- Sergio Mendes

Here Comes the Night-- Them featuring Van Morrison

Ziggy Stardust-- David Bowie

Lord Only Knows-- Beck

This Wheel's On Fire-- The Band

Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You-- Bob Dylan

Loser-- Beck

Theme From "Summer Place"-- Percy Faith

Painted Eyelids-- Snyder/Turner/Smith

Blue Moon-- Beck

Burnt Orange Peel-- Snyder/Turner/Smith

I've Seen The Land Beyond-- Beck

Cyanide Breath Mint-- Snyder/Turner/Smith

One Foot In the Grave-- Beck

Fire and Rain-- Richie Havens

It's the End of the World As We Know It-- REM

Come On Up To The House-- Tom Waits

What Is His Name?--

Thank You Lord-- Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens

If I Had My Way-- Golden Gate Quartet

Music In the Air-- Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Remaking Beck's "One Foot In the Grave" (1994)

Three Feet In The Grave (2015) is a remake of Beck Hansen’s 1994 album One Foot in the Grave, a collection of musically simplistic, yet lyrically complex songs, performed, produced, and recorded by Jacob Snyder, Adam Turner, and Chris Smith during the first half of 2015. The remake is available on YouTube. Its worldwide premiere takes place on “The Superhero Sandbox,” on Royalton Community Radio WFVR-LP 96.5FM, on September 3, 2015. The album was simultaneously released on YouTube and Bandcamp on September 4, 2015.

Beck Hansen, circa 1994.

In November of 1993, Beck Hansen was about to make it big: after 500 copies of his single, “Loser” were distributed by California’s Bong Load Records, radio airplay led to a bidding war for Beck’s recording contract, as it was clear the folky/bluesy songwriter was about to ‘go big.’ Meanwhile Beck had been working in a video rental store, playing his original material to whoever would listen. Geffen, Warner Brothers, and Capitol got in a war over the rights to publish and distribute “Loser,” as well as Beck’s future material. To avoid the fray completely, Beck left the negotiations to a representative and headed to Olympia, Washington and the home studio of Calvin Johnson, to produce tracks for what would become the album One Foot In the Grave. Unlike the recordings major labels were fighting for, One Foot was a low-fidelity collection of unique and folksy anthems, mostly performed on acoustic guitar. Following the production of One Foot, Beck returned to California and a lucrative contract with Geffen; within months, his song “Loser” would become a top 40 hit and be featured in MTV’s “Buzz Bin,” making the song as well as Beck himself a valuable pop music commodity, even before the release of his first major studio album, Mellow Gold (Geffen; March 1, 1994).1 After recording One Foot In the Grave, Beck’s life would never be the same—not specifically because of what he had recorded in Calvin’s basement, but for how the music industry was ready to cast Beck as being another in a canon of “slackers,” alongside Nirvana, Radiohead, and others.

In April of 1994, Beck told Rolling Stone interviewer David Wild: “Slacker my ass. I mean, I never had any slack. I was working a $4-an-hour job trying to stay alive. That slacker stuff is for people who have the time to be depressed about everything.” Two months later, thanks to clauses in the Geffen contract allowing for Beck’s artistic freedom, Calvin Johnson released One Foot In the Grave on his independent label. The album never charted; there was no hit single to be had. The work did represent Beck’s natural talent for solo performance, as well as his deceptively-intricate songwriting skills. In interviews, Beck would come to downplay the production and songwriting found on Mellow Gold, his first major release (songs like “Soul Sucking Jerk” and “Truck Drivin’ Neighbors Downstairs” were, he’s admitted, rushed productions to fill remaining space on the release). One Foot In the Grave, however, represents a collection of original, ‘easy’ folk songs, whose lyrics discuss themes more accessible to people who work “$4-an-hour job[s] trying to stay alive.” Like the works of Kris Kristofferson and many recordings by Willie Nelson, One Foot shows Beck’s proficiency at solo performance, not needing a full band’s accompaniment (or studio trickery) to make a durable record.

Original demo cassette, for One Foot In the Grave.

