Introduction
This is an experiment. I hope more people who worked in radio will take the time to educate the rest of us on how it all worked. This article is going to be similar to a Blog. It will be in parts and is Allan's reminiscences of his working life which started in radio. You will see how his radio experience then led to other related work. You have the opportunity to send in questions to Allan via the contact page, about the people he worked with, the shows he worked on or the equipment he used. I will then post the questions and the replies. Occasionally, Allan will consult with colleagues or other experts, so please do not expect instant replies.
I have also added a Contact Form after the latest Chapter in Allan's Reminiscences.
I have also added a Contact Form after the latest Chapter in Allan's Reminiscences.
ALLAN BLACK
Sydney producer engineer author Allan Black, started recording radio programs as a trainee in 1956 and sold his company and semi-retired in 2001. Here's his fascinating story.
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All or part of any written material, including graphics and photographs, submitted by Allan Black and contained in any of these ‘Parts’ is strictly copyright. © Allan Black 2016 - 2024.
All other material appearing in these 'Parts' (such as externally sourced photographs, artwork, advertisements, reprints etc.) are copyright their respective copyright owners, and are reproduced here on this website, under the "Fair dealing for purposes of criticism or review" provisions of the Copyright Act, 1968. (Australia)
All rights reserved. Nothing may be stored in a retrieval device for later use. Sight impaired visitors, please visit the home page first.
Allan Black Part 50
The second World War saw the rapid development of wireless communications and post war, sees the fast growing sales of new wireless sets and portable battery radios for the public. People can take their portables outdoors on picnics and to the beach and with the introduction of jukeboxes and popular radio Hit Parades, this leads to more popular music being recorded locally. Home enthusiast studios appear and the Bee Gees record their early hit ‘Spicks and Specks’ in a small studio at Hurstville in Sydney. But because early professional recording equipment is big and expensive, to start with there’s only two big studios in Sydney, the English based EMI His Masters Voice and the Australian Festival Records. Eventually both studios can accommodate everything up to large orchestras and as the industry develops, they are constantly booked with recording dates, for music sessions, radio serials, advertising commercials, documentary and occasionally, film soundtrack scores.
Both companies employ Artists & Repertoire staff to find local artists, place them under contract, then record and produce their 78rpm records in their own pressing factories. EMI follow their English masters with a big factory at Homebush Sydney, (note the Union Jack flag flying for the Queens visit in 1954) where they first record radio serials and music in Australia’s first professional recording studio. In late 1954 they move to bigger and more modern studios at 301 Castlereagh St. city, where they’ll be much closer to their advertising agency clients in the CBD.
Festival Records located at Pyrmont, also enlarge their studios as business booms. The popularity of ‘Rock and Roll’ encourages local artists, Johnny O’Keefe, Col Joye and the Joye Boys and many others to record their own songs and Col and his brothers open their ATA, Australian Talent Associates studio at Glebe in Sydney. Their talented engineer Bruce Brown, designs and builds their first big studio recording console, along with a series of multitrack tape recorders.
Festival Records located at Pyrmont, also enlarge their studios as business booms. The popularity of ‘Rock and Roll’ encourages local artists, Johnny O’Keefe, Col Joye and the Joye Boys and many others to record their own songs and Col and his brothers open their ATA, Australian Talent Associates studio at Glebe in Sydney. Their talented engineer Bruce Brown, designs and builds their first big studio recording console, along with a series of multitrack tape recorders.
The Australian Record Company A.R.C., commences operations. Located in Adyar House on the 3rd. floor at 29 Bligh St., here they have 2 studios, A: the smaller one for commercial voice work and B: the large one for radio serials and music recording. In 1958-59 age 18, I worked in B studio enjoying doing live sound effects for Ron Beck’s radio serials. This taught me to pay constant attention and work ahead in the scripts to get ready for each cue. I haven’t forgotten the excitement and satisfaction and with my folks being impressed, that I’m on a first name basis with the professional actors they hear in their favourite radio serials each night.
In 1960, Natec Sound Studios takes over from ARC Studios. Adyar House the 7 story office block, was built in 1925 for 100,000 Pounds. Never intended to be radio and recording studios, it’s fortunate that the builders, the Theosophical Society, commission prominent civil engineer and architect William Wardell, who reinforces the building statutes of the time. As a result, the solid construction easily withstands the vibration from the noisy trams and the constant city traffic, passing by in busy Bligh St.
Progressive Natec director Ron Purvis looks to the future, installing 16 and 35mm film projectors and film sound dubbing gear for TV commercials, film documentaries and feature movies. Ron also designs the big studio B recording console and a 4 track 1/2 inch tape recorder. Natec directors Stan Kanaar and son Keith using a lathe and tools on the premises, build the console and the recorder and design and actually build the big 5 rack synchronised film audio dubbers and its recorder, located in the recording room on the 3rd floor. Impressing everyone who sees this, it becomes so successful they take orders from other Australian companies.
Even though Natec studios are only one floor below 2UE studios, to me the differences between the 24 hour a day radio station and this 9-5pm recording studio are chalk and cheese. On the 4th floor, everything’s ‘on’ around the clock, the lights, the equipment, the staff on duty in the comfortable air-conditioning. At Natec each morning, the first person to arrive, enters a dark, silent reception area to turn on all the lights, the equipment and the air-conditioning plant for the day’s recording sessions.
So on my first day, after meeting the office staff, Natec recording engineer Maurie Wilmore shows me around the studios to get started.
Progressive Natec director Ron Purvis looks to the future, installing 16 and 35mm film projectors and film sound dubbing gear for TV commercials, film documentaries and feature movies. Ron also designs the big studio B recording console and a 4 track 1/2 inch tape recorder. Natec directors Stan Kanaar and son Keith using a lathe and tools on the premises, build the console and the recorder and design and actually build the big 5 rack synchronised film audio dubbers and its recorder, located in the recording room on the 3rd floor. Impressing everyone who sees this, it becomes so successful they take orders from other Australian companies.
Even though Natec studios are only one floor below 2UE studios, to me the differences between the 24 hour a day radio station and this 9-5pm recording studio are chalk and cheese. On the 4th floor, everything’s ‘on’ around the clock, the lights, the equipment, the staff on duty in the comfortable air-conditioning. At Natec each morning, the first person to arrive, enters a dark, silent reception area to turn on all the lights, the equipment and the air-conditioning plant for the day’s recording sessions.
So on my first day, after meeting the office staff, Natec recording engineer Maurie Wilmore shows me around the studios to get started.
Allan Black Part 51
I didn’t know how Natec Sound Studios got established on the 3rd floor at 29 Bligh St.
So Keith, son of the late Natec director Stan Kanaar recently told me the story. In 1958, it was Ted Blyde at Featured Theatre Ads. in Sydney, where Ron Purvis and Keith were working who came up with the idea, after ARC panel operator Jack Keniry, told Ron of the 3rd floor studios availability, when it was announced that ARC was selling to CBS Records. So Ron, Keith and Stan made an approach, took out a long 3rd floor lease, bought some of ARCs gear when they moved out, and started Natec. They hire 2 competent ladies as office staff.
In the years 1950-1970, major International advertising agencies established their Australian headquarters in the CBD in Sydney. Many of these big agencies are now clients of Natec, some within easy walking distance of our Bligh St. studios. Ron, Keith and Stan had regular recording work from these agencies foremost in mind, when they take over the 3rd floor studios.
On my first day in 1965, one of the first questions I ask Maurie Wilmore is, where did the name ‘Natec’ originate from. It seems Ron, Keith and Stan were working out a suitable business name for their enterprise. So National Acoustical Technical Engineering Company, became NATEC, a catchy name due to become famous in Australian recording studio history.
My job includes getting to know the advertising agency producers who book in to record voice tracks for their radio and television commercials. My workday at Natec will involve recording their voice sessions in Studio A, mixing in sound effects and music and meeting the actors and announcers, talented artists who live and work in this world everyday.
So Keith, son of the late Natec director Stan Kanaar recently told me the story. In 1958, it was Ted Blyde at Featured Theatre Ads. in Sydney, where Ron Purvis and Keith were working who came up with the idea, after ARC panel operator Jack Keniry, told Ron of the 3rd floor studios availability, when it was announced that ARC was selling to CBS Records. So Ron, Keith and Stan made an approach, took out a long 3rd floor lease, bought some of ARCs gear when they moved out, and started Natec. They hire 2 competent ladies as office staff.
In the years 1950-1970, major International advertising agencies established their Australian headquarters in the CBD in Sydney. Many of these big agencies are now clients of Natec, some within easy walking distance of our Bligh St. studios. Ron, Keith and Stan had regular recording work from these agencies foremost in mind, when they take over the 3rd floor studios.
On my first day in 1965, one of the first questions I ask Maurie Wilmore is, where did the name ‘Natec’ originate from. It seems Ron, Keith and Stan were working out a suitable business name for their enterprise. So National Acoustical Technical Engineering Company, became NATEC, a catchy name due to become famous in Australian recording studio history.
My job includes getting to know the advertising agency producers who book in to record voice tracks for their radio and television commercials. My workday at Natec will involve recording their voice sessions in Studio A, mixing in sound effects and music and meeting the actors and announcers, talented artists who live and work in this world everyday.
This is Studio A booth when ARC owned it, note the 4 turntables. All of this gear went to Nth. Sydney when Natec took over. So I get right into studying Natec’s new mono recording equipment in A and watch Maurie Wilmore record a couple of sessions. The first is 30 second radio commercials for a new Colgate toothpaste which includes a new adv. jingle orchestrated by Bob ‘Beetles’ Young and recorded by Ron Purvis in Studio B. I’m introduced to the ‘voice’ for the job, announcer Kevin Golsby and Jack Keniry, who now works as an agency producer for George Patterson Advertising. Jack and his assistant Bob Thomas walked the 20 minutes to our studios from their George St. Sydney offices nearby.
Maurie records the session on a big green EMI BTR2 mono tape recorder at 15ips (38 cmps) tape speed. The BTR2 is the same model used by the Beatles at Abbey Road, 2UE and EMI Sydney studios. Following the successful Colgate session Maurie records a tape copy of the final takes for Jack to take back to the agency for client approval. Then the agency will order the required number of disc pressings, this time in the hundreds, for broadcast by radio stations around the country. After the session Maurie fills out the job card, detailing the time and materials used, so the session can be invoiced by Natec for payment by the agency. Watching Maurie editing magnetic tape takes me back to working at Ron Becks, and the next thing I do is check out Natec’s large Studio B.
Amazingly, this is the B studio where I did work for Ron R. Beck when ARC owned it, so I go in and stand in the exact same position I did, when doing live studio sound effects for Larry Kent and Police File radio dramas. But the studio has now changed, Ron Purvis with Stan and Keith Kanaar have since redesigned and rebuilt it for recording music, and initially they spent 3 days covering the whole studio ceiling with empty egg cartons, hundreds of them. Keith tells me they bought them in metre square lots, direct from the manufacturer, and their shape copes with the studio acoustics. Up to this time I don’t know much detail about Ron and Stan and their work, and this is another introduction to their amazing talent.
Amazingly, this is the B studio where I did work for Ron R. Beck when ARC owned it, so I go in and stand in the exact same position I did, when doing live studio sound effects for Larry Kent and Police File radio dramas. But the studio has now changed, Ron Purvis with Stan and Keith Kanaar have since redesigned and rebuilt it for recording music, and initially they spent 3 days covering the whole studio ceiling with empty egg cartons, hundreds of them. Keith tells me they bought them in metre square lots, direct from the manufacturer, and their shape copes with the studio acoustics. Up to this time I don’t know much detail about Ron and Stan and their work, and this is another introduction to their amazing talent.
Allan Black Part 52
In 1965-66 at Natec Sound in Sydney, digital anything was in the future. We had no computers, no mobile phones, no digital recorders, compact discs or CD players. Everything was analogue - we did have all valve recording consoles, record players and magnetic tape recorders.
There were about 8 professional tape brands available, and each company decided which suitable tape to stay with, because all their tape recorders had to be ‘set up’ ie; electronically biased to match their tapes recording specifications. This takes valuable time, so even with a better price and availability, mixing tape brands was costly, could cause confusion wasting time becoming a real pain - so it was out of the question.
