People who listen to short-wave broadcasts hear this "phase change" quite often in broadcasts, and it's caused by irregular reflections of radio waves off the ionosphere.

The ionosphere is one of the upper levels of our atmosphere, and it's radio waves' curious tendency to "bounce" off this ionized (electrically charged) atmospheric layer that allowed us to transmit radio signals (which normally move in a straight line, or "line of sight", as it's termed) around the world before communications satellites became commonplace.

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However they did it...

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I don't know how THEY did it, but I've done it in my home studio by dubbing the material from one track on the tape deck on to another and playing them both back. I suspect this is how it was done on the record, and the fact that the effect occurs under these circumstances, and can be eliminated by removing one of the tracks, gives creedence to the story I mentioned earlier.

Anyhow, I researched the matter, and here's what I found in a discussion group on the web...

"We (Gold Star Recording) did 'The Big Hurt' with Toni Fisher. In those days, the pressing plants had their own labels. Allied Records, a big pressing plant in Hollywood in the '50s and '60s, had Signet Records. They put out 'The Big Hurt.' I was the engineer on that, the first record to use phasing. It was an accident. It was a binaural recording, and Bill Shankle, the producer who also wrote the song, didn't believe in two-track. He wanted mono and that was it. If he heard the voice, it was good. If he did not hear the voice, it wasn't good. It was all live at one time, orchestra, singing, everything. I gave him a take that I liked but I thought the voice was too shallow on. He liked it and took it home, then decided I was right. I offered another take, but he liked that one, said it was exciting. I said, 'It's only exciting because the voice is low.' He said, 'No.'

"So we put two version of the same take together, synced them, and played them together. The speeds didn't match exactly, and as they passed, they phased. We learned to control the beast and used it. It often happened by accident before that, and everyone always canned it and started over. But we used it this time. We talked him in to using it, he was reluctant but said 'Yep, use
it.' He's dead now, but I give him a lot of credit for being brave enough to use it."...

Alec Palao

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 01 February 2004 at 04:56 AM.]

Regards, Paul

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 01 February 2004 at 09:35 AM.]

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 01 February 2004 at 09:36 AM.]

[This message was edited by Paul Graupp on 01 February 2004 at 09:37 AM.]