Wonderful Land

[abstamaria]

I have been listening on headphones carefully to the original recording of Wonderful Land and wonder if the drummer (Brian,Bennett?) used brushes rather than drumsticks. There is of course the rolls that suggest
drumsticks, but I wonder whether those were overdubs.

Andy

[abstamaria]

Listening to another recording, I think I may be hearing the cymbals. which are muted and sound like brushes in other recordings. But many thanks.

Andy

[dave robinson]

Brian Bennett didn't use anything on the original recording of Wonderful Land because he wasn't on it.
Tony Meehan was the drummer at that time and he used sticks that can be clearly heard on the arrangement. There was no facility for such overdubs at that time,

[abstamaria]

Many thanks, Dave. I was led down the garden path by a poor recording and shouldn't have posted the query. I should also have checked the recording date. Yes, Tony Meehan.

I may be using the wrong term "overdub," but wasn't the orchestral section of Wonderful Land assed after the band recorded? Again, I may be thinking of another track. Also, the muted intro, re-intro, and outro of Atlantis seem to have been added after the band first recorded (and therefore caused me much grief trying to switch pickups in the outro). Atlantis was of course much later than WL so may have benefitted from new recording technology.

Best,

Andy

[Uncle Fiesta]

Atlantis was recorded when EMI were still using their 2-track. The first recording on the 4-track was I Want to Hold Your Hand and its B-side, This Boy, on October 17th, 1963.

(I have no excuse for not knowing that - it was my birthday.)

[roger bayliss]

[quote="abstamaria"I may be using the wrong term "overdub," but wasn't the orchestral section of Wonderful Land assed after the band recorded? Again, I may be thinking of another track. Also, the muted intro, re-intro, and outro of Atlantis seem to have been added after the band first recorded (and therefore caused me much grief trying to switch pickups in the outro). Atlantis was of course much later than WL so may have benefitted from new recording technology.

Best,

Andy[/quote]

I think it was said that Wonderful Land was recorded, but canned and not released until Lorrie Paramour worked up an added string / horn arrangement which was later dubbed on and then it was released. At Abbey Road of course has several undubbed titles , including WL.

[JimN]

In fact, there are two quite separate overdubs on the version of Wonderful Land first released as a 45rpm single in February 1962.

The first was the orchestral overdub, made in stereo, almost certainly by playing in the stereo two-track of the group's original 1961 recording and recording that, plus the mixed-in orchestra, to another stereo machine. This stage of the creation was first released as a new stereo version twenty-eight years later on the 1990 compilation "The Original Chart Hits 1960-1980".

But the mono version released on the 1962 single also has an extra overdubbed tom-tom part from the second chorus onward. It's very audible and is not on the 1961 group recording. The full version (group + orchestra + tom-tom) has never been released in true stereo, though a mock-stereo implementation was created for the 1971 stereo release of the already-extant "The Shadows' Greatest Hits" (1963 in mono only).

The outstanding question is: who played the tom-tom overdub?

[scouserjoe2]

Hi,

Jim makes a very good point that the second overdub of the 'tom-tom' is sadly missing from what many regard as the true stereo recording of the original release with strings. Malcolm Campbell also makes this point in his book "A Guide to The Shadows and Hank Marvin on CD' when he says that this omission means that this particular version of Wonderful Land is NOT a true and complete stereo version of the original single release from 1962. He comments further that this was a case of 'spoil the ship for a ha'porth o'tar'. Well said !!

I agree whole heartedly with Malcolm's opinion. The addition of the tom-tom does, in my opinion, add extra 'drama' to the second and third choruses of the melody. In those heady days back in 1962 when I listened to Wonderful Land being played across the airwaves it was always that part of the melody that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

I have to admit that even these days when I put the number on my hi-fi system I always prefer the original mono version !

Cheers

Ian

[abstamaria]

This is all very interesting. Is the version with the tomtom on the net? If someone will post a link to the video or sound file, I will appreciate it.

Regards,

Andy

[scouserjoe2]

According to Malcolm Campbell's book (and my ears) I would suggest that the only version available with the two overdubs is the mono version on 'The Shadows Greatest Hits' (2004) CD - which is the original 1962 release. I stand to be corrected but as far as I am aware there is no stereo version available with the two overdubs. I have just checked on 'iTunes' and the track available there on 'The Shadows Greatest Hits' (2004) CD does have the two overdubs.

Cheers,

Ian