Lead Sheets vs Demo Recordings

[LarryWhitler]

When I was much younger I made extra money by doing lead sheets for a successful record producer in Beverly Hills. (I was paid $35 per lead sheet. This was in 1977. My main job was at a beach-side pizza place in Santa Monica so, as you can imagine, an extra $35 now and then was a great blessing.)

Anyway, the reason the producer wanted lead sheets instead of songwriter demo recordings was because he didn't want the artist to be influenced by the genre of the songwriter or the genre of the production on the demo recording.

Ultimately, I would turn in the finished lead sheet and the recording artist would get notes, chords, and words. The song was then interpreted by the artist and the studio musicians working the session. (These were not my own songs, by the way. I was simply a transcriber.) Nothing on the pages I turned in indicated genre. The genre of the finished recording would be that of the artist and producer.

I always heard the demo cassettes because that's how I made the lead sheets. The genre of the demo could be country, or pop, or "difficult to label" and then the finished recording was usually along the lines of the Top 40 of the day.

My observation today is that producers looking for songs seem to want demos that match the genre of their artist. An interesting shift. I'm wondering if any of you record your songs a few different times with a variety of genres or does anyone ever have a producer that likes your song and simply wants a lead sheet.

I'm enjoying the relationships that I'm developing with many here on Taxi. Taxi is a real blessing.

Thanks for reading. - Larry Whitler

[elser]

I'll fairly frequently record a song in different styles. A great song is a great song regardless of style. I'm not sure why producers these days aren't willing to take the time to reimagine a song in a unique way but it definitely is the trend. I guess that puts the bulk of the creativity in our corner, which is just fine by me.

[mojobone]

I love to take cover songs and re-imagine them. This one time, in band camp, I re-imagined Imagine.

[elser]

I love to take cover songs and re-imagine them. This one time, in band camp, I re-imagined Imagine.

[Paulie]

Lead sheets? What are those? Does anyone write music down anymore?

I love transcribing song forms, solos, chord progressions, etc. It's an amazing way to develop your ear and learn a genre. I've even charted out cues written by many Taxi members.

[mojobone]

OK, I'm keeding, lil' bit, but what Bette Midler did with Lennon's "In My Life", in the movie, "For The Boys", that's what I mean; re-contextualizing might be a better term.

Larry, I'd love to hear the demo tapes you transcribed and see a few transcriptions; it sounds like fascinating work. I usually have to work from a rough recording, it would be a treat to get lead sheets.

[elser]

OK, I'm keeding, lil' bit, but what Bette Midler did with Lennon's "In My Life", in the movie, "For The Boys", that's what I mean; re-contextualizing might be a better term.

Larry, I'd love to hear the demo tapes you transcribed and see a few transcriptions; it sounds like fascinating work. I usually have to work from a rough recording, it would be a treat to get lead sheets.

Perfect example. That song works so well in that movie, it gives it new meaning, and it's a great interpretation. A lot of people knock those of us who also do cover bands, and a lot of times you have to just stick with the original as it is, especially in a tribute band, and there's a discipline in that, as well as a learning experience; dissecting how they did it. But sometimes in the right context you can also bring something new to a song. I have hundreds of transcriptions of cover tunes I've played over the years and when one of those tunes comes up in a new situation I'll usually go to the chart before going to the recording, hoping that I'll find a fresh way to play it.

[joyfrost]

I love to take cover songs and re-imagine them. This one time, in band camp, I re-imagined Imagine.

Did you play it with your flute?

[lesmac]

mojobone wrote:
I love to take cover songs and re-imagine them. This one time, in band camp, I re-imagined Imagine.


Did you play it with your flute?

Good call, our Mojo mate left himself wide open for that one

[cosmicdolphin]

mojobone wrote:
I love to take cover songs and re-imagine them. This one time, in band camp, I re-imagined Imagine.


Did you play it with your flute?

Good call, our Mojo mate left himself wide open for that one

The cat is well and truly out of the bag....