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by Alex Cosper (11/23/15) A huge technological development that helped separate the even more ancient sound of early recordings from better audio quality of the mid-twenties on was the invention of the electric microphone. Prior to the microphone voices and instruments were captured, not electrically, but mechanically through a needle that picked up vibrations from a horn. Singing into the horn meant singers had to compromise the dynamics of style in order to avoid audio distortion. Electric sound could be more controlled, allowing musicians more freedom. Horns dominated the sound of the 1920s, marking the rise of big bands. Part of the influence of horn sections came from Dixieland music, which was popular in the early part of the 20th century through the 1920s. Another reason horns were the soundtrack of the early recording era was that military marching band music had a huge impact on popular music when it began emerging in the 1890s. It simply became embedded in the sound of American popular music. Due to their loudness, brass instruments had to be recorded much further away than vocalists in order to avoid distortion. That's partly why these recordings sound so thin and tinny. It was virtually impossible to record clean bass sounds in this era. Only in the 1930s did bass lines start to become noticeable in popular music, but still did not add much to rhythm until the 1950s. Another aspect of 1920s music that seems dated today is the heavy emphasis on vocal style that mirrors opera-like or Broadway-like approach to singing. That over the top sound of applying extra vibrato as a norm instead of enhancement makes some of those records hard to listen to without laughing. It seems overdone today, but at the time it was simply what people were used to hearing. Certain instrumentals stand up much better than vocals. Perhaps the most timeless vocal recordings that are easy to digest are the slower tempo songs by blues artists. "West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong from 1928 stands out as timeless and was selected as a Hall of Fame classic by NARAS. Armstrong began his long string of hits in the 1920s and continued to have big hits for four more decades. Bessie Smith is also notable as one of the early female blues artists to have big hits such as "Down Hearted Blues." She had about a dozen big hits from 1923 through 1929. So in order to appreciate music of the 1920s, you have to forget about technology and imagine what the world was like before stereo and cleaner recording technology. It's possible to listen for the melodies and orchestra in this context and begin to understand what made the music catchy during a very upbeat era. It was a time of enormous optimism, partly because of prosperity and the growth of new mass production and pop culture. It was an era when radio was new and everyone started getting their own cars. While most of the recordings of the era don't stand up, many of the songs were covered later and became standards in later decades. Here are some of the songs from the 1920s that became standards: Swanee St. Louis Blues Whispering Charleston April Showers My Man California, Here I Come Tea For Two West End Blues Sweet Georgia Brown Yes Sir! That's My Baby When The Red Red Robbin Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin' Along The Birth of the Blues Baby Face Ain't She Sweet My Blue Heaven Sonny Boy Singing In The Rain Tip Toe Through the Tulips Star Dust Top Artists of the 1920s Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra Al Jolson Ben Selvin & His Orchestra Ted Lewis & His Band Gene Austin Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians Isham Jones & His Orchestra Marion Harris Nat Shilkret & The Victor Orchestra Ruth Etting Bessie Smith Nora Bayes Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees |
