I'd hardly call it a dissection, even though the guy making the video does. He plays all the tracks back at more or less unity gain. If he'd soloed each track so you could hear the parts, then you might consider the D word.

I always knew that Stevie had multitracked the clavinet parts (as has anyone who's ever tried to play the song live), but I never knew that it was eight tracks. Dude was flat out amazing.

Well, I made it through 12 seconds of the sound of that douchebag's voice. Seeing "protools" right away got us off on the wrong foot.

torch: If he'd soloed each track so you could hear the parts

That's what I expected. It's not what I got.

I want my money back.

So anyway, when he plays it live, does he just play the front track and use recordings of the back ones or what?

It looks like copies of the multitrack masters are available from your friendly neighborhood torrent tracker.

It's like watching John C. Reilly, riveting stuff

Would be a lot cooler if they did this on classic albums with a real engineer.

He's got the master tape and he's clicking on the individual tracks to play them. That's some mad sound engineering skillz there!

You know what would have been great?

Captions -- and him shutting the eff UP.

KellyLockhart: I always knew that Stevie had multitracked the clavinet parts (as has anyone who's ever tried to play the song live), but I never knew that it was eight tracks. Dude was flat out amazing.

Pretty sure there's some guitar in there as well.

George Duke is the clav master.

Props to Garth Hudson for basically inventing clav funk in UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK

rocinante721:

Props to Garth Hudson for basically inventing clav funk in UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK

Came here to say that.
(Taking nothing away from Stevie Wonder, but Garth didn't need 8 multitracks, either.)

How does one get hold of a master tape like that?

That has to be fakest 80s black guy accent I've ever heard come out of a white doofus with a jewfro. But it was kind of cool to hear the parts split up like that.

pretty much everyone in this thread is right on, I'd just like to add you break down all those parts and we can't hear anything thanks to your crap recording.

Stevie Wonder - Superstition live on Sesame Street (new window)

One of the greatest live musical performances of all time

How does one get hold of a master tape like that?

He slipped it into his coat while Stevie wasn't looking.

Video has been pulled; what's up with that?

That's plenty impressive, but the bass was always my favorite part on that song.

cue "Trampled Under Foot" by Led Zeppelin.

chickyraptor
How does one get hold of a master tape like that?
He slipped it into his coat while Stevie wasn't looking.

... or so he told him....

/wait, what?
// facepalm.

LINE OUT is your friend when making an audio based video...

Yeah, recording could be better, and the guy is annoying, and it sounds like it was recorded secretly by a movie bootlegger, and it could have used a little more time and clarity with each track...but it's still pretty sweet to gain just a little insight in to the mind of a musical genius (that would be Stevie).

/subby

mistersnark: How does one get hold of a master tape like that?

You make very nice with some one who has access to the Masters. In this case, it was probably someone who was involved in the last round of Stevie Motown remasters, which were only a few years ago.

People involved in the remaster process of important music have a tendency to "save" certain things.

The 8-layer clav part is enough to make this interesting. This man, however, is a twat.

rocinante721: Props to Garth Hudson for basically inventing clav funk in UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK

Two things:

1) Garth is barking mad (and I love the man)

2) Stevie played all those tracks himself. That not just Stevie layer clav tracks, it's (I'll double-check my album credits) Stevie on EVERYTHING. No other musicians.

chickyraptor: rocinante721:
Props to Garth Hudson for basically inventing clav funk in UP ON CRIPPLE CREEK
Came here to say that.
(Taking nothing away from Stevie Wonder, but Garth didn't need 8 multitracks, either.)

CHECK THIS OUT (new window)

Tonto.

That is all.

I would have loved some commentary on what purpose each track seems to serve, where a few are rythmic, and a few others are harmonic, kind of, you know, something coherent. Hey maybe a little anecodote, or observation.

Instead we have some retard rambling "8 clav tracks yo, 8 clav tracks" yeah brilliant work there asshole.

Watch 'Classic Albums - Aja' by Steely Dan. Yeah, Fagen and Becker a couple of douchebags but the studio musicians are amazing.
Very intersting DVD.

Four of those clav layers could have been removed and it really wouldn't have made a difference.

The groove does not come from 8 tracks. Two things about clav funk - the groove is at the front edge of each beat, and duration of the note is critical (especially as there's no decay - just "off"). Stevie is a master at both (as is JPJ - nice mention, Mr. T-Uncle). I'd never noticed that about Cripple Creek, but it's there, so props Mr. Hudson.

When he wrote it, the groove was there in one track. Breaking out the track to many interwoven parts (that your ear just loves) while keeping the groove intact is a significant part of the mastery.

And yes, Stevie played all the instruments.

"Watch 'Classic Albums - Aja' by Steely Dan. Yeah, Fagen and Becker a couple of douchebags but the studio musicians are amazing.
Very intersting DVD."

That show made me a Steely Dan fan.

Best part is Bernard Purdie laying down the Purdie shuffle.
Drumming doesn't get better than that.

Where can I get a Clavinet?

steve_s
Yeah, I dug that, especially the part with Larry Carlton. I'm a big Carlton fan.

Stevie Wonder is epic.

chickyraptor: How does one get hold of a master tape like that?
He slipped it into his coat while Stevie wasn't looking.

Stevie didn't see what you did there, but I did. oO

Looks like Logic, not ProTools.

I thought this was awesome.

Gotta get some Stevie Wonder now and get the funk out of here!

ultimate_loser: LINE OUT is your friend when making an audio based video...

Amen, brother

torch: I'd hardly call it a dissection, even though the guy making the video does. He plays all the tracks back at more or less unity gain. If he'd soloed each track so you could hear the parts, then you might consider the D word.

THANK YOU

Stevie's tracks. Let us listen to each one, one at a time.

I agree with torch - solo those biatches. And while that track is good clav, I'd say Billy Preston's "Outta Space" from 1972 is better. That is imo the clavinet tune of all time. If you've never heard it, check it out. Unbelievably funky, it is.

The clavinet is the one instrument that can smack a guitar down. I guess the reason why it wasn't used more is that Stevie claimed it so authoritatively. How do you follow what HE did?