Minus-One recordings
In the Philippines, the Minus-One (commonly, albeit improperly, spelled "minus one"[1] without the hyphen) is a variant mix of a multi-track recording, wherein the lead vocal track of a song is muted for further use. In the Philippine recording industry of the 1980s, during the heyday of vinyl records, this variant was released as the "flip side"[2][3] of a commercial song's 7-inch single, but generally never a part of the Long Playing album containing the full-featured song. Succinctly, a B-side selection became referred to as "minus-one" because the lead vocal track is subtracted from the A-Side song's original mix.
The Minus-One is the patented name of the karaoke machine invented by Filipino business executive Roberto del Rosario in 1975.[4] The term "karaoke" is a combined Japanese word from karappo (空っぽ, empty) and okestura (オーケストラ, orchestra), meaning "empty orchestra" or an "orchestra void of vocals," which the Minus-One machine is.[4] Although, the term and the idea of records without vocals can be traced back to the Music Minus One company in the 1950s.[5]
Record production genre
[edit]
As a genre of record production in the Philippines,[6] the inclusion of a 'minus-one' Side-B reduced the production cost of a 45 RPM 7-inch "single" by foregoing the need for yet another song to occupy the 7-inch record's flip side.[7] It also encouraged buyers to "sing along" with the bonus accompaniment of the "hit single".
A "minus-one mix" would not necessarily be wholly instrumental, as backing vocals of the song's original mix may be retained. The concept of instrumental B-sides to complement their full versions became a production trend of the Philippine record industry of the 1980s, which was replicated overseas.[8] In the ensuing years, tracks from minus-one flip sides were assembled by production houses for their inclusion in compilations.[9][10]
Examples of minus-one sides
[edit]The following table illustrates early B-sides of Zsa Zsa Padilla's 45-RPM 7" Vinyl singles released by Blackgold Records. Many such vinyl sides have since been ported to other platforms, including VCD, videoke and free video sharing websites.
| Side A song | Side B minus-one | Catalog | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| When I'm With You (Rene Novelles) |
When I'm With You (minus-one) (Arranged by Dante Trinidad) |
BSP-392 | 1985 |
| Eversince (Alvina Eileen Sy) |
Eversince (minus-one) (Arranged by Dante Trinidad) |
BSP-397 | 1985 |
| To Love You (Danny Javier) |
To Love You (minus-one) (Arranged by Menchu Apostol) |
BSP-401 | 1985 |
| Hiram (George Canseco) |
Hiram (minus-one) (Arranged by Danny Tan) |
BSP-404 | 1986 |
| Mambobola (Rey-An Fuentes) |
Mambobola (minus-one) (Arranged by Homer Flores) |
BSP-410 | 1986 |
| Ikaw Lamang (Dodjie Simon) |
Ikaw Lamang (minus-one) (Arranged by Menchu Apostol) |
BSP-413 | 1986 |
| Minsan Pa (Jun Sta. Maria & Peewee Apostol) |
Minsan Pa (minus-one) (Arranged by Menchu Apostol) |
BSP-417 | 1986 |
| Maybe This Time (Marlene del Rosario) |
Maybe This Time (minus-one) (Arranged by Menchu Apostol) |
BSP-432 | 1988 |
| Pangako (Dodjie Simon) |
Pangako (minus-one) (Arranged by Egay Gonzales) |
BSP-447 | 1990 |
| Ang Aking Pamasko (Tony Velarde) |
Ang Aking Pamasko (minus-one) (Arranged by Egay Gonzales) |
BSP-459 | 1990 |
Other examples
[edit]- In 1987, a song by the Filipino band, The Dawn was released as a 7-inch 45 RPM single (with minus-one) by their record label, OctoArts.
- In the 2000s, Narda, a band from the Philippines, featured an album page in AllMusic[11] with dedicated minus-one content.
Minus-one is content, not equipment
[edit]
The wave of "Minus-One" vinyl B-sides brought about a genre in the Philippine record industry, harvested by the cousins Vic del Rosario and Orly Ilacad,[12] co-owners and executive producers of Vicor Music Corporation and its offshoot record labels. They released the seminal 7-inch B-sides of minus-one recordings, later grouped together as minus-one compilations on cassette tape format, Compact Disks and later as online material.[13]
As sheer musical content, the instrumentals were a precursor to widespread recreational crooning at home and outside, its provenance[14] effectively traced to the Music Minus One products of the mid-1950s. In 1975, Filipino executive Roberto del Rosario patented his sing-along invention as Minus-One, popularly known as the karaoke machine, an interactive entertainment system without vocals[4]. As a Filipino trait[15] for festivity,[16] the allure for minus-one recordings crossed cultural barriers in the Philippines.[17][18][19]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Minus One | Slang Define, archived from the original on February 15, 2024
- ^ "Merriam-Webster: Flip side Definition & Meaning". April 26, 2024.
- ^ "Collins Dictionary: FLIP SIDE definition and meaning". 2024.
- ^ a b c "#ANONGBALITA Karaoke inventor Negishi dies, 100, family reports". Manila Standard. March 17, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
- ^ "Music Minus One Series Hal Leonard Online". Hal Leonard Online. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
- ^ Production Genre | soundroll.com
- ^ Oxford Languages: flipside | Google
- ^ Fintoni, Laurent (2020). Bedroom Beats & B-Sides: Instrumental Hip-Hop & Electronic Music at the Turn of the Century. Velocity Press. ISBN 9781913231040.
- ^ "Vocal Removal and Isolation". manual.audacityteam.org. November 16, 2023.
- ^ Epekto ng OPM Orihinal na Musika ng Pilipino | musixmatch (in Tagalog)
- ^ Minus One | AllMusic
- ^ "Vic, Orly & Tito: Philpop's music trio". PressReader. The Philippine Star. March 8, 2017.
- ^ Minus-One OPM Alternative Love Songs | Universal Records, Polycosmic, August 2021
- ^ Odrich, Jim (May 2016), The Jim Odrich Experience: Music Minus One Piano | Google Books, Music Minus One, ISBN 978-1-59615-056-0
- ^ Charles E. Griffith, Jr. (March 1924). "Folk Music in the Philippines". Music Supervisors' Journal. 10 (4): 26–64. doi:10.2307/3383136. JSTOR 3383136 – via JSTOR.org.
- ^ "communal celebration". Collins Dictionary. 2024.
- ^ "Pinoy music artists sing of love and hope for Philippines {mention of minus one)". goodnewspilipinas. May 2, 2019.
- ^ "Quincentennial Theme Song Minus One MP3". National Quincentennial Committee Philippines, National Historical Commission of the Philippines. March 25, 2020.
- ^ "Bagani Quincentennial Theme Song". National Quincentennial Committee Philippines, National Historical Commission of the Philippines. March 25, 2020.
External links
[edit]- B-side
- What are Minus-one tracks and why they are used
- Minus-One OPM Alternative Love Songs
- Why are instrumental tracks also called "minus-one tracks"?
- Backing Tracks Minus Vocals
