Because 45s were geared for radio, they were all 'middle,' and you couldn't cut a lot of [bass] onto the record, the twelve inch record allowed more bass and made records suitable for night club play. The first promotional copies appeared in 1975 and the first commercial release was the 1976 release 'Ten Percent' by Double Exposure, on the Salsoul label. If you follow the next link you will see a list of essential twelve inch disco recordings Next "OK, Well - You have to remember something - so many great ideas are accidents... I mean - I thought it [the 12" single]
was a great idea AFTER the fact.
You see, this is going back now to the early 70's, when I first started I took my records to Media Sound to master.
Tom continues; "So, the thing is - one day I went in there to José - José Rodriguez - and I had "I'll be holding
on" by Al Downing and I said; "José, I could really need some acetates." And he said; "Just Tom, I don't have any
more 7" blanks. All I have is like the 10"." And I said; "Well, if that's the only thing - we're gonna do it, what difference
does it make?". So he cut one, I said; "It looks so ridiculous, this little tiny band on this huge thing. What happens if we
just like... can we just like, you know, make it bigger?". He goes; "You mean, like spread the grooves?" and I said; "Yeah!". He goes; "Then I've got to rise the level." I said; "Well, Go ahead - rise the level." And so he cut it like at +6. Oh, when I heard it I almost died. I said; "Oh my God, It's so much louder and listen to it. Oh! I like that - why don't we cut a few more?". So it was by accident, that's how it was created.
But for the next song we cut, we went for the 12" format instead of the 10" and the song was "So much for love" by Moment
of Truth. That was the birth of the 12" single.
--Tom Moulton
Tom Moulton's concepts singlehandedly created a new industry of remixing--producing records with greater dance impact. He leapfrogged Philadelphia sonics by rebalancing the frequency range, extending the high frequencies much further than Motown ever did. "Because 45s were geared for radio, they were all 'middle,' and you couldn't cut a lot of [bass] onto the record. A lot of records didn't have the fidelity and sounded terrible. But you were playing them for the songs, not the fidelity."
That regard for the integrity of a song also guided Moulton in the studio. He not only sharpened sound for high-volume nightclub play, but he also restructured records, setting up hooks and repeating the best parts, greatly amplifying the original song scheme's tension and release. He'd tweak levels obsessively all through the record--effectively rephrasing a track or vocal by hitting the volume control--when he felt it would increase intensity. "I was so wired into the song. They thought I was crazy. But you go for the blood and guts, the thing that really counts in a song." Moulton's hook might be a mistake by the players, and he points out that the insane sonic power of "Disco Inferno" happened when he was compensating for a console that was set up wrong. Repeatedly--with the simple woodblock in "More, More, More (Part 1)," in the strong but never overdone pop pump of "Instant Replay"-- Moulton made good records stronger. His blueprint has been used thousands of times over.
Moulton worked in promotion for Scepter Records, and mixed DCA Productions' "Dream World" by Don Downing for the label. In 1974, when DCA called him to work on Gloria Gaynor's first album, he made history. Never Can Say Goodbye featured a side-long medley of three long songs segued together. Meco Monardo says it was "a revelation" when Moulton extended three-minute songs to more than six by lengthening the instrumental. But Moulton knew by instinct that this would intensify and modulate the impact of a song or a series of songs: "You start here [he points down], and go allll the way up." Incredibly, Moulton's credit does not appear on the album because of a potential conflict: he'd by then launched the first music trade-paper column on the scene, "Disco Mix," in Billboard.
