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Can I ask what are the collective opinions on the Youtube recoding below? According to the video description, it's Wally Whyton & Jet Harris, recorded in 1958. Not something I've ever heard before, but I've no doubt some of you here will know more about it.If so, I'd love to hear your views



Cliff

It's Hank and Jet

manofmystery wrote:It's Hank and Jet

Produced by George Martin?

Bill

manofmystery wrote:It's Hank and Jet

I wondered that myself. I can't imaging Wally Whyton getting a sound like that back in '58, but then again, maybe he did? My own thought was that perhaps it was recorded when Hank first got the echo box, and they were just messing to see what it could do.

Cliff

I see no reason to doubt that it’s Wally and Jet. They were both in the same skiffle group together for a while.
Nice to hear a duet for a change.

This recording originates from the Bear Family 12" 3CD box Wally Whyton and The Vipers Skiffle Group - 10000 Years Ago. As common with Bear Family releases the box includes an extensive documentation, here a 34 pages 12" booklet written by Paul Pelletier.

The booklet includes a lengthy interview by Paul Pelletier with Wally Whyton.
In this interview Paul asks Wally "Did you record with Jet and Hank'?"
The answer: "There was some trial things that Jet and I did, we tried to work out some instrumentals. We had a thing call The Fly - you know there was a film around called 'The Fly' at the time - and what we wanted to do was to work out some weird and wonderful sounds, lots of echo, and Jet and I used to rehearse quite a lot over at Johnny Booker's place."

The booklet also includes the session listing for all included recordings. Here the session in question lists:

July 28, 1958, Abbey Road Studios, London
WALLY WHYTON: vocal/guitar/lead guitar*; JOHNNY MARTYN (a.k.a. JOHNNY BOOKER): vocal/guitar; JET HARRIS: bass
WALLY WHYTON: guitar#; JET HARRIS: bass#

BANKS OF THE OHIO
(traditional)
TROUBLE IN MIND*
(Richard M. Jones)
WORRIED MAN BLUES
(traditional)
THE FLY (experimental instrumental)#
(Whyton - Harris)

The confusion regarding a participation of Hank Marvin comes from the track listing on the inlay of CD 3 which includes The Fly. It is credited here as HANK MARVIN & JET HARRIS: EXPERIMENTAL INSTRUMENTAL. and from the notes on the back of the box where a participation of Hank Marvin is listed.
Bear Family confirmed this as a printing error soon after the release of the box.

I hope this is of help.

Thanks UlrichS, a very comprehensive answer.

Cliff

The echo being used sounds like a tape recorder running at 15i.p.s. with a link from the replay head to the record head i.e., not an 'echo machine' like the Meazzi, but a common studio trick to produce echoes (and being overdone, by the sound of it).