Late Night with David Letterman - Show open - 7/16/91 (Audio from board tape)

Here's a real treat -- the opening theme of "Late Night with David Letterman" recorded directly (on DAT) from the mixing console. This was the music mix only, so it contains no announce audio from Bill Wendell, or the audience (other than what you can hear bleeding through at the end). I added video from an S-VHS recording of the open (from the NBC satellite feed) so you'd have something to watch.
Crank up your subwoofer and enjoy this as you've never heard it before.

[@patton303]

If you’re a music nerd it’s fun to hear the theme song and mixes evolve over the years. The early 80’s shows were really dry with little stereo separation and this era was full of fat compression, reverb and gated drums. The CBS years with the larger band were beautifully mixed for 5.1. Thank you for sharing.

[@billrood7500]

I would argue that in a lot of ways, the mix for the current late night shows sound pretty bad, with Kimmel being the worst -- the band sounds mono, with virtually no bass. Very brittle and harsh. Sadly, it hard to get an accurate impression of mixes if listening to an off-air TV station as most employ very heavy-handed compression that totally destroys the work that goes into creating them. A sad state of affairs.

[@patton303]

@@billrood7500 I was only talking about Letterman.

[@johnsjohnson448]

This is terrific! Thanks for sharing!

[@FomorViceroy]

Thank you so much for this. The Late Night theme never sounded better!

[@VPR2B]

I agree!

[@johnsjohnson448]

There is a segment from a Jay Leno Guest Hosted "Mr. Carson's "Tonight" show featuring Doc Severinsen and the NBC Orchestra on here. It is epic. LOL.

[@LucasKombo]

What a treasure. What I wouldn't give to dig through those DAT tapes and pick at the musical legacy heading in there, hidden away.

[@VPR2B]

I agree! Check out this other recording I posted, if you haven’t already: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXXCn6p6nrmmitE

[@hgrunt100]

Oh man those DAT's have gotta have some gold on them

[@Flavum]

That song just crushes. Thank you, Paul.

[@nedwart]

It's not very often that these pop up. Thank you!

[@johnsjohnson448]

Especially after the age of 50.

[@hdb28091]

oh man, you have NO IDEA how happy I am to have this. I'm a gen X'er, watched a lot of Letterman growing up. I'm also a musician, and I've always wanted to learn this theme, so I've been working on transcribing it. having this recording is a gift. if you've got other versions of this same theme, please reach out to me, I'd love to hear them!

[@jnadle1]

Paul and the band were so tight on the theme music during those years. Just him, Sid, Will and Anton.

[@VPR2B]

So true. Be sure to check out the other file I posted, from the same show: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXXCn6p6nrmmitE

[@foleynj86]

I thought this was the coolest intro when I was a little kid. I think I was 3 or 4 and would watch the show after my parents went to bed.😂

[@moniemaker27]

Great stuff!!! I hope to see more like this from paul and the band! Happy holidays

[@mhmrules]

I understand what you mean when you say turn your subwoofer up! Will Lee is killing it on bass, as are the rest of the WMDB.

[@HorneATL]

0:32 I’ve been at that bar!!! Old Town Bar on E. 18th!!! I sat basically where that guy in the striped shirt is. Had a long day of travel and walking through Manhattan. Ended with being at this bar, drinking a Ballentine, and enjoying an amazing cheeseburger - complete with the homemade potato salad! I even scored a “cwuhp of cawfwee!” … or, “cup of coffee” for the non-locals.

[@MitchellHang]

This sounds spectacular.

[@JayDeeIsMyName]

This is amazing. This is like, the cleanest tune of Late Night with Dave that will ever surface, will it? 🤩😁

[@VPR2B]

I don’t see how there could be anything better.

[@JayDeeIsMyName]

@@VPR2B Maybe the audio in uncompressed WAV/FLAC, instead of through the usual KZbin-compression? But maybe I'm a little bit reaching now 😄

[@VPR2B]

@@JayDeeIsMyName The original is an uncompressed WAV from DAT. I can upload it to WeTransfer and send a link if you would like to marinate in its goodness. 😃

[@JayDeeIsMyName]

@@VPR2B I would absolutely love that, thanks!

[@paulrichter2863]

There is a studio version recorded on Paul Schaffer's 1988 album: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJDUmpajgJZmpck

[@johnathanmcdonald4378]

Thank you!