The history of the origins of magnetic tape recording is fascinating. In the late stages of WW2, the Allies could hear good sound quality orchestral performances being broadcast on German radio stations, at all hours of the day and night. How and why was this possible? Then as they captured radio stations, the troops discovered these magnetic tape recorders with recorded performances on this strange tape. This was all passed over to Army Intelligence Units.
There were about 8 professional tape brands available, and each company decided which suitable tape to stay with, because all their tape recorders had to be ‘set up’ ie; electronically biased to match their tapes recording specifications. This takes valuable time, so even with a better price and availability, mixing tape brands was costly, could cause confusion wasting time becoming a real pain - so it was out of the question.
The history of the origins of magnetic tape recording is fascinating. In the late stages of WW2, the Allies could hear good sound quality orchestral performances being broadcast on German radio stations, at all hours of the day and night. How and why was this possible? Then as they captured radio stations, the troops discovered these magnetic tape recorders with recorded performances on this strange tape. This was all passed over to Army Intelligence Units.
Many years ago when I was on holiday in Berlin I had a chance to tour the Reichstag before it was reconstructed in 1999. On the ground floor in a glass display case there was an early German tape recorder. I managed to get around the back of the case and crouch down to read the makers plate - ‘Magnetophon 1936.’ So it was probably one of the WW2 machines and later, Magnetophon became the BASF tape brand which I used at Ron Beck’s in 1956. Note; this photo is not the recorder I saw but it’s the same vintage, 1939. Check how sophisticated the tape mechanism is - amazing for its time. And the tape looks like it has the acetate backing, it broke apart if you weren’t careful.
In 1944 from a friend in the U.S. Army, the famous American crooner Bing Crosby learned of the German experiments with magnetic tape recording. At the time his NBC top rating ‘Kraft Music Hall’ radio program was recorded live in a studio to lacquer discs - without stopping - in one pass. Then Crosby had an idea, using a magnetic tape recorder he could record whenever he liked, during the week, stop and start at his own leisure. He could even record several weeks programs in one day.
Without going into all his problems, Crosby first had trouble with the NBC network, they insisted he record live in their studio, while they recorded to disc for later replay across the U.S. time zones. But Bing resisted and went on strike for 6 months until a threatened lawsuit forced him to return. In 1946 when his NBC contract expired he moved over to the rival Mutual network - one of the attractions being, they were willing to let him record his new ‘Philco Radio Time’ program on the new magnetic tape.
In 1944 from a friend in the U.S. Army, the famous American crooner Bing Crosby learned of the German experiments with magnetic tape recording. At the time his NBC top rating ‘Kraft Music Hall’ radio program was recorded live in a studio to lacquer discs - without stopping - in one pass. Then Crosby had an idea, using a magnetic tape recorder he could record whenever he liked, during the week, stop and start at his own leisure. He could even record several weeks programs in one day.
Without going into all his problems, Crosby first had trouble with the NBC network, they insisted he record live in their studio, while they recorded to disc for later replay across the U.S. time zones. But Bing resisted and went on strike for 6 months until a threatened lawsuit forced him to return. In 1946 when his NBC contract expired he moved over to the rival Mutual network - one of the attractions being, they were willing to let him record his new ‘Philco Radio Time’ program on the new magnetic tape.
But Crosby had to have the equipment to do this so he’d heavily invested in the development of magnetic tape and the recorder - with results far superior to the German efforts. But while Bing anxiously waited for the AMPEX company to deliver his new machine, they ran out of money. So in an industry famous story he sent them an envelope with 50,000 dollars in cash! - no note no instructions. That’s probably the equivalent of a million dollars today and they were able to finish producing 2 of their new AMPEX 200 recorders, just in time for his new radio program. The AMPEX company became one of the leaders in magnetic tape development together with their recorders. Then they moved into development of the new era of video recorders for television stations.
This became incredibly financial for Bing Crosby and in 2008 at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, AMPEX received the company’s first Technical Achievement Award to honour their contribution 60yrs earlier, ‘For revolutionising the radio and recording industries.’
AMPEX is still in operation today and their products are used all over the world.
This became incredibly financial for Bing Crosby and in 2008 at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony, AMPEX received the company’s first Technical Achievement Award to honour their contribution 60yrs earlier, ‘For revolutionising the radio and recording industries.’
AMPEX is still in operation today and their products are used all over the world.
Allan Black Part 53
When the Natec’s directors plan their studio operation, they knew they’d need a good multitrack tape recorder for their music Studio B.
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In early 1965 one of Natecs studio competitors is EMI at the opposite end of the Sydney CBD at 301 Castlereagh St. They’ve invested in this imported AMPEX three track recorder running on 1/2 inch tape. So Ron Purvis plans to have a four track recorder also running on 1/2 inch tape. He designs and builds the 4 record and playback amplifiers while Stan and Keith Kanaar build the tape transport - and it performs to expectations. I don’t have a photo of Rons four track recorder but it resembles the AMPEX tape deck. Ron didn’t include VU meters, the meters on the recording console are the audio level reference.
A handy feature of both recorders is the ability to switch any of the record heads to become replay heads. You can see these switches on the panel at the bottom of the AMPEX VU meters, they’re called Sel-Sync. This feature allows the orchestra to record first, before the vocalist records their part. Next the engineer switches all the orchestral tracks record heads over to the Sel-Sync replay position, so using headphones the vocalist can hear all the music in sync with their performance, while they record it. For any nervous new artist this is a handy feature, today incorporated in all multitrack recorders. Once all recording is complete, all tracks are switched to replay mode for final mixing. |
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One of our regular music jobs is the music tracks for the weekly TCN Channel 9 show - Bandstand. This is an hour of current pop music with a big recorded orchestra and vocals by local stars. It’s hosted by the popular TCN compere Brian Henderson with the musical director Bob ‘Beetles’ Young who calls everyone ‘Jazz’ He arranges all the music, and books the musicians. Bandstand is transmitted on the 9 network all around the country and whenever I can I get across from Studio A, to help Maurie setup the mics in B for the orchestral recording.
Here is Bandstand during the video taping at the TCN Sydney studios, and it’s the first time I get to see a big orchestra set up in our Studio B and I’m fascinated with everything that takes place, the setup, the musicians, the recording and the mixing. The orchestral tracks, called ‘backings‘ are recorded every Thursday 10-1 and 2-5 pm. The recording engineer is musical director Max Alexander from TCN, who does all their live music shows. He overdubs all the vocals on Friday and the final mixes on the following Monday. Watching Bandstand at home on TV at 6pm every Saturday night, it’s easy to hear Max has valuable experience. What can I learn from him?
After years of deliberation the Aust. Govt. prepares to change our British Imperial currency system over to the Decimal system. Jackson Wain the North Sydney advertising agency wins the contract to produce the advertising to clearly explain this new money system to the public. There is a grace period of about 18 months where both currencies are legal tender then the British system will fade into history. The J.W. agency is a client of Natec so we anticipate a lot of studio work and that’s what‘s happening. As I’m working in Studio A, I’m recording decimal currency radio commercials, a session about twice a week. The music is the catchy Aust. folk tune, ‘Click Go The Shears’ with clever new lyrics by Ted Roberts.
Can you sing the last line? ‘… Be prepared folks - when the coins begin to mix - on the Fourteenth of February Nineteen Sixty Six.’
This is the day of the official changeover and for obvious reasons the Govt. needs the public to be very conversant with our new money system. So in late 1965 in Studio B there is a parade of musicians and singers all recording various versions of the folk song, which we use while I overdub the scripts with various actors and announcers in Studio A.
Image courtesy of Craig Nugent Collection
Years before we start, the Govt. is very concerned the older generation will have trouble with the new decimal currency, so the Decimal Currency Board instruct the creative dept at the Jackson Wain agency produce concepts for a number of ads. both for Radio and TV. One prominent series is a grandmother and her young granddaughter in various situations, with the girl explaining the new coinage to her nanna who repeats everything, finally understanding each lesson. The TV ads feature animated characters and I record all the voice tracks, and to me it seems like school days as each arithmetic lesson in the series gets harder.
The young girl is played by Ngarie Thompson, who is an adult but tiny with a matching young girls voice, and the grandmother is played by Margaret Christenson. In Studios A & B, there is a special wooden box for Ngarie to stand on to reach her position at the mic. When I started, I learn there is a procedure to follow which is to put the box in position for Ngarie, before she and the other actors come to the studio. This is to not embarrass her or any of the others, however dear Ngarie is a delight to work with recording all the child’s voice work in Sydney at the time.
But 2 months of recording decimal currency commercials is getting somewhat wearing, and the last line in one of the radio commercials ... ‘Don’t forget, a one cent piece can also be used as a screwdriver.’ brings much laughter in the studio. And every hour on every radio station around Australia, you can hear one or more of Natec’s decimal currency commercials.
The young girl is played by Ngarie Thompson, who is an adult but tiny with a matching young girls voice, and the grandmother is played by Margaret Christenson. In Studios A & B, there is a special wooden box for Ngarie to stand on to reach her position at the mic. When I started, I learn there is a procedure to follow which is to put the box in position for Ngarie, before she and the other actors come to the studio. This is to not embarrass her or any of the others, however dear Ngarie is a delight to work with recording all the child’s voice work in Sydney at the time.
But 2 months of recording decimal currency commercials is getting somewhat wearing, and the last line in one of the radio commercials ... ‘Don’t forget, a one cent piece can also be used as a screwdriver.’ brings much laughter in the studio. And every hour on every radio station around Australia, you can hear one or more of Natec’s decimal currency commercials.
Allan Black Part 54
At Natec a couple of times I first noticed this U.S. ediTall 1/4” tape splicing block, one in each of our 2 studios and another in the recording room. At the bottom of this adv. is the venerable Ampex model 350 recorder, which we also have in our recording room. After doing literally thousands of tape edits at Ron R. Becks Recording studio, using just a small pair of scissors, a straight eye and a roll of Scotch pressure editing tape, these splicing or editing blocks are new to me, they’re an obvious editing tool. However I didn’t even know they existed so it doesn’t take long before I find out this tape editing procedure is much faster and accurate every time, rather than my previous method. Some days now there’s many edits to perform, while producing Radio and TV commercial sound tracks.
Now in 1965 I’m getting to know, not only the pop stars and the musicians on Bandstand but all the professional voices who read the scripts for radio and TV ads. Peter Gwynne, Tim Elliot and Paul Ricketts are a few of the prominent artists. Some time ago they relocated from New Zealand with their families to set up house in Sydney, signing with a booking agency to appear in many commercials and character parts in Australian TV series. Paul also appears on Sydney Radio 2UE as DJ Scott Newman, with his daily late afternoon Top 40 session.
Two of our prominent local actors are Kevin Golsby and Ross Higgins. Both have extensive experience appearing together on popular national TV shows and are booked in the studios all the time. Clever Ross is the popular Mortein TV character Louie D’ Fly, selling many cans of their fly spray. I don’t think he’d mind me telling you he’s also a health freak, he brings in his own lunch every day. Maurie tells me he thinks Ross has Savlon sandwiches.
However both Ross and Kevin are fun to work with, singly each is a hoot especially when there‘s new clients in the booth. Kevin has a routine which he launches into at the drop of a hat. He plays a WW2 Group Captain with a pucker accent standing on the runway just after a German air raid. He ends it by shouting “Those fuckers were Fockers!” This always brings laughs in the studio booth.
But together in the studio both guys can be a handful. With new clients in the booth today I’m recording a series of new 15 secs. radio spots for a personal underarm deodorant. Everything’s going well, too well in fact I can even sense ‘trouble’ is coming…
KG. “Right let’s go, we’ll have a great day. Now, who's getting in the front seat with me? Harry? .. Maureen? .. Tom? .. Janice? ….. Fido ..? I’m just about to play a yelping dog sound effect when Ross says, “Hey Al, I can do a scared dog, what kind do you want? I can do a brown dog, Woof! Woof! .. No? a Pekinese Yip! Yip! Yip! How about a bull dog GRRRR! What about a Great Dane W000F!!” Kevin joins in with Ross offering a couple of his own and both wander around the studio doing dog sound effects.
Between the two of them, the agency guys dissolve into hysterics, me too. Paul Ricketts doing the 4 word tags on another mic, stands there looking at his watch shouting “Guys! guys! Come on I have to go!”I can’t believe it then when everything settles down we finish the session. The agency guys thank Kevin, Ross, Paul and me, take a tape copy of the OK takes and depart still laughing, to relate this session back at their agency.
