[Harp-L] RECORDING SESSION MEMORIES---Blondie's "Eat To The Beat", featuring randy singer

[Randy Singer <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

from the bob lefsetz conversation
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HI BOB, 

Glad you spoke of that record.

I played the harmonica on the title cut of EAT TO THE BEAT.  Produced by Michael Chapman, we recorded that at the incredible ELECTRIC LADYLAND in NYC.

I did it in two takes, Michael spliced my takes together. It was so surreal to be standing in the studio that Hendrix built, looking through the glass to see Chapman and Deborah harry and the whole band energizing my solo. He wanted something unique so i did a very "eating" style of playing the harmonica (see the video below). Michael had some of that wall of sound "sound" and I loved how he mixed the harmonica, right up in your face where it belongs.

 Then on a cold night a week later, they invited me to be in the video of the song at SIR studios. Funny, back then, in the nascent years of videos, labels did not know what to do, so they thought EVERY SONG in an LP had to have a video at the beginning. Imagine that. So the accompanying VHS (which I still have) has a great video for every song!! That would never happen today, of course. In fact, I was credited by the musicians union to be the first union session player on a video.

It was a great time for me, i was an assistant at the POWER STATION, working with tony bongiovi, lance, bob clearmountain, james farber, springsteen (recording the river), Jaco Pastorius (doing word of mouth). I also worked with james taylor and even carly told me she was divorcing james before even he knew.

Here is the video of me performing with BLONDIE on the video. Afterward, we all went to STUDIO 54 and we hung out with billy idol. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bll2zAkwem4

randy singer HENNES and BLONDIE

randy singer
miami beach, fl


On Apr 12, 2012, at 9:28 PM, Bob Lefsetz wrote:

> Blondie's "Eat To The Beat",