Wendy Carlos (formerly Walter Carlos)

StevOK · 01.31.2009, 08:10 PM

So, the other day I was thinking about Stanley Kubric films, A Clockwork Orange in particular. I remember the soundtrack having some crazy synthesized Beethoven. My wife happened to have the soundtrack, which mentions in the liner notes that the synthesizer stuff was created by Walter Carlos.
I looked up Walter Carlos, discovering that she became Wendy Carlos in 1972.
Her debut album was Switched-On Bach (1968), and was the first classical album to sell over 500,000 copies and later go platinum. I downloaded this along with her second album The Well-Tempered Synthesizer (1969), and her original score for A Clockwork Orange (when you download this, be sure to change the name of the zip file before unzipping it if you have Windows Vista).
This stuff is extremely cool! Download, discuss.

atsonicpark · 01.31.2009, 08:33 PM

Yeah, I love it, heard it years ago. She did something else I loved.. it was called like Tales of Heaven or Hell or something.

Haha, "Well-Tempered Synthesizer"... just realized that's a "Well-Tuned Piano" reference, duh at me.

StevOK · 01.31.2009, 08:44 PM

Actually, I think it's a play on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier.

atsonicpark · 01.31.2009, 08:48 PM

OH!

Well shit!

StevOK · 01.31.2009, 09:20 PM

Oh hey, I found that album Tales of Heaven and Hell, and also one called Secrets of Synthesis

DeadDiscoDildo · 02.01.2009, 12:28 AM

Yeah my dad has the vinyl of walter carlos haha and on the CD it's WENDY. I remember hearing that story when I was little. I think it's one of the first times I heard of people changing their sex.

dionysusundone · 02.01.2009, 01:47 AM

I have the Clockwork Orange soundtrack on Vinyl, it's credited to Walter. I found it extremely confusing at first.

Glice · 02.01.2009, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atsonicpark

Haha, "Well-Tempered Synthesizer"... just realized that's a "Well-Tuned Piano" reference, duh at me.

For fuck's sake.

I've heard the music above. It's all shit, completely shit. But thanks anyway.

Glice · 02.01.2009, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hypertonic

I think that there is a bit of info on this either on the Moog documentary (good), or the Moogfest video (not as good)

The analog synth is a beast of an instrument, and did take some tempering to be sure. Perhaps why early synth music sounds a bit unbearable. I'm sure it was very very strange at the time, epecially for the artists, musicians, and general sound explorers. People were literally scared of them. Neat!

The thing is, there's a pretty large difference between the sort of majesty that Oskar Sala did and the novelty synthesiser shite that this thread's about. I'm not saying early synths didn't scare the bejeebus out of people, but I'm confident it wasn't Wendy/ Walter. I mean, there's the Doctor Who theme, and there's a Bach fugue rendered appallingly, and ne'er the twain shall meet.

Everyneurotic · 02.02.2009, 12:18 AM

i have the well tempered synthetizer and switched on bach on vinyl (recent additions) and the clockwork orange soundtrack on tape (it's actually my mom's).

sure it's a fucking novelty but it's funny in a way, the clockwork theme is something else entirely, one of my favorite pieces of music.

Dead-Air · 02.02.2009, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everyneurotic

i have the well tempered synthetizer and switched on bach on vinyl (recent additions) and the clockwork orange soundtrack on tape (it's actually my mom's).

sure it's a fucking novelty but it's funny in a way, the clockwork theme is something else entirely, one of my favorite pieces of music.

Yeah, I'm pretty much in agreement. The Bach stuff is pretty dated and amusing for it. The stuff on Clockwork is great. My favorite track from it is actually "Timesteps", which I've always thought was really brilliant.

WHOREOHSCOPE · 02.15.2009, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dionysusundone

I have the Clockwork Orange soundtrack on Vinyl, it's credited to Walter. I found it extremely confusing at first.

Definitely , no clue about this information... until seeing this thread.

I must look further into Carlos existence besides A Clockwork Orange soundtrack and have always felt compelled to.....

