One of the coolest, and least promoted (and previously difficult to find) books I've come across is Too Hot to Handle: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of American Recording Studios of the 20th Century. Author Randy McNutt is a huge fan of classic American music and the regional studios that used to record the hits (and misses) of yesteryear. I recently stumbled across his Home of the Hits blog, and wanted to let others know that it's well worth visiting. Randy is dedicated to preserving the memories and history of the music biz, and importantly understands that it was the people and their vision that makes all of this so fascinating.
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Tape Op Bumper Stickers?
by Larry Crane
We're thinking of printing some bumper stickers to help promote the Tape Op brand name. Our ideas have included: "My Other Car is a Tape Op" "My Child is an Honor Student at Tape Op" "Honk if You're Tape Op" "I'd rather be reading Tape...
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An Intern Rebuttal
by Larry Crane
I was gonna run this in the letters section of issue #78 coming up, but I just felt it was too long to fit well. -LC I just finished reading the letters section in the new issue [#77] regarding interns, and wanted to relate my experience. A couple...
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Sufjan Stevens produces John Legend Children’s Album
by Geoff Stanfield
Here’s a fun and upbeat track from an unlikely collaboration between John Legend and Sufjan Stevens. Check out the first single “L-O-V-E” that features Legend’s wife Chrissy Teigen and their children along with Sufjan...
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Response to PR person looking for press for their clients
by Larry Crane
I got an email the other day from a PR person looking for Tape Op to write an article about several "known" engineer/producers and their drum recording techniques in the studio. These guys are known, and one of them we've written about and I think...
Blog
New Music From Tycho: Infinite Health
by Geoff Stanfield
Bay Area native Scott Hansen, a.k.a. Tycho (Tape Op #123), has just released his sixth album, Infinite Health on Mom+Pop Records/Ninja Tune. Fans familiar with Tycho will hear Infinite Health as a logical progression in a sequence of...
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Lowell George Documentary
by Geoff Stanfield
I recently found myself diving back into the Little Feat catalog, and came across a documentary on the band's founder, guitarist, and frontman Lowell George, called Feats First - The Life & Music of Lowell George. Music docs, especially on the...
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51st Grammy Awards
by Larry Crane
Okay, I'll admit I vote for the Grammies. Yup. Why? Besides the sometimes odd spectacle of the Grammy Awards, NARAS does some cool stuff in the music community (like the Seattle Studio Summit), MusiCares and the Producers and Engineers Wing. So I do...
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New Music from The Decemberists
by Geoff Stanfield
The Decemberists' ninth album, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, is out now. In 2003 I got a call from Colin Meloy about maybe recording his band, The Decemberists. Tape Op contributor, Adam Selzer, had already recorded some tracks for what...