This week on the Double Stop Podcast is a rare interview with Dave Wittman, who Engineered a boatload if records in the 70's and 80's.
Dave Wittman discusses his career as a Recording Engineer. From meeting Jimi Hendrix as a teenager, and his first job with Eddie Kramer, to working in the studio with KISS (and the Van Halen demos with Gene Simmons), Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Billy Idol and much, much more. He also discusses the change in the music industry with Grunge, and his work with Trans-Siberian Orchestra both in studio and on the road. This episode features guest co-host Greg Renoff author of the new book Van Halen Rising.
On Engineering early KISS demos 27:30 “Eddie (Kramer) and I did the first demo that got KISS their record deal. They came in and did the classic Cold Gin, Deuce, Strutter - that kind of thing, and we just went in one afternoon and did the kind of did the Beatles thing. The four track to four track to four track kind of thing. That was one of the first things that Eddie trusted me with - with him looking over my shoulder."
On Mixing the Gene Simmons Van Halen Demo's 28:25 “Eddie (Kramer) brought in the multi-track tape - it included Runnin’ with the Devil. I didn't actually know who it was at the time, I just knew I loved that song.”
On working with Led Zepplin 34:20 "I got to work on the mixing of Houses of the Holy, and the movie soundtrack The Song Remains the Same. And they used my Marshal top on that, by the way. They needed a Marshal top to do an overdub at 2 in the morning, and I lived around the corner so I went home and got it."