Once again I think, well if this is what Natec is like, I'm going to have a great time. And I do ... we all do! Some time later Shakespearean actor Tim Elliot tells me he also enjoys it, he’s going to keep doing it because he doesn’t want to finish his career carrying a spear at the Sydney Opera House.
KG. “Right let’s go, we’ll have a great day. Now, who's getting in the front seat with me? Harry? .. Maureen? .. Tom? .. Janice? ….. Fido ..? I’m just about to play a yelping dog sound effect when Ross says, “Hey Al, I can do a scared dog, what kind do you want? I can do a brown dog, Woof! Woof! .. No? a Pekinese Yip! Yip! Yip! How about a bull dog GRRRR! What about a Great Dane W000F!!” Kevin joins in with Ross offering a couple of his own and both wander around the studio doing dog sound effects.
Between the two of them, the agency guys dissolve into hysterics, me too. Paul Ricketts doing the 4 word tags on another mic, stands there looking at his watch shouting “Guys! guys! Come on I have to go!”I can’t believe it then when everything settles down we finish the session. The agency guys thank Kevin, Ross, Paul and me, take a tape copy of the OK takes and depart still laughing, to relate this session back at their agency.
Once again I think, well if this is what Natec is like, I'm going to have a great time. And I do ... we all do! Some time later Shakespearean actor Tim Elliot tells me he also enjoys it, he’s going to keep doing it because he doesn’t want to finish his career carrying a spear at the Sydney Opera House.
Allan Black Part 55
One afternoon in July 1965 a Canadian Pacific Airlines DC8 regular service from Winnipeg lands at Sydney’s Mascot airport. Two passengers who line up at customs arrival are Philip Kives and his cousin Raymond - Kives Television - K-TEL, direct from Canada.
At the time, the Wentworth International Hotel directly opposite Natec Sound Studios in Bligh St. is very popular with visiting business people and Philip and Ray have booked into a suite there on the 3rd floor. Next morning after a good nights sleep and breakfast, Ray gets busy with the Sydney telephone directory thumbing through the business pages looking for a sound recording studio to record their first Australian TV commercial. He comes across our Natec Studios advert. and when he sees our address he points out the window saying, “Hey Phil, that’s Bligh St. down there!”
Across busy Bligh St. on the 3rd. floor at Natec I’m setting up for a session in Studio A, when our receptionist Gail comes in and says, “Sounds like an American on the phone, he wants to book the studio for a commercial” I reply, “Ok I’ll come to the front desk to check our bookings.” I do this and speak with Ray Kives on the phone. He introduces himself explaining the situation, saying he’d like to record a 30 second script for a television commercial as soon as possible - he also asks can I book a suitable male voice announcer for the job. I don’t have to think about this suggesting DJ John Laws, who I know is currently doing commercial TV and radio work. Ray agrees and soon after I call him back, confirming the booking details for the day after next.
Ray says “Great thanks, now look out your front window” “You mean our front window on to Bligh St.?” “Yeah Aussie, look across to the Hotel” I do and there is Ray joined by Phil, waving out their window to me from their 3rd floor suite across at the Wentworth. We all break up laughing, this being the start of a great relationship that lasts for many years.
The day of the session Gail alerts me that Ray and Phil have arrived, I greet them and escort them to Studio A, to discuss the TV script they’ve brought. Not long after, right on time Lawsie arrives and does a great job selling K-TELs first Australian product, the Feather Touch Knife. The Kives thank John Laws paying him cash - on the spot - in Australian pound notes. They’ve previously booked a local film production company to produce this commercial, so I give them a tape copy of the Lawsie’s voice track to take with them. They don’t yet have a Natec account so they pay cash for the session, thank me and depart. Up at the front desk everyone smiles when I pay cash into the books, stamping PAID on the first Australian K-TEL job card.
Not long after this, Ray rings again from the Wentworth inviting me for a drink there. So after letting manager Ron Purvis know what’s happening, after work I go across to the Wentworth. Philip Kives CEO of K-TEL International explains they’re now working from their hotel suite setting up their operation in Australia, and they would like to form a good production team they know well - and would I like to produce all their advertising soundtracks. Of course! so they tell me about their next production, a 12” LP .. 20 COUNTRY GREATS. Then they explain how it all works. In the early 1960s they started K-TEL in Winnipeg Canada and they’re now established in America.
Across busy Bligh St. on the 3rd. floor at Natec I’m setting up for a session in Studio A, when our receptionist Gail comes in and says, “Sounds like an American on the phone, he wants to book the studio for a commercial” I reply, “Ok I’ll come to the front desk to check our bookings.” I do this and speak with Ray Kives on the phone. He introduces himself explaining the situation, saying he’d like to record a 30 second script for a television commercial as soon as possible - he also asks can I book a suitable male voice announcer for the job. I don’t have to think about this suggesting DJ John Laws, who I know is currently doing commercial TV and radio work. Ray agrees and soon after I call him back, confirming the booking details for the day after next.
Ray says “Great thanks, now look out your front window” “You mean our front window on to Bligh St.?” “Yeah Aussie, look across to the Hotel” I do and there is Ray joined by Phil, waving out their window to me from their 3rd floor suite across at the Wentworth. We all break up laughing, this being the start of a great relationship that lasts for many years.
The day of the session Gail alerts me that Ray and Phil have arrived, I greet them and escort them to Studio A, to discuss the TV script they’ve brought. Not long after, right on time Lawsie arrives and does a great job selling K-TELs first Australian product, the Feather Touch Knife. The Kives thank John Laws paying him cash - on the spot - in Australian pound notes. They’ve previously booked a local film production company to produce this commercial, so I give them a tape copy of the Lawsie’s voice track to take with them. They don’t yet have a Natec account so they pay cash for the session, thank me and depart. Up at the front desk everyone smiles when I pay cash into the books, stamping PAID on the first Australian K-TEL job card.
Not long after this, Ray rings again from the Wentworth inviting me for a drink there. So after letting manager Ron Purvis know what’s happening, after work I go across to the Wentworth. Philip Kives CEO of K-TEL International explains they’re now working from their hotel suite setting up their operation in Australia, and they would like to form a good production team they know well - and would I like to produce all their advertising soundtracks. Of course! so they tell me about their next production, a 12” LP .. 20 COUNTRY GREATS. Then they explain how it all works. In the early 1960s they started K-TEL in Winnipeg Canada and they’re now established in America.
Philip has also contracted with the major record companies to lease their chart ‘hits’, when each one is just starting to come back down the pop charts, after topping as high as it can. This means its sales are also starting to come down, so by combining 20-25 of these ‘hits’ together on the one K-TEL 12” LP, they’re selling each of these ‘hits’ again but in a different format, and this time at a more attractive price. They also employ music specialists who arrange the order of each list of hits for each release. Many fans recognise their value with each one generating more and more sales.
So K-TEL has developed an extremely successful marketing tool, the first in the world and eventually the envy of the whole industry. Their biggest seller becomes ‘Hooked on Classics’ eventually selling over 10 million records world wide. I join Philip and Ray in a toast to our collaboration, and the following day I arrange for their K-TEL account at Natec. Shortly after this they book in for their first Australian record commercial and because John Laws is heavily booked elsewhere, I suggest DJ announcer Phil Haldeman - a great talent for this job. ‘Alderman’ Haldeman subsequently does all the voice work for all their Australian TV commercials and the more we do the better we get at it. The commercials are telecast around Australia, big time, the Kives spent many thousands booking their spots on television, resulting in huge sales for all their products.
So K-TEL has developed an extremely successful marketing tool, the first in the world and eventually the envy of the whole industry. Their biggest seller becomes ‘Hooked on Classics’ eventually selling over 10 million records world wide. I join Philip and Ray in a toast to our collaboration, and the following day I arrange for their K-TEL account at Natec. Shortly after this they book in for their first Australian record commercial and because John Laws is heavily booked elsewhere, I suggest DJ announcer Phil Haldeman - a great talent for this job. ‘Alderman’ Haldeman subsequently does all the voice work for all their Australian TV commercials and the more we do the better we get at it. The commercials are telecast around Australia, big time, the Kives spent many thousands booking their spots on television, resulting in huge sales for all their products.
Just before Christmas 1965, I book Phil. Haldeman for another K-TEL release. When he arrives he says “Ok Al. what have we got?” I show him the LP cover - ‘25 POLKA GREATS.’ He looks at it, looks at me then laughs .. “Al. You-have-got-to-be-kidding! If this sells I’ll eat my hat!” I reply “We’ll have to make a commercial that sells Phil, because this is Volume One.” He shakes his head and we get working on his voice track over the short polka music examples I’ve prepared from the LP. The Kives produce the TV commercial, planning a test marketing campaign on Newcastle television and all the radio stations there.
They book all the advertising times they can during the week, for a following Saturday morning sale in all the Newcastle and surrounding district record shops. And they sell hundreds of Polka LPs, all their Newcastle stock sells out in one day and by Christmas 1965, K-TEL has sold one million in Australia. Shortly after a happy Ray rings and asks me to organise something.
Somewhere there’s a photo of Phil. Haldeman sitting on the steps of Sydney’s Martin Place Post Office - eating the brim off a straw hat. As K-TELs record commercials always say - ‘And there’s many more!’ Over the years this develops into a real character for us, Manny Moore, and when I book a table at a restaurant I always include an extra seat, and raise a glass to our friend Manny.
Sadly Philip Kives passed away in 2016, but I’ll always remember the great fun I had with he and Ray … and Alderman Haldeman.
They book all the advertising times they can during the week, for a following Saturday morning sale in all the Newcastle and surrounding district record shops. And they sell hundreds of Polka LPs, all their Newcastle stock sells out in one day and by Christmas 1965, K-TEL has sold one million in Australia. Shortly after a happy Ray rings and asks me to organise something.
Somewhere there’s a photo of Phil. Haldeman sitting on the steps of Sydney’s Martin Place Post Office - eating the brim off a straw hat. As K-TELs record commercials always say - ‘And there’s many more!’ Over the years this develops into a real character for us, Manny Moore, and when I book a table at a restaurant I always include an extra seat, and raise a glass to our friend Manny.
Sadly Philip Kives passed away in 2016, but I’ll always remember the great fun I had with he and Ray … and Alderman Haldeman.
Allan Black Part 56 - K-TEL in Australia...........Continued
Contributed by John Lanser
Preparing and cutting a master lacquer for the factory to press records from, is a black art which in this December 2021 digital age, is mostly fading to a bygone era.
There’s many details in doing a first class cutting job, some outside the scope of this article but the basic project is a 45rpm 7 inch disc and the most complicated is a 33 1/3 rpm 12” LP. You’re using expensive equipment including a specially heated costly diamond stylus which cuts the grooves in the master lacquer while the turntable rotates at the exact speed you’ve selected. Notice the microscope to closely inspect some of the grooves when your cut is finished. If you find a problem, time and money will be lost while you set up for another cut.
There’s many details in doing a first class cutting job, some outside the scope of this article but the basic project is a 45rpm 7 inch disc and the most complicated is a 33 1/3 rpm 12” LP. You’re using expensive equipment including a specially heated costly diamond stylus which cuts the grooves in the master lacquer while the turntable rotates at the exact speed you’ve selected. Notice the microscope to closely inspect some of the grooves when your cut is finished. If you find a problem, time and money will be lost while you set up for another cut.
Contributed by John Lanser
In the 1960s, many recording studios have one or two engineers who specialise and here at Natec Sound Studios it’s our knowledgeable director Ron Purvis using our Nuttall 3 speed disc lathe in our recording room. When we have time Maurie and I watch Ron setting up for a cut. First, using the total duration of his prepared master tape, he calculates how many ‘grooves per inch’ he’s going to cut on the master lacquer to accommodate the program. There’s a timing chart he uses to work this out, the longer the tracks are on the master tape the closer the grooves will be together and once he starts cutting, it’s continuous he can’t stop. So the old adage applies, measure twice cut once.
In 1964 in Winnipeg Canada, once Philip Kives embarks on producing his 12” K-TEL LP records each with 20-25 pop hits, his next question is how am I going to do this. I imagine he went about it something like this.
