Fabulous Friday: "Smoke Rings"

I've been listening to a lot of Les Paul and Mary Ford lately. Les Paul was a major innovator in two areas: he's one of the pioneers of the solid-body electric guitar. And he was among the first to really go to town with multi-track recording. He said it was a money-saving thing at first - - he didn't want to hire backup singers for his wife Mary Ford so he had her record her own backup vocals and laid them on top of each other. Patti Page was the first artist to hit the big time with this idea but Mary Ford did it better!

Here's my view about recording your own backup vocals. I think it must be easier to coordinate in person with other singers, to communicate non-verbally about when you bend a note or cut it off. You have to be super precise and plan everything to a fare-thee-well when you're doing it all yourself.

Listen how Paul adds a barely-discernable "haze" of sound with his guitar. I'm not a smoker but I love the way she sings, "Puff, puff, puff..." It conveys the lazy, euphoric moment when you blow a smoke ring. Or so it seems to me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RD0xVrXO_cwzM&v=0xVrXO_cwzM

YouTube recommended this recording by a group I've never heard of, the Rainbow Girls. They have a divine blend and whoa, that is some dazzling guitar playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=RDZYJqZzFvjXA&v=ZYJqZzFvjXA