How revolutions in recording technology remade the sound of the popular song.

Studio technology has evolved from Edison's massive and unwieldy acoustic horn to an infinite array of possibilities that fit on the smartphone in your hand. In Episode 3 of Rearranged, we explore the revolutions in the sound of the popular song that accompanied revolutions in how we record sound.

Guests:

Brandon Shaw McKnight (Charles P. Harris) is a Baltimore-based actor, singer, and director. https://bshawmcknight.art/

Charles Cronin is a lawyer, musician, and historical musicologist in Los Angeles. He has taught at Claremont Graduate University and George Washington University, and he helped build GWU's extremely handy Music Copyright Infringement Resource. https://blogs.law.gwu.edu/mcir/authors-and-contributors/

Susan Schmidt Horning is an associate professor of history at St. John's College in Queens, New York. https://www.stjohns.edu/academics/faculty/susan-schmidt-horning

John Morrison is a writer, producer, and DJ in Philadelphia. https://www.johnmorrison215.com/

Thanks to:

Brandon Shaw McKnight

Charles Cronin

Susan Schmidt Horning

John Morrison

The theme music and other scoring music for Rearranged was written and recorded by Lawrence Lanahan.

Music discussed:

“After the Ball,” Charles P. Harris, 1892.

King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, Classics Records, 1992. https://www.discogs.com/release/11895715-King-Oliver-And-His-Creole-Jazz-Band-1923

Bessie Smith: Downhearted Blues, Original 1923-1924 recordings, Naxos, 2003. https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.120660

“Every Breath I Take,” Gene Pitney, Musicor, 1962. https://www.discogs.com/release/6077743-Gene-Pitney-Every-Breath-I-Take-

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, Public Enemy, Def Jam, 1988. https://defjamshop.com/products/public-enemy-it-takes-a-nation-of-millions-to-hold-us-back-lp

SWP: Southwest Psychedelphia, John Morrison, 2020. https://johnmorrison215.bandcamp.com/album/swp-southwest-psychedelphia

Episode ID: 1000698708078

GUID: 2c8a6758-fe17-11ef-81b5-dfbad8287856

Release Date: 11/03/2025, 08:30:00