Donna Summer - MacArthur Park (Cold Duck disco mix)
I've been a huge Donna Summer fan most of my life, and I really love her rendition of "MacArthur Park." I don't see how any remix or alternate version could improve on the original, though I do think Ralphi Rosario's 2018 mix is a lot of fun. So as I began listening to the multi-track set I had no idea what I might do with them, if anything.
Things got strange fast in mixing. The kick and snare drum tracks failed to sync up with a drum machine track that seemed to set the tempo for the entire song. Complicating matters, the drum machine track seemed to have been comp'ed with a conga and perhaps other percussion as well. All of this was essential to the original's sound, though the drum machine itself is not particularly noticeable in the original version. Instead, Keith Forsey's drum kit is the dominant percussive sound.
So the challenge for me was to get the human-driven kick and snare drum tracks back in sync with the drum machine and percussion track, then mix that latter track in such a way that the listener might no longer notice the drum machine while still enjoying the conga and high hat.
I wound up having to re-set Forsey's drum track every 8-16 beats to keep it in time with the drum machine. I can't imagine this is how things went down in the original recording and mixing sessions, so I suppose this whole story is in a way another cautionary tale about "multi-track" sets floating about. In retrospect, I don't think the set I used really was a complete multi-track set (it held an immediately suspicious 22 tracks), and I still wonder about the drum machine/percussion track.
Where'd that come from?
Anyway, I also think my mix is a good example of creativity within limitations. Once I'd re-established a synced groove between Forsey's drum kit and the drum machine/percussion track, it was rather entertaining to explore just how far "MacArthur Park" could be taken in the direction of Moroder/Bellotte early synth-disco. My favorite bit by far though is the extra vocalizations from Donna about the "old men playing Chinese Checkers." I added in the "By the sea" with delay coda to that, but it's a wonderful moment of more of a classic.
Dedicated to Greg Womack
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