Les Fradkin
Encyclopedia
Les Fradkin is a guitarist
, keyboardist, songwriter
, composer
and record producer
. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania
. In addition to playing guitar, he plays 12 String Guitar, the Starr Labs
Ztar, Guitar Synthesizer, SynthAxe
, Hammond Organ
, Mellotron
, Piano
, Bass Guitar
and Moog Synthesizer
.
and raised in Riverdale
in the Bronx. He travelled extensively in Europe
, the United Kingdom
and the Caribbean
as a youngster. He began his musical education at the age of 10 being taught the basics of classical piano
from his mother, a former concert pianist. Inspired by seeing The Beatles
on "The Ed Sullivan Show
" and hearing "Walk Don't Run '64" by The Ventures
on the radio at the age of 13, he began to teach himself guitar. Other music that inspired him ranged from the British Invasion
sounds of the day to American rock acts such as The Byrds
, The Beach Boys
, Bob Dylan
and Frank Zappa
. But what most held his interest and fascination was the art of record production. He was particularly interested in how producers such as Les Paul
, Joe Meek
and Phil Spector
got their sounds and, in 1966, began tape experiments with Sound on Sound
with a Panasonic
tape recorder he received as a birthday gift. By 1968, he could edit, splice and overdub complex recordings at home. By 1969, he had written a large portfolio of original pop and rock songs and was proficient on guitar, bass guitar, Hammond organ and piano. He turned professional that year and signed a staff songwriting contract with April-Blackwood Music, a division of CBS
. This situation did not work out to either April's or Fradkin's satisfaction and April Music gave him his release in early 1970.
in August 1970 and signed a staff songwriter agreement with Leo Feist Music and a recording contract with the new MGM/Sunflower Records
label headed up by songwriting legend Mack David
and industry veteran Danny Kessler. Fradkin signed as the first artist for Sunflower Records and debuted his first solo single "Song of a Thousand Voices" which was produced by Randy Edelman
. Given front page coverage in Billboard Magazine and picked for the Top 40, "Song of a Thousand Voices" surfaced as a regional hit in September 1970. By October 1970, he co-produced, co-wrote and sang another Sunflower regional hit single "Hippie Lady" b/w "Patty Cake" under the pseudonym "The Yummies". In early 1971, "Song of a Thousand Voices" was translated into French by Hubert Ithier and recorded by the French songstress Mireille Mathieu
as "La Chansons Des Souvenirs" for her "Love Story
" Extended Play single on the Philips
label. It was also released as a 45RPM single
. Both versions became substantial hits in France
, Germany
, Austria
, Switzerland
and Israel
. "Song of a Thousand Voices" has also been covered in a Spanish language hit version "Donde?" by Latin Pop star Roberto Jordan
originally released on the RCA Victor label.
pop group the Left Banke
, famous for their hit "Walk Away Renee
". Although left unreleased at the time, one song, "I Could Make It Last Forever," appears on Fradkin's 2006 release Goin' Back. A machima video of the song was produced and directed by Charlemagne Fezza and it appears on YouTube.
label. Fradkin produced many artists for Laurie including Mara Lynn Brown, Tom Selden, New Hope, Barry Winslow of The Royal Guardsmen
, actress Nell Carter
, chanteuse Valerie Tyler, pop stylist Barbara M. and a comedian Marty Brill, who released an LP called "The Missing Tapes". 22 singles and 4 albums for the Laurie label in all. But the most prolific artist he produced for Laurie and, perhaps, the most notable was the pop rock group, California. Fradkin was an original member/singer/guitarist/keyboardist for the California group on Laurie Records in the US and RCA Records
in the UK for its entire existence from 1973 through 1985. California had several chart records including the 1981 release "Summer Fun Medley"-a medley of Beach Boys hits, "Jeans On", "He's Almost You" (charting in the United Kingdom
) and an appearance on the Dick Clark American Bandstand
television show. And their single cover of "See You In September" saw honorary placement in the famous Laurie collectors series- "Collector Records Of The 50's and 60's-Vol. 14". Fradkin wrote many of the B-sides of California's singles and Steve Martin Caro
and George Cameron of The Left Banke
were original members of California on the group's early releases.
.
His production of "Give A Damn" by Paul Thornton (recorded at A-1 Sound Studios in New York City with Herb Abramson
and Jonathan Thayer as co-engineers), saw release on the 4th Godz album "Godzundheit" and Fradkin guested as bass player on a solo album by Godz member Jim McCarthy entitled "Alien". Steve Martin Caro and George Cameron, both of The Left Banke also participated in these sessions, all recorded at A-1. 1974 saw the debut album on ESP-Disk by Thornton, Fradkin & Unger. The group's other members were Paul Thornton, an original member of The Godz (NYC band) on acoustic guitar and Bob Unger, bassist. Their album was called "Pass On This Side" and featured cover art consisting of a "do-it-yourself" blank black cover with a die cut sheet of stickers that the consumer could arrange any way they pleased. The album received good reviews from Cash Box, Crawdaddy Magazine and several other publications. A 45RPM single was released- "God Bless California" which charted in Belgium and The Netherlands. Fradkin played the role of multi-instrumentalist
on the sessions with participation on lead vocals, 12-string guitar, mellotron, Hammond organ, mandolin and piano.Thornton, Fradkin & Unger toured that summer opening shows for the likes of Roger McGuinn
, Brewer & Shipley
, Richie Havens
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
and Livingston Taylor
. Fradkin played 12-string guitar and mellotron on these shows. The group's largest and most important appearance took place during the summer of 1974 at the Islip Speedway
Outdoor Festival. 10,000 fans attended the all day rock festival. The group disbanded in 1975. Fradkin returned to record production doing several projects for Mercury Records
along with his continuing role as a producer for Laurie Records.
and rose to worldwide fame as one of the four Original Cast members of Beatlemania, the hit Broadway show of the late 1970s. Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the life and music of The Beatles
. Advertised as "Not the Beatles, But an Incredible Simulation," it ran from 1977 to 1979 for a total of 1006 performances. The Beatlemania show marked the birth of the "Tribute Band
" industry and Fradkin was an integral part of the original four musicians who launched a musical trend that is still going strong today. Fradkin appeared in over 1000 performances as lead guitarist. The show debuted in Boston
at The Colonial Theatre
in April 1977 and opened for previews on May 26, 1977 at The Winter Garden Theater in New York City
. Quickly achieving sellout status without ever having an official "opening night", the Beatlemania band and the musical saw great success and worldwide publicity in Time Magazine, People Magazine, Us Magazine, Newsweek
and Rolling Stone Magazine. For the first six months, every ticket for the show was sold out. Fradkin was also featured in performances with Beatlemania at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
, Palace Theatre, New York
, The Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles, California
and The Pantages Theater (Hollywood) in Los Angeles
, California
and the Blackstone Theater (now the Merle Reskin Theatre
) in Chicago
, Illinois
. Fradkin performed with the show until its close on October 17, 1979. In a Weekend Update
segment of Saturday Night Live
, Dan Aykroyd
announced the debut of a new musical called "Beatlemaniamania," which he described as "not Beatlemania but an incredible simulation."
