“In early 2020, at the start of the pandemic, I decided to redo some classic songs, mostly note for note. This was a way to pass time, as we were in lock down mode. I was also able to dig deeper into my personal musical well, which was a great way to pass the time. I took requests, and, although some of these aren’t personal favorites, I went all in! Steve came on board, which was great, because he could handle the mixing, and get the songs back to their original time period with his fantastic skills. On this page, you’ll find some great covers, with Steve and I deconstructing the process. ”
“Everything I Own” by David Gates and Bread.
Once this was recorded, I handed it to DF Chief engineer S Wytas to mix, because I knew he’d take it back to 1972.
EML- vocals, drums, bass, acoustic guitars, harpsichord, tambourine, string arrangment.
Mixed/Mastered by Steve Wytas.
It's much harder to recreate something note for note than it is to do your own take, and it certainly made me dig deeper as a musician. I studied what Larry Knechtel, Mike Botts, David Gates and Robb Royer had all done with the original version, and set about making what is essentially a carbon copy. If you line them both up side by side, they will sync perfectly.
I sat down with Dirt Floor Chief Engineer Steve Wytas and we deconstructed the parts, while he explained his approach to recreating a 1972 mix.
Eric Michael Lichter w/ the Dirt Floor Horns (Curt Ramm & Bill Holloman)
I worked extremely hard on this faithful version of “Lido Shuffle”, with some help from two of my favorite horn players, Curt Ramm (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Chic) and Bill Holloman (Duran Duran, Chic)
Also doing my best Boz vocal impression, and on streaming platforms next week.
Eric M Lichter-Vox, Guitar, Piano, Bass, MOOG, Drums
Curt Ramm & Bill Holloman-Horns
Steve Wytas-Snaps, Engineering, Edits, Mixing, Mastering
Eric M Lichter w/ Curt Ramm (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Chic) and Bill Holloman (Duran Duran, Chic)
Eric M Lichter-Vox, Guitar, Piano, Bass, MOOG, Drums
Curt Ramm & Bill Holloman Holloman-Horns
Steve Wytas-Snaps, Engineering, Edits, Mixing, Mastering
I redid this song note for note, using the same instruments used on the original 1975 Gary Wright version.
This was such a fun challenge, due to the amount of little moving parts I needed to learn. Deconstructing some of these classics has been my therapy through all of this....
Vocally, it was a challenge, since i'm not used to pushing my voice in this way.
Andy Newmark’s funky kick drum pattern was out of my comfort zone, but was absolutely necessary to nail, otherwise the whole thing would have felt wrong.
Gary's brilliant Moog parts were seemingly abstract on the original recording, falling in odd spots throughout. I'd listen to snippets of the original, pause, then overdub my Moog part in the same spots.
EML-Moog Bass, Mini Moog, ARP Strings, Clavinet, Drums, Vocals.
Steve Wytas-Rhythm Ace Drum Machine
Mixed and Mastered by Steve Wytas
Written by Gary Wright
Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Drums, ARP String Ensemble, Wurlitzer Electric Piano, Grand Piano, Hammond Organ, Vocals-EML
Recorded and Mixed at Dirt Floor