“Hello Mr. Engineer this is Philip Kives, I want to put 20 to 25 pop hits on double sided 12” long playing records.”
“Huh what! what’s that?” So Philip repeats it.
“Huh, well the longest you can get on each side is about 22 minutes, how long are your master tapes?”
“About 32 minutes a side”
Short silence .… then “Sorry you can’t do it.”
“Just say you could, how much would that cost me?”
The engineer calculates a very generous figure and tells Philip who says …
“Well double that!”
“Mr. Kives please give me your number I’ll call you right back.”
In 1964 in Winnipeg Canada, once Philip Kives embarks on producing his 12” K-TEL LP records each with 20-25 pop hits, his next question is how am I going to do this. I imagine he went about it something like this.
“Hello Mr. Engineer this is Philip Kives, I want to put 20 to 25 pop hits on double sided 12” long playing records.”
“Huh what! what’s that?” So Philip repeats it.
“Huh, well the longest you can get on each side is about 22 minutes, how long are your master tapes?”
“About 32 minutes a side”
Short silence .… then “Sorry you can’t do it.”
“Just say you could, how much would that cost me?”
The engineer calculates a very generous figure and tells Philip who says …
“Well double that!”
“Mr. Kives please give me your number I’ll call you right back.”
Here’s the problems Mr. Engineer faced. In the 1960s a master tape with high volume and loud bass frequencies is going cut grooves spaced wide apart on the lacquer. Too wide or worse too close together will cause problems for the paying public. Note B-C-D-E. These grooves are close together they might play in testing when a professional record player pickup arm is set to a specified weight so its stylus will track the record. But you have to cater for many consumers players that are now out of specification, they’re heavy and won’t track these grooves properly, they’ll mis-track, cutting through and jumping them, damaging the record. This could spell ruin for Philip before he gets established in his new market.
So to cut 32 minutes a side for K-TEL, Mr. Engineer has to reduce the volume of the music and cut some of its bass. But how much? He’ll have to work out a formula that results in successfully cutting each side but with minimum reductions in both. This is very important because too much will be noticeable to almost everyone but more importantly, the cash paying fans. Recording studios have rate cards for their services and cutting lacquers is a straight forward procedure, so there’s a cost for each size - but not in this case. Mr. Engineer can’t treat each pop song differently because they come from different recording studios, and cutting is a continuous process.
So he has to cut each K-TEL LP with the same overall reductions to get satisfactory results and the best way to do this is to test cut lacquers with different volume and bass cut settings, so the higher costs. Each K-TEL LP is going to be slightly different in total duration, so does he undertake ‘test cuts’ for each one? Way too expensive, so after a while he’ll develop a ‘cutting chart’ with a graph based on the duration of each master tape. As it turns out some are too long for just this treatment, so in addition, a few songs will have to be faded out early.
Meanwhile in Canada, Philip was also busy arranging leases to secure pop hits for his L.P. releases together with advertising schedules and his best estimate how many pressings of each title he’ll have to order from the factory to cover the sales in the stores. Knowing Philip I think he uses his salesmen's instincts to over order the quantities, mainly to cover newcomer K-TEL’s name in this new market, while carefully watched by the record industry. And he can freight the left overs to his other new markets.
Meanwhile in Canada, Philip was also busy arranging leases to secure pop hits for his L.P. releases together with advertising schedules and his best estimate how many pressings of each title he’ll have to order from the factory to cover the sales in the stores. Knowing Philip I think he uses his salesmen's instincts to over order the quantities, mainly to cover newcomer K-TEL’s name in this new market, while carefully watched by the record industry. And he can freight the left overs to his other new markets.
Now here in Sydney Philip and cousin Ray are active. From the Wentworth Hotel one morning walking around the city they arrive at David Jones Market St. store and here on the ground floor they watch salesman Ken McDonald entertaining while demonstrating kitchenware to a group of eager customers.
Both Philip and Ray instantly recognise Ken’s first class sales technique, so next day they go back and make him an offer he can’t refuse. Thus the affable Ken McDonald becomes K-TELs first Australian manager setting up their big Pyrmont warehouse to store all their products for distribution around the country.
Both Philip and Ray instantly recognise Ken’s first class sales technique, so next day they go back and make him an offer he can’t refuse. Thus the affable Ken McDonald becomes K-TELs first Australian manager setting up their big Pyrmont warehouse to store all their products for distribution around the country.
Allan Black Part 57 - K-Tel in Australia continued …..
What do you do after you establish one successful record label, of course you build another one and it’s not long at Natec before we see the first Australian K-TEL ‘Majestic Records’ title arrive for production of its soundtrack. Majestic Records titles follow the same format as the K-TEL L.P. titles, each with 20-25 original hits, original stars. For the soundtracks of the commercials, the guys bring in 45rpm pressings of the originals but occasionally they come with a finished copy of their L.P which has been produced in Canada. That’s how I first noticed the reduced bass frequencies and volume on their records. And I’m not the only one, local critics and music purists criticise this in the press and on radio, but they’re drowned out by the sound of cash registers around the country.
K-TEL’s first Australian office is in the Sydney CBD in Kent St. but soon they move to a larger building at Pyrmont with far more storage, while establishing offices in all other capitals. Most of K-TEL’s products are manufactured in Canada and North America with large air shipments arriving here weekly.
K-TEL’s first Australian office is in the Sydney CBD in Kent St. but soon they move to a larger building at Pyrmont with far more storage, while establishing offices in all other capitals. Most of K-TEL’s products are manufactured in Canada and North America with large air shipments arriving here weekly.
I get to visit manager Ken McDonald at Pyrmont to see huge stocks of their products ready for distribution around the country. In his office over coffee, Ken tells me not long after joining the company, CEO Philip Kives gives him a project for a new product which I’ve recorded the soundtrack for, and it’s the K-TEL Brush-O-Matic. Ken’s job is to load his car with cartons of these Brushes and drive North up the coast highway, stopping in all the major towns. In each one he’s to look around for the general store, ‘with the cleanest floor.’ Ken is to demonstrate and offer Brushes to the store manager with colourful AS SEEN ON TV displays on a strict commission basis, no upfront or delivery costs. Any Brushes not sold, K-TEL will take everything back, one phone call with no questions and no return charges. No one has ever seen a product or offer like this, it’s a Philip Kives special, the first in Australia and they all sign up.
On his way driving North, Ken has booked lots of advertising time with every TV station and halfway to the Qld. border, he stopped to phone Sydney for more Brushes to be delivered to stores he’s signed up. Not long after the commercials start heavily bombarding local TV screens, every store manager is calling Sydney for more stock a.s.a.p. Note: The Brush-O-Matic is called the Miracle Brush in the U.K. and I’ve never found out why, except Philip would have to have made new packaging so knowing him, it must have been a good reason.
Once they’re established here Philip and Ray Kives return to Canada while new local K-TEL producers arrive at Natec Sound to oversee the production of their TV soundtracks. So I get to meet jovial John Harper, the late rock star Johnny O’Keefe’s last manager. The usual procedure is, John brings in the records and their order in the commercial bed. Today he sends them all in advance then phones to say, “Al, I’m stuck in the office for a while, can you get started?” So I do, I start to make up the 58 1/2 second music bed for DJ Phil Haldeman, who’ll come in to add his voice to it.
The supplied order of the ‘hits’ in the bed is based on how popular they’ve been in the local charts. So this day, I’ve just added the 5th example when I stop, wait a minute this song will sound better to start than the first one. Mmmm, so putting the first bed aside I go back and start again, using the song order I think will make this commercial sound more ‘musical.’ Then John arrives to ask how’s it going? So I tell him. Dead silence. Then he says, “Well you’re too far into it now, Phil will be here shortly, so you better keep going.” I do, and keen eared Aldeman Haldeman agrees, one song example cross fades into the next sounding very musical. So using this revised bed the video guys get to produce a very ‘musical’ TV commercial, and we’re all happy to read, this is noticed by music critics in the weekend entertainment papers.
Once they’re established here Philip and Ray Kives return to Canada while new local K-TEL producers arrive at Natec Sound to oversee the production of their TV soundtracks. So I get to meet jovial John Harper, the late rock star Johnny O’Keefe’s last manager. The usual procedure is, John brings in the records and their order in the commercial bed. Today he sends them all in advance then phones to say, “Al, I’m stuck in the office for a while, can you get started?” So I do, I start to make up the 58 1/2 second music bed for DJ Phil Haldeman, who’ll come in to add his voice to it.
The supplied order of the ‘hits’ in the bed is based on how popular they’ve been in the local charts. So this day, I’ve just added the 5th example when I stop, wait a minute this song will sound better to start than the first one. Mmmm, so putting the first bed aside I go back and start again, using the song order I think will make this commercial sound more ‘musical.’ Then John arrives to ask how’s it going? So I tell him. Dead silence. Then he says, “Well you’re too far into it now, Phil will be here shortly, so you better keep going.” I do, and keen eared Aldeman Haldeman agrees, one song example cross fades into the next sounding very musical. So using this revised bed the video guys get to produce a very ‘musical’ TV commercial, and we’re all happy to read, this is noticed by music critics in the weekend entertainment papers.
Meanwhile worldwide, business for Philip Kives is building at a roaring pace. K-TELs record releases are reaching gold record status with awards filling his office walls.
Soon my method of production gets back to Philip and Ray in Canada and for the next few years that’s how we produce the L.P. soundtracks to the point where I’m producing them for other K-TEL markets. The details arrive by Fax from Winnipeg and the records from Pyrmont. Phil and I produce the Aust. track then I run off the mixed mono music bed at 15ips on one tape track, with Phil’s voice on the second track as an English guide for other countries, many times to be translated and recorded in their own language. Sometimes K-TEL doesn’t have approval for various ‘hits’ in other markets, so I replace and add in other approved hits, and that can change the whole order of the songs, and that takes time.
The concentration is intense, and because of other jobs in between, sometimes I’m working 2 or 3 days straight making different commercial tracks, writing out the track lists, consignment orders, then packing and sending them off DHL, UPS or FedEx Express to K-TEL offices in other countries. So I start working Saturday’s because it’s quieter in the building and this is an indication of things to come. However it’s great business for Natec and this is where our story of K-TEL in Australia ends. The subsequent history of the company internationally is available on the internet, and it’s outside the scope of this article.
In 1966 in Canada and North America many inventors approach Philip to sell their ideas and enterprising Philip begins outsourcing his own products while moving into other markets. Today K-TEL is successfully operating around the world and in 2015 I contacted Philip via the K-TEL site to wish them all happy Christmas. This is how I’ll always remember him, consummate salesman, inventor of the 5 minute TV infomercial, and a friend to all who met him …
Soon my method of production gets back to Philip and Ray in Canada and for the next few years that’s how we produce the L.P. soundtracks to the point where I’m producing them for other K-TEL markets. The details arrive by Fax from Winnipeg and the records from Pyrmont. Phil and I produce the Aust. track then I run off the mixed mono music bed at 15ips on one tape track, with Phil’s voice on the second track as an English guide for other countries, many times to be translated and recorded in their own language. Sometimes K-TEL doesn’t have approval for various ‘hits’ in other markets, so I replace and add in other approved hits, and that can change the whole order of the songs, and that takes time.
The concentration is intense, and because of other jobs in between, sometimes I’m working 2 or 3 days straight making different commercial tracks, writing out the track lists, consignment orders, then packing and sending them off DHL, UPS or FedEx Express to K-TEL offices in other countries. So I start working Saturday’s because it’s quieter in the building and this is an indication of things to come. However it’s great business for Natec and this is where our story of K-TEL in Australia ends. The subsequent history of the company internationally is available on the internet, and it’s outside the scope of this article.
In 1966 in Canada and North America many inventors approach Philip to sell their ideas and enterprising Philip begins outsourcing his own products while moving into other markets. Today K-TEL is successfully operating around the world and in 2015 I contacted Philip via the K-TEL site to wish them all happy Christmas. This is how I’ll always remember him, consummate salesman, inventor of the 5 minute TV infomercial, and a friend to all who met him …
Question & Answer
Frank Bowden asks Allan. It’s very interesting the way you developed your method of producing K-TELs L.P. commercial soundtracks and you talk about making sound tracks for other K-TEL markets. Did you make soundtracks for all the countries they were marketing in?