[@herrbrahms]

Paul Shaffer is one seriously talented MFer.

[@srpdesigns]

I was living and going to school in Boston and never missed Late Night w/DL ..Im sure I watched this when it originally aired ...My God it was a lifetime ago and it still brings me right back to that time and place ....Never knowing Id be looking back on something like this with such great memories...Thanks for posting this !...What a time it was !

[@hankkingsley9300]

This is what it's supposed to sound like accept no substitutes

[@VPR2B]

Hey now!

[@SirMixALotRareMusic]

Wow, fantastic! Keep up the great uploads.

[@VPR2B]

Thanks! I’ve been looking for golden nuggets in my archive, I generally only upload things that I believe can’t be found anywhere else, especially from the standpoint of quality.

[@SirMixALotRareMusic]

@@VPR2B You're doing a heck of a job of it! I especially appreciate the Beyond the Nut Tree video ya put up. Used to have a copy of the blooper tape from the shoot but lost it so yours is the next best thing.

[@VPR2B]

@@SirMixALotRareMusic Were there more bloopers than the ones contained in the raw footage I posted? I thought that was all the film that was shot, but this many years (decades!) later, my memory could be faulty.

[@SirMixALotRareMusic]

@@VPR2B From my memory it was from a tape of the finished 3 spots, then at the end (or maybe it was the other way around?) featured bloopers, including one where Leslie used his fart hand machine walking by each camera. Maybe I'll ask the guy who gave me the tape awhile back if he still has it.

[@Rob_Kates]

Cue Bill Wendell.

[@abe_froman8360]

That camera shot flying into and through the Twin Towers... yikes.

[@corduerorose9747]

Yeah now it a bad choice before you know

[@JohnEDoey]

Probably regretted that...

[@LucasKombo]

You can’t hide history because bad things happened. Celebrate that time. Remember that shot. It’s a treasure to have. In a hundred years, it’ll he a treasured relic of a dead time.

[@thomasmassey322]

If it only could've remained so ... Nothing has really been right since ...

[@nate567987]

New York was proud

[@corduerorose9747]

Breaks my heart 10 years later the buildings will deceased 0:02

[@tonyrizzo3910]

Wow!

[@middlefinger1565]

I think Paul Shaffer's band played the Letterman Electric Company cartoon theme, too.

[@Uncleplan]

I hope you will do this same thing to the other episodes' intros, especially the ones with the horn sections.

[@VPR2B]

This is the only other one I have, which does have the horns: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3a5i3eDo7SBiMk

[@a_plus]

Late Night theme > Late Show

[@VPR2B]

My thoughts exactly.

[@1AstralKing]

Late Night>Late Show.

[@scee1871]

This is phenomenal! Any chance you might share a flac version of this?

[@VPR2B]

I wouldn’t mind, if you have a way I can get it to you.

[@scee1871]

@@VPR2B have you used wetransfer.com?

[@VPR2B]

@@scee1871 Heard of it - never used.

[@scee1871]

@@VPR2B It's pretty straight forward, click "no thanks" to signing up, drag and drop the files you want to transfer onto the screen, and then click "Get a link". It will upload to wetransfer and then provide you with a download link once it's done.

[@VPR2B]

@@scee1871 Here you go then: we.tl/t-DnsKlj11nq

[@rudyiraheta80]

when has letterman been on abc i know he went to cbs

[@VPR2B]

Letterman has never been on ABC. This clip is from his NBC show, which ran from 1982-1993.

[@rudyiraheta80]

@@VPR2B he has been on all stations

[@plaws0]

LSwDL was always, to me, a pale imitation of LNwDL. This is awesome. Now - educate me - did the band play this live every night? And was what they played what was broadcast? Or was the aired intro recorded?

[@VPR2B]

I agree on your first point - nothing beats the NBC show. To your question, yes, the band played live every night. Not just the opening, but they played all through the time when the commercials were being aired, in order to keep the studio audience entertained. At home, all you heard was the beginning as they headed into the break, and a little bit when the show came back on.

[@plaws0]

@@VPR2B Was more curious about the intro music (did I mention I love that theme???). So great.

[@VPR2B]

@@plaws0 Sorry for any confusion. Yes, the intro was played live every night.

[@sillygoose635]

while I disagree, I think both shows are incredible and Dave rightly ruled Late Night,