in 1978, the album received warm audience reaction even placing on the Billboard Hot 100
for several weeks before falling into vinyl obscurity. Tracks from the album included most but not all of the original show's songlist and several of the tracks were either re-recorded entirely or partially re-recorded in the studio. The four original Cast members that appear on the album included Mitch Weissman (Bass Guitar
, vocals
), Joe Pecorino (Rhythm Guitar
, vocals
), Les Fradkin (Lead Guitar
, vocals
) and Justin McNeill (drums
).
label. 1981 saw the release of the California singles "Summer Fun Medley" and 1982's "He's Almost You" which had chart success. By 1983, MIDI, a new interfacing technology for synthesizer
was introduced and Fradkin saw new possibilities for his music productions. In 1984, he turned to the Jingle and TV music industry and Guitar Synthesis as a new form of musical expression. In 1983, he took up the Guitar Synthesizer and has been a prime exponent of it ever since. He played the SynthAxe
, the Synclavier
and various Roland Corporation
GR Guitar Synthesizers over the years.
He pioneered the introduction of completely MIDI tapeless recording using the Yamaha
QX1 Digital Sequencer and the Synclavier
with the Synth Axe MIDI Guitar Controller and Yamaha DX7
and TX816 synthesizers in soap opera
music, and composed and programmed numerous successful jingles and movie soundtracks as well as many game show themes. He worked for Score Productions
and ABC
in New York City
and wrote national jingles for such products as Cheerios
, Campbell's Soup, Nestle's, Crisco
and American Express
, He was the first composer in New York City to record entirely "Direct-To-Disk" His sonic innovations at that time with Guitar Synthesizer and MIDI programming earned him great accolades in the TV music industry which soon established him with the nickname "Dr. MIDI."
1985 saw a Sutra Records guitar instrumental 12" single released of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Fradkin recorded this as a duo with synthesist Rob Hegel. The act was called Maddog. 3C Records
released the first all guitar synthesizer album: "California-Electric Swing" that year with Fradkin as producer, guitar synthesizer performer and synthesizer programmer
.
By 1989, Fradkin had programmed/composed/performed on over 50 national jingles and had 4 years of "One Life to Live
" soap opera music under his belt.
, Canada
, Iceland
and The Dominican Republic
. Most notably, the show, featuring Fradkin in his familiar lead guitarist role, played a successful week engagement in 1995 at The Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
, Nevada
. In 1993, ESP-Disk
signed a distribution deal with ZYX Music
of Merenberg
, Germany
to reissue its entire catalog. "Pass On This Side" saw reissue as "Godz Bless California" with the cover art, artist name and title changed without the artist's permission. Although this reissue series initially spurred a Godz reunion with Fradkin participating on guitar, the situation deteriorated and the reunion was quite brief with a show at NYC's The Bitter End
Cafe being the chief highlight for fans. Some new music was recorded during this period and several songs found their way onto later CD releases. By 1996, Fradkin relocated to Redondo Beach, California
where the Internet
provided a new direction for his musical efforts.
and formed his first independent record company known as Trackbytrack. Once again, Fradkin found himself at the center of the innovation tree as he developed a new take on the hitherto established Surf rock Guitar sound which proved a great critical and sales success. Releasing a self-produced CD eponymously titled "Get Wet", tunes such as "Body Surfin'", "Surfin' The Classics, Parts 1 & 2 and "Reverbia" reached mp3.com's #1 position 16 times and garnered over 230,000 downloads. The music showed a blend of several notable influences including The Ventures
, Dick Dale
, Jeff Beck
and various Classical music
influences including J.S. Bach, Mozart and Paganini. In 2001, a follow-up CD "A Day At The Beach" was released and had further success with three titles ("A Day At The Beach", "Hurricane Warning" and "The Bridge Across Forever") making the #1 slot on mp3.com
. Fradkin also made a short lived licensing deal with Renaissance Records to issue a CD entitled Paul Thornton & Les Fradkin- "Godzology" which featured archival unreleased material from past years from Thornton & Fradkin.
" and Fradkin 2000 Music. The first release on the new indie label was "Reality-The Rock Opera", a Les Fradkin solo CD. Fradkin expanded his multi-instrumentalist
concept and became a one man virtual orchestra on this release playing 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, Bass Guitar
, Hammond Organ
, Piano
, Mellotron
and Guitar Synthesizer. This was quickly followed by the reissue of the two Get Wet CDs repackaged and remastered for 24-bit fidelity. The two CDs were now titled: Les Fradkin & Get Wet- "Splash!" and Les Fradkin & Get Wet- "A Day At The Beach". Critical acclaim and sales quickly followed these releases. Robert Silverstein wrote liner notes to both CDs and 20th Century Guitar Magazine ran a feature article on Fradkin. In the U.K., New Gandy Dancer Instrumental Rock Magazine named "A Day At The Beach" its 2004 Album Of The Year.
lead guitarist of The Ventures
during LouieFest
in summer 2004 in Tacoma, Washington. Edwards brought Fradkin to the attention of The Ventures
who quickly signed him to an endorsement agreement with their new Wilson Bros. Ventures guitar line. In addition, Fradkin performed live with The Ventures
as 2nd Lead Guitarist at the Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah, Washington in October, 2004. Nokie Edwards
also recorded with Fradkin on several occasions and was a featured guest on his "While My Guitar Only Plays" CD.
entered the music marketplace during a time of declining compact disc
sales in the music industry in general. Fradkin decided to concentrate on the burgeoning download market through distribution with CD Baby
and this strategy paid off handsomely. By 2009, Fradkin had released 31 albums on his RRO Entertainment label, 20 of them as solo CDs - all titles available through worldwide download outlets such as Apple iTunes, Napster
, Rhapsody
and many others. Many singles from these CDs became popular Apple iTunes downloads. Some of the singles, (featuring Fradkin on vocals, Guitar
, Guitar Synthesizer and Mellotron
), including "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
", "My Baby Loves Lovin'", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
" (done as a melodramatic guitar instrumental), "My Sweet Lord
" (a cover of the George Harrison
smash hit featuring Richie Furay
on background vocals and acoustic guitar), "Have I The Right" (a cover of The Honeycombs
hit) and "You Were On My Mind
" (a cover of the famous hit by We Five
) became popular sellers on Apple's download service.
Fradkin's 2006 CD "If Your Memory Serves You Well" (a Tribute to Bob Dylan
) also scored with fans and his cover of "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
" a/k/a "The Mighty Quinn" sold well and received great critical acclaim. In particular, Fradkin exploited the absence of The Beatles
catalog on iTunes and released several successful download CDs of Beatles guitar Instrumental rock
("While My Guitar Only Plays" featuring Nokie Edwards
of The Ventures
, "Pepper Front To Back", "The White Single" and "Guitar Revolution") as well as two CDs of his vocal tribute to George Harrison's solo and Beatles material- "Something For George" and "Love You 2". Those sold especially well and established Fradkin as a prime exponent of Beatles cover material in the modern era.