Allan answers: No I didn’t, at the time K-TEL was operating in 60 countries and I certainly didn’t make that many different L.P. soundtracks, but I made quite a few. And I don’t know how many were forwarded on to further markets, after the first one finished with theirs. That would have been another complicated schedule for head office in Canada.
Allan answers: No I didn’t, at the time K-TEL was operating in 60 countries and I certainly didn’t make that many different L.P. soundtracks, but I made quite a few. And I don’t know how many were forwarded on to further markets, after the first one finished with theirs. That would have been another complicated schedule for head office in Canada.
Allan Black Part 58
When I was in my mid teens, at a local party I was offered a cigarette, so not to appear nerd like in front of the girls I coughed my way through my first smoke. Isn’t that how many people start. I spent hard earned money on packs of Marlboros till in 1964, a wave of debilitating flu raced through the 2UE staff and I gave up cigarettes. It wasn’t hard, I couldn’t taste them and I needed to save the money.
Now in 1966, here I am at Natec Sound ironically recording cigarette advertising, it’s a big part of our studio business. In Studio A I’ve been recording voices for commercials but because studio business is booming, director Ron Purvis has ideas to record small music groups in A, and one of the first is the new Cambridge cigarette jingle for radio and television.
Now in 1966, here I am at Natec Sound ironically recording cigarette advertising, it’s a big part of our studio business. In Studio A I’ve been recording voices for commercials but because studio business is booming, director Ron Purvis has ideas to record small music groups in A, and one of the first is the new Cambridge cigarette jingle for radio and television.
So I record the whistle track for TV personality Tony Barber to imitate, together with the small instrumental group then overdub the vocal group for this first jingle. Noel Gilmore the arranger has booked a young N.Z. Māori Opera singer to overdub the distinctive high part in the chorus, and she’s loud! So loud in fact, even with all the controls I can’t get the right vocal group balance. So I move her back in the studio to where eventually, she’s nearly against the back wall. The studio acoustics do the rest and the recording is successful. A week later the adv. agency wants to record more versions of their Cambridge jingle but we’re booked out, so a different agency producer goes to EMI studios with the same group, including the Opera singer. Months later I hear they used my recording as the example of the sound required and they spent much studio time with the Opera singer, but not as successful. If they’d called me I’d have tried to help them as a professional courtesy, because I might need something one day, but they didn’t.
In the days before it’s totally banned in Australia, cigarette advertising is high in the top 10 list of accounts for advertising agencies. The creative departments of agencies spend many thousands designing campaigns to ‘pitch’ for the rich accounts. In the 1960s sometimes big international companies like Philip Morris, divide their accounts into print, radio and the new medium television. So to win all 3 is a real coup and party time for all concerned at the agency.
The huge Jackson Wain advertising agency wins the lucrative Peter Stuyvesant cigarette account and today their new agency producer is recording voice tags for all their commercials. The contracted talent is the powerful voice of announcer Kevin Coulson and the well known tag is, ‘Light up a Stuyvesant, you’ll be so glad you did.’ Rather than have him read this tag at the end of all their commercials, they’ve decided to record special readings or ‘takes’ of it to be archived and used where each one matches the relevant commercial.
So in Studio A with a new master tape on the BTR2 recorder, off we go and we keep going till I’m slating or announcing each take with high numbers. We take a short break every 15 mins. and every now and then I’m instructed to play the last take so the new producer can direct Kevin based on what they just heard. Then after 60 mins. and a number of approved takes something strange happens, because this short Stuyvesant tag is only 10 words, when I press rewind on the BTR2 it only takes one second before I have to press stop then play. But this time the tape rewinds, I don’t know how many takes, so when I stop it, I play an earlier take.
So in Studio A with a new master tape on the BTR2 recorder, off we go and we keep going till I’m slating or announcing each take with high numbers. We take a short break every 15 mins. and every now and then I’m instructed to play the last take so the new producer can direct Kevin based on what they just heard. Then after 60 mins. and a number of approved takes something strange happens, because this short Stuyvesant tag is only 10 words, when I press rewind on the BTR2 it only takes one second before I have to press stop then play. But this time the tape rewinds, I don’t know how many takes, so when I stop it, I play an earlier take.
Amazingly our erstwhile new producer doesn’t notice the wrong take number and before I can intervene and explain, he gets on the studio intercom and directs Coulson with what amounts to be nonsense. Kevin stares blankly at him through the double glass studio window and I can hardly keep a straight face as I spool and re-cue the master tape ready for the next series of takes.
After nearly 2 hours the session finishes, I edit out all the approved 10 word takes, add white leader tape to each of them and make a tape copy for the agency. Finally the new producer is happy but Coulson is hardly able to stand up. ‘Till blood comes’ or TBC is the subtitle of these exhausting sessions and I get to record a few of them.
After nearly 2 hours the session finishes, I edit out all the approved 10 word takes, add white leader tape to each of them and make a tape copy for the agency. Finally the new producer is happy but Coulson is hardly able to stand up. ‘Till blood comes’ or TBC is the subtitle of these exhausting sessions and I get to record a few of them.
Allan Black Part 59
Popular TCN9 Bandstand artist Helen Reddy is always ready, she’d love me saying that. She’s attractive, full of life with quick clever responses and a wonderful rich singing voice. While waiting for her Bandstand vocal overdub in A, she prepares by dancing around the Studio and, she’s an outrageous flirt. Both Maurie Wilmore and I agree if Helen ever gets to sing live with the Bandstand Orchestra in Studio B, it’ll be surprising if they ever get anything done.
Then in 1972 in the U.S.A., Ms. Reddy goes on to write and produce her worldwide No.1 hit, ‘I Am Woman.’ If you follow her lyrics, yep! that’s our Helen for sure. Today, sadly she’s passed on, but we all stop to listen when she plays on the radio, remembering the days when she sang for the Australian Bandstand television audiences, from our Natec Studios here in Sydney.
Then in 1972 in the U.S.A., Ms. Reddy goes on to write and produce her worldwide No.1 hit, ‘I Am Woman.’ If you follow her lyrics, yep! that’s our Helen for sure. Today, sadly she’s passed on, but we all stop to listen when she plays on the radio, remembering the days when she sang for the Australian Bandstand television audiences, from our Natec Studios here in Sydney.
The major advertising agencies produce their clients commercials with a sequence of reference numbers to keep track, but the smaller outfits just title theirs with their clients name and a date. And some agencies spend their clients budgets sponsoring Top 40 programs. Popular 2UE DJ Bob Rogers produces his 30 minute TOP 40 Cottees soft drinks show, for broadcast weekly on all stations across the Major Network. Here’s Bob in Studio E, in a publicity shot for Cottees, note the bottle label facing the camera, and Bob wearing a snappy jacket and a tie. I wonder if anyone at Cottees noticed the panel operators full ashtray, probably not when many people smoked in the 1960s. Both Bob, John Laws nor any of the other 2UE announcers ever smoked cigarettes, they could interfere with their profitable careers.
This morning I’m recording new Mortein flyspray 30 second radio commercials with the charismatic Ross Higgins, who never smoked either. To start each spot, I play the opening of the Mortein jingle with Ross singing the well known, ‘Louie ‘D Fly, I’m Louie ‘D Fly, direct from rubbish heap to you’ .. then as Louie, he goes on to read the first few seconds of each copy, then as the announcer he goes on to promote the advantages of Mortein, for each 30 sec. spot.
Halfway through our hour session Ross slyly comments to me on the talkback from the studio, “Going gets tough doing these commercials Al.” Anyone hearing this would think Ross was having a hard time with Louies gravelly voice but no! I smile at this because we both know the translation is, ‘Go and get stuffed doing these commercials Al.’ It’s always fun working with Ross.
The last time I saw him in Bligh St., we arranged to have lunch but sadly, that never happened.
Halfway through our hour session Ross slyly comments to me on the talkback from the studio, “Going gets tough doing these commercials Al.” Anyone hearing this would think Ross was having a hard time with Louies gravelly voice but no! I smile at this because we both know the translation is, ‘Go and get stuffed doing these commercials Al.’ It’s always fun working with Ross.
The last time I saw him in Bligh St., we arranged to have lunch but sadly, that never happened.
Sydney musician Col. Nolan specialises in playing the big Hammond Organ and it’s a trial bringing it into our Studios on the 3rd floor. So well before the session, on the ground floor it has to be tipped on its end and carefully walked into the old elevator to bring it up to our floor. Then the elevator goes off to service other clients in the building while we wait for it, for a 2nd trip to bring up its Leslie speaker.
The Leslie speaker with its unusual history is made in California and it’s fascinating with its revolving trumpets speaker sound. Not many people know this so it’s interesting to include them here.
At Natec we all know when Col. is booked for a recording session, so either Maurie or I help him bring them both up in the creaky Adyar House elevator, and wheel them in on their trolleys into Studio B. Following the session, this is all done in reverse down to the ground floor, then one of us keeps watch while Col. goes off to bring his truck. This all takes us about 30 minutes each way and it’s quite an operation with the busy elevator in use by others in the building. But it’s something different and it’s worth it, Col. is appreciative and he certainly contributes to the music sessions with the various musical sounds from his organ.
Question for Allan
Brian Audley asks Allan: Interesting inside story working with Helen Reddy. Did you ever see her after she left Australia for the U.S and can you tell us a bit more about her?
Allan answers: No I didn’t, please look on the Internet for more intimate details of Helens life. After the release of her hit single ‘I Am Woman’ which she co-wrote with Australian Ray Burton, she worked in clubs in the U.S.A and released these covers with success. ‘I Don't Know How to Love Him’ (Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber) ‘Angie Baby’ (Alan O’day) ‘Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)’ (Linda Laurie) ‘Delta Dawn’ (Larry Collins, Alex Harvey) ‘Ain’t No Way To Treat a Lady’ (Harriet Schock) and ‘You and Me Against the World’ (Kenny Ascher, Paul Williams)
Sadly Helen Reddy’s death at the young age of 78, on the 29th Sept. 2020, came just weeks after the release of the biopic ‘I Am Woman.’
Produced in Hollywood, the 1hr. 56min. film chronicles Helen’s life and career. Newcomer Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey portrays her in the film with Australian vocalist Chelsea Cullen singing the final performances.
Allan answers: No I didn’t, please look on the Internet for more intimate details of Helens life. After the release of her hit single ‘I Am Woman’ which she co-wrote with Australian Ray Burton, she worked in clubs in the U.S.A and released these covers with success. ‘I Don't Know How to Love Him’ (Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber) ‘Angie Baby’ (Alan O’day) ‘Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)’ (Linda Laurie) ‘Delta Dawn’ (Larry Collins, Alex Harvey) ‘Ain’t No Way To Treat a Lady’ (Harriet Schock) and ‘You and Me Against the World’ (Kenny Ascher, Paul Williams)
Sadly Helen Reddy’s death at the young age of 78, on the 29th Sept. 2020, came just weeks after the release of the biopic ‘I Am Woman.’
Produced in Hollywood, the 1hr. 56min. film chronicles Helen’s life and career. Newcomer Australian actress Tilda Cobham-Hervey portrays her in the film with Australian vocalist Chelsea Cullen singing the final performances.
Allan Black Part 60
Community Service Announcements are the most satisfying recording sessions. Many Australian production companies provide their time and resources free of charge, to produce short commercials for the various charities. These remind everyone about their place in our society, and their constant need for funds. Many Radio and TV stations also contribute with free air time. At Natec, two or three times a month I greet various C.S.A. producers, when they book into Studio A for production of new soundtracks.
The Police Citizens Boys Clubs (later renamed Police and Community Youth Centres), the R.S.P.C.A., the Aust. Red Cross and the Guide Dogs Association are a few. On one session for the Royal Blind Society, eye surgeon Dr. Fred Hollows comes in and he’s as interested in what I do, as I am with his work. He adds some knowledgeable comments to the Society’s script, which explains that with community financial assistance, the enterprising Doctor can continue working for the benefit of sight impaired people in the third world. At Natec we’re also contributing when I cross out the costing section on each job card.
Interesting bookings in Studio A continue, some are for Sydney’s TCN Channel 9 studios, just across the harbour in the North Sydney suburb of Willoughby.
