"London By Night" by The Singers Unlimited AND VOCES8, Reaction/Analysis by Musician/Producer

[@ThePianoMan1953]

Such a pleasure to listen to this. I love Singers Unlimited and have never had the pleasure of hearing this. I enjoyed the Singers Unlimited recording a bit more; as you say, it is just “so tight.” I guess, to be fair, they did have more control in a studio as well as the ability of multi-tracking. Bonnies’ voice is so pure! I would give anything to be able to see video of their process of adding tracks. That would really be something special to see and hear.

[@timgrady4630]

Jeff this is Glorious . Singers Unlimited = Absolute Butter . Their Collab with Piano Virtuoso Oscar Peterson is completely Sublime ...utter Cloud Music . Evokes the thoughts of filtered sunlight through a Willow on a 75 degree day . Voces 8 is equal to the task. Thanks for your appreciation of undeniable brilliance .

[@AssetInvesting]

Jeff, you are the best musical analyst bar none. I am very unapologetic about it.

[@StrateleStudios]

Thank you, my friend!

[@richardtodd7295]

In 1953 Gene Puerling started the Hi-Lo's. Gene did most of the arranging for the group. He explored wide ranging sounds with harmonies not heard before, but still with 4 voices. After the Hi-Lo's folded, he got a call one of the singers saying come to Chicago, and he did. He had a few arrangements to try, and they loved the sound and founded The Singers Unlimited. They started out doing commercials, then records, and in 1972, The first of 3 acapella albums. They were made in Germany using voice over techniques with as many tracks as the song needed. His arrangements continue to be performed by many groups and , in particular, college groups. One of Gene Puerling's most heard arrangements, for which he seldom gets recognition, is a Nightingale Sang in Barkley Square by Manhattan Transfer! Every time we listen to Take 6, Pentatonix, any of today's groups that use complex harmonies, the roots of their ideas go back to Gene Puerling.

[@richardtodd7295]

London By Night was written by Carroll Oates and sung and recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1951. The version heard here, by The Singers Unlimited was done at some point after 1972, and appeared on the first Acapella album. This version, by Voce8, dates from 2017, using the same Gene Puerling arrangement. It is worth noting that at that time the group utilized 2 Counter tenors, and 2 sopranos. . It is amazing to me that Voces 8 did such a wonderful job with this song without multi tracking!

[@lisedonsgrnning6518]

I didn’t know, how much I needed to sit down and really listen to and enjoy this right now - Thank You🙏🏼💜❤️🎄💛🕯️🕯️. So crystal clear and like cleared butter for ears and soul ….. again - thank you🙏🏼🤗.

[@StrateleStudios]

Yes! 😃👏🫶

[@jorgestramusic]

You must listen to "It Could Happen to You" with The Singers Unlimited as well.... You'll cry!

[@lisedonsgrnning6518]

@@jorgestramusicYou were right ….. wauw!🥹🥹🤩👌🏼

[@muppetsstoogesfan1]

Bonnie Herman of The Singers Unlimited was the original State Farm Like A Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There! Her mom was a Welk Champagne Lady. Her dad was in Welks orchestra as a trumpeter. Len Dresslar, the bass of the group was the voice of Ho Ho Ho, the Jolly Green Giant when you were a kid.

[@StrateleStudios]

🤯🤯🤯

[@ThePianoMan1953]

Yes, amazing that at least two of them came from being "commercial jingle singers." As an instrumentalist, it seems like it would be very difficult to read (hear) those inside harmonies while recording.

[@jorgestramusic]

The four of them were Jingle singers, that's why they formed in the first place and Gene Puerling arranged all of those jingles as well!

[@timgrady4630]

BTW that Collab with Oscar Peterson is titled "In Tune" with Singers Unlimited .

[@AssetInvesting]

For me, The Singers Unlimited gets the nod. I felt a deeper vocal maturity that really resonated with me. I love how the females seem to slide into their notes.

[@ThePianoMan1953]

Yes, totally agree. Their voice-leading just seemed to "mesh" more naturally.

[@jorgestramusic]

I just found this video and this channel and I'm very pleased because Richard is talking about my favorite vocal group of all times, The Singers Unlimited, I also love the comments from everybody liking TSU more, in fairness TSU were a Studio group while Voces8 are singing live here and is a total difference, at the Studio there's so much more control, TSU hardly ever sung live though the Japanese wanted them to go there and sing live accompanied by the tracks from the studio, TSU thought this was dishonest (Something that is regular practice in today's live concerts) and sadly rejected the inmense sum they were offering. Voces8 did a fantastic job and they not only sing Jazz Standards but do mostly everything and they do it right always! Top Notch group of singers. But you have to know also that TSU recorded all of their A Cappella Projects withing five days, basically one track in the morning and one in the afternoon, all of their voices, overdubs and solos... Another thing to clarify is that what you just heard from TSU is the 4 of them singing all the way to 27 voices, so the sound is humongous!... For me they are the foundation of all A Cappella singing, and the top groups of today acknowledge them as the best, and Gene Puerling, The Arranger was and still is the King in my opinion, The Hi-Lo's (First vocal group of Gene Puerling and The Singers Unlimited are the Alpha and Omega of Vocal Group singing. One last thing, Voces8 sung "London by Night" one whole step above TSU, if you are a musician you know that chords ring differently, this probably was due to Voces 8 using a chart made for college choirs, to facilitate the low notes of Len Dresslar's super low notes (He could sing much lower than in this recording, He was an incredible singer!) I loved how Richard gets teary listening to TSU, is the same reaction I get when I show this to people that has never heard them, thank you for the analysis.