Motion Occupies Music: 1975-2009

So this is how it all started. I used to go to every possible concert in the NYC area. The Who, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, Yes, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and the list goes on…..

I loved my music, often falling asleep wearing headphones listening to Quadrophenia and the like. What always amazed me were the layers of guitars on Led Zeppelin’s recordings. How did they do that? It was always so beautiful.

I was enrolled to become a freshman at Montclair State. My schedule was set, and I even had an off campus attic apartment rented. I was headed to become an entertainment lawyer. I always wanted to be involved in the entertainment, specifically music business, and since I sucked as a musician I thought I would come at it from a different angle. I began to search out some pre-college summer courses at the New School in NYC so that maybe I could get a jump start over the summer leading into college. That was 1975. I came across a recording studio course, but it was already booked up at the New School, Then I heard about the Recording Institute of Technology. I somehow talked my parents into letting me take this 8 week course. It was held at the old Bell Sound Studios on 54th st. between 8th and Broadway.

The minute I walked into the studio a saw the huge recording console with all those buttons I was smitten. I asked my parents if I found a job, could I put off college to try this out. They shook their heads and somewhat said ok. I proceeded to go to NY with my friend Chancey, and in the Port Authority I ripped out the yellow pages of the phone book that contained the phone numbers and addresses of recording facilities in the city.
I remember going to several, including A&R, asking to become an apprentice, willing to do what I had to to learn. Finally I heard back from Bernard Fox the then owner and manager of Good Vibrations recording studios, 1440 Broadway, the old RKO studios on the 25th floor. They “hired” me and paid me $20/wk, when they remembered to be an apprentice.

This is where it started, this is where I became hooked. I worked with Jon Fausty who was the main engineer for Fania Records. I got to work with Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colon, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Baretto, Larry Harlow, etc. The premier Latin musicians of the day, the Fania All Stars. I received my first movie credit at the age of 18 for the movie “The Fania All-Stars” It was unusually challenging, but most of the musicians and technicians were encouraging and giving in offering me, a high school graduate from Union City, the opportunity to learn and work with them. I will always remember learning how to place the huge RCA44 Ribbon microphones on the brass section, and how to situate a huge studio using gobos to get the best isolation. Good Vibrations even had live echo chambers that I used to go into to arrange the mics and amps inside. It was classic.