BLOBBY'S BLOG

Once I Had a Love

Yes, I could have called this 'Heart of Glass', but that would have been too easy.

For those who are not Blondie-o-philes, you might not know that "Once I Had a Love" was the original title of the song.

As you know from this here blog, I'm a big fan of music. What you don't know is that I'm just as big of a fan of how it is made. Not just the songwriting process, but especially the recording process.

I love knowing how the the music is put to tape (or now, a computer) and put together via recording, mixing and mastering. It has been a l-o-n-g time since an entire band has sat in the studio all at the same time, playing a tune beginning to end. Anymore it is about editing: taking the best take from each instrument, or worse, splicing parts of them together to make a song.

Because anymore, it is commerce and not music or art.

I'm way amazed that any band can play their own songs live. That is assuming things are not pre-recorded and playing through the monitors without the need for the actual musicians.

Oh - back to my original post stuff.....but it's all tied in. My friend, and fellow Blondie fan, Jon, sent me this little link the other day, which of course, just fed into all of it.

There is a website that breaks down Blondie's "Heart of Glass" almost track-by-track (which is different than song by song). Using 1977-78 state of the art analog equipment and Mike Chapman's production skills, they used a 24 track recording system to put together a number of drum, guitar, percussion, synthesizer and vocal tracks that make up the now classic song.

None of you might have the slightest interest in this, but I found it quite fascinating. ...and I think Jon knew I would. So thanks to him (and now to me), you can enjoy it.

Or not.


Song by: Blondie