Paul Hogan on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
One is for Mike Willesee’s nightly 7pm A Current Affair program. Each week newcomer Paul Hogan presents his entertaining ‘social commentary’ and Mike’s producer books 1/2 an hour in A to record it. Paul comes into the studio right on 4.30, direct from his day shift working as a rigger on the Sydney harbour bridge. In brief shorts, T-shirt and work boots, he talks us all through the comedy script he’s hand written, in preparation for his recording. I record this to tape for the producer to take back to the TCN studios. When Paul’s finished, from the studio he says to me in his Hoges character voice ... “How’s that, have you got that Allan?” It’s hard not to laugh, “Yep got it thanks Paul.”
At 9 the video editors add appropriate material for the relevant ACA program. And although none of us know it yet, Paul’s clever producer John Cornell has plans to manage him on his way to become a global superstar, first with their TV shows then with their 3 Crocodile Dundee smash hit movies. As I write this in April 2022 Paul Hogan, living in his huge palatial house in Venice Beach California is worth about $100 million.
At 9 the video editors add appropriate material for the relevant ACA program. And although none of us know it yet, Paul’s clever producer John Cornell has plans to manage him on his way to become a global superstar, first with their TV shows then with their 3 Crocodile Dundee smash hit movies. As I write this in April 2022 Paul Hogan, living in his huge palatial house in Venice Beach California is worth about $100 million.
One of the many tools employed by the music engineer/producer is artificial reverberation. Before the digital age arrived there are different types, tape delay is the simplest, then there’s spring delay which is a small box with mechanical springs, then plate delay. Very large studios have one or more separate size rooms, with a speaker and mic. in each. In 1957 the German EMT company developed a truly superb sounding adjustable reverberation plate, many of which are still in use today. In London the world famous Abbey Road studios still use their four EMT plates, used on every Beatles record. In the 1960-70s, at Natec we have one, an advantage for us on the 3rd floor is, it doesn’t take up much floor space. Studio architects go to great lengths to acoustically design music studios to obtain a short natural room reverb, this helps keep all the instruments sounding separate from each other. When final mixing them all together, adding artificial reverb. creates a sense of space and depth giving character to otherwise ‘dry’ sounds. Here’s a sample of a dry vocal before any reverberation is added …
In Studio B, our EMT plate is set to 3 seconds reverberation by Ron Purvis and it depends on what volume he or either of us use, to create a pleasing artificial acoustic space. Here’s the same vocal with reverberation added …
So after all the basic music tracks are recorded to multitrack tape and all the musicians have gone to their next booking, when final mixing everything together, Natec director/engineer Ron Purvis adds his selected volume of EMT delay during the final mix. One of the advantages of recording TCN 9s Bandstand music every week is, every Saturday night we can all hear the music mixes on our TVs at home. So maybe the following week, TCN music operator Max Alexander might adjust a slightly different mix, when working in Studio B.
EMT reverberation samples used here, are with the kind permission of New York engineer David Silverstein and the website … https://audiohertz.com
Allan Black Part 61
Natec director Ron Purvis usually records all the large music sessions in Studio B and TCN 9s musical director Max Alexander records and mixes the Bandstand TV music in B with occasional vocal overdubs in A. However, after Ron realises that Maurie and I should have more Studio B experience, just in case he becomes unavailable, we both take turns recording music sessions in B. This is the first time since I recorded big music sessions at NBN Channel 3, and that experience along with my keen interest in modern jazz certainly helps when I record this jazz session on Ron’s custom built 4 track recorder, in Studio B.
I’m careful not to say aloud that I can mix this straight to 2 track stereo, but I could have, that was my experience at NBN. Recording to 4 track then mixing to 2 track stereo maximises studio time, but I didn’t tell you that dear reader.
I’m careful not to say aloud that I can mix this straight to 2 track stereo, but I could have, that was my experience at NBN. Recording to 4 track then mixing to 2 track stereo maximises studio time, but I didn’t tell you that dear reader.
In December 1964, while scaring all the bird life, Englishman Donald Campbell shatters the world water speed record with an incredible 444.71 km/h. on the calm waters of Lake Dumbleyung in Western Australia. Along with worldwide media coverage a new documentary film of the event is in production, and at Natec we’re involved in producing the soundtrack. Following one late afternoon session, Sam DeWitt a member of the production crew and I go across to the Wentworth Hotel for a drink. Following this Sam says he’s walking down to Circular Quay to take the ferry across the harbour to Kirribilli where he lives.
I’m coming to the end of my lease for a unit at Kirribilli so we both take the same ferry for the 20 minute trip. As we cruise past the blocks of units along the Kirribilli waterfront, Sam points out his unit right on the waterfront and to my surprise he says, “After we finish work on this doco. I’m taking a new job in Singapore, I-just-can’t-wait!” A gregarious character, Sam has also told the doco. crew so they all nickname him, Singapore Sam.
I’m coming to the end of my lease for a unit at Kirribilli so we both take the same ferry for the 20 minute trip. As we cruise past the blocks of units along the Kirribilli waterfront, Sam points out his unit right on the waterfront and to my surprise he says, “After we finish work on this doco. I’m taking a new job in Singapore, I-just-can’t-wait!” A gregarious character, Sam has also told the doco. crew so they all nickname him, Singapore Sam.
Here’s how Sam got his new job. At a Sydney party he meets a helicopter pilot who with his beautiful blonde wife, convince Sam they’ve got a fantastic cash cow idea. They’re based in Singapore and this pilot wants to fly his chopper out to photograph the giant oil tankers when they transit the narrow 113km Singapore Strait. Low in the water, the full tankers do this at top speed to clear the Strait, and the idea is to sell large glossy colour photos of each tanker with its big white bow wave to members of the crew, who all enjoy acquiring mementos and souvenirs of their ship. Sam realises he also could make a lot of money so he agrees to be their flying photographer and run a dark room in Singapore, developing glossy prints for the busty wife to sell. This goes beyond all expectations, with the helicopter zooming around to get the best angles, some hectic days they photograph 10 or more vessels, and with Sam working around the clock they’re all making boatloads of cash money.
As this all happened just over 50yrs ago, today the pilots kids may have taken over the business, shooting video clips with Singapore Sam being well and truly retired.
Back to the story, in 1970 just after I start making enquires about leasing Sam’s vacant unit, all the units in the building go on sale for the first time since the 7 story ‘Venetian’ was built in the late 1920s.
As this all happened just over 50yrs ago, today the pilots kids may have taken over the business, shooting video clips with Singapore Sam being well and truly retired.
Back to the story, in 1970 just after I start making enquires about leasing Sam’s vacant unit, all the units in the building go on sale for the first time since the 7 story ‘Venetian’ was built in the late 1920s.
Fast work in getting my deposit together suddenly becomes frenzied when I get to know others are also urgently in preparation to purchase Sam’s unit. So late on Saturday afternoon I barter my prized MGB sports car Reg: EEE 616, to a dealer out on Parramatta Road. Right at 8am the following Monday morning in George George the Venetian’s solicitor’s office at Taylors Square, I get to sign over my 20% cheque as deposit for the ten thousand dollar one bedroom unit with the million dollar view. Some time after, on hot steamy Summer nights with the front window open for the cool breezes, my fiancée and I smell the aromatic spices from the Indian freighters, when the crew take the covers off the holds as they slowly pass in the harbour.
My dear wife and I were married here in 1972. The day the Sydney Opera House officially opens in October 1973, we host an all day party and along with other guests, K-TELs Ray Kievs with his new fiancée arrive to enjoy the event. In the evening when they return to their hotel in the city on the other side of the harbour, we both have fun flashing our balcony lights across to each other.
As I write this now in June 2022, it’s just like it all happened yesterday.
My dear wife and I were married here in 1972. The day the Sydney Opera House officially opens in October 1973, we host an all day party and along with other guests, K-TELs Ray Kievs with his new fiancée arrive to enjoy the event. In the evening when they return to their hotel in the city on the other side of the harbour, we both have fun flashing our balcony lights across to each other.
As I write this now in June 2022, it’s just like it all happened yesterday.
Allan Black Part 62
From my previous unit at Kirribilli, the trip to Natec Studios involved taking the train across the Sydney Harbour bridge to the city Wynyard station then walking up to 29 Bligh St. But now, because the Beulah St. wharf is only 5 minutes walk from my unit at the Venetian, I take the small ferry across the harbour to Circular Quay and walk to the studios.
The Beulah St. wharf is the Radars last stop before terminating at Circular Quay, so at peak times it’s always full with many commuters standing for the short journey. As the small ferry is travelling across the harbour tide, during rough Winter swells larger waves splash across the low freeboard deck. So passengers have to deal with wet weather gear and some wearing galoshes. While waiting at the Beulah St. wharf a few of us brave the cold weather to take our shoes and socks off and roll our trouser cuffs up, in preparation for the wet trip.
Arriving at Circular Quay it’s the reverse, we dry our feet with the small towel we carry, put our socks and shoes on, roll our trouser cuffs down then it’s the brisk 20 minute walk to Natec in Bligh St. along with other commuters going to their office desks. Our workdays are worlds apart and I’m the only one smiling.
The professional digital audio world is approaching fast. Phil. Cuneen an Australian musician arrives back in Sydney from California with one of the first Moog synthesisers. His plan is to team up with a professional Sydney sound studio so they can both offer this new instrument to record producers, advertising agencies, musical groups and anyone interested in using the ‘new’ musical sounds his Moog is capable of.
Arriving at Circular Quay it’s the reverse, we dry our feet with the small towel we carry, put our socks and shoes on, roll our trouser cuffs down then it’s the brisk 20 minute walk to Natec in Bligh St. along with other commuters going to their office desks. Our workdays are worlds apart and I’m the only one smiling.
The professional digital audio world is approaching fast. Phil. Cuneen an Australian musician arrives back in Sydney from California with one of the first Moog synthesisers. His plan is to team up with a professional Sydney sound studio so they can both offer this new instrument to record producers, advertising agencies, musical groups and anyone interested in using the ‘new’ musical sounds his Moog is capable of.
As Phil. is the only one who can play it, he contacts Ron Purvis here at Natec to talk about how to advertise it, together with a profitable arrangement for himself and the studio. Here at Natec we can all see what’s coming and this is certainly an interesting project. Eventually Ron and Phil, strike a basic rate based on hours of use to introduce the Moog to the local recording industry.
Here I am studying the Moog keyboard in B booth, because following Phil’s absorbing demonstration of this first generation synthesiser, I’m wondering how are we going to incorporate its sounds into any of our music productions. As it turns out, Phil. has an excellent idea but it’s too far in advance of local synthetic music creations.
So Phil. returns to Adelaide with his new Moog where in Nov. 1967, he employs it for the vacuum cleaning solo on Johnny Farnham’s No. 1 hit, ‘Sadie the Cleaning Lady.’ Since that time Moog Synthesisers have progressed in size and sophistication and today many are in use around the world.
Here I am studying the Moog keyboard in B booth, because following Phil’s absorbing demonstration of this first generation synthesiser, I’m wondering how are we going to incorporate its sounds into any of our music productions. As it turns out, Phil. has an excellent idea but it’s too far in advance of local synthetic music creations.
So Phil. returns to Adelaide with his new Moog where in Nov. 1967, he employs it for the vacuum cleaning solo on Johnny Farnham’s No. 1 hit, ‘Sadie the Cleaning Lady.’ Since that time Moog Synthesisers have progressed in size and sophistication and today many are in use around the world.
Allan Black Part 63
As I write this in early Sept. 2022, NASA is spending more than $9.3 billion to land a man and a woman on the Moon, after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first walked there over half a century earlier, with 12 NASA astronauts walking there since.
In the 1960s the W.B.Lawrence advertising agency occupies the 6th floor at Adyar House at 29 Bligh St. Sydney. They mainly deal with print media, but at NATEC here on the 3rd floor, occasionally we do see their producers recording radio commercials in Studio A.
So it’s with some surprise about 10am on 21 July 1969, a W.B.L. secretary comes into our NATEC reception area and invites us all to come up to the 6th floor and watch TV while astronaut Neil Armstrong steps on the Moon. Not knowing exactly when this will happen, after my recording session finishes at 12.30 Maurie Wilmore and I take the elevator up to the 6th. There we’re greeted by people we know and other invited occupants from Adyar House.
In the 1960s the W.B.Lawrence advertising agency occupies the 6th floor at Adyar House at 29 Bligh St. Sydney. They mainly deal with print media, but at NATEC here on the 3rd floor, occasionally we do see their producers recording radio commercials in Studio A.
So it’s with some surprise about 10am on 21 July 1969, a W.B.L. secretary comes into our NATEC reception area and invites us all to come up to the 6th floor and watch TV while astronaut Neil Armstrong steps on the Moon. Not knowing exactly when this will happen, after my recording session finishes at 12.30 Maurie Wilmore and I take the elevator up to the 6th. There we’re greeted by people we know and other invited occupants from Adyar House.
On a large black and white TV set in the agency board room, along with 650 million viewers around the world, at 12.56 we watch while Neil Armstrong pulls a lanyard to open up the gear which lowers a video camera aimed at the Lunar Module ladder. Then he carefully climbs down the ladder, steps on the Moon and delivers his famous line, “That’s one small step for man … one giant leap for mankind.” It’s a historic moment to be written into history books for generations to come and we all give a resounding round of applause. Maurie and I thank everyone and go across to the Wentworth Hotel for a celebratory drink and some lunch.
English musician Alan Dean with his company Deanote Productions is a regular client at NATEC. Alan has an interesting background, self taught, he told me he learnt to write music by studying the piano accordion in his younger days in the U.K. I don’t usually link away in my reminiscences because as a moderator on the Panasonic website we found people don’t come back. But for Alan’s story, here it is:
https://fromthevaults-boppinbob.blogspot.com/2014/08/alan-dean-born-1-august-1924.html
Here’s Maurie Wilmore, Alan Dean and me at Alan’s 90th birthday party in 2014.
English musician Alan Dean with his company Deanote Productions is a regular client at NATEC. Alan has an interesting background, self taught, he told me he learnt to write music by studying the piano accordion in his younger days in the U.K. I don’t usually link away in my reminiscences because as a moderator on the Panasonic website we found people don’t come back. But for Alan’s story, here it is:
https://fromthevaults-boppinbob.blogspot.com/2014/08/alan-dean-born-1-august-1924.html
Here’s Maurie Wilmore, Alan Dean and me at Alan’s 90th birthday party in 2014.
At NATEC Alan has interesting production techniques. When he records jingles for a client with a vocal group, after the final mix he has Maurie or me, record the same mix but with all the vocals muted. This way Alan saves all his mixed music backings and he cuts them out of the final mix master tape and saves them to his ‘backing’ reels. That way if there’s more vocals to be done later, the backings are already recorded and mixed.
And when a client employs Alan to produce jingles, the client gets the full quota. I’m recording sessions for Alan for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and he’s arranged every version possible. There’s a Straight version, a Rock version, a Bossa Nova version, a Waltz version and a Jazz version. And there’s 60 second, 45, 30 and 15 second versions of each. Let’s see, that’s a total of 20 jingles, and they all have to have vocals recorded and mixed, it’s going to take a couple of days. Now, have we got enough recording tape?
And when a client employs Alan to produce jingles, the client gets the full quota. I’m recording sessions for Alan for Kentucky Fried Chicken, and he’s arranged every version possible. There’s a Straight version, a Rock version, a Bossa Nova version, a Waltz version and a Jazz version. And there’s 60 second, 45, 30 and 15 second versions of each. Let’s see, that’s a total of 20 jingles, and they all have to have vocals recorded and mixed, it’s going to take a couple of days. Now, have we got enough recording tape?
Allan Black Part 64
Each of the fast food industry franchises has an interesting story and none is more fascinating than KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken. No other fast food enterprise has a real life character at its masthead and the sight of Colonel Harland Sanders dressed in his natty white suit, string tie and goatee beard, immediately says delicious spicy chicken to most every adult in the world.
The Colonel popularised chicken in the fast food industry by diversifying the market and challenging the dominance of the hamburger. In 1960 his company had around 200 franchised restaurants and by 1963 this had grown to over 600, making it the largest fast food operation the U.S.A. By 1967 KFC had become the sixth largest U.S. restaurant chain by sales volume and 30% of sales were ‘take out.’ By December 2013 there was 18,875 KFC outlets in 118 countries around the world, making KFC the second largest restaurant chain in the world by sales, after McDonald’s.
In 1968 Kentucky Fried Chicken started in Australia with their first outlet in Guildford N.S.W. The parent company said at the time, that they hoped that KFC would become the first billion dollar food organisation in the world by the end of the 1970s. They employed the Sydney advertising agency V.H.Freeth and their producer John Baird booked NATEC to produce KFC and other radio commercials, as a result we became friends. One morning in January 1970, John phoned me from the agency and said Colonel Sanders is coming to Sydney and a decorating company has just finished painting the whole agency in red and white stripes, the KFC colours, can I get over there to see it.
As it turned out I didn’t have the time, but later John gave me a running commentary when the Colonel arrived. Apparently he was still jet lagged, but he appreciated the work the agency put in with the red and white stripes and said he really wanted to go on an Australian picnic. So at short notice it was John’s job to arrange a Freeth staff picnic which he did including plenty of KFC chicken. After they all ate, the Colonel entertained everybody with humorous stories about starting his company and getting his famous 11 herbs and spices recipe accepted.
As he departed Colonel Sanders says to John in his broad Southern accent,
“Son ah most certainly enjoyed mah visit and ah larked yo picnac.”
For years John enjoyed mimicking the Colonels accent while he told that story.
As he departed Colonel Sanders says to John in his broad Southern accent,
“Son ah most certainly enjoyed mah visit and ah larked yo picnac.”
For years John enjoyed mimicking the Colonels accent while he told that story.
Allan Black Part 65
Actor/singer/composer American Tommy Leonetti first came to Australia in 1968.
He appeared on Sydney and Melbourne television and came into NATEC to record for the RCA label. He was very talented, personable, easy to work with and he travelled to California and back for appearances on Johnny Carsons Tonight Show promoting his latest release.
He appeared on Sydney and Melbourne television and came into NATEC to record for the RCA label. He was very talented, personable, easy to work with and he travelled to California and back for appearances on Johnny Carsons Tonight Show promoting his latest release.
Back in Australia, from 1969-1970 he hosted the popular ‘The Tommy Leonetti Show’ talk show for the Channel 7 network and actor Garry McDonald tells us, Tommy provided the basis for Garry’s ‘famous’ parody charactor, Norman Gunston.
Tommy is probably best known here, for his composition ‘My City of Sydney’ written together with Bobby Troup. The ATN Channel 7 Network used it as their nightly sign off for many years. Do you remember it?
It was back in the days when Australian black and white television stations closed around 10pm each night. The song was followed by an animated Kangaroo putting its Joey to sleep on a bed made from the words ‘ATN Channel 7, Good Night.’ Tommy returned to California for more industry work, but tragically he passed away in Texas in 1979 at the age of 50.
In 1972 Maurie Wilmore and I graduated to recording more music sessions in Studio B as well as the K-TEL commericals I was producing in Studio A for different markets around the world. At NATEC we were very busy and I was working weekends to meet the K-TEL deadlines and because it was much quieter.
Tommy is probably best known here, for his composition ‘My City of Sydney’ written together with Bobby Troup. The ATN Channel 7 Network used it as their nightly sign off for many years. Do you remember it?
It was back in the days when Australian black and white television stations closed around 10pm each night. The song was followed by an animated Kangaroo putting its Joey to sleep on a bed made from the words ‘ATN Channel 7, Good Night.’ Tommy returned to California for more industry work, but tragically he passed away in Texas in 1979 at the age of 50.
In 1972 Maurie Wilmore and I graduated to recording more music sessions in Studio B as well as the K-TEL commericals I was producing in Studio A for different markets around the world. At NATEC we were very busy and I was working weekends to meet the K-TEL deadlines and because it was much quieter.
In Studio B I was meeting more professional musicians, Don Burrows on saxophones and flute, Ron Falson on trumpet and fluglehorn, Bob McIver on trombone, Derek Fairbrass on drums, John Sangster on percussion and others.
These musicians were ‘First call’ the first to be called for music sessions and we see them all 2 or 3 times a week.
These musicians were ‘First call’ the first to be called for music sessions and we see them all 2 or 3 times a week.
But there are ethnic musicians too, and one enthusiastic group which books into Studio B is the popular Croatian Folklore Group, KOLEDA. Most had never recorded before and they were very excited to hear the playbacks from our multitrack recorder, when I could adjust their choir balance. From previous experience I suggested they keep their recording sessions to 2 hours each, too long and they’d burn their voices out. When they wanted to keep going, calmer heads prevailed and they followed my advice, mainly because their studio time was up and there was another booking.
One thing I smiled at was, when the L.P. came out, on the record sleeve my recording credit was listed as, Recording Engineer: Snimateli. Translation: Cameraman. I loved it. But there’s nothing like seeing artists smiling and happy with the work you’re doing. It’s the job you know, very satisfying.
One thing I smiled at was, when the L.P. came out, on the record sleeve my recording credit was listed as, Recording Engineer: Snimateli. Translation: Cameraman. I loved it. But there’s nothing like seeing artists smiling and happy with the work you’re doing. It’s the job you know, very satisfying.
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In 1972 I worked on a series of sessions for composer Chris Neal’s Man-Child cast recording. Here we are conferring in Studio B. Chris first conceived his musical in 1968. After a short season at the Playhouse in Canberra he opened in Sydney in 1971 in a 600 seat plastic bubble tent called the ‘Bubble Theatre’ at the Sydney Showground. Chris’s Man-Child musical then toured in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
The cast recording L.P. was released here in late 1972 doing good business. |
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Allan Black Part 66
In 1923 the U.S. advertising agency Young and Rubicam was established by John Orr Young and Raymond Rubicam in Philadelphia. They soon moved offices to the heart of the advertising business, Madison Avenue in New York to eventually become one of the largest agencies in the U.S.A.
In late 1968, Y&R representatives Alan Zwiebel and Dave DeNoon fly in to Sydney to set up a branch of the agency. Straight off the plane, they book into Sydney’s Wentworth Hotel opposite NATEC and after settling in they come across to introduce themselves to us at our 29 Bligh St. studios. With their broad accents it’s easy to see that Alan and Dave, 2 affable New Yorkers, are going to be good clients of the studio.
One of Y&Rs Australian clients is the petroleum company H.C. Sleigh. In the 1950s they sold the Golden Fleece brand of petrol and oils, then in the late 1960s they diversified into the cruise ship business. They’d leased the ship Marco Polo and sailed passengers from Sydney on popular cruises around the South Pacific.
In early 1972 Dave Denoon phones me to propose an interesting venture. His client H.C.Sleigh is running low on passenger bookings for their next Marco Polo cruise from Sydney to Hong Kong. Now in the South Pacific, soon she would berth in Suva and Dave’s idea is to fly me, unmarried TV personality Bert Newton and himself to Suva to join the Marco Polo.
In early 1972 Dave Denoon phones me to propose an interesting venture. His client H.C.Sleigh is running low on passenger bookings for their next Marco Polo cruise from Sydney to Hong Kong. Now in the South Pacific, soon she would berth in Suva and Dave’s idea is to fly me, unmarried TV personality Bert Newton and himself to Suva to join the Marco Polo.
There Bert and I will record passengers happy comments each morning while cruising on the way back to Sydney. Each afternoon I will edit and prepare 30 sec radio commercials and dub broadcast tapes. Soon as we berth in Sydney, send these tapes by taxi to radio stations for scheduled broadcast. Hopefully this will improve the H.K. bookings for the next Marco Polo cruise.
This all sounds good to me, a very clever idea by Dave, who proves to be a real character and a lot of fun in the studio, always joking. In answer to any problem his favourite retort is, “It’s like a bad Jack Lemmon movie!”
As I’m due for time off at NATEC, I make preparations to produce the tapes. First is to hire 2 Swiss Nagra tape recorders and check the power supply on the Marco Polo. Uh oh it’s 124 volts and I was concerned until I find the Nagras have this same voltage position on their power supplies. Clever Swiss.
As I was recently married and have a double cabin, Dave also invites my wife, so with our gear all packed we fly out of Sydney on a new BOAC Vickers VC-10 to Nandi. From there it’s a short Air Pacific HS 748 flight across to Suva. We arrive a day early and I meet Bert Newton to plan our strategy. I also have another separate cabin, which I set up as a studio to edit and prepare the radio tapes. Then we set sail.
