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Al Schmitt on the Record
- The Magic Behind the Music
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
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Publisher's summary
Ever wonder what goes into the creation of some of the best music ever recorded? Ever wonder how someone becomes an iconic professional who is universally admired and respected? Al Schmitt on the Record: The Magic Behind the Music reveals answers to those questions and more.
In this memoir of one of the most respected engineers of all time, you'll see how a very young boy - mentored by his uncle Harry in New York - progressed through the recording world in its infancy, under the mentorship of Tom Dowd, in its heyday, becoming one of the all-time great recording engineers. And now today Al continues as an unstoppable force at the top of the recording world with his name on mega-hits from the likes of Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, and Dylan. Al's credits include a veritable who's who of the music world.
Listening to the compelling accounts of Al's life in the studio, you'll see how he has been able to stay at the top of his game since the '50s, and you'll experience what is was like behind the scenes and in-the-studio during of many of his historic, impactful recordings. Schmitt also shares many of the recording techniques and creative approaches that have set him apart, including his approach to microphones, effects, and processors, and he even shares setup diagrams from many of his highly-lauded recording sessions!
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Production History, FY!
- By Amy Peacock on 02-21-17
By: Brad Tolinski
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The Wrecking Crew
- The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret
- By: Kent Hartman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 9 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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If you were a fan of popular music in the 1960s and early '70s, you were a fan of the Wrecking Crew - whether you knew it or not. On hit record after hit record by everyone from the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and the Monkees to the Grass Roots, the 5th Dimension, Sonny & Cher, and Simon & Garfunkel, this collection of West Coast studio musicians from diverse backgrounds established themselves as the driving sound of pop music - sometimes over the objection of actual band members....
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Left Guessing
- By Patrick King on 04-29-14
By: Kent Hartman
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The Gospel According to Luke
- By: Steve Lukather
- Narrated by: Steve Lukather
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this incisive memoir, Steve Lukather tells the complete Toto story. He also lifts the lid on what went on behind the closed studio doors, shedding light on the unique creative processes of some of the most legendary names in music: from Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Stevie Nicks, and Elton John to Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, and Aretha Franklin. Lukather’s extraordinary tale also encompasses the dark side of stardom and the American Dream. Frank, engaging, and often hilarious, The Gospel According to Luke is no ordinary rock memoir.
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Wow Best Rock Biography Ever
- By Hercules on 09-29-18
By: Steve Lukather
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Goodnight, L.A.
- Untold Tales from Inside Classic Rock’s Legendary Recording Studios
- By: Kent Hartman
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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From behind the walls of a handful of well-hidden, unlikely recording studios in the Los Angeles area, legends-in-waiting created masterpiece albums. It was a time of astonishing creativity and unprecedented fame and fortune. It was also a time of unfettered excess that threatened to unravel everything along the way. With access that only a longtime music business insider can provide, Kent Hartman packs Goodnight, L.A. with never-before-told stories about the most prolific time and iconic place in rock 'n' roll history.
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great stories and insight into a miraculous time
- By RWM on 05-27-22
By: Kent Hartman
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Making Rumours
- The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album
- By: Ken Caillat, Steve Stiefel
- Narrated by: Ken Caillat, Fred Berman
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Fleetwood Mac's classic 1977 Rumours album topped the Billboard 200 for 31 weeks and won the Album of the Year Grammy. More recently, Rolling Stone named it the 25th greatest album of all time and the hit TV series Glee devoted an entire episode to songs from Rumours, introducing it to a new generation. Now, for the first time, Ken Caillat, the album's co-producer, tells the full story of what really went into making Rumours.
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Caillat Cursed With Perfect Memory
- By Private. on 02-05-13
By: Ken Caillat, and others
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All These Things That I've Done
- My Insane, Improbable Rock Life
- By: Matt Pinfield, Mitchell Cohen
- Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Matt Pinfield is the ultimate music fan. He's the guy who knows every song, artist, and musical riff ever recorded, down to the most obscure band's B-side single on its vinyl-only EP import. As a child, music helped Pinfield make sense of the world. Later he would approach his music idols after concerts and explain why he loved their music. As an adult, rock music inspired his career, fueled relationships, and, at times, became a life raft.
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great listen
- By nilda v. on 08-28-20
By: Matt Pinfield, and others
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Rainbow in the Dark
- The Autobiography
- By: Ronnie James Dio, Mick Wall - contributor, Wendy Dio - contributor
- Narrated by: Daniel Thomas May
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Prior to his tragic death in 2010, Ronnie James Dio had been writing his autobiography, looking back on the remarkable life that led him from his hometown in upstate New York to the biggest stages in the world, including the arena that represented the pinnacle of success to him - Madison Square Garden, where this book begins and ends.
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Horns up!
- By Big Daddy on 02-10-22
By: Ronnie James Dio, and others
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Walk This Way
- Run-DMC, Aerosmith, and the Song That Changed American Music Forever
- By: Geoff Edgers
- Narrated by: Geoff Edgers
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Washington Post staff writer Geoff Edgers takes a deep dive into the story behind "Walk This Way", Aerosmith and Run-DMC's legendary, groundbreaking mashup that forever changed music.
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A MUST LISTEN/READ
- By Aron Teo Lee on 05-17-19
By: Geoff Edgers
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Me, the Mob, and the Music
- One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells
- By: Tommy James, Martin Fitzpatrick
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone knows the hits: "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing in rock bands in the Michigan area since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local disc jockey in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went.