In the surf rock market, Fradkin's 2 Get Wet reissues scored well with "Apache
" and "Good Vibrations
" seeing success. His 2006 production of "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon's Ghost rocked the iTunes
charts and brought RRO Entertainment a bona fide download hit single. He even recreated the backwards B-Side "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT."
Other artists on RRO included Venus In Bluejeans, Edison Lighthouse
, The Dirt Surfers and a 4 volume tribute to The Byrds
entitled "Timeless Flyte" with extensive liner notes by noted Byrds historian John Einerson and rock critic Eric Sorensen. Some of the artists on the "Timeless Flyte" project included Andrew Gold
, Bill Lloyd, Jefferey Foskett, The Kennedys
, The Shambles, Walter Egan
, Alice Stuart
, Bob Harris
, Bedsit Poets, Bill Kaffenberger, The Dixie Bee-Liners
, and Tony Poole of Starry Eyed and Laughing
. In 2008, he licensed the download rights for the CD Firefall
- "Colorado To Liverpool", a Beatles Tribute CD from Firefall
, stars of country rock.
In October 2008, RRO Entertainment released a You Tube video of his song "Everything Is Wrong" from his "Reality-The Rock Opera" CD. The financial crisis of America which was prophetically depicted in the lyric of "Everything Is Wrong" back in 2003, quickly found a worldwide audience of empathy and drove the download single of "Everything Is Wrong" to the top of Fradkin's best seller Apple iTunes list.
In May 2009, Fradkin released his 2nd album featuring Starr Labs
' Ztar entitled "Baroque Rocks!" Taking Baroque works by Handel
, Bach
and Antonio Vivaldi
(including The Four Seasons
) and applying rock treatments, Fradkin's classical influence came, most fully, to the fore with this release. "Baroque Rocks!" also featured a cover version for Ztar of the Mason Williams
instrumental "Classical Gas
" on which Fradkin performed the entire arrangement on the Starr Labs
Ztar and guitar synthesizer. This CD also features Fradkin's brand new arrangement for Canon in D. Fradkin performed the entire arrangement on the Starr Labs Ztar, which consists of a brand new melodic composition over the original Classical orchestral parts to yield a brand new work.
, chorus
, Delay (audio effect)
and reverb for his guitar sound.
He generally records his guitar parts in stereo
, often using a VG-8 Virtual Guitar System by Roland Corporation
in addition to the guitar's regular output signal. His main guitars for recording and performance work are the Fender Stratocaster
and Wilson Bros. Ventures guitars which are new Don Wilson designed variants of the Mosrite
guitars that The Ventures
endorsed in the 1960s. He favors a Rickenbacker 360/12
12-string electric for jangly tones. His use of Rickenbacker 12-String is especially prominent in his stint with "Beatlemania
" as well as some of his solo CD releases such as "Jangleholic", "Spirit Of Christmas", "If Your Memory Serves You Well", "Goin' Back" and "12".
His guitar parts are always recorded direct with amp simulators to keep noise to an absolute minimum and are usually double tracked. His guitar effects include the Janglebox
, Joe Meek
Compressor, and Vox
Tonelab. To construct his backing tracks, on which he usually plays all the instruments, he uses a Starr Labs
Ztar Z7s to control various MIDI synthesizers, the GForce M-Tron (a software instrument representation of a Mellotron
), the Vienna Symphonic Library
and drums. He handles bass parts with a Rickenbacker
Bass as well as the Ztar.
His production style is chiefly characterized by generous amounts of compression, loud recording levels and a dense sonic arrangement wall which many have compared favorably with the likes of Joe Meek
and Phil Spector
. Although he always records digitally with Digital Performer
, Ableton Live
, Apple Logic Pro
and the Roland Corporation
VSR-880, his sound is quite reminiscent of the warmth embodied in 1960s analog recording
technique.
In 2007, he acquired a Starr Labs
Ztar which revealed new possibilities for his guitar synthesizer technique with his 2008 releases of his popular cover of The Tornados
's "Telstar (song)
" and his 2008 full length CD One Link Between Them. Fradkin now has the ability to offer melody, rhythm, bass, looping, percussion and Ableton Live
clip cueing all live under his hands with the Ztar, making him, effectively, an electronic music
One Man Band.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, keyboardist, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania
Beatlemania (musical)
Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of The Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous Sixties...
. In addition to playing guitar, he plays 12 String Guitar, the Starr Labs
Starr Labs
Starr Labs is a Musical Instrument manufacturer that was founded in 1986 in San Diego, California by musician and inventor Harvey Starr. The company manufactures a diverse product line of MIDI interactive guitars, keyboards, percussion and unique music devices for professional musicians, semi-pro...
Ztar, Guitar Synthesizer, SynthAxe
SynthAxe
The SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
, Hammond Organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Bass Guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Moog Synthesizer
Moog synthesizer
Moog synthesizer may refer to any number of analog synthesizers designed by Dr. Robert Moog or manufactured by Moog Music, and is commonly used as a generic term for older-generation analog music synthesizers. The Moog company pioneered the commercial manufacture of modular voltage-controlled...
.
Early years
Fradkin was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and raised in Riverdale
Riverdale, Bronx
Riverdale is an affluent residential neighborhood in the northwest portion of the Bronx in New York City. Riverdale contains the northernmost point in New York City.-History:...
in the Bronx. He travelled extensively in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
as a youngster. He began his musical education at the age of 10 being taught the basics of classical piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
from his mother, a former concert pianist. Inspired by seeing The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
on "The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
" and hearing "Walk Don't Run '64" by The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
on the radio at the age of 13, he began to teach himself guitar. Other music that inspired him ranged from the British Invasion
British Invasion
The British Invasion is a term used to describe the large number of rock and roll, beat, rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the time period from 1964 through 1966.- Background :...
sounds of the day to American rock acts such as The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
. But what most held his interest and fascination was the art of record production. He was particularly interested in how producers such as Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
and Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
got their sounds and, in 1966, began tape experiments with Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound is an independently-owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, UK. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals...
with a Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
tape recorder he received as a birthday gift. By 1968, he could edit, splice and overdub complex recordings at home. By 1969, he had written a large portfolio of original pop and rock songs and was proficient on guitar, bass guitar, Hammond organ and piano. He turned professional that year and signed a staff songwriting contract with April-Blackwood Music, a division of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. This situation did not work out to either April's or Fradkin's satisfaction and April Music gave him his release in early 1970.
