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"Tom Dowd & The Language of Music " DVD

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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3,278
I just finished watching the DVD call "Tom Dowd, The Language of Music", and I was pleasantly surprised to see a short clip of Joe Bonomassa in the Atlantic Recording Studios playing a 1960/61 dot neck ES-330 TD. Of all the guitars Joe B. could have recorded with, here he was playing a "humble" Gibson ES-330 w/ Bigsby. Joe B. sounded incredible playing this guitar. At first I thought it was an old ES-335, but then I noticed the tell-tale black P-90 pickups and short neck. And not a hint of feedback, just smooth, lightning fast, blues heaven. I had no idea you could get tone like that out of an ES-330. Unfortunately the clip didn't show the amp he was playing through, but to me it sounded like a Tweed Bassman or Marshall Bluesbreaker combo.

Besides clips of Joe Bonomasa, there are tons of historical clips of other artists from the 1950's and 60's on this DVD. Nice.:applaude
 

Bob Womack

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Apr 8, 2002
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As an engineer and producer, I routinely go back to this DVD and interviews with one of Tom's colleagues, Bill Szymczyk (James Gang, Joe Walsh, Rick Derringer, the Eagles, etc.) to just soak in their attitudes about session and recording philosophy. 'Tis a tonic.

Bob
 

27sauce

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Jul 9, 2007
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He's got such a great personality, that you sometimes forget watching this that he was such a genius. Physics, engineering, producing, arranging...! They REALLY dont make them like that anymore!

Very inspiring film.
 

Jack

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Jan 22, 2004
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141
He's got such a great personality, that you sometimes forget watching this that he was such a genius. Physics, engineering, producing, arranging...! They REALLY dont make them like that anymore!

Very inspiring film.

And still not in the RRHOF. Shame,shame,shame.
 

cryptozoo

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Jun 25, 2008
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Great, great DVD. I was talking to one of Dickey's old road-crew guys after I saw it and he told me some neat Dowd stories.
 

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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The thing that amazes me is Tom Dowd was using 8 track tape recorders at the Atlantic studios, but across the "pond" the best recording technology they had in the late 60's was 3 track. That's why Cream, Led Zepplelin, and a a few other British rock bands came to New York and signed with Atlantic Records. A lot of "Southern" Rock bands also were produced by Tom Dowd in the 70's.
 

27sauce

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Jul 9, 2007
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I think you mean early '60's. The White Album was recorded on 8 track.
 

marshall1987

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Jan 30, 2005
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I think you mean early '60's. The White Album was recorded on 8 track.

I'm just trying to convey what Tom Dowd said in the DVD. He didn't mention anything about the early 60's vs. the mid/late 60's. He simply stated that in England they were using 3 track tape recorders while he was using 8 track. Beyond that, I haven't got a clue. I'm not a producer or recording engineer.
 

Steve Craw

Formerly Lefty Elmo
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Sep 9, 2004
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5,292
A great clip about the making of "Layla".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKPooc-ImiM&feature=fvw

Amazing to think that beyond the great artists that he worked with: Allman Bros, Skynyrd, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Darin, The Coasters, The Drifters, Otis Redding, Cream, etc. Tom Down was a nuclear physicist, who had worked on "The Manhatten Project".
 

cryptozoo

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Jun 25, 2008
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... and he really seems like one of the most humble and positive people you'd ever meet.
 

Finbar

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Apr 18, 2015
Messages
67
Took the day off and planned to watch this on Amazon, but later found it was unavailable.

I then took to eBay to locate a copy and it seems to be a really rare find.

Anyone have a copy of this available for sale (or loan) ?
 
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