Susan's Place Transgender Resources

13 March 2010
Wendy Carlos (1939 - ) musician.

http://zagria.blogspot.com/2010/03/wendy-carlos-1939-musician.html (http://zagria.blogspot.com/2010/03/wendy-carlos-1939-musician.html)

Walter Carlos was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and played the piano from the age of six. Walter took a bachelor's degree in physics at Brown University, and a master's in music at Columbia University in 1965.

Working at Gotham Recording Walter became friendly with Robert Moog, the inventor of the synthesizer that is known by his name. Walter took naturally to the instrument, and managed to get a small advance from Columbia records to create what became the best-selling Switched-On Bach - a series of Bach compositions arranged for the synthesizer. This was one of the first classical LPs to sell over a million copies.

I recently checked the 25th Anniversary edition of "Switch-On Bach" out from my local library. It is truly amazing.

The 25th SOB anniversary CD is on my ipod in heavy rotation.

She was an early inspiration for me to show that you can not only transition and live, but you can transition and THRIVE!

I wish I could get the original SOB and Well Tempered Synthesizer and Brandenburg Concertos as well, but I cannot find them anywhere.

-Sandy

I wish I could get the original SOB and Well Tempered Synthesizer and Brandenburg Concertos as well, but I cannot find them anywhere.

Me too!  I have to put up with a copy I have on CD that was taken from the vinyl (and a heavily used vinyl at that).  That she wanted to go back and make it perfect is great.  More power to her.  But that original with the flaws, the missed notes, the technique of a very young player (as opposed the technique of a very seasoned and practiced player), the stuff that was kind of messed up because, well, because no one ever did that before and they were learning as they went  -- ALL of that makes the original, flaws and all, well, original.  I don't think the re-do is nearly as good, even though technique wise, sonically, and production wise it's letter perfect.  Sometimes perfect is not better.  Something about the scars in fine leather (dating myself: it's a quote I've always remembered from the Woodstock album)

I had all her albums, starting with the first issue SOB.  I bought it when I was a senior in high school.  I played that record until the grooves wore out.  I built my first analog synthesizer along the same lines as the Moog series just so I could attempt to replicate some of the sounds that she had on that album.

Were she not quite so private a person I would love to talk with her.

I seemed to get an impression when I compared her earlier works to those made after her transition.

SOB gave me the impression that there was a certain edginess to it.  A certain attack to the score that seemed almost angry.  A very definite visceral feel to it.

In her later works, specifically in Sonic Seasonings it was much more relaxed, much less elemental, more intellectual and ephemeral.

I always wondered if that difference came about as a result of the tension that exists in we trans souls prior to transition and that following her transition much of the internalized tension in her was released.

She is loathe to speak to anyone about her transsexuality after her disastrous Playboy interview, so I may never know.

But her inspiration to me stands regardless.

-Sandy 

I think it had much more to do with age and practice, young tends to loud, fast rules, while older players strive for a more nuanced performance it seems.  (And they have to, few people can play as fast at fifty as they can at twenty.)

Perhaps our requests have been answered, Kat.

Ms. Carlos has a website (quite an eyeopener, check it out)
http://www.wendycarlos.com (http://www.wendycarlos.com)

AND she has a box set of the four baroque albums:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002DDS5/?tag=wendycarloscom (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002DDS5/?tag=wendycarloscom)  Remastered from the original tapes.  This includes the original SOB, Well Tempered Synthesizer, SOB II, and Switched on Brandenburgs.

You can sample some of the tracks and, yes, the style of playing and the sounds coming out of the synths are very "young".  My memory has been colored over the years.

All her albums are available, my iPod may be getting a bit heavier over the next few months...

-Sandy

Quote from: Sandy on March 17, 2010, 07:01:37 AM
Perhaps our requests have been answered, Kat.

Ms. Carlos has a website (quite an eyeopener, check it out)
http://www.wendycarlos.com (http://www.wendycarlos.com)

AND she has a box set of the four baroque albums:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002DDS5/?tag=wendycarloscom (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00002DDS5/?tag=wendycarloscom)  Remastered from the original tapes.  This includes the original SOB, Well Tempered Synthesizer, SOB II, and Switched on Brandenburgs.

You can sample some of the tracks and, yes, the style of playing and the sounds coming out of the synths are very "young".  My memory has been colored over the years.

All her albums are available, my iPod may be getting a bit heavier over the next few months...

-Sandy

This is fantastic news! My older brother is in charge of the AV department at the local library, and we had been talking about getting Wendy Carlos' works for the library. I'll forward him this info.

And though I don't have an iPod, my Sansa will be gaining weight soon, too.

Yeah.

Like I said, it's commendable that she would think "Gee, I had one of the largest selling classical records of all time, but ya know, I think I could do it better."  But that was no reason to get rid of the original.