The MGM years
Fradkin moved over to MGM RecordsMGM Records
MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946, for the purpose of releasing soundtrack albums of their musical films. Later it became a pop label, lasting into the 1970s...
in August 1970 and signed a staff songwriter agreement with Leo Feist Music and a recording contract with the new MGM/Sunflower Records
Sunflower Records
Sunflower Records was a Los Angeles, California-based record label founded by songwriter Mack David and music industry veteran Danny Kessler that operated from 1970 to 1972. The label was distributed by MGM Records...
label headed up by songwriting legend Mack David
Mack David
Mack David was an American lyricist and songwriter, best known for his work in film and television, with a career spanning from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. Mack was credited with writing lyrics and/or music for over one thousand songs...
and industry veteran Danny Kessler. Fradkin signed as the first artist for Sunflower Records and debuted his first solo single "Song of a Thousand Voices" which was produced by Randy Edelman
Randy Edelman
Randy Edelman is an American film and TV score composer.-Life and career:Edelman was born in Paterson, New Jersey. He was raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, the son of a first-grade teacher and an accountant. He attended the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before heading to New York where he played...
. Given front page coverage in Billboard Magazine and picked for the Top 40, "Song of a Thousand Voices" surfaced as a regional hit in September 1970. By October 1970, he co-produced, co-wrote and sang another Sunflower regional hit single "Hippie Lady" b/w "Patty Cake" under the pseudonym "The Yummies". In early 1971, "Song of a Thousand Voices" was translated into French by Hubert Ithier and recorded by the French songstress Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu
Mireille Mathieu is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.-Childhood to early...
as "La Chansons Des Souvenirs" for her "Love Story
(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story
" Love Story" is a popular song published in 1970, with music by Francis Lai and lyrics by Carl Sigman. The song was first introduced as an instrumental theme in the 1970 film Love Story. The lyrics were added after the theme music became popular.-Covers:The song has been covered many times...
" Extended Play single on the Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
label. It was also released as a 45RPM single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
. Both versions became substantial hits in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. "Song of a Thousand Voices" has also been covered in a Spanish language hit version "Donde?" by Latin Pop star Roberto Jordan
Roberto Jordan
Roberto Jordán is a popular singer whose heyday occurred during Mexico's nueva ola of music in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Many of his songs were covers of English-language rock and pop songs, with arrangements provided by music teachers and producers Enrique Okamura and Eduardo Magallanes...
originally released on the RCA Victor label.
Early sessions
By 18 years of age, Fradkin was proficient on many instruments and this led to him finding extensive session work in studios in New York City and London, playing mellotron, Hammond organ, guitar, and piano.The Left Banke sessions
In 1972 and 1973, Fradkin produced sessions sponsored by Bell Records for the baroqueBaroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
pop group the Left Banke
The Left Banke
The Left Banke is an American baroque pop band that formed in New York City in 1965 and disbanded in 1969. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina"...
, famous for their hit "Walk Away Renee
Walk Away Renee
"Walk Away Renée" is a song made popular by the band The Left Banke in 1966 , composed by the group's then 16-year-old keyboard player Michael Brown and Tony Sansone...
". Although left unreleased at the time, one song, "I Could Make It Last Forever," appears on Fradkin's 2006 release Goin' Back. A machima video of the song was produced and directed by Charlemagne Fezza and it appears on YouTube.
The Laurie Years
From 1973 through 1976 and again between 1981 through 1987, Fradkin signed on as a producer and songwriter with Gene Schwartz for the Laurie RecordsLaurie Records
Laurie Records was a record label started in 1958 by Gene Schwartz and Allan I. Sussel. Sussel was a multi-millionaire whose earlier record company, Jamie Records , had been unsuccessful. As a result, Sussel joined forces with Schwartz to found Laurie Records, this time named after his other...
label. Fradkin produced many artists for Laurie including Mara Lynn Brown, Tom Selden, New Hope, Barry Winslow of The Royal Guardsmen
The Royal Guardsmen
The Royal Guardsmen are an American rock band, best known for their 1966 hit single "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron".-Snoopy vs. the Red Baron:...
, actress Nell Carter
Nell Carter
Nell Carter was an American singer, and film, stage, and television actress. She won a Tony Award for her performance in the Broadway musical Ain't Misbehavin, as well as an Emmy Award for her reprisal of the role on television...
, chanteuse Valerie Tyler, pop stylist Barbara M. and a comedian Marty Brill, who released an LP called "The Missing Tapes". 22 singles and 4 albums for the Laurie label in all. But the most prolific artist he produced for Laurie and, perhaps, the most notable was the pop rock group, California. Fradkin was an original member/singer/guitarist/keyboardist for the California group on Laurie Records in the US and RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
in the UK for its entire existence from 1973 through 1985. California had several chart records including the 1981 release "Summer Fun Medley"-a medley of Beach Boys hits, "Jeans On", "He's Almost You" (charting in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) and an appearance on the Dick Clark American Bandstand
American Bandstand
American Bandstand is an American music-performance show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as producer...
television show. And their single cover of "See You In September" saw honorary placement in the famous Laurie collectors series- "Collector Records Of The 50's and 60's-Vol. 14". Fradkin wrote many of the B-sides of California's singles and Steve Martin Caro
Steve Martin Caro
Steve Martin Caro, born Carmelo Esteban Martin Caro , was originally known as Steve Martin. He was the lead singer of the band The Left Banke...
and George Cameron of The Left Banke
The Left Banke
The Left Banke is an American baroque pop band that formed in New York City in 1965 and disbanded in 1969. They are best remembered for their two U.S. hit singles, "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina"...
were original members of California on the group's early releases.
The ESP-Disk years
By 1973, Fradkin had diversified his producer portfolio and made an agreement to license several of his productions to the Indie label ESP-DiskESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
.
His production of "Give A Damn" by Paul Thornton (recorded at A-1 Sound Studios in New York City with Herb Abramson
Herb Abramson
Herbert C. Abramson was an American record company executive and producer.He was born in 1916 in Brooklyn, New York City and initially studied to be a dentist but he landed a job with National Records producing such performers as The Ravens, Billy Eckstine and Joe Turner...
and Jonathan Thayer as co-engineers), saw release on the 4th Godz album "Godzundheit" and Fradkin guested as bass player on a solo album by Godz member Jim McCarthy entitled "Alien". Steve Martin Caro and George Cameron, both of The Left Banke also participated in these sessions, all recorded at A-1. 1974 saw the debut album on ESP-Disk by Thornton, Fradkin & Unger. The group's other members were Paul Thornton, an original member of The Godz (NYC band) on acoustic guitar and Bob Unger, bassist. Their album was called "Pass On This Side" and featured cover art consisting of a "do-it-yourself" blank black cover with a die cut sheet of stickers that the consumer could arrange any way they pleased. The album received good reviews from Cash Box, Crawdaddy Magazine and several other publications. A 45RPM single was released- "God Bless California" which charted in Belgium and The Netherlands. Fradkin played the role of multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
on the sessions with participation on lead vocals, 12-string guitar, mellotron, Hammond organ, mandolin and piano.Thornton, Fradkin & Unger toured that summer opening shows for the likes of Roger McGuinn
Roger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
, Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies and socially conscious lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the...
, Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
, Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
and Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor
Livingston Taylor is an American singer-songwriter, born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He attended the Westtown School in Pennsylvania...
. Fradkin played 12-string guitar and mellotron on these shows. The group's largest and most important appearance took place during the summer of 1974 at the Islip Speedway
Islip Speedway
Islip Speedway was a .2-mile oval race track in Islip, New York which was open from 1947 until 1984. It is the smallest track ever to host NASCAR's Grand National Series , from 1964 to 1971. The first demolition derby took place at Islip Speedway in 1958...
Outdoor Festival. 10,000 fans attended the all day rock festival. The group disbanded in 1975. Fradkin returned to record production doing several projects for Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
along with his continuing role as a producer for Laurie Records.
Beatlemania: the Broadway musical
In July 1976, Fradkin auditioned for and won the role of George HarrisonGeorge Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
and rose to worldwide fame as one of the four Original Cast members of Beatlemania, the hit Broadway show of the late 1970s. Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the life and music of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Advertised as "Not the Beatles, But an Incredible Simulation," it ran from 1977 to 1979 for a total of 1006 performances. The Beatlemania show marked the birth of the "Tribute Band
Tribute band
A tribute act is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act - sometimes one which has disbanded, ceased touring or is deceased. Probably the largest class of tributes acts are Elvis impersonators, individual performers who mimic the songs and style...
" industry and Fradkin was an integral part of the original four musicians who launched a musical trend that is still going strong today. Fradkin appeared in over 1000 performances as lead guitarist. The show debuted in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
at The Colonial Theatre
Colonial Theatre
The Colonial Theatre is the oldest continually-operating theatre in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Designed by the architectural firm of Clarence Blackall and paid for by Frederick Lothrop Ames the theatre first opened its doors for a performance of Ben-Hur on December 20, 1900...
in April 1977 and opened for previews on May 26, 1977 at The Winter Garden Theater in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Quickly achieving sellout status without ever having an official "opening night", the Beatlemania band and the musical saw great success and worldwide publicity in Time Magazine, People Magazine, Us Magazine, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and Rolling Stone Magazine. For the first six months, every ticket for the show was sold out. Fradkin was also featured in performances with Beatlemania at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
The Lunt-Fontanne Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 205 West 46th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by the architectural firm of Carrere and Hastings, it was built by producer Charles Dillingham and opened as the Globe Theatre, in honor of London's Shakespearean playhouse, on...
, Palace Theatre, New York
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
, The Shubert Theatre in Century City, Los Angeles, California
Century City, Los Angeles, California
Century City is a 176-acre commercial and residential district on the Westside of the city of Los Angeles. It is bounded by Westwood on the west, Rancho Park on the southwest, Cheviot Hills and Beverlywood on the southeast, and the city of Beverly Hills on the northeast...
and The Pantages Theater (Hollywood) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the Blackstone Theater (now the Merle Reskin Theatre
Merle Reskin Theatre
The Merle Reskin Theatre is a performing arts venue located in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Originally named the Blackstone Theatre, it was founded in 1910. The Merle Reskin Theatre is now part of DePaul University, although it is still used for events not affiliated with the...
) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. Fradkin performed with the show until its close on October 17, 1979. In a Weekend Update
Weekend Update
Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance...
segment of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
announced the debut of a new musical called "Beatlemaniamania," which he described as "not Beatlemania but an incredible simulation."
Beatlemania: the album
In 1978, Beatlemania released a self-titled soundtrack to the show which included contributions from the first and second cast of performers from the show (as well as a few additional off stage keyboardists and musicians). Released on Arista RecordsArista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
in 1978, the album received warm audience reaction even placing on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
for several weeks before falling into vinyl obscurity. Tracks from the album included most but not all of the original show's songlist and several of the tracks were either re-recorded entirely or partially re-recorded in the studio. The four original Cast members that appear on the album included Mitch Weissman (Bass Guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Joe Pecorino (Rhythm Guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
), Les Fradkin (Lead Guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
) and Justin McNeill (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
).
The 1980s
In the early 1980s, Fradkin returned to record production with the Laurie RecordsLaurie Records
Laurie Records was a record label started in 1958 by Gene Schwartz and Allan I. Sussel. Sussel was a multi-millionaire whose earlier record company, Jamie Records , had been unsuccessful. As a result, Sussel joined forces with Schwartz to found Laurie Records, this time named after his other...
label. 1981 saw the release of the California singles "Summer Fun Medley" and 1982's "He's Almost You" which had chart success. By 1983, MIDI, a new interfacing technology for synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
was introduced and Fradkin saw new possibilities for his music productions. In 1984, he turned to the Jingle and TV music industry and Guitar Synthesis as a new form of musical expression. In 1983, he took up the Guitar Synthesizer and has been a prime exponent of it ever since. He played the SynthAxe
SynthAxe
The SynthAxe is a fretted, guitar-like MIDI controller, created by Bill Aitken, Mike Dixon, and Tony Sedivy and manufactured in England in the middle to late 1980s. It is a musical instrument that uses electronic synthesizers to produce sound and is controlled through the use of an arm resembling...
, the Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
and various Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
GR Guitar Synthesizers over the years.
He pioneered the introduction of completely MIDI tapeless recording using the Yamaha
Yamaha
Yamaha may refer to:* Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services** Yamaha Motor Company, a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company...
QX1 Digital Sequencer and the Synclavier
Synclavier
The Synclavier System was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation, manufactured by New England Digital Corporation, Norwich, VT. The original design and development of the Synclavier prototype occurred at Dartmouth College with the collaboration of...
with the Synth Axe MIDI Guitar Controller and Yamaha DX7
Yamaha DX7
The Yamaha DX7 is an FM Digital Synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially Pop music from the 1980s...
and TX816 synthesizers in soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
music, and composed and programmed numerous successful jingles and movie soundtracks as well as many game show themes. He worked for Score Productions
Score Productions
Score Productions is an American musical production company specializing in background music and themes for television programs. Started in 1963 by music producer Robert A...
and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and wrote national jingles for such products as Cheerios
Cheerios
Cheerios is a brand of breakfast cereal by General Mills introduced on May 1, 1941 as the first oat-based, ready-to-eat cold cereal. Originally named CheeriOats, the name was changed to Cheerios in 1945 because of a trade name dispute with Quaker Oats. The name fit the "O" shape of the cereal pieces...
, Campbell's Soup, Nestle's, Crisco
Crisco
Crisco is a brand of shortening produced by the J. M. Smucker Co. popular in the United States. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil...
and American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
, He was the first composer in New York City to record entirely "Direct-To-Disk" His sonic innovations at that time with Guitar Synthesizer and MIDI programming earned him great accolades in the TV music industry which soon established him with the nickname "Dr. MIDI."