Following Mellow Gold, Beck consistently sought to reinvent his sound: he worked with noted producers the Dust Brothers on Odelay (1996), and later experiment with electronic music on Midnite Vultures (1999). A 1996 Rolling Stone article trying to keep up with Beck was titled “Beck: Resident Alien.” While successful in terms of sales, Beck’s albums that were designed to more clearly display his songwriting abilities—namely 1998’s Mutations and 2002’s Sea Change—may be characterized as much by their high production values as by their songs’ lyrics. Last year, his release Morning Phase won multiple Grammys, including album-of-the-year.

I’ll admit to not keeping up with Beck’s creative output during the last few years: I know the lyrics to the songs on Odelay and Mutations far better than I know the lyrics to songs from 2008’s Modern Guilt. Studying Beck’s 2012 Song Reader project in an academic context (to be discussed more fully in a different place than here), I wanted to understand better the creative process he envisioned, as he had original compositions transcribed, and released as sheet music in a collaboration with the innovative publishing house McSweeney’s. Beck's creative endeavors and Bowie-like reinvention of himself during the late 1990s and early 2000s make One Foot In the Grave all the more important: capturing the songwriter on the cliff of fame, strumming his acoustic as he had on so many sidewalks and in late-night dives around Los Angeles. One Foot would be the last Beck record of its kind, and remains one of his finest.

Producer Calvin Johnson and Beck, as featured on the cover of One Foot In the Grave.

While the 2012 Song Reader project created an intentional opportunity for non-professional musicians to engage with original Beck compositions, remaking an even earlier Beck album, without the assistance of transcribed sheet music, seemed a more welcome challenge. My longtime collaboration with Jacob Snyder includes live performances and tireless work in the (experimental) recording studio: as The Don Loans Project, we produced albums of original material, as well as covers of popular songs (including a complete remake of Steely Dan’s 1972 album Katy Lied). As non-professional musicians ever looking to foster fun times and new sounds through technology, the opportunity presented by remaking another’s song has often proven irresistible: relying on another’s composition seems at times a ‘permission slip’ to take risks in production and instrumentation. With the addition of Adam Turner, a fantastic percussionist and drummer from the Bennington (VT) area, we discovered a few new grooves, and in some informal jams experienced excellent instrumental chemistry.

The decision was made to record new versions of each song featured on Beck's One Foot In the Grave. Often, sessions began with Adam on drums, Jacob on bass, and myself playing either a Hammond CV or Yamaha CP. Chords to many songs were terrifically easy, leading to some inspired improv while playing live in the studio. As the project wore on, we compiled in-studio performances, captured on multiple tracks (including almost another album's worth of bonus material). Overdubbing and mixing began sometime after the snow began to melt in the summer of 2015; the production and post-production processes were not distinct. Overdubs included additional drums and percussion, electric and acoustic guitars, synthesizers, and additional Hammond organ. In the spring of 2015-- prior to my relocation and partial liquidation of my recording studio-- I recorded a series of overdubs in Tunbridge, Vermont. These included more synthesizers, extensive use of a Baldwin Synth-A-Sound, and a Steinway upright piano. Seeking uniformity across all tracks, our mastering process utilized digital plug-ins, including compressors and equalization. Two sets of mastering monitors were used: a pair of large Sansui speakers, and a pair of Auratone Super Sound Cube 5Cs.

Footnote 1: One might argue Mellow Gold, and its single, “Loser,” represent a model of sound recording production and distribution that is all but vanished from our digital soundscape: the album was pressed on vinyl, duplicated onto cassette tapes, and copied onto compact discs. Following a model established in the late 1950s, of releasing 45RPM singles prior to releasing a full-length album, Mellow Gold became one of the most lucrative releases of the 1990s. In the final years of the 20th century, both the physical forms of sound recording media, as well as the opportunity for the corporate recording industry to generate massive profits from a single artist, would start to disappear.

Click here to stream "Three Feet In the Grave" on YouTube. Click here to download high-resolution audio files from Bandcamp. To commission a recording project by Snyder/Turner/Smith, or to request a limited-edition analog master of this material, please drop me an email.