Can you hear it?

[Deleted member 92621]

As I have been learning how to listen and also because I now have more sensitive speakers, I've heard things in songs that probably shouldn't be in the song.

I'm curious to know of more songs that have accidental sounds and if you can hear the examples other people provide on your own system.

I'll start with two examples.
1. In the Rebecca Pidgeon song Spanish Harlem someone drops something about 30 seconds into the song.

2. In the Brent Cobb song Southern Star, there's a twang in the right channel after the seventh opening drum beat.

 

[DVDdoug]

I don't know anything about those two songs, but yes, some songs are released with "defects".

Hopefully it doesn't detract from your music enjoyment!

There are some weird things in old Beatles recordings where analog tapes were spliced, etc. They were pushing the limits of what could be done with analog. And I think it's a Led Zeppelin song where the kick drum pedal squeaks. The squeak is super obvious so the producers must have decided that it was "cool".

In the digital era I would expect better quality control, except there are a lot of home studios...

because I now have more sensitive speakers

Also, headphones are often more "revealing" than speakers in a room.

 

[G|force]

One can clearly hear a squeaky pedal in Led Zeps Moby Dick. I'm pretty sure it's the hi hat.

 

[waofner]

As I have been learning how to listen and also because I now have more sensitive speakers, I've heard things in songs that probably shouldn't be in the song.

I'm curious to know of more songs that have accidental sounds and if you can hear the examples other people provide on your own system.

I'll start with two examples.
1. In the Rebecca Pidgeon song Spanish Harlem someone drops something about 30 seconds into the song.

2. In the Brent Cobb song Southern Star, there's a twang in the right channel after the seventh opening drum beat.

Spanish Harlem: 21 seconds in. at least with Qobuz, right speaker

 

[somebodyelse]

There's some discussion about what to do with mistakes in classics when remixing them here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/people/steven-wilson-remixing-classic-albums

 

[Deleted member 92621]

There's some discussion about what to do with mistakes in classics when remixing them here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/people/steven-wilson-remixing-classic-albums

That was a cool read.

Many years ago (like 30, eeeh, that's a lot) I got to tour Digital Audio Disc Corp in beautiful, scenic Terre Haute, IN. They had a studio where they gave masters one last check before committing them to production. Sounds that shouldn't be there was one of the things they mentioned listening for

 

[Deleted member 92621]

No specific song, but I'm convinced all jazz groups must have someone in the band who hums or sings along to every song

 

[olds1959special]

I can hear the guitarist's tube amp buzzing in an Amy Winehouse song.

 

[DanielT]

The butt chord. When Sting sits down on the piano and then lets it be in the song, Roxanne:

In the intro, you can hear David Gilmour clearing his throat:

 

[Nopiano]

No specific song, but I'm convinced all jazz groups must have someone in the band who hums or sings along to every song

Many orchestral conductors do too, and quite a few soloists as well. It’s all part of being a musician and adds to the ‘live’ experience!

 

[AndyBell]

In the intro, you can hear David Gilmour clearing his throat:

I heard that, when he heard the cough on the playback, he gave up smoking as a result. And left the cough in, anyway.

Genesis, Behind The Lines, on the Duke album, has a bum keyboard note towards the end of the extended musical intro. Sounds like one of Tony’s fingers brushed a key by accident. They’ve not corrected it in any remix.

 

[Soandso]

The Kingsmen band's (1963) record of "Louie Louie" was banned from radio for dirty lyrics. The band had a hectic performance schedule and went into the recording studio exhausted. Into the set their drummer either dropped his sticks or clacked them together and he reflexively swore. The drums were not directly mic-ed and studio recording personal apparently didn't hear it. They just told the band that the "Louie Louie" take was good and to proceed to their next song. Censors got suspicious and by slowing the record's playing speed picked up the drummer's swear word in the background.

 

[Barrelhouse Solly]

Of course there's most every Glenn Gould recording with the sound of his chair and his various vocal emissions.

 

[Mart68]

Neil Young bumps the mic stand at least a couple of times on 'Tonight's The Night'. I forget which tune it happens on.

Can't say I ever noticed it until I read about it then listened for it. It is a pretty ramshackle recording anyway, but that's part of why it's good.

 

[Deleted member 92621]

I can hear the guitarist's tube amp buzzing in an Amy Winehouse song.

Norah Jones - Light as a Feather, you can hear the guitarist amp hum through a tin can and a string. It is so loud it must be intentional

 

[sonitus mirus]

In Apple Music, I hear the anomaly, which sounds like a natural sound of a percussion or other sound from a tap or strike on an instrument body captured by the recording microphone. It is not unusual, and it was included in at least two masters, but at different time stamps, which could indicate it is intentionally part of the song.

The one I suspect you are hearing, which is far less present, yet still obvious, is from some compilation album titled The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings, and Rebecca Pidgeon's track is the the first one.

To me, the original recording was remastered, and the hard tick, not sure what created the sound, was identified and significantly reduced.

It can also be heard at 21 seconds into this version of the song, also a Chesky Records creation.

The odd sound is after the lyrics "a red rose up in Spanish Harlem....CLICK!"

Even though this sound can be heard at 29 seconds or 21 seconds, depending on the version, the recorded audio section appears to be the same. And the fact that it is EASILY identified on the most basic YouTube video suggests that it was always present on your system, but you just caught it now.

 

[Deleted member 92621]

Alabama Shakes - Sound & Color, I think it is a metronome you can hear throughout the song.

 

[wadude]

One can clearly hear a squeaky pedal in Led Zeps Moby Dick. I'm pretty sure it's the hi hat.

Could be the hi hat. Ludwig Speed King bass drum pedals are/were famous for squeaks. James Brown’s Live at the Apollo is a fine album featuring that squeak.