[Ads-l] "cut (a song) on (someone)"

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Here is some evidence that the statement "I'm cutting an album on them
too" appeared in "Melody Maker" in 1971.

Book: The History of Rock 1971
(Reprint of article from "Melody Maker" November 27, 1971)
Publisher: Time Inc.
Database: Internet Archive

https://archive.org/stream/TheHistoryOfRock1971#page/n103/search/cutting

[Begin excerpt]
Curtis is set to make his first proper tour of Europe in the New Year,
and will be in Britain in January. "I'll be bringing Henry, Craig,
Tyrone and Lucky with me...

Oh, by the way, I'm cutting an album on them too. Lucky sings, but
basically it will be them doing chants behind their heavy percussion
thing.”
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Sat, Sep 15, 2018 at 5:34 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Here is an instance in 1975 that seems to fit the template, but on
> closer inspection it follows the conventional sense. The phrase
> "cutting a record on Buddha" seems to mean releasing an album via the
> label Buddah Records.
>
> Date: December 1975
> Periodical: Circus Raves
> Article: Frank Zappa: Outraged Consumer 'I Was the Villain Because I
> Dared to Say Flower Power Sucked!'
> Author: Scott Cohen
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> Beefheart formed the Magic Band, and after cutting a record on Buddha
> went over to Zappa's Discreet Label where he recorded the famous
> 'Trout Mask Replica.' Trouble. Beefheart had a beef. Claiming Zappa
> had produced it badly, Beefheart sued Zappa for alleged non-payment
> and other sins. Words were exchanged and then no words were exchanged
> and the friendship screeched to a dead halt.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
> On Sat, Sep 15, 2018 at 5:20 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Ben, congratulations on your great work tracing "ribbit ribbit" and
> > locating a YouTube video of the pertinent skit.
> >
> > Here is a citation with "I cut a record on him" that may have appeared
> > in 1974 or earlier.
> >
> > Periodical: Living Blues
> > Issues 1-18
> > