Manhattan Research, Inc.

Last updated
Manhattan Research, Inc.
ManhattanResearchIncCover.jpg
Compilation album by
Released2000
Recorded1953-1969
Genre Electronic, jingles, lounge
Length122 minutes
Label Basta Audio-Visuals
Producer Gert-Jan Blom and Jeff Winner
CompilerGert-Jan Blom
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg link
The A.V. Club (favorable) March 29, 2002
PopMatters Best of 2000 list
Salon.com (favorable) June 13, 2000

Manhattan Research, Inc. is a two-CD compilation of electronic music created by the musician, composer and inventor, Raymond Scott and his company, "Manhattan Research Inc." Posthumously released in 2000 by Basta Music of the Netherlands, the album contains selected samples of Scott's work from the 1950s and 1960s for film soundtracks, commercials, and for his own technical and musical experiments. The synthesizers, sequencers, and drum-machines used were designed and constructed by Raymond Scott.

Contents

Background

Scott would often describe Manhattan Research, Inc. as "More than a think factory - a dream center where the excitement of tomorrow is made available today." [1] The material, while never intended for commercial release, [2] provides insight into Scott's work. Included among the tracks on the album are commercials for companies such as Ford Motor and IBM, a humorous "Audio Logo" collage entitled "Don't Beat Your Wife Every Night!", and various collaborations with Jim Henson (of Muppets fame). The album features a number of Scott's inventions including the Clavivox keyboard, Circle Machine, Bass Line Generator, Rhythm Modulator, Karloff, Bandito the Bongo Artist, and the auto-composing Electronium.

Much of the audio selections, as well as the images for the accompanying 144-page book, were culled from the University of Missouri Kansas City's extensive collection of Raymond Scott material. Album producers Gert-Jan Blom and Jeff Winner worked with several of the university's staff in choosing material for the project. [3] During the process, the two producers were impressed by the quality and fidelity of the recordings, despite being some thirty to forty years old. Due to Scott's meticulous attention to detail, "They were so well recorded that almost no audio correction was necessary during the mastering" of the album." [2] In the CD notes, Blom & Winner write, "Scott sought to master all aspects of sound capture and manipulation. His special interest in the technical aspects of recording, combined with the state-of-the-art facilities at his disposal, provided him with enormous hands-on experience as an engineer." [2]

Track listing

Disc one

  1. Manhattan Research, Inc. Copyright (0:11, c. 1959)
  2. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. (Instrumental, Take 4) (1:14, c. 1959)
  3. Bendix 1: "The Tomorrow People" (1:06, c. 1963)
  4. Lightworks (1:52, c. 1959)
  5. The Bass-line Generator (3:10, c. 1965)
  6. "Don't Beat Your Wife Every Night!" (1:44, c. 1961)
  7. "B.C. 1675" (The "Gillette" Conga Drum Jingle) (3:16, c. 1957)
  8. Vim (0:59, c. 1960)
  9. Auto-Lite: Sta-Ful (Instrumental) (0:47, c. 1961)
  10. Sprite: "Melonball Bounce" (Instrumental) (1:01, c. 1963)
  11. Sprite: "Melonball Bounce" (1:01, c. 1963)
  12. Wheels That Go (0:50, c. 1967)
  13. Limbo: The Organized Mind (4:33, c. 1966)
  14. "Portofino" 1 (2:13, c. 1962)
  15. County Fair (1:01, c. 1962)
  16. Lady Gaylord (1:02, c. 1964)
  17. Good Air (Take 7) (0:38, 1953)
  18. IBM MT/ST: The Paperwork Explosion (1967, c. 4:31)
  19. Domino (0:33, c. 1959)
  20. Super Cheer (0:34, c. 1963)
  21. Cheer: Revision 3 (New Backgrounds) (0:39, c. 1963)
  22. "Twilight in Turkey" (1:32, c. 1967)
  23. Raymond Scott Quote / Vicks: Medicated Cough Drops (1:34, c. 1960)
    • Vocal by Dorothy Collins
  24. Vicks: Formula 44 (0:46, c. 1964)
  25. Auto-Lite: Spark Plugs (1:00, c. 1961)
  26. Nescafé (1960, c. 1:06)
  27. Awake (0:35, c. 1959)
  28. "Backwards Overload" (6:04, c. 1968)
  29. Bufferin: "Memories" (Original) (0:59, 1967)
    • Narrated by Jim Henson
  30. Bandito the Bongo Artist (1:30, c. 1959)
  31. "Night and Day" (Cole Porter) (1:45, c. 1968)
  32. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. ("395") (1:07, c. 1959)
  33. K2r (0:19, c. 1962)
  34. IBM Probe (1:56, c. 1962)
  35. GMGM 1A (1:49, c. 1963)
  36. The Rhythm Modulator (3:37, c. 1954)