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What a ride - excellent story, well told
- By Dave on 03-25-10
By: Tommy James, and others
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The Never-Ending Present
- The Story of Gord Downie and the Tragically Hip
- By: Michael Barclay
- Narrated by: George Stroumboulopoulos
- Length: 17 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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From our talent-rich neighbor to the north comes this biography of one of the most successful Canadian rock bands, The Tragically Hip, which announced a year-long tour after sharing the news of lead singer Gord Downie’s inoperable cancer. Now available to US listeners, The Never-Ending Present details what led up to the memorable night when music fans all over the world watched Downie’s heroic final performance.
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Hometown Heroes
- By Tommy Garou on 12-13-18
By: Michael Barclay
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Maurice White, Herb Powell
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With a foreword by David Foster.
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Maurice--Earth, Wind and Fire
- By Linda Ealey on 02-28-17
By: Maurice White, and others
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Meet Me in the Bathroom
- Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001-2011
- By: Lizzy Goodman
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston, Nicol Zanzarella
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In the second half of the 20th century New York was the source of new sounds, including the Greenwich Village folk scene, punk and new wave, and hip-hop. But as the end of the millennium neared, cutting-edge bands began emerging from Seattle, Austin, and London, pushing New York further from the epicenter. The behemoth music industry, too, found itself in free fall, under siege from technology. Then 9/11/2001 plunged the country into a state of uncertainty and war.
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Deeply disappointing.
- By ChicagoRob on 01-18-20
By: Lizzy Goodman
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Mark Howard, a record producer/engineer/mixer and a trailblazer in the industry, will take you through the star-studded world of recording and producing Grammy Award-winning artists. Listen Up! is an essential book for anyone interested in music and its making. Along with the inside stories, each chapter gives recording and producing information and tips with expert understanding of the equipment used in making the world's most unforgettable records and explanations of the methods used to get the very best sound.
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Crafting smash hits with Van Halen, the Doobie Brothers, Nicolette Larson, and Van Morrison, legendary music producer Ted Templeman changed the course of rock history.
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What listeners say about Al Schmitt on the Record
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- John Sands
- 02-19-20
The best ever story about Recording Engineering
On the Record - I just finished the book!
At the end of the first chapter I was in tears, bursting with pride for my friend Al Schmitt! Each chapter got better and better and I recalled all of the great experiences I had working in musical, stage, radio, television and recording studio environments. I recalled al of the truly great engineers, producers and talent that worked in the industries that I was blessed to run elbows with, including Al Schmidt.
I was honored to be invited by Al to come with him to Cal State Dominguis Hills to be a guest lecturer on recording technologies. I was impressed that one of the world's greatest recording engineers would donate his time to teach others about our profession. Unfortunately I was booked on sessions most of the time and could not make it.
This book is an ideal teaching tool. It does not teach you how to move a fader up and down or twist a knob. It exposes the reader to the theory of sound and where it comes from. It encourages the student on how to listen to that sound and remember all of its characteristics. Then it urges to select a microphone and record it through a preamp and console and on playback see how close it was to the original sound. Then enhance it till it rings that bell inside you. (Al takes you step by step through his processes and thinking)
Al also urges that you must be part of the act. That your presence in the production makes it better. You must exude love in what you do and for everyone you are working for. (I can't explain it further, you have to read the book)
For someone who wants to succeed in our industry I strongly recommend three copies of this book. The hard copy for reading, the electronic copy for quick equipment reference from a tablet, and the audiobook for reading on a bus, train or airplane.
I chose the audiobook on Audible. The reader almost sounded like Al and did the emotional bits perfect!
As a bonus there are many stories that Al shares with us that make us feel like we were there during historic and humorous moments in his career.
I smiled warmly every time he related working with engineers, musicians, and producers I knew from working at Sound Labs and Capitol.
I am giving the book 6 stars out of 5. Buy the book, you won't be able to put it down!!!
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- Elise
- 04-22-21
narrator has a great voice
Loved hearing Al's wisdom in Music Recording. He provides great insight for all experience levels for audio engineers.The narrator's voice is great!
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- D. Thomas
- 08-13-23
All around excellent
Al Schmitt was a master at what he did. This book does that legacy justice by also being excellent in all respects. Highly enjoyable and recommended.
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- Cole Williams
- 05-12-21
Not narrated by al
This is probably obvious, but it’s hard to not hear these stories in Al’s very distinct voice.
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- Robert Segal
- 06-05-21
Don't miss this book.
Al was a remarkable individual, combining qualities of hard work, selflessness, and a caring nature. I highly recommend this book. Hopefully, his students and disciples will carry on his style of sound recording. I will never listen to records the same again.
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- MixedbyScience
- 08-07-21
Iconic Legend
I have met Al and Steve on a few occasions and it was nothing but a pleasurable experience. My assistant and I enjoyed a private tour of Capitol in 2017 with Steve as our guide. How lucky we are to have had that experience. This book was a journey through the life of a man that I've been inspired by before I ever knew who he was. This book will go down in the history of music as one of the greatest but hey, look who wrote it! Instant classic! Bravo Al and may you rest in eternal peace.
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- Rick Kay
- 09-26-21
Incredible Story
I very much enjoyed listening to Al's story. The flow of the book was perfect and insightful. I'm sure I will be listening to this book again down the road.
I'd highly recommend if for anyone in the music industry.
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- mp
- 07-13-22
Very cool!
Great all the way around! I bookmarked several spots!
The end comments were just as reveling as the main story.
One of the better listens
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- carl ventis
- 07-15-24
Awesome listen
The Story was Incredible the man who read it was not that great but what he read was an amazing journey and very detailed musically.
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