Out of our heads

I

Its alright ma

New member
Hey - does anybody know how to get that Brian Jones/Keith Richards garage/blues sound - I mean none of this White Stripes guitar sound ...I mean that far away yet close guitar sound that they have on "Out of our heads"
Shit I dont think im making any fuckin sense.....
But if youknow what im getting at -let me know how to get that sound...
Im working with a Peavey session 400 amp for the lead and a fender deluxe for the rhythm guitar....
help me out please....
 
Out of our Heads was the first long-playing record I ever bought, back in 1966. My second album was the Bob Dylan album containing "It's Alright, Ma!"

I would guess that part of the sound for that record (and their preceding albums) is that they played live in the studio, with few overdubs. They "Let it bleed", so to speak. Any reverb on the guitars come from the guitar amps themselves. A careful listening to most of those records reveals that they, and their production team, were not perfectionists. Bill Wyman played fretless, and he was sometimes not quite in tune. Charlie Watts was not rock solid, particularly on fills. It all goes to make that garage sound.

As to how to get that sound? Record live in a mediumly large room using dynamic mics, smallish tube amps with reverb, and old drums. For guitar effects, use only the reverb and tremelo built into the amps (okay, maybe a little vintage fuzztone from time to time). Maybe a little delay on the drums (like the opening of Get Off My Cloud). Keep parts simple and to the point. Get someone to play a real piano, but not very fancy, and keep it way back in the mix.
 
Oh, one more thing...

I think it's important - if you want to "get" the Stones of that period - to remember that they were emulating the records they heard from Stax/Volt, Muscle Shoals, Detroit, etc., and translating what they heard into their pretty sparse arrangements. It's pretty much what almost every young white rock band that covered rhythm and blues did in that period. So you might want to do the same... just a thought.
 
Vintage '50s era Fender Telecaster, small high-end tube combo amp cranked in a great room...oh yeah, some analog tape too.
 
Miking suggestions?

Simplicity itself. Not rocket science. I believe the Stones recorded in different studios (Chicago, LA, England), but they sounded pretty much the same wherever they were. This indicates a pretty "organic" approach.

Single drum overhead, single bass drum mic. Two heads on the bass drum.

Fretless bass finger-style through a 12" speaker, doesn't matter if it's a bass amp per se. Mic the amp with an MD421 or something like it.

Guitars through vintage Fender tube amps. Must have reverb. Any good dynamic or ribbon mic, but no more than one per amp! Think mono.
 
you will have quite alot of trouble, you need to find out what they used and exactly what settings they had then you can do it.
good luck :D
 
I like it. Does it sound like the Stones in 1965? No, not really. But it's good.

If you really want the "Out of our Heads" sound, having listened to your song, my thoughts are:

Your recording is more hi-fi than Out of Our Heads was.

The bass guitar really sounds like DI. Try tracking the bass with a microphone.

The rhythm guitar part has a fair amount of distortion. Try dialing that back, or try an acoustic guitar instead.

A touch of reverb wouldn't hurt.

Your singer sounds like he's going for that nasty Mick Jagger sound but unfortunately a little Jerry Lewis is creeping in. He could relax, sing with more tone (a little darker and rounded), and it would actually sound more Jagger-ish.
 
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