The Babys - Isn't It Time (1977)

The Babys performing their hit "Isn't It Time" on television in the UK although it only made #45 in that country. The single fared better in Australia the following year when it hit the #1 spot and deservedly so.

[BuffaloCrows]

So undated. Excellent rock music. Live.

[alanfox]

Lagybirds backing group vocals kill the vibe

[gothembadboy]

The video REALLY FAILED by not showing the MAGIC of the backing vocalists.
Let’s face it, they MAKE this song work - PERIOD.

[LaraGri]

В другой тональности песня совершенно не звучит. И подпевка здесь отстойная.

[RemyRAD]

My bad. This postscript. To my observations below. Failed to indicate.


In this live TV show guest, video. The microphone he is singing in. Is a microphone I've had since, , 1978. Made by, AKG of Austria. The model 451. A lovely, , small diaphragm, very precise sounding, beautiful smooth zippy high-frequency luster, Capacitor a.k.a. Condenser Microphone. That we really needed to put the big Foam Pop Filter on for. And they sound this kind of satiny smooth.. On the words with the sibilant high-frequency, esses. Sometimes requiring the use of a, De-esser. Which, yes.. It is a thing. Costing many hundreds of dollars and plugging in a wall outlet. To pass the microphone through. So that sibilant words. Don't cut your head off at the neck like a very large fresh thin, razor blade. At that's why we patch in de-esser's. On beautiful microphones that sound like this.. And popular on, Mick Jagger also. Geez I wonder where he got that idea?

And so yes. Some of us had these microphones back in the mid-1970s. And while we were in our 20s back then. Oh my God! That marijuana is powerful stuff! It causes hallucinations! As everybody looks old and gray now. I still feel 25!! My body doesn't. But I'm not willing to listen. And that's why I fell off a horse. Called my Recording Studio.. After 30+ years. And decided to retire. Sort of. But I'm here! I'm not talking to my audio or video software anymore. I'M TALKING TO YOU! MR. TUBE! And all of your empty minded, viewers. That need their craniums filled up with more, tick tock tick tock and more TikTok. So that all little Boys and Girls Club and grow up to be, little adult Boys and Girls Club. That do stupid mindless shuffle dances on TikTok. And become Famous!


And then we see them in the DWI stop on YouTube later. And the cop did not know. They were famous on TikTok! Just like Donald Trump! And they didn't do anything wrong! They were making a video for TikTok! Because they are famous and it is there full-time job. To do stupid video things for TikTok. That's not hurting anybody. They didn't do anything wrong. Nobody got hurt. Yet. And that should be good enough. So you don't need to arrest them.. For causing 6 cars to wreck. They were the ones driving. And they knew better than to get distracted. It says so in the terms and agreements online. Somewhere. It's not important. Everyone knows what is. And it's TikTok.


And we mustn't forget. We are celebrating 50 years of hip-hop! Or wrap or something? And I was hoping it would go away after only a few months. 50 years ago. When MC Hammer and those guys. Had a vision..

Their vision was. To try and emulate a computer program. Before they ever existed! And that was their genius. And they knew how to hoot and holler real cool. Which takes an enormous amount of practice and talent. Playing basketball with their friends. And then they go over to the Jewish community center. And want to get into the swimming pool with everybody. Telling everyone there related to Sammy Davis Junior. When we thought yeah right. It's really Lenny Kravitz.. And his daddy wasn't into Passover his mommy. But rather pass into. And then they got Lenny. And Lenny realized after his first hit record. That he didn't look Jewish. Compared to a white Jesus. And never wanted to let his black friends know. He was circumcised also. Then what would his black friends think? What black man would get rid of a little extra? Even if he is Jewish!


I like Lenny. But… Sometimes I just want to get away. And fly. Away. I want to get away.
RemyRAD

[RemyRAD]

Oh that's an interesting different arrangement rendition of one of my favorite songs.

