(click thumbnail)“Just The Girl” The Click FiveSingle: “Just The Girl”
Album: Greetings From Imrie House (Lava)
Dates Recorded: April through May 2004 at Q Division Studios in Somerville, Massachusetts
Single Producer: Mike Denneen
Single Engineer: Matt Beaudoin
Single Assistant Engineer: Matt Tahaney
Single Mixer: Mike Denneen at Q Division Studios
Mastering: Andy Van Dette at Masterdisk in New York City
Other Projects: Beaudoin has worked on sessions for artists such as Fountains Of Wayne, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Dropkick Murphys, Tanya Donnelly, Avoid One Thing, Helicopter Helicopter.
Single Songwriter: Adam Schlesinger
Tracking Consoles: Neve 8068, Trident 80B
Mixing Console: Neve 8068
Recorders: Studer A827, Pro Tools Mix Plus, Ampex ATR-102 half-inch mastering deck
Monitors: Genelec 1031A, Yamaha NS-10M, Radio Shack Minimus 7
Vocal Microphone: Neumann M49
Vocal Mic Preamplifiers: API 312, Wunder Audio PEQ1 mic-pre/EQ
Vocal Mic Processing: Neve 31102 three-band EQ (from Neve 8068), Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressor, EMT 140 stereo plate reverbComprised of former Berklee College of Music students, the Click Five are now chart-topping, MTV-approved pop stars. Donning matching suits, this stylish and sonically fresh quintet have it all: the looks, the chops, the charisma. While “Just the Girl” — the Click Five’s first single — was written by Fountains of Wayne member and That Thing You Do! musical contributor Adam Schlesinger, it’s a perfect introduction of the band and their own compositions to a mesmerized fan base.
“The song matches perfectly the band’s overall vibe as well as the songs they write,” explains engineer Matt Beaudoin, who — along with producer Mike Denneen — completed work on the band’s Greetings From Imrie House full-length release in January of this year.
The first four songs recorded for the Click Five’s debut — which included “Just The Girl” — were recorded as a pitch demo over two months in early 2004. Upon securing a label deal with Lava Records, the band returned to Q Division Studios in October, 2004 to work with Denneen and Beaudoin. Studio A and Studio B at Q Division feature Studer A827 analog recorders, Pro Tools Mix Plus systems, as well as Neve 8068 and Trident 80B classic consoles, respectively. “For us, basically everything we do hits tape,” says Beaudoin. “I like working on tape; things seem to move faster and you get hung up less often.”
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Basic tracks for “Just The Girl” were built from drums and bass, then lusciously layered for maximum power-pop effect. On top, the distinctive voice of lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Dill draws listeners into the super catchy tune.
“We’re lucky to have a really nice microphone selection here, so for Eric’s vocal we tried U47s, U67s, U87s, and so on,” recalls Beaudoin of the session’s mic shootout. “But a Neumann M49 seemed to match up the best. He has a high voice with a unique sibilance that the other mics weren’t particularly flattering to. In comparison, the M49 was just a little smoother and a little more flattering. We also have a lot of nice compressors, but the Distressor meshed with his vocals very nicely. For vocals, those two were important parts of the chain.”
