Inspired by this thread what were some studio recordings (not live) that were done in a single take? By that I mean no overdubbing, no adding background singers later, etc.
Of course part of the legend of “Louie Louie” was that it was done in a single take (and even the Kingsmen didn’t like what it sounded like) and supposedly Sinatra liked to do his recordings in one take (with a fair amount of rehearsal.) But those examples are from decades ago. Is there anything more recent?
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Michael Jackson did Billie Jean and all the backup vocals in one take.
I have also heard that Irene Cara was in a hurry and tossed off “Flashdance…What A Feeling” in one take.
Not a hit but may be of interest to the people this thread attracts: The band Goldfinger did a “live” album that was just them in the studio, playing the songs in real time and, I believe, in one take. It’s the perfect mix of that organic, spontaneous sound and studio quality. Does anybody know if any other bands have ever done this?
The Cure’s Greatest Hits is backed with a bonus cd of live studio recordings of the songs. I think they’re done largely acoustically but some of them sound amazing, very lively.
Funny coincidence, as Goldfinger covers The Cure on that album.
The Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout”, legendarily a first take (and without overdubs) at the end of long day of recording.
With what I know of modern recording technology, you’re not going to find too many of these unless you modify your definition of “hit.” I think Michelle Shocked’s first record was recorded on a Walkman in front of campfire.
“Cum on Feel the Noize” by Quiet Riot was recorded in one take. It was the record label’s idea for them to cover the Slade song, which the band hated, so they intentionally screwed around and tried to make the song sound as BAD as possible. As it turned out, they played so badly that the song ended up sounding pretty good. 
The songs on “The Trinity Sessions” album by Cowboy Junkies were recorded all in one take and with a single microphone. They “mixed” the sounds the old fashioned way by moving people closer or farther from the microphone.
I don’t know if “Sweet Jane” counts as a hit, but it should.
As I understand it, Randy Rhoads did the solo for Crazy Train in one take.
Also The entire Album, Texas Flood, was recorded from stop to finish in one long take, then they did it again, and the best of each song from each of the two sets was used. I haven’t heard of another band running through an entire album set like that non stop twice without redoing anything.
The vocal for “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley was recorded in one take, and apparently it was the first attempt. Not a bad effort. (Cite)
Don’t the White Stripes usually record their songs in one take?
Cliff Burton’s solo bass piece, “(Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth,” was recorded on the first take. On the recording itself you can hear a voice saying, “bass solo, take one” right before Cliff starts playing.
I think Martin Gore (Depeche Mode) sang “One Caress” in a single take, but I’m not sure.
Hmm. John Lennon’s “Instant Karma” was recorded the same day it was written and released as a single 10 days later, but I can’t find a cite that it was done in one take. Pretty quick turnaround nonetheless.
[quote=“Ichbin_Dubist, post:7, topic:472424”]
The Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout”, legendarily a first take (and without overdubs) at the end of long day of recording…
/QUOTE]
In his book “Here, There and Everywhere,” recording engineer Geoff Emrick says that the first recordings of the 4 lads from Liverpool were done “live.” By that he ment direct to two-track tape.
When they started to really sell records EMI spent more time and money on them.
I swear I remember having an early cassette of Kill 'Em All where that track was just called “Bass solo”. I remember thinking it was weird when I lost it and bought a new one and it was called (Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth. Does that ring a bell?
I’m like 99.99% positive that it was always called “(Anasthesia) Pulling Teeth” on Kill 'Em All. I do know that it was something he’d already been playing live for a while (in fact, I think it was a compilation of solos which he strung together as a single composition for the album), and I don’t think he bothered to give it a title until he recorded it, so is it possible you might have had a bootleg or something with an early, live recording of the piece, before it was titled?
I guess so, though I can’t imagine where I would’ve gotten it. I wouldn’t have known what a bootleg was at the time. There is a very small chance I’m misremembering, but I don’t think so. The memory of being surprised to see the title is very clear, as that was only about 10 or 12 years ago. The first tape was late '80s/early '90s, so my memory is a little more vague. It’s just one of those things I think of whenever I think of Kill 'Em All, so I thought I’d ask an oldschool Metallica fan to see if it rang any bells.
Maybe you just got used to hearing it introduced as “Bass solo” on the tape and never noticed it had an actual title on the tape case.