"Cool Jerk": Detroit or New York?

[dvdmike]

I always thought "Cool Jerk" was cut at Golden World in Detroit. But in the book, "Studio Stories", engineer Chris Huston claims to have engineered the session at Talent Masters Studios in NYC. Does anyone know it this is true? Thanks.

[robb_k]

3735
I've always read that it was cut and mastered in Detroit. When has Ollie McLaughlin ever had anything done in New York? [[he only went outside to Chicago sometimes [[mostly with Barbara Lewis).

[StuBass1]

Hi Mike...

Cool Jerk [[the original Capitals version) was cut in Detroit using several Funk Brothers including Bob Babbitt and others who were moonlighting behind Motowns back. The original title of the song was "Pimp Jerk", but changed for obvious reasons. There have been several covers, including a version by the Go-Go's. Perhaps this engineer worked on one of the covers and perh aps Carol Kaye was the bassist.

[robb_k]

3736
Here is an excerpt from Soulful Detroit's Webisode on Golden World:


"Golden World was not averse to leasing it's studio to other record companies, and in March 1966 Ollie McLaughlin brought in his group, The Capitols, to cut Donald Storball's new song, "Cool Jerk".
Ed Wolfrum remembers recording the session at Golden World and later mixing the track for Ollie at United Sound, after Danny Dallas finished the vocal overdubs.
"Ollie was wonderful to work with, there were no fishing expeditions with him, he knew what he wanted and went for it.
Myself and George McGregor tried to reconstruct the session in our minds recently, and we both think that part of the studio line-up included George, Bobby Jones, Johnny Griffith, Bob Babbitt and Mike Terry."
Babbitt also recalls that Eddie Willis and Ray Monette played guitars."

I trust Ed Wolfrum and George McGregor, my own memory and Ollie McLaughlin's track record, more than a comment Chris Huston [[of whom I've never heard).

[marv2]

The record "Cool Jerk" was done in Detroit. As Robb mentioned, some of the Funk Brothers played on it!

[robb_k]

3744
There weren't very many '60s records recorded in Detroit that sold much that didn't have at least a handful of Funk Brothers playing on them. And I can't remember EVEN ONE Detroit Soul record recorded during the 1960s that sold in any numbers, didn't have at least one or two Motown session players playing on it.

[robb_k]

3745

Hi Mike...

Cool Jerk [[the original Capitals version) was cut in Detroit using several Funk Brothers including Bob Babbitt and others who were moonlighting behind Motowns back. The original title of the song was "Pimp Jerk", but changed for obvious reasons. There have been several covers, including a version by the Go-Go's. Perhaps this engineer worked on one of the covers and perhaps Carol Kaye was the bassist.

The OP said that the writer claims that it was recorded in New York. Did Carol Kaye sometimes travel to New York to play on a record?

[dvdmike]

Thank you everybody. I thought it was Detroit.

[StuBass1]

Hi Robb [[Mike)... No...I was being a bit tounge in cheek on the Carol Kaye comment as relates to this claim. I have virtually no doubt that Cool Jerk [[the original version) was cut in Detroit. I met Sam George [[lead singer in The Capitals) on a couple of occassions...the last time walking down the street not far from Hitsville where I had some band business, and I remember he had so many diamonds in his cluster ring that I almost needed
sunglasses. This was in about 1967. I've heard he was the victim of a stabbing or shooting which ended his life.