1985 saw a Sutra Records guitar instrumental 12" single released of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Fradkin recorded this as a duo with synthesist Rob Hegel. The act was called Maddog. 3C Records
3C Records
In the early eighties Laurie Records changed its name to 3C Records. 3C stands for Continental Communications Corporation.3C Records was bought by EMI-Capitol Special Markets in the early 1990s....
released the first all guitar synthesizer album: "California-Electric Swing" that year with Fradkin as producer, guitar synthesizer performer and synthesizer programmer
Synthesizer programmer
In video game music, a synthesizer programmer - or a manipulator - helps a composer by choosing the right instruments to play the music inside the video game....
.
By 1989, Fradkin had programmed/composed/performed on over 50 national jingles and had 4 years of "One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
" soap opera music under his belt.
The 1990s
Fradkin spent the 1990s composing new music and doing Beatlemania revival shows, including appearances across the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and The Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
. Most notably, the show, featuring Fradkin in his familiar lead guitarist role, played a successful week engagement in 1995 at The Sahara Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. In 1993, ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk
ESP-Disk is a New York-based record label, founded in 1964 by lawyer Bernard Stollman.From the beginning, the label's goal has been to provide its recording artists with complete artistic freedom, unimpeded by any record company interference or commercial expectations—a philosophy summed-up by the...
signed a distribution deal with ZYX Music
ZYX Music
ZYX Music is a German record label which was founded in 1971 by Bernhard Mikulski. Until 1992, the label's name was Pop-Import Bernhard Mikulski. The label specialized in disco and early house music. Founder Bernhard Mikulski is credited with coining the term Italo disco in the 1980s...
of Merenberg
Merenberg
-Location:Merenberg lies on the southern edge of the Westerwald between the district seat of Limburg and Weilburg.-Neighbouring communities:Merenberg borders in the north on the community of Mengerskirchen, in the east on the community of Löhnberg, in the south on the town of Weilburg, in the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to reissue its entire catalog. "Pass On This Side" saw reissue as "Godz Bless California" with the cover art, artist name and title changed without the artist's permission. Although this reissue series initially spurred a Godz reunion with Fradkin participating on guitar, the situation deteriorated and the reunion was quite brief with a show at NYC's The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
Cafe being the chief highlight for fans. Some new music was recorded during this period and several songs found their way onto later CD releases. By 1996, Fradkin relocated to Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...
where the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
provided a new direction for his musical efforts.
Trackbytrack Records and "Get Wet"
He turned his focus to Internet download sales at the dawn of the era of Liquid Audio and mp3.comMP3.com
MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting...
and formed his first independent record company known as Trackbytrack. Once again, Fradkin found himself at the center of the innovation tree as he developed a new take on the hitherto established Surf rock Guitar sound which proved a great critical and sales success. Releasing a self-produced CD eponymously titled "Get Wet", tunes such as "Body Surfin'", "Surfin' The Classics, Parts 1 & 2 and "Reverbia" reached mp3.com's #1 position 16 times and garnered over 230,000 downloads. The music showed a blend of several notable influences including The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, Dick Dale
Dick Dale
Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar. He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.-Early life:Dale was born in South Boston, Massachusetts and lived in nearby...
, Jeff Beck
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold "Jeff" Beck is an English rock guitarist. He is one of three noted guitarists to have played with The Yardbirds...
and various Classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
influences including J.S. Bach, Mozart and Paganini. In 2001, a follow-up CD "A Day At The Beach" was released and had further success with three titles ("A Day At The Beach", "Hurricane Warning" and "The Bridge Across Forever") making the #1 slot on mp3.com
MP3.com
MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting...
. Fradkin also made a short lived licensing deal with Renaissance Records to issue a CD entitled Paul Thornton & Les Fradkin- "Godzology" which featured archival unreleased material from past years from Thornton & Fradkin.
RRO Entertainment
In 2000, Fradkin relocated to Parker, Colorado and married. In 2003, he and his wife Loretta started a new recording and music publishing company called "RRO EntertainmentRRO Entertainment
RRO Entertainment is a record label with subsidiary music publishing companies started in 2003 by producer/artist Les Fradkin and his wife Loretta. Artists on the label include Les Fradkin, Amber Gomez, The Dirt Surfers, Edison Lighthouse, Napoleon's Ghost, Venus In Bluejeans and Get Wet....
" and Fradkin 2000 Music. The first release on the new indie label was "Reality-The Rock Opera", a Les Fradkin solo CD. Fradkin expanded his multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
concept and became a one man virtual orchestra on this release playing 12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, Bass Guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Hammond Organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
and Guitar Synthesizer. This was quickly followed by the reissue of the two Get Wet CDs repackaged and remastered for 24-bit fidelity. The two CDs were now titled: Les Fradkin & Get Wet- "Splash!" and Les Fradkin & Get Wet- "A Day At The Beach". Critical acclaim and sales quickly followed these releases. Robert Silverstein wrote liner notes to both CDs and 20th Century Guitar Magazine ran a feature article on Fradkin. In the U.K., New Gandy Dancer Instrumental Rock Magazine named "A Day At The Beach" its 2004 Album Of The Year.
With the Ventures
This brought Fradkin to the attention of Nokie EdwardsNokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards is an American musician and member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures...
lead guitarist of The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
during LouieFest
LouieFest
LouieFest is an American music festival featuring the prominent contributions to rock and roll by bands and performers, both emerging and established, from the Northwest region...
in summer 2004 in Tacoma, Washington. Edwards brought Fradkin to the attention of The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
who quickly signed him to an endorsement agreement with their new Wilson Bros. Ventures guitar line. In addition, Fradkin performed live with The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
as 2nd Lead Guitarist at the Salmon Days Festival in Issaquah, Washington in October, 2004. Nokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards is an American musician and member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures...
also recorded with Fradkin on several occasions and was a featured guest on his "While My Guitar Only Plays" CD.
The Internet Download Years
RRO EntertainmentRRO Entertainment
RRO Entertainment is a record label with subsidiary music publishing companies started in 2003 by producer/artist Les Fradkin and his wife Loretta. Artists on the label include Les Fradkin, Amber Gomez, The Dirt Surfers, Edison Lighthouse, Napoleon's Ghost, Venus In Bluejeans and Get Wet....
entered the music marketplace during a time of declining compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
sales in the music industry in general. Fradkin decided to concentrate on the burgeoning download market through distribution with CD Baby
CD Baby
CD Baby is an online music store specializing in the sale of CDs and digital music downloads from independent musicians to consumers. The company is also a digital aggregator of independent music recordings, distributing content to several online digital music retailers.CD Baby has achieved recent...
and this strategy paid off handsomely. By 2009, Fradkin had released 31 albums on his RRO Entertainment label, 20 of them as solo CDs - all titles available through worldwide download outlets such as Apple iTunes, Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, Rhapsody
Rhapsody (online music service)
Rhapsody is an online music store subscription service, launched in December 2001, and available in the United States only. On April 6, 2010, Rhapsody officially declared its independence from RealNetworks. Downloaded files come with restrictions on their use, enforced by Helix, Rhapsody's version...
and many others. Many singles from these CDs became popular Apple iTunes downloads. Some of the singles, (featuring Fradkin on vocals, Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Guitar Synthesizer and Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
), including "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)
"Love Grows " is a popular song by "one-hit wonder" Edison Lighthouse. The single hit the number one spot on the UK singles chart on the week ending on 31 January 1970, where it remained for a total of five weeks.- Song profile :...