Disc two

  1. Ohio Plus (0:17, c. 1967)
  2. "In the Hall of the Mountain Queen" (0:49, c. 1967)
  3. General Motors: Futurama (1:04, c. 1964)
  4. "Portofino" 2 (2:14, c. 1962)
  5. "The Wild Piece" (a.k.a. "String Piece") (4:07, c. 1969)
  6. "Take Me to Your Violin Teacher" (1:40, c. 1969)
  7. Ripples (Original Soundtrack) (0:59, c. 1967)
  8. Cyclic Bit (1:04, c. 1959)
  9. Ripples (Montage) (4:06, c. 1966)
  10. The Wing Thing (1:00, c. 1963)
  11. County Fair (Instrumental) (1:00, c. 1962)
  12. "Cindy Electronium" (1:59, c. 1959)
  13. "Don't Beat Your Wife Every Night!" (Instrumental) (1:45, c. 1961)
  14. Hostess: Twinkies (0:32, c. 1963)
  15. Hostess: Twinkies (Instrumental) (0:32, c. 1963)
  16. Ohio Bell: Thermo Fax (0:24, c. 1960)
  17. "The Pygmy Taxi Corporation" (7:11, c. 1969)
  18. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. (Announce Copy, Take 1) (0:29, c. 1959)
  19. Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. (0:44, c. 1959)
  20. Lightworks (Slow) (1:40, c. 1959)
  21. The Paperwork Explosion (Instrumental) (3:30, c. 1962)
  22. Auto-Lite: Ford Family (1:03, c. 1961)
  23. Auto-Lite: Ford Family (Instrumental) (0:54, c. 1961)
  24. Raymond Scott Quote / Auto-Lite: "Wheels" (1:50, 1961)
  25. Bufferin: "Memories" (Demo) (0:44, c. 1967)
    • Narrated by Jim Henson
  26. "Space Mystery" (Montage) (5:11, c. 1963)
  27. "The Toy Trumpet" (2:15, c. 1967)
  28. "Backwards Beeps" (1:05, c. 1967)
  29. Raymond Scott Quote / Auto-Lite: Sta-Ful (1:36, c. 1961)
  30. Lightworks (Instrumental) (1:29, c. 1959)
  31. "When Will It End?" (3:14, c. 1967)
  32. Bendix 2: "The Tomorrow People" (1:03, c. 1963)
  33. Electronic Audio Logos, Inc. (5:23, c. 1959)

Notes

  1. Chusid, Irwin (2000). Manhattan Research Inc (CD book). Raymond Scott. Holland: Basta Audio/Visuals. p. 03.
  2. 1 2 3 Blom, Gert-Jan & Jeff Winner (2000). Manhattan Research Inc (CD book). Raymond Scott. Holland: Basta Audio/Visuals. p. 108.
  3. "Manhattan Research Inc. - Resurrecting a 20th Century Musical Giant: The Electronic Music of Raymond Scott". University of Missouri Kansas City Libraries. 2007-12-07. Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2008-01-11.

Related Research Articles

Raymond Scott American composer, bandleader, pianist, record producer and inventor (1908–1994)

Raymond Scott was an American composer, band leader, pianist, record producer, and inventor of electronic instruments.

Jerome Richardson was an American jazz musician, tenor saxophonist, and flute player, who also played soprano sax, alto sax, baritone sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, alto flute and piccolo. He played with Charles Mingus, Lionel Hampton, Billy Eckstine the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, Kenny Burrell, and later with Earl Hines' small band.

ArmaLite AR-15 Type of assault rifle

The ArmaLite AR-15 is a select-fire, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifle manufactured in the United States between 1959 and 1964, and adopted by the United States Armed Forces as the M16 rifle. Designed by American gun manufacturer ArmaLite in 1956, it was based on its AR-10 rifle. The ArmaLite AR-15 was designed to be a lightweight rifle and to fire a new high-velocity, lightweight, small-caliber cartridge to allow infantrymen to carry more ammunition.