This all sounds good to me, a very clever idea by Dave, who proves to be a real character and a lot of fun in the studio, always joking. In answer to any problem his favourite retort is, “It’s like a bad Jack Lemmon movie!”
As I’m due for time off at NATEC, I make preparations to produce the tapes. First is to hire 2 Swiss Nagra tape recorders and check the power supply on the Marco Polo. Uh oh it’s 124 volts and I was concerned until I find the Nagras have this same voltage position on their power supplies. Clever Swiss.
As I was recently married and have a double cabin, Dave also invites my wife, so with our gear all packed we fly out of Sydney on a new BOAC Vickers VC-10 to Nandi. From there it’s a short Air Pacific HS 748 flight across to Suva. We arrive a day early and I meet Bert Newton to plan our strategy. I also have another separate cabin, which I set up as a studio to edit and prepare the radio tapes. Then we set sail.
On the first morning out, after breakfast, Dave, Bert and I approach a passenger relaxing, introduce ourselves and Bert and I record a few minutes with her telling Bert about the cruise, entertainment, cuisine and life on the Marco Polo. All goes well, we thank her and move on. After an hour doing this, word gets around, Bert draws a crowd and off he goes, it’s Bert in full flight playing to the crowd. I’m recording so much material it’s going to be a task to edit it down to 30 second commercials. After lunch I start doing this in the editing cabin, but only get one good spot completed.
The next day is a repeat, and with Bert toning it down a bit I get better material and another two 30 seconders. This goes well, but the single women on the ship really take to Bert. After dinner each night, they all gather in the bar and have a great time. On the third day, Bert asks me for the key to the editing cabin, to have a party. Uh! Oh! No way, it’s not very big and his inebriated entourage could easily wreck my editing setup. Sorry Bert, wait till the last night when I’ll have it all packed up.
This doesn’t go down well with Bert, and the next day he’s not as good as before, but we get our material and I have enough to finish the job, and Bert has his party. As soon as we dock in Sydney, according to plan, I call the taxis and despatch the radio tapes. The best news is after an extensive campaign with our commercials, bookings do improve, the Marco Polo is almost fully booked and the Hong Kong cruise is a great success.
But as a sad end to Part 66: Bert married to Patti for 46 years, then the Marco Polo both pass away in the same year. In 2021, tragically Bert Newton AM MBE and awarded with 4 Gold Logie Awards, dies and is honoured with a State Funeral in Melbourne. And the Marco Polo is sold and broken up mainly due to the Covid 9 pandemic, which desecrates the cruise industry.
The next day is a repeat, and with Bert toning it down a bit I get better material and another two 30 seconders. This goes well, but the single women on the ship really take to Bert. After dinner each night, they all gather in the bar and have a great time. On the third day, Bert asks me for the key to the editing cabin, to have a party. Uh! Oh! No way, it’s not very big and his inebriated entourage could easily wreck my editing setup. Sorry Bert, wait till the last night when I’ll have it all packed up.
This doesn’t go down well with Bert, and the next day he’s not as good as before, but we get our material and I have enough to finish the job, and Bert has his party. As soon as we dock in Sydney, according to plan, I call the taxis and despatch the radio tapes. The best news is after an extensive campaign with our commercials, bookings do improve, the Marco Polo is almost fully booked and the Hong Kong cruise is a great success.
But as a sad end to Part 66: Bert married to Patti for 46 years, then the Marco Polo both pass away in the same year. In 2021, tragically Bert Newton AM MBE and awarded with 4 Gold Logie Awards, dies and is honoured with a State Funeral in Melbourne. And the Marco Polo is sold and broken up mainly due to the Covid 9 pandemic, which desecrates the cruise industry.
Question for Allan Black
Q. Mike Williams asks Allan. Had you ever met Bert Newton before this cruise and what was he like in person?
A. No I hadn’t and I was impressed with the way he went about preparing for the cruise. When I met him the day before we sailed, I found he knew everything about the Marco Polo, passenger capacity, previous cruises etc.
He’d arrived before us, met the Captain and senior officers and he’d prepared some questions to ask the passengers. But he wanted my input so we hit it off right from the start. And Bert was single in those days, like me he liked a beer and we had some funny times. H.C. Sleigh was very fortunate to have his rare talent.
A. No I hadn’t and I was impressed with the way he went about preparing for the cruise. When I met him the day before we sailed, I found he knew everything about the Marco Polo, passenger capacity, previous cruises etc.
He’d arrived before us, met the Captain and senior officers and he’d prepared some questions to ask the passengers. But he wanted my input so we hit it off right from the start. And Bert was single in those days, like me he liked a beer and we had some funny times. H.C. Sleigh was very fortunate to have his rare talent.
Allan Black Part 67
The studio bookings at NATEC SOUND keep coming, we have sessions booked weeks ahead but the problem with that is, some of the regulars are likely to call at short notice so we have to keep an hour or two in reserve, especially for Jack Keniry from the George Patterson Agency, one of my regular clients in Studio A.
But one fine morning in early 1969, when I get to the studio Maurie Wilmore appears unhappy, he stuns me by saying director Ron Purvis has gone, he resigned. What! What’s happened? Well it seems Ron had a major disagreement with one of the other directors, over what I never found out. But it was serious enough for Ron to clear his desk and leave NATEC at short notice. I realised I never got to say goodbye or thanks.
One immediate question is, how will this affect our studio work, especially the big orchestral recording sessions, which although Maurie and I are now recording a few in Studio B, it was originally Ron’s reputation and experience that bought them to NATEC. Ron had a big presence, he designed and built all the valve electronics in our 4 track recorder and our Studio B console, plus the film rack amps.
But one fine morning in early 1969, when I get to the studio Maurie Wilmore appears unhappy, he stuns me by saying director Ron Purvis has gone, he resigned. What! What’s happened? Well it seems Ron had a major disagreement with one of the other directors, over what I never found out. But it was serious enough for Ron to clear his desk and leave NATEC at short notice. I realised I never got to say goodbye or thanks.
One immediate question is, how will this affect our studio work, especially the big orchestral recording sessions, which although Maurie and I are now recording a few in Studio B, it was originally Ron’s reputation and experience that bought them to NATEC. Ron had a big presence, he designed and built all the valve electronics in our 4 track recorder and our Studio B console, plus the film rack amps.
For the first few weeks everything remains as before, we still have the weekly Bandstand music sessions with TCN 9 engineer Max Alexander doing all the recording. Alan Dean’s Denote advertising music productions seem to grow in number, he’s busy and all is good. My work in Studio A continues as before, with K-TEL records keeping me flat out with one session after the other.
But 2 weeks later we’re told our Bandstand music job is moving across to Col Joyes ATA recording studio in Glebe. Apparently politics are involved in this arrangement when TCN9s musical director Geoff Harvey takes over Bandstands music production. But uh oh, that’s basically 2 days studio work a week going, plus not being able to consort with the artists and musicians is something that Maurie and I will miss, not to mention the loss in studio revenue.
Meanwhile later in 1969, Ron Purvis joins up with John Vidale from John’s Adelaide recording studio and Ron has taken a lease on the whole top 7th. floor at 21 Pier St. at Ultimo. John has bought some of his studio equipment up from Adelaide and they’re naming their new project, Visound. It’s going to be a 2 studio complex, their largest studio eventually capable of accommodating 50-60 musicians.
But 2 weeks later we’re told our Bandstand music job is moving across to Col Joyes ATA recording studio in Glebe. Apparently politics are involved in this arrangement when TCN9s musical director Geoff Harvey takes over Bandstands music production. But uh oh, that’s basically 2 days studio work a week going, plus not being able to consort with the artists and musicians is something that Maurie and I will miss, not to mention the loss in studio revenue.
Meanwhile later in 1969, Ron Purvis joins up with John Vidale from John’s Adelaide recording studio and Ron has taken a lease on the whole top 7th. floor at 21 Pier St. at Ultimo. John has bought some of his studio equipment up from Adelaide and they’re naming their new project, Visound. It’s going to be a 2 studio complex, their largest studio eventually capable of accommodating 50-60 musicians.
On the grapevine we hear Ron is working full speed setting up this large music studio, including recording the sounds of full plastic balloons bursting in there, then sending the recorded sounds to the U.K. to be analysed for the room audio delay times. These results will allow Ron to design and build the studio interior walls and ceiling for the best sound, for all the orchestral recordings he anticipates. He also imports a new Spectra Sonics multi-track console from America, for this big studio.
Not long after, for reasons I’m not aware John Vidale moves on, leaving his equipment. Ron then renames his business, United Sound Studios Pty. Ltd. 21 Pier St. Ultimo Sydney Australia.
And eventually this becomes an ill fated address.
Not long after, for reasons I’m not aware John Vidale moves on, leaving his equipment. Ron then renames his business, United Sound Studios Pty. Ltd. 21 Pier St. Ultimo Sydney Australia.
And eventually this becomes an ill fated address.
Allan Black Part 68
Soon Ron Purvis owns all 7 floors at 21 Pier St. I don’t know what he paid for the rest of them, but I wonder if the building’s owner knew what was going to happen to it, so was a bargain sale price commensurate with that knowledge? If so, 21 Pier St. was probably an excellent buy for Ron, and he would have revelled in it.
Then he goes ahead with plans to build film mixing studios on the 5th and 6th floors and lease out the lower floors. Together with his 2 studios on the 7th floor, he’ll have the largest film sound complex in the Southern Hemisphere, all analogue of course but easily outdoing all the other film sound studios in Australia. Ron knows contacts at Glen Glen Sound in Hollywood and flies there to study the latest feature film sound track advancements. He also negotiates to buy some 35mm film mixing dubbers and have them delivered to Sydney. All well and good for Ron Purvis, who hired me at Natec.
Then he goes ahead with plans to build film mixing studios on the 5th and 6th floors and lease out the lower floors. Together with his 2 studios on the 7th floor, he’ll have the largest film sound complex in the Southern Hemisphere, all analogue of course but easily outdoing all the other film sound studios in Australia. Ron knows contacts at Glen Glen Sound in Hollywood and flies there to study the latest feature film sound track advancements. He also negotiates to buy some 35mm film mixing dubbers and have them delivered to Sydney. All well and good for Ron Purvis, who hired me at Natec.
The United Sound logo also spells ‘us’ Ron’s sense of humour. In the big music studio on the 7th floor, freelance sound engineers also bring in their work and business is good. At Natec one morning I arrive to find the directors Stan Kanaar and his son Keith have sold Natec Sound Studios Pty. Ltd. to John Crane and his accountant father Ken Crane. John is a past account director at the Jackson Wain advertising agency and he has interesting ideas for production of the new multi-screen audio visual programs. This will change Natec’s business and maybe give me the chance to expand my reputation in another direction.
Then I find Maurie Wilmore our other Natec audio engineer has resigned to start at United Sound. Things are changing but I’m still in touch with Maurie and one morning in February 1970, he phones me at Natec to say, “Can you get here this afternoon around 3pm? Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be in the big studio with Ron, recording Marlboro cigarette themes for commercials.”
Then I find Maurie Wilmore our other Natec audio engineer has resigned to start at United Sound. Things are changing but I’m still in touch with Maurie and one morning in February 1970, he phones me at Natec to say, “Can you get here this afternoon around 3pm? Duke Ellington and his orchestra will be in the big studio with Ron, recording Marlboro cigarette themes for commercials.”
As it happens I can, so I grab a cab and arrive at 21 Pier St. Ellington’s outfit has finished recording all their Marlboro tracks and their famous lead trumpeter Cat Anderson, is over dubbing the last high notes. It’s fascinating to watch and listen to him at work, his octave above his high B♭ sounds great.
When that’s complete, with a few other Sydney musos, I get the chance to go into the studio and meet the orchestra, and there’s Duke sitting at the piano. With the others I say G’day and he smiles back, but with his tired jet lagged face he looks like an 18 wheeler has hit him. However the world famous Duke Ellington Orchestra’s first Australian tour is a big success with all their audiences.
When that’s complete, with a few other Sydney musos, I get the chance to go into the studio and meet the orchestra, and there’s Duke sitting at the piano. With the others I say G’day and he smiles back, but with his tired jet lagged face he looks like an 18 wheeler has hit him. However the world famous Duke Ellington Orchestra’s first Australian tour is a big success with all their audiences.