Posted on 03/03/2021 1:38:35 AM PST by nickcarraway
If Michael McDonald had followed his gut instinct, he may never have written the 1978 Doobie Brothers hit “What a Fool Believes.”
The song, which he created with Kenny Loggins, topped the chart the following year and went on to win two Grammys, but as McDonald told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe recently, he almost abandoned the rough version.
“The first verse was something I jotted down on an envelope … on a flight from New York back to L.A,” he said. “It just kind of popped in my head … and the piano verse was basically something that I’d been messing with for the better part of a year.”
He happened to be playing the idea on his piano at home as he waited for Loggins to arrive one day: “I thought, ‘This is just kind of a strange pop ditty. I don't know that I'd play that for Kenny.’ And when I answered the door he goes, ‘Before we say anything, you were just playing something on a piano, I could hear it through the door. Is that something new?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, I was actually thinking of playing it, but I wasn't sure.’ And he goes, ‘That's what I want to work on first.’ So, thankfully he heard it through the door, or I might never have played it for him.”
McDonald also recalled how the envelope with the scribbled lyric went on an unusual six-year journey before it got back to him. “There was just song lyrics, unfinished lyrics, you name it, just piled on the piano all the time,” he said. “And our publicist at the time was David Gest … he came to my house and I was at the piano working. … He looked down and he saw that jotting of that lyric. He goes, ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘Oh, that's actually the original thought I had.’ And it had already been a Grammy winner by then. … He goes, ‘Can I have this?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’”
He thought no more about it until, years later, he was eating at a Hard Rock Cafe. “I looked up, and behind my booth … there's this framed little piece of paper," McDonald recalled. "I recognized the doodling on it. And I went, ‘That couldn't be … .’ And sure enough, it was that lyric I gave to [Gest], and he’d had it framed. … I wrote a letter to the Hard Rock corporation. I said, ‘If it's not too much to ask, I’d like to buy that piece. Because I wrote the song with my friend Kenny Loggins, and I regretted giving it away.’ And they sent it to me gratis.”
The Dems’ new theme song?
;)
I liked a lot of Doobie Brothers songs. What a Fool believes wasn’t one of them. The Doobies were also the last group we saw in concert before moving out of the USA in 2016. I first saw them in 1974. Even after all those years and personnel changes they still put on a good show.
Now I’m going to have this in my head all day.
Where did you go?
I assisted a friend when he remastered that album and my website is listed in the mastering credits.
He gifted me an acetate cut with a 8-watt 300B tube amplifier. Although the acetate has a very limited life, the sound quality is darn close to hearing the master tapes when I visited.
I was told that most remasters are unnecessary and are only done to either extend the copyright or as a marketing gimmick to resell the music. Do you find that to be the case?
That tune better fits the MO of all the GOPee puffers and perennial suckers. GOPee Delenda Est!
Just from a music listener’s POV, I find most remastered songs disappointing. I first thought the sound would be better, but usually it’s just different, not improved. But that’s just my unschooled-in-sound-engineering opinion.
David Gest aka late ex-husband of Liza Minnelli.
Preferably Pre-Michael McDonald!
Most definitely Pre-Michael McDonald but I don't think the Doobies minded having him around. He made them all a lot of money.
That was one of the 1st songs I remember liking when I was a kid. It’s so upbeat.
It took about 40 years to realize I’d misunderstood the lyrics. I had thought the fools optimism, sentimental nostalgia and chivalrous “rise to her apology” were somehow rewarded with success!
But he never made her think twice.
This fool can only hope he doesn’t make his wife “think twice” too often, in the opposite direction.
Wait, what? That song has actual words? You mean people can actually understand what he mumbles? No way.
Can’t stand his voice.
Absolutely not!
Generally speaking, remastering is done to produce a product with better sound quality via better, more advanced electronics.
For example, the early 16-bit CDs were remastered using early digital filters of poor quality vs what is now available.
Remasters can also introduce a product to a new audience - i.e. vinyl for those who have never experienced that format.
Also, High Resolution music files using 24-bit technology gets MUCH closer to the master tape than 16-bit/44Khz CDs.
The Beatles catalog was remastered in 2009 to 24-bit High-Rez downloads...and sound light years better than the original CDs issued.
A few years ago, Sony re-mixed/re-mastered Miles Davis’ iconic jazz album “Kind of Blue” to 24-bit HiRez file and corrected a speed problem in the original 2-channel mix.
In recent years, a few of their albums were re-mixed from the original session tapes then remastered to 24-bit/96Khz files using current state-of-the-art digital products and the sound quality is arguable the best...and I have UK 1st LP pressings of their catalogue and two “Blue Box” sets.
Finally, different engineers can produce different results in terms of sound quality. There are “Golden Ear” engineers and “Tin Eared” engineers - each producing much different end products. Crap sound vs “Real, lifelike” sound.
Sadly, many of the “young” engineers are pushing compression in their remastering projects.
So to answer your question...
Remastering, generally, can provide higher sound quality if done correctly and re-introduce an artist’s products to a new market.
Post-McDonald Doobies: suckage
I heard it when I was a kid on the radio and only learned what the meaning of the song was all about 5 years ago, from a rock station show which breaks down the meaning and history of rock songs.
Yes! The Captain and Me is one of my favorite albums of all time. Not a bad song on it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.