From a production standpoint I found this, fascinating from 1977. When I was first getting into the pop music recording and FM broadcast industry. This song came out. I played it on the radio. But not this version.

In listening and watching this track. As a top history making 4 time major music award nominee engineer/producer, myself. There are some interesting audio cues going on here.

These guys are basically lip-synching while they play to a recorded track. What's known as a, TV Mix. From an engineer like me. When we cut the hit record. We do another pass of that song. Turning off the lead vocal. It's what everybody has come to know as, Karaoke. But he's doing Karaoke to his own song and recorded band track. However..

He is still lip-synching while he sings. But. This vocal track. It was recorded on that microphone. In that studio. That was separate. From the playback band track. And he likely just stood there and sang it.. Without the band playing just listening to the music track and singing along like karaoke. Which they recorded.

They then rewound the videotape. And shot this. With him lip-synching to himself. From what he recorded just a few minutes earlier. While singing to the music track as everybody plays. That was recorded, , days, weeks, months, earlier in the studio. To create the TV soundtrack. With no lead singer on the track. So it can be sung live. Or pre-sung.. To lip-synch to. Just before the live take.

I've done TV shows like this. I'm the audio engineer. I have to work with these people. I've done stuff with, Debbie Harry and others. Starting back in the mid-1970s. Yes I'm old! I was a kid back then. Opening my first large brick-and-mortar recording studio in Baltimore. Then going to New York City. Then Fort Lauderdale/Miami. Then Philadelphia. Then Washington DC. And I'm from Motown in Detroit. As in Motown Studios. As in United Sound Systems Studios. And I'm here on the Internet playing with you kids. It makes me feel young again. Being amongst you clueless.

And yeah so even in 1977. He really couldn't hit the high notes. And so he opted for a lower octave down. Ha! That was funny. So they may have done a, Beatles recording trick. When they cut the original song. Because he hit those high notes. And he couldn't hit them again for a TV show? Nope! So?

To sing the high notes. In the days before, computers and pitch correction software. We had, Variable Speed, options. On our analog tape recorders.

So what we would do is…… When it's time to cut their lead vocal track. And they are straining a testicle. Trying to sing their high notes. You do not want to hear straining testicle high notes. So. We slow down the tape just a little bit. Not by much. Just one half for one note pitch, down. And now they can sing that high note. Without busting their testicles open.

After rewind. Upon playback. We put the machine back on speed. And they will sound completely normal.. Because we only did that for their high notes. And we do what's called a punch in and punch out. Dropping into and out of record. While the, multitrack/multichannel wide recording tape is rolling. And it was between 1/2, 1 and 2 inch wide, recording tape. There was one that used 3 inch wide recording tape. But it was never released. Due to a problem in physics. The electrical engineers and the mechanical engineers, couldn't solve. So I did for them. But they still chose to cancel that project permanently. They were breaking new ground. But they couldn't make it work right. Until I showed them how to. DUH. It was one of those DUH engineering moments. And boy LOL. You should've seen the expressions on their faces. What a clueless bunch of narrowminded engineering dweebs.

You see. I was a flunk out.. I don't know any damn physics. So it doesn't limit or prevent me. From being stupid like them. And not thinking out of the box. As needed. As required. And having a broader knowledge base. Outside of their single genre product. They were unaware of other similar products and how they were made. DUH. And that was the fix. So it wasn't a physics issue. It was a brain issue a thought issue a creative issue. Of which they had none of those abilities. No brain, no thought, no creativity, no knowledge. But they certainly had college degrees in electrical and mechanical engineering. I don't.. I don't need one. I'm a genius. They aren't.

At this is how we explain, Intelligence Quotient. It's a non sequitur. To those who do not possess that. Thinking is difficult. It wears you out. It's exhausting. It burns too many calories. This is why Americans are obese. They have lost the ability to think. That they are full. And stop eating. They are like a dog. That bolts down its food. Vomits. And starts again. Why do they do that? You'll have to ask them and they aren't talking. They are whizzing on your brand-new, Cast Aluminum Wheels. God damn dog! As that can receive a doggy death penalty. So keep your doggy leashed. And your teenage kids. And do not purchase your teenager a Barracuda with a 460 Hemi. Just because they want one. No. You purchased them that nice, 1978 Cadillac Fleetwood. They won't get killed in easily.

Hell! I was sideswiped on the Baltimore Beltway. In my new, 1974, yellow, Ford Pinto. At 60 mph. Buy a brand-new 1974 yellow Chevy Vega. With the 350 cubic inch, , V-8 engine. With racing headers.. As he also sideswiped the next two cars in front of me. And we all flew into the center grassy median. As the cops were chasing him in quick succession. As they got to the next Beltway exit.. And the 16-year-old kid. In his brand-new birthday present from his parents, 350 V-8 Chevy Vega. Lost it on the exit ramp. Flew off, flipped over and burst into flames! And that was the end of that 16-year-old. And his brand-new 1974 yellow Chevy Vega 350 V-8 engine and racing headers. It had less than 50 miles on it. And he made the news! He's dead! Good for him! He watched too much TV and movies. His parents were brain-dead. Now he is officially.

It's a great planet we live on. We are such wonderful primitive creatures. We are going extinct. Just like Neanderthal and those before them. Why should Homo sapiens be any different?

Because if you look at God's plan. God only makes fiery stars and toxic planets. We are a mistake. No life like ours was intended.. No life at all was intended. The universe is supposed to be devoid of life. Stars and galaxies and planets.. Get born live and die. They are the ultimate life. They have been here for tens of billions of years. They are so advanced beyond us. They are that, Type--4 Civilization. And of course we can't communicate with them. Anymore than we can discuss politics with an, Ant colony. Discussing an NFL player's contrac. With a bobble nose dolphin called Flipper Junior. Or expecting your cat. To give you the latest recipe for, Mouse Soufflé of Mouse. AND THEY AREN'T TALKING! WHY NOT? DON'T WE FEED THEM?

Yeah it's a free country. You have rights. But also know this. You do not have the right. To have as a family member in your home. Somebody that looks a lot like you. Has the same blood type you do. And is called a Chimpanzee. Mr. Chimpanzee. And these guys are not monogamous. Frankly they think monogamy is for the birds. And then they opened Trump Towers. To catch girls with. And where Jeffrey Epstein went to Trump University.. To grab his economic degree in a Masters of Pussy Grabbing. And was so good at it. That he opened his own island. To any underage teenage girl that wanted it. And called the, , Roach Hotel and Sex Casino. Where everyone can take a spin!

But like all other Trump associated casinos. It closed. And they built a CVS drugstore.
RemyRAD

[RemyRAD]

WOW the more times I listen to this cut. The more I see going on in my ears. I think I understand why this arrangement, is so different. Why the dynamics on his vocal track.. Done on that particular microphone. It is not quite recording studio engineer, correct. In fact it's all over the place dynamically. It's missing control.. That is there but not cranked up enough. Not like on the hit. And so. The backup singers are different. And they are not on camera either. And so?

As one of the other posters mentioned. While they are a British group. Apparently not quite as popular with the, British audience is that of the Australian and American/Canadian audiences? So?

They were guests. To perform live. For ABC-TV. Right.. Not USA. The Australian Broadcasting Company. As I personally worked for NBC. Which is not part of, MBC-TV. The South Korean Government Broadcasting Channel. And so this can get confusing. If you don't know your ABCs and XYZ's. Which is both in Detroit with a, W starting it off for, Channel-7 TV and a couple of radio stations of WXYZ. Where I was born. And I imagine there would be a KXYZ? But what would you call that?

That would be, Quazey. KXYZ-FM! All the hits and all the pits 24 seven..

Every station needs a moniker Thematic, from their call letters. Back in the 1970s.
RemyRAD