early disco strings

[princefan3]

when i listen to a lot of early disco ...studio 54 stuff i can hear what i think are violins being used in big string builds to the songs.

is this for sure...? as it must have cost a lot to produce in the recording studios.

[meatballfulton]

A common recording trick was to hire a string quartet (2 violins, viola and cello) and overdub them to get the sound of a larger section.

But, yes it was real strings, real everything in fact. It wasn't until disco mutated into house that everything went electronic. Donna Summer with Giorgio was the exception not the rule.

[princefan3]

Ruddy heck who had all the money for all that....the patience and the ideas of what they wanted from them.

i love the early stuff...so basic.... but still gets you on the dance floor.

[meatballfulton]

You're kidding, right?

Patience wasn't part of it, session musicians get paid to play it right the first time. An arranger would write out the parts and the musicians would sight read them, typically for union scale.

Boy, this makes me feel old

[princefan3]

Ha Ha meatball....tell me you were not one of the session musicians..

[meatballfulton]

Not in the disco days but I have done a few sessions over the years on bass.