Like everything else in disco, formula set into remixing, but it wasn't Moulton's fault. He often critiqued remixers for making music into a DJ tool, instead of mixing to maximize the original intent of a song. He used drum breaks, for example, as transitions within a song, to set up an emotional rush with the return of the rest of the music, or when key changes made a break necessary to create dramatic structure--not merely because drum breaks made it easier for a DJ to mix in or out of a record. "People have said, 'You make disco records,' and I said: 'Wrong. I make records you can dance to.' I wouldn't know how to make a record just for discos." source: http://www.rhino.com/features/liners/75595lin7.html
By Al Bottcher
1974: extended seven inch records, promo copies
1975: extended twelve inch records, promo copies,
1976: Salsoul releases first commercially available 12 inch record
As dance music enters it's Third Decade one thing remains constant through these years of various music styles, "The Beat, The Beat, The Beat"! Delivering up The Beat over these past decades is the humble 12-inch single. This Vinyl Wonder offers both Durability & Superior Sound Quality. Best of all it features Previously Unavailable Mixes for both DJ's & Music collectors for this Unique Single. Today the 12-inch single remains a fixture in the Pop & Dance Music Scene throughout the World, yet it's introduction to music is a still rather a Recent one!
The innovation of the U.S.A. 12-inch single was originally created by a few small record companies and by the disc jockey's desire to offer the music fan a longer dance version in the disco nightclubs. Many 7-inch singles in the early 70's averaged a mere three minutes long, hardly enough time for the patrons to get out of their chair and hit the dance floor! So a few D.J.'s conceived a longer mix by meshing two 7-inch singles of the same song together "live" on their turntables to lengthen their patron's favorite song, and of course without missing a beat!
One notable DJ in this pioneering mixing innovation was Tom Moulton. Many Collectors may know his name from the hundreds of great disco mixes he produced on 7-inch single in the 1975-76 Era highlighting "A Tom Moulton Mix"!
Although many D.J.'s aspired to perfect his mixing methods & style, few succeeded on a nightly basis. When record promoters became aware of this inconsistency, they worked together with the Best Mixing D.J.'s to solve this problem.
Record labels required a "Special Tool" to showcase their new single or lp release. These longer mixes gave their recording artist more play time in the clubs. The Job Requirement of these early remixers was to create "longer intro's & the break beat" in the middle or end of the song acting as a mix-out point for club DJ's. Many were remixed "live (record to record)" without compromising the original sound & song structure. As successful as these DJ's were, many record labels unfortunately failed to recognize the mixers importance in these final production stages, and as a result they were not credited on the label.
Debuting in late 1974 the original "extended mix single" first appeared as a U.S.A. promotional Only 7-inch single. It proved to be a Great Addition to the D.J.'s Musical Arsenal, as well as an instant sale for the shorter commercial release available in the record store! Although very few "7-inch extended mix" titles were ever commercially released, the sound fidelity of the 33-1/3 or 45 rpm single was inferior and picked up many of the imperfections in the vinyl pressing.
So in the early 1975 the nightclub DJ's rallied a few small record labels and recording engineers to make up Test Pressings of these special mixes on a 12-inch vinyl single for their superior Audio Fidelity. These Rare Promotional Only Blank Label Pressings became very popular with DJ's! At the same time the Dance Music Fan's desire to purchase these Special Extended Mixes heard the the night before created a Collector's Market, and soon commanded a High Value. A few DJ's quickly acknowledged this demand and offered these Special 45 RPM Disco Mixes along with other top hits of the day to Disco Music Fans in a Non-Stop Dance Mix on Bootleg 8-track and Cassette Tapes to the frustration of the original record label. Many record companies countered these bootleg tapes by releasing some of these same Promotional Only Extended Mixes on Compilation LP's, sometimes in a non-stop mix to simulate A Night At The Disco. But often these special LP Releases came out several months after the song charted and had lost it's Initial Selling Potential.
One New York label envisioned offering these special 12-inch Limited Edition Pressings of their new artists release to the public and in early 1976 Salsoul Records began distributing them to Record Stores around the country at a List Price of $2.98. Many stores had expected Little Demand for this expensive "Dare To Be Different" single, but these oversized "Vinyl Hot Cakes" flew off the griddle and the rest they say is Dance Music History!