Jimmy Cobb American jazz drummer

Wilbur James Cobb was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. At the time of his death, he had been the band's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2009.

"Hey There" is a show tune from the musical play The Pajama Game, written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. It was published in 1954. It was introduced by John Raitt in the original production. In the show, Sid sings it to a recording device, telling himself that he's foolish to continue his advances to Babe. He plays the tape back, and after responding to his own comments, sings a duet with himself.

WLIF Radio station in Baltimore, Maryland

WLIF is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. Its studios are located on Clarkview Road in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, while its broadcast tower is located near Loch Raven Reservoir near Towson. at.

A Taste of Honey (song)

"A Taste of Honey" is a pop standard written by Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow. It was originally an instrumental track written for the 1960 Broadway version of the 1958 British play A Taste of Honey. Both the original and a later recording by Herb Alpert in 1965 earned the song four Grammy Awards. A vocal version of the song—first recorded by Billy Dee Williams, and then recorded very successfully by Lenny Welch in the summer of 1962—was also recorded by the Beatles for their first album in 1963. Barbra Streisand performed the song as part of her cabaret act during 1962, and recorded it in January 1963 for her debut album The Barbra Streisand Album on Columbia, which won a Grammy for Album of the Year (1963).

Sander Lloyd Nelson is an American drummer. Nelson, one of the best-known rock drummers of the early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and was a session drummer on many other well-known hits, and released over 30 albums. He lives in Boulder City, Nevada, and continues to experiment with music on keyboards and piano.

The Manhattan Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race raced annually at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. It is named for Manhattan, the principal borough of the City of New York. Currently offering a purse of $1,000,000, the Grade I Manhattan Handicap is open to 4-year-olds & up, and is run on turf over the classic distance of 1+14 miles.

George Duvivier

George Duvivier was an American jazz double-bassist.

Melba Liston American jazz trombonist, musical arranger, and composer

Melba Doretta Liston was an American jazz trombonist, arranger, and composer. Other than those playing in all-female bands she was the first woman trombonist to play in big bands during the 1940s and 1960s, but as her career progressed she became better known as an arranger, particularly in partnership with pianist Randy Weston. Other major artists with whom she worked include Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, John Coltrane and Count Basie.

"Like Someone in Love" is a popular song composed in 1944 by Jimmy Van Heusen, with lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was written for the 1944 film Belle of the Yukon, where it was sung by Dinah Shore. It was a hit for Bing Crosby in March 1945, reaching #15, and has since become a jazz standard.

<i>Soothing Sounds for Baby</i> 1962 box set by Raymond Scott

Soothing Sounds for Baby (1962) is a three-volume set of ambient electronic music by American composer, musician, and inventor Raymond Scott. Scott originally intended to lull infants to sleep with the music, but later generations have found value in the music for its minimalist aspects, often comparing it to the works of Brian Eno, Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream despite having predated such artists by more than a decade.

Robert Northern, known professionally as Brother Ah, was an American jazz French hornist.

Tom McIntosh

Thomas S. McIntosh was an American jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, and conductor.

The Beau Hunks are a Dutch revivalist music ensemble who have performed and recorded the vintage works of composers Leroy Shield, Marvin Hatley, Raymond Scott, Edward MacDowell, Ferde Grofé, and others. They have been referred to as a "documentary orchestra", because they perform note-perfect renditions of music which is obscure and often commercially unavailable. For some projects for which no sheet music was known to exist, they had to reconstruct charts from original recordings extracted from films.

Ron Foster (actor) American actor

Ronald R. Foster was an American actor.

Sylvia La Torre, known as "The Queen of Kundiman", is a Filipina singer, actress, and radio star. La Torre is the daughter of Filipino artist Leonora Reyes and director Olive La Torre. She is the mother of actor Bernie Pérez and actress Cheche. She is also the grandmother of actress Sarita Pérez de Tagle, and actress and singer Anna Maria Perez de Tagle, for whom she was an early singing coach.

The Electronium, created by Raymond Scott, is an early combined electronic synthesizer and algorithmic composition / generative music machine.

Julia Meade

Julia Meade Kunz was an American film and stage actress who was a frequent pitch person in live commercials in the early days of television in the 1950s.