I wonder if anybody can identify how sound effekt that´s coming on in the intro to The Electric Prunes psychedelia classic is achieved. It sounds a bit like a guitar, but not entirely. It´s not that I´m hoping to get some harmonica employment for this, but I think I´ve heard it on other tunes as well and I´m slightly confounded by it:
From the Wikipedia article: The oscillating, reversed guitar which opens the song originated from the rehearsals at Russell's house, where Williams recorded with a 1958 Gibson Les Paul guitar with a Bigsby vibrato unit. According to Lowe, "We were recording on a four-track, and just flipping the tape over and re-recording when we got to the end. Dave cued up a tape and didn't hit 'record,' and the playback in the studio was way up: ear-shattering vibrating jet guitar. Ken had been shaking his Bigsby wiggle stick with some fuzztone and tremolo at the end of the tape. Forward it was cool. Backward it was amazing. I ran into the control room and said, 'What was that?' They didn't have the monitors on so they hadn't heard it. I made Dave cut it off and save it for later."[7]
I had not thought much about the Prunes for many moons. I inherited several of their albums from a sibling in the early 70's. That particular effect is stuck in my memory. Some cool stuff from back then! ---------- Music and travel destroy prejudice.
@Superbee: I´m totally embarrassed. Hadn´t even gone to Wiki ... Considering that I´ve worked as researcher and fact checker for quite a few years of my professional life, this is not my proudest momement. But thanks!