As the Disco Sound & Lifestyle hit full speed in 1977 many New Disco Releases followed from both large and small record labels giving the Best Mixing DJ's the opportunity to create a name for themselves though the Special Mixes they crafted, also adding their Personal Style to these club hits. Most notable in this era was Jim Burgess, Larry Levan, Jimmy Simpson, John Luongo, David Todd, Walter Gibbons, Rick Gianatos, Richie Rivera and of course Tom Moulton. Where as most Remixers had been previously involved in the post production phase of a single release, the succes of these DJ's Remix Style & Sound found many record labels consulting first with the mixer before actually releasing the 7-inch single or LP track. Also during this time the DJ's involvement shifted from the "Live" mixing method to the more technical In-Studio Remixing or splicing of the master tape. The Mixer's job now not only required his Creative Vision, but also the Technical Ability in the studio for these Special Mixes. The Record Speed Standard was also slowed to 33-1/3 rpm as the original master tapes offered Studio Quality 12-inch Productions.
Although these 1976-78 Limited Edition 12-inch Single Pressings were originally designed to sell LP's, most didn't and they would often times out sell the LP release. This forced many major labels to change their 12-inch single release programs and offer only occasional Limited Edition Commercial Pressings. A practice that continued throughout the Disco, Funk and New Wave Era's. As a result Many of the Most Desired Titles prior to 1983 were released as Promotional Only Copies featuring Special Mixes for Radio Station or Nightclub Use only. Throughout the "Disco is Dead" period of 1980-83 New Music Styles brought 12-inch releases in the U.S.A. to a trickle from major record labels. However a few small Independent Dance Labels such as Prelude, Salsoul and West End continued their 70's Disco Succes well into the early 80's offering many Dance Classic Hits on 12-inch single only, and serving notice to all the major labels that Dance Music was Still Alive and Well!
This new Resurgence of Dance Music in 1983 allowed many New Artists Releases on U.S.A. major record labels to be sold once again commercially. Now offering these otherwise Unavailable Special Mixes and Non-LP tracks in a Special Limited Edition 12-inch Release to collectors of All Music Genres!!!
Now some 20 Years After its introduction the 12-inch single still offers a "Dare To Be Different" approach for Pop, Rock and Dance Music Fans throughout the world!
Though the music has changed often in style, "the Beat" and "Special Tool" remain the same today offering Multiple Mixes featuring 3-16 remix versions on a single, double, & triple 12-inch single set to fill the DJ's Arsenal of Pop, Techno, & House Dance Music as featured in the clubs each night! The many Promotional Only Mixes give the DJ's Something Special to Highlight as he leads us on his Personal Journey into the World of Dance Music. All of which keeps the Dance Music Collector rushing off to the local record store seeking our latest passion. And The Beat Goes On!
Today Remixers have become Larger Than Life to both club DJ's and collectors alike. Their talented insight for a Good Groove, Mixing Style & Trend Setting Post Production Skills have given 80's mixers Arthur Baker, John "Jellybean" Benitez, Shep Pettibone, David Morales, Steve "Silk" Hurley and Robert Cliviles (C + C Music Factory) the opportunity to produce their musical visions for our dancing pleasure. A few have taken it a step further by touring night clubs as DJ Superstars, playing night after night displaying their amazing mixing techniques to S.R.O. audiences throughout the world. Their ability to sell records on Mixing Styles alone without regard to the original recording artist note their status in both the dance community & musical industry today. Yet all would not exist without the early Disco Mix Innovations that made it all possible through One Mans Pioneering Efforts and Vision. Tom Moulton, the Dance Music World Salutes You!
Al Bottcher Beach Bum Collectables
The above text is copyrighted by Al Bottcher and appears here without his kind permission. However, I hope he will understand. Al has been involved with Disco Music since its beginning in 1974 and currently operates Beach Bum Collectibles which specializes in selling Classic Disco & Dance records.