", "My Baby Loves Lovin'", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by George Harrison, first recorded by The Beatles in 1968 for their eponymous double album...
" (done as a melodramatic guitar instrumental), "My Sweet Lord
My Sweet Lord
"My Sweet Lord" is a song by former Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison from his UK number one hit triple album All Things Must Pass. The song was written in praise of the Hindu god Krishna...
" (a cover of the George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
smash hit featuring Richie Furay
Richie Furay
Richie Furay is an American singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member who is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham and Randy Meisner...
on background vocals and acoustic guitar), "Have I The Right" (a cover of The Honeycombs
The Honeycombs
The Honeycombs were an English beat/pop group, founded in 1963 in North London. The group had one chart-topping hit, the million selling "Have I the Right?", in 1964. After that song the interest in the group ebbed away, and they split up in late 1966...
hit) and "You Were On My Mind
You Were on My Mind
"You Were On My Mind" is a song written by Sylvia Tyson in 1964. It was originally performed by her and Ian Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia and they recorded it for their 1964 album, Northern Journey. It was published in sheet form by M...
" (a cover of the famous hit by We Five
We Five
We Five was a 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Their best-known hit was their 1965 remake of Ian and Sylvia's "You Were on My Mind", which reached #1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart...
) became popular sellers on Apple's download service.
Fradkin's 2006 CD "If Your Memory Serves You Well" (a Tribute to Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) also scored with fans and his cover of "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
"Quinn the Eskimo " is a folk-rock song written by Bob Dylan and first recorded during The Basement Tapes sessions in 1967. The song was first released in January 1968 as "Mighty Quinn" by the British band Manfred Mann and became a great success...
" a/k/a "The Mighty Quinn" sold well and received great critical acclaim. In particular, Fradkin exploited the absence of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
catalog on iTunes and released several successful download CDs of Beatles guitar Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock
Instrumental rock is a type of rock music which emphasizes musical instruments, and which features very little or no singing.Examples of instrumental rock can be found in practically every subgenre of rock, often from musicians who specialize in the style, most notably Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Link...
("While My Guitar Only Plays" featuring Nokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards
Nokie Edwards is an American musician and member of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is primarily a guitarist, best known for his work with The Ventures...
of The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
, "Pepper Front To Back", "The White Single" and "Guitar Revolution") as well as two CDs of his vocal tribute to George Harrison's solo and Beatles material- "Something For George" and "Love You 2". Those sold especially well and established Fradkin as a prime exponent of Beatles cover material in the modern era.
In the surf rock market, Fradkin's 2 Get Wet reissues scored well with "Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
" and "Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. Composed and produced by Brian Wilson, the song's lyrics were written by Wilson and Mike Love....
" seeing success. His 2006 production of "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon's Ghost rocked the iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
charts and brought RRO Entertainment a bona fide download hit single. He even recreated the backwards B-Side "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT."
Other artists on RRO included Venus In Bluejeans, Edison Lighthouse
Edison Lighthouse
Edison Lighthouse was a UK pop group, initially a studio-only assemblage that served as a vehicle for session vocalist Tony Burrows and songwriter/record producers Tony Macaulay and Barry Mason, are best known for their 1970 UK chart-topper and million-selling record, "Love Grows ".-Career:The...
, The Dirt Surfers and a 4 volume tribute to The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
entitled "Timeless Flyte" with extensive liner notes by noted Byrds historian John Einerson and rock critic Eric Sorensen. Some of the artists on the "Timeless Flyte" project included Andrew Gold
Andrew Gold
Andrew Maurice Gold was an American singer, musician and songwriter. His works include the Top 10 single "Lonely Boy" , as well as the singles "Thank You for Being a Friend" , and "Never Let Her Slip Away" ....
, Bill Lloyd, Jefferey Foskett, The Kennedys
The Kennedys
The Kennedys may refer to:*The Kennedy family, an American political family*The Kennedys , a German museum about the Kennedy family*The Kennedys , an American folk rock band...
, The Shambles, Walter Egan
Walter Egan
Walter Egan is an American rock musician, best known for his 1978 gold status hit single "Magnet and Steel" from his album Not Shy, produced by Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut of Fleetwood Mac fame...
, Alice Stuart
Alice Stuart
Alice Stuart is an American blues and folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. She toured the UK with Van Morrison and throughout the United States with Mississippi John Hurt....
, Bob Harris
Bob Harris
Bob Harris may refer to:In sport:* Bob Harris , American baseball player* Robert Harris , Scottish footballerIn TV and radio:...
, Bedsit Poets, Bill Kaffenberger, The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners
The Dixie Bee-Liners are an American Bluegrass group, formed in New York City in 2002 by Buddy Woodward and Brandi Hart. The band members currently reside in Bristol, Virginia, and Asheville, North Carolina...
, and Tony Poole of Starry Eyed and Laughing
Starry Eyed and Laughing
Starry Eyed and Laughing were a British Rock band of the 1970s. Formed in 1973, they released two albums on CBS, recorded three Peel Sessions and undertook a US tour, before briefly evolving into Starry Eyed, and finally disbanding in 1976.-History:...
. In 2008, he licensed the download rights for the CD Firefall
Firefall
Firefall is a rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, who had been in the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band's biggest hit single, "You Are the Woman", peaked at #9 on the Billboard charts...
- "Colorado To Liverpool", a Beatles Tribute CD from Firefall
Firefall
Firefall is a rock band that formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1974. It was founded by Rick Roberts, who had been in the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Jock Bartley, who had been Tommy Bolin's replacement in Zephyr. The band's biggest hit single, "You Are the Woman", peaked at #9 on the Billboard charts...
, stars of country rock.
In October 2008, RRO Entertainment released a You Tube video of his song "Everything Is Wrong" from his "Reality-The Rock Opera" CD. The financial crisis of America which was prophetically depicted in the lyric of "Everything Is Wrong" back in 2003, quickly found a worldwide audience of empathy and drove the download single of "Everything Is Wrong" to the top of Fradkin's best seller Apple iTunes list.
In May 2009, Fradkin released his 2nd album featuring Starr Labs
Starr Labs
Starr Labs is a Musical Instrument manufacturer that was founded in 1986 in San Diego, California by musician and inventor Harvey Starr. The company manufactures a diverse product line of MIDI interactive guitars, keyboards, percussion and unique music devices for professional musicians, semi-pro...
' Ztar entitled "Baroque Rocks!" Taking Baroque works by Handel
HANDEL
HANDEL was the code-name for the UK's National Attack Warning System in the Cold War. It consisted of a small console consisting of two microphones, lights and gauges. The reason behind this was to provide a back-up if anything failed....
, Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
and Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
(including The Four Seasons
The Four Seasons (Vivaldi)
The Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi. Composed in 1723, The Four Seasons is Vivaldi's best-known work, and is among the most popular pieces of Baroque music. The texture of each concerto is varied, each resembling its respective season...
) and applying rock treatments, Fradkin's classical influence came, most fully, to the fore with this release. "Baroque Rocks!" also featured a cover version for Ztar of the Mason Williams
Mason Williams
Mason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
instrumental "Classical Gas
Classical Gas
"Classical Gas" is an instrumental musical piece composed and originally performed by Mason Williams. Originally released in 1968 on the album The Mason Williams Phonograph Record, it has been re-recorded and re-released numerous times since by Williams...
" on which Fradkin performed the entire arrangement on the Starr Labs
Starr Labs
Starr Labs is a Musical Instrument manufacturer that was founded in 1986 in San Diego, California by musician and inventor Harvey Starr. The company manufactures a diverse product line of MIDI interactive guitars, keyboards, percussion and unique music devices for professional musicians, semi-pro...
Ztar and guitar synthesizer. This CD also features Fradkin's brand new arrangement for Canon in D. Fradkin performed the entire arrangement on the Starr Labs Ztar, which consists of a brand new melodic composition over the original Classical orchestral parts to yield a brand new work.
Technique and equipment
Fradkin uses a combination of compressionGain compression
Gain compression is a reduction in 'differential' or 'slope' gain caused by nonlinearity of the transfer function of the amplifying device. This nonlinearity may be caused by heat due to power dissipation, or by overdriving the active device beyond its linear region...
, chorus
Chorus effect
In music, a chorus effect occurs when individual sounds with roughly the same timbre and nearly the same pitch converge and are perceived as one...
, Delay (audio effect)
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
and reverb for his guitar sound.
He generally records his guitar parts in stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
, often using a VG-8 Virtual Guitar System by Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
in addition to the guitar's regular output signal. His main guitars for recording and performance work are the Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
and Wilson Bros. Ventures guitars which are new Don Wilson designed variants of the Mosrite
Mosrite
Mosrite is an American guitar manufacturing company, based in Bakersfield, California, from the late 1950s to the early 1990s. Founded by Semie Moseley, Mosrite guitars were played by many rock and roll and country artists....
guitars that The Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
endorsed in the 1960s. He favors a Rickenbacker 360/12
Rickenbacker 360/12
The Rickenbacker 360/12 is an electric guitar made by the Rickenbacker company; it was among the first electric twelve-string guitars. This instrument is visually similar to the Rickenbacker 360...
12-string electric for jangly tones. His use of Rickenbacker 12-String is especially prominent in his stint with "Beatlemania
Beatlemania
Beatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
" as well as some of his solo CD releases such as "Jangleholic", "Spirit Of Christmas", "If Your Memory Serves You Well", "Goin' Back" and "12".
His guitar parts are always recorded direct with amp simulators to keep noise to an absolute minimum and are usually double tracked. His guitar effects include the Janglebox
JangleBox
is a compression/sustain guitar effects pedal that was created with the goal of capturing a special sound in the history of pop music: the bright ringing chime that was made famous by the Beatles and the Byrds. is a compression/sustain guitar effects pedal that was created with the goal of...
, Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
Compressor, and Vox
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
Tonelab. To construct his backing tracks, on which he usually plays all the instruments, he uses a Starr Labs
Starr Labs
Starr Labs is a Musical Instrument manufacturer that was founded in 1986 in San Diego, California by musician and inventor Harvey Starr. The company manufactures a diverse product line of MIDI interactive guitars, keyboards, percussion and unique music devices for professional musicians, semi-pro...
Ztar Z7s to control various MIDI synthesizers, the GForce M-Tron (a software instrument representation of a Mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
), the Vienna Symphonic Library
Vienna Symphonic Library
The Vienna Symphonic Library is a producer of samples of orchestral instruments recorded by members of the Vienna Philharmonic. For recording the samples, VSL uses the Silent Stage, a recording studio specially constructed for this purpose. The number of recorded samples currently is about 1.3...
and drums. He handles bass parts with a Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker
Rickenbacker International Corporation, also known as Rickenbacker, is an electric and bass guitar manufacturer based in Santa Ana, California...
Bass as well as the Ztar.
His production style is chiefly characterized by generous amounts of compression, loud recording levels and a dense sonic arrangement wall which many have compared favorably with the likes of Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
and Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
. Although he always records digitally with Digital Performer
Digital Performer
Digital Performer is a full-featured Digital Audio Workstation/Sequencer software package published by Mark of the Unicorn of Cambridge, Massachusetts for the Apple Macintosh platform.-Ancestry:...
, Ableton Live
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer and DAW for Mac OS and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 8, was released in April 2009. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for...
, Apple Logic Pro
Logic Pro
Logic Pro is a hybrid 32 / 64 bit digital audio workstation and MIDI sequencer software application for the Mac OS X platform. Originally created by German software developer Emagic, Logic Pro became an Apple product when Apple bought Emagic in 2002...
and the Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation
is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
VSR-880, his sound is quite reminiscent of the warmth embodied in 1960s analog recording
Analog recording
Analog recording is a technique used for the recording of analog signals which among many possibilities include audio frequency, analog audio and analog video information for later playback.Analog recording methods store signals as a continual wave in or on the media...
technique.
In 2007, he acquired a Starr Labs
Starr Labs
Starr Labs is a Musical Instrument manufacturer that was founded in 1986 in San Diego, California by musician and inventor Harvey Starr. The company manufactures a diverse product line of MIDI interactive guitars, keyboards, percussion and unique music devices for professional musicians, semi-pro...
Ztar which revealed new possibilities for his guitar synthesizer technique with his 2008 releases of his popular cover of The Tornados
The Tornados
The Tornados were an English instrumental group of the 1960s that acted as backing group for many of record producer Joe Meek's productions and also for singer Billy Fury. They enjoyed several chart hits in their own right, including the UK and U.S. Number One "Telstar" , the first U.S...
's "Telstar (song)
Telstar (song)
"Telstar" is a 1962 instrumental record performed by The Tornados. It was the first single by a British band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and was also a number one hit in the UK. The record was named after the AT&T communications satellite Telstar, which went into orbit in...
" and his 2008 full length CD One Link Between Them. Fradkin now has the ability to offer melody, rhythm, bass, looping, percussion and Ableton Live
Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer and DAW for Mac OS and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 8, was released in April 2009. In contrast to many other software sequencers, Live is designed to be an instrument for live performances as well as a tool for...
clip cueing all live under his hands with the Ztar, making him, effectively, an electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
One Man Band.