This Is Not Here · 02.15.2009, 11:55 AM

Almost bid on one of his/her records the other day actually, but I thought classical compositions on the synthesizer sounded a bit... gimmicky and cheap

Glice · 02.15.2009, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by This Is Not Here

Almost bid on one of his/her records the other day actually, but I thought classical compositions on the synthesizer sounded a bit... gimmicky and cheap

You should be able to find it in charity shop bins, if you're interested. It's one of those, like Herb Alpert, shows up all the time.

Savage Clone · 02.15.2009, 12:10 PM

"Sonic Seasonings" is pretty great if you can find it in good conditon.

Clockwork Orange OST is also a favorite of mine.

01.31.2009, 08:10 PM	#1
StevOK expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Henrietta, TX Posts: 2,412	So, the other day I was thinking about Stanley Kubric films, A Clockwork Orange in particular. I remember the soundtrack having some crazy synthesized Beethoven. My wife happened to have the soundtrack, which mentions in the liner notes that the synthesizer stuff was created by Walter Carlos. I looked up Walter Carlos, discovering that she became Wendy Carlos in 1972. Her debut album was Switched-On Bach (1968), and was the first classical album to sell over 500,000 copies and later go platinum. I downloaded this along with her second album The Well-Tempered Synthesizer (1969), and her original score for A Clockwork Orange (when you download this, be sure to change the name of the zip file before unzipping it if you have Windows Vista). This stuff is extremely cool! Download, discuss. __________________ Follow me! Soundcloud Tumblr Facebook
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

01.31.2009, 08:33 PM	#2
atsonicpark invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 28,843	Yeah, I love it, heard it years ago. She did something else I loved.. it was called like Tales of Heaven or Hell or something. Haha, "Well-Tempered Synthesizer"... just realized that's a "Well-Tuned Piano" reference, duh at me. __________________
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01.31.2009, 08:44 PM	#3
StevOK expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Henrietta, TX Posts: 2,412	Actually, I think it's a play on Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. __________________ Follow me! Soundcloud Tumblr Facebook
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01.31.2009, 08:48 PM	#4
atsonicpark invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 28,843	OH! Well shit! __________________
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01.31.2009, 09:20 PM	#5
StevOK expwy. to yr skull Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Henrietta, TX Posts: 2,412	Oh hey, I found that album Tales of Heaven and Hell, and also one called Secrets of Synthesis __________________ Follow me! Soundcloud Tumblr Facebook
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

02.01.2009, 12:28 AM	#6
DeadDiscoDildo invito al cielo Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 3,805	Yeah my dad has the vinyl of walter carlos haha and on the CD it's WENDY. I remember hearing that story when I was little. I think it's one of the first times I heard of people changing their sex.
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02.01.2009, 01:47 AM	#7
dionysusundone the end of the ugly Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 871	I have the Clockwork Orange soundtrack on Vinyl, it's credited to Walter. I found it extremely confusing at first. __________________ -James
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02.02.2009, 12:18 AM	#10
Everyneurotic invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mexico Posts: 15,713	i have the well tempered synthetizer and switched on bach on vinyl (recent additions) and the clockwork orange soundtrack on tape (it's actually my mom's). sure it's a fucking novelty but it's funny in a way, the clockwork theme is something else entirely, one of my favorite pieces of music. __________________ Richard Clayderman found alive and still bland! Repo Man has all night! Photographic evidence of Monosodic's existance! New Kiddieriot shit after all! Never too late to share fave rex from the year before! David Keenan is a douchebag! Ron Asheton missed!
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02.15.2009, 11:55 AM	#13
This Is Not Here invito al cielo Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Kingston-Upon-Thames, London Posts: 2,586	Almost bid on one of his/her records the other day actually, but I thought classical compositions on the synthesizer sounded a bit... gimmicky and cheap __________________ http://images.google.co.uk/url?sourc...zLTl_B146tcuiw ~~Record of the moment~~
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02.15.2009, 12:10 PM	#15
Savage Clone invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 11,287	"Sonic Seasonings" is pretty great if you can find it in good conditon. Clockwork Orange OST is also a favorite of mine.
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