Posted by Mike M Topic: Behind the Scenes 7: FREEDOM’S SONS album
on May 26, 2012, 11:37 pm, in reply to "Columbia Records Sessions"
68.44.234.190 | Message modified by user Mike M May 26, 2012, 11:41 pm
ALL 7 of these posts were written and compiled by RMM.
Below I have included information (and a lot of it there is too!) from the Teo Macero papers about the boy’s Freedom’s Sons album. The biggest surprise for this one is that even though it was supposedly “recorded live in Dublin,” there are recording session sheets that show that numerous takes of the songs on the album were recorded in a New York City studio. How much of this album can actually be considered live is unclear. Were all these studio takes meant merely to be spliced together with parts of the live takes, or are most of the “live” songs on the album entirely studio recordings with intros & applause spliced in from the actual undated Dublin concerts? *Theoretically* the studio takes could have just been for backup music to be added to the concert material, but the comments for the takes (“Liam Solo,” “Pat Solo,” “Sotto voce,” etc.) clearly indicate vocal recordings.
The track list/form that was included in the papers actually lists *all* the songs as having been recorded in New York City, except for the Medley, which seems like it may have been the only thing actually recorded at a live Dublin concert (although, even there, parts of The Foggy Dew seem to have been spliced in from a studio recording). On the other hand, in a Sept. 23, 1966 memo, the album’s producer David Rubinson says that the album was “recorded at live concerts in Dublin.” Did he just not want to explain at that point that most of it had to be re-recorded in a studio? It sounds to me like this is the album that John Lesko was actually talking about on the In Concert Poll thread. If so, then he has given us some background information that helps to explain what happened here.
Having read many of the posts on this board, I have to say, isn’t it ironic that In Concert appears to have been live, but that Freedom’s Sons may really have been mostly a studio job or at least a really hacked-up, spliced studio/multiple concerts job?! Maybe Rubinson was simply more artful and less obvious in his cutting and splicing work than Macero, not that he did it any less (and maybe he did it a lot more!). I think that it was simply part of Teo’s style to sound more “fake.”
Also of real interest is the memo suggesting that the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem did not want either this album or the edited recording of the original concert(s) released. I think the memo is unclear which. If they were unhappy with the album, perhaps they were put off by the utterly piecemeal way in which it had been created. David Rubinson tried to convince the group’s manager and “the boys” that he did not share the “opinion that the performances and material are not up to par” (although in an earlier Columbia/CBS memo he said that Freedom’s Sons wasn’t “terribly good”--but he may have been referring to the song/single only, not the LP--either that or he was pretty hypocritical).
The list of songs recorded in the studio that were not included on the album were probably ones that were also done at the Dublin concerts. Haul on the Bowline, Ballinderry, The Earl of Moray, The Old Triangle, Cruiskeen Lan, Fare Thee Well Enniskillen, etc. all did not make the final album cut. This probably means that Columbia is sitting on both live and studio versions of these songs from 1966 (though the live ones would be of questionable quality).
The Earl of Moray, Ballinderry, and Johnny McAldoo were all on the original handwritten track list for the album, but did not make it onto the final album. Johnny McAldoo was the first of these to be cut. I’d love to hear The Earl of Moray and Ballinderry--after all, someone at Columbia (Teo, most likely) at one time thought these were worthy of release.
-------------------------
12/22/65 a cost authorization for the recording [originally] entitled “Good Time” for $2760.00
CBS memo from the album’s producer David Rubinson to William Gallagher, Jan. 10, 1966 [Could the year be a mistake? I think that it is very possible that Rubinson meant to put 1967, but hadn’t gotten used to writing down the new year yet. The album hadn’t been recorded yet in January 1966, the memo above shows that the costs for the album had just been authorized in late 1965, in the Jan. 13, 1966 memo the planned new release seems to be going ahead without hitch, and as we see in the telegram below the Columbia folks were indeed waiting for the approval of the Clancy Brothers at the *end* of 1966. If the date is correct, however, then the Clancys/Makem must have rejected the recording (which apparently would have already been edited and made into a record for evaluation) of the undated Dublin concert(s) and not the yet-to-be-made album. If so, this may explain why so much of it was redone in the studio--the Clancys and Makem themselves must not have thought that the concert recording was acceptable. The last line I’ve included from Rubinson is also especially worth noting, even though the group in fact seems to have had some power to quash bad projects]:
Paraphrased:
-Jerry Campbell (the Clancy Brothers’ manager) has requested that the album not be released [Campbell was apparently acting on behalf of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem]
-I think it should be
-Our contract indicates “the selection and approval of material is up to us alone.”
Memo from David Rubinson to Marc Pressel, Jan. 13, 1966:
The new Clancy Brothers release is to be entitled “Good Time, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem”
Album was later tentatively entitled “Freedom’s Son In Dublin”
Recording Session Data Sheet
2:30-5:30
February 24, 1966
Dept Pop
The Outlawed Raparee
Takes: 1 FS [“FS” most likely stands for “False Start”]
2 - x
3 strong & free / mountain cabin
4
5
6 meet them up ok
7
Haul On the Bowline - Tom Solo
Takes: 1x
2
3 ok
4x
5 complete
6 new key NG
7
8 FS
Ballinderry (A) - Tommy solo
Takes: 1+2 complete
3 complete
The Earl of Moray - Pat Solo
Takes: 1 ok
2x BD
3
4
Freedom Sons
Takes: 1 ok
2
Another page [may have been a different recording date--I didn’t note this (if so, it was probably Feb. 23--see the form with recording dates below)]:
Jolly Rogue of Lynne - Solos – TM [When We Were Under The King]
Takes: 1x
2x
3x
4
6+5 OK
7 Choice
Old Triangle - LIAM Solos / Duet w. Tommy
Takes: 1
2
3x
4 NEW VERSION [“NEW VERSION” is underlined]
Hi for the Beggar Man - Liam solo
Takes: 1x
2 whistle
Cruiskeen
Takes: 1x
2 ok
3x
4x
5x
6
Fare Thee Well Enniskillen - TOMMY Solo
Takes: 1x
2 FS
3
4 called 5
5 FS
6
7
Another page [may also have been a different recording date--I didn’t note this]:
Foggy Dew - PAT [name boxed in]
Takes: 1 (½) ok
2 with unslated inserts
Insert one for last chord insert two [“chord” and “two” are underlined]
+ insert one take 1x
2 [2 is crossed out]
TRAVELING PEOPLE - “(Eoin MacCall)”
Takes: 1
2 Sotto voce
3x
4x
5 ½ tone down
6 6 good to 1st cho
7
8 from Liam’s 2nd verse
Etc. [more songs listed that I didn’t note--sorry, I was in a hurry and this was tedious stuff to transcribe; I got most of the songs]
Handwritten sheet (also listed song lengths, which I didn’t include) [no date is listed; apparently the A, B, C, & D of track 1 are separate clips, not one continuous one as they are made to seem in the album; I suspect this is how they did all the applause and dialogue; spelling & other errors are in the original]:
“1. A. Applause
B. can you hear us etc.
C. intro to song
D. Outlawed Raparee
2. Ballinderry
3. Port Lorige
4. Earl of Murray
(5. Johnny MacAldoo) Delete [“Delete” is underlined]
6. Traveling People
7. Hi For The Beggar Man
8. When We Were Under the King
9. Freedom’s Sons
10. 1916 Piece (Foggy Dew)
11. Nelson’s Pillar”
Telegram from David Rubinson to David Howells, Columbia Records, London, Eng., 3/3/66:
-O’Donnell Abu was chosen to back Freedom Sons [the single]
“Freedom Songs [sic] will probably sell excellently in Ireland but truly isnt [sic] terribly good”
[List of the song tracks on the album]
Album ship date 3/6/67
All tracks recorded 2/23/66 NYC
Except:
Green in the Green 3/1/66 NYC
Medley Dublin [no dates listed]
Memo from Lieberson, May 25, 1966:
-Complains about potential duplicate material on Freedom’s Sons [as was on the Irish Uprising album]
Memo from David Rubinson to Bernard Farber, Sept. 23, 1966:
“Please note that the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem album [Freedom’s Sons], which was originally scheduled for September, then October, then November, has again been postponed to a later date. In the original planning, since the Legacy package [The Irish Uprising] was supposed to be out much earlier than it was ultimately released, we had planned an album release by the Clancy Brothers.
“It’s important to remember however that the repertory in the album was recorded at live concerts in Dublin and is substantially different from the repertoire in the Irish Legacy album. The only real conflict is a special piece embodying material included in the Legacy package, made up of poems and music and dramatic readings. This part is only nine or ten minutes of a thirty minute album and I frankly don’t see how a commercial pop album will limit the impact of the Legacy package. However after discussion with Mr. Lieberson way back in July, it was decided to hold off on the Clancy Brothers release until the Legacy album was well established.”
Memo from David Rubinson to the Clancy’s manager Jerry Campbell, Sept. 26, 1966:
-The release of Freedom’s Sons will be postponed until:
“1) I am satisfied with the technical and artistic quality and 2) I am told to release it by Clive Davis, so that it will not conflict with the Irish Legacy Album release.
“The opinion that the performances and material are not up to par, is not shared by me, and I suggest that you and the boys do not make any decision of this sort until you hear a final mixed and edited version.”
Memo from David Rubinson to Ken Glancy, Nov. 3, 1966:
“I think you should know that I am recording the Clancy Brothers in a much more contemporary vein now and we are planning to first release market oriented singles before we go ahead with another typical formula album.”
Singles to be released before Freedom’s Sons: Go Lassie Go & Freeborn Man [were these ever actually released as a single??]
Telegram from David Rubinson to Mr. Everett, CBS Records, 12/1/66:
“Album finished stop waits approval of Clancy Brothers”
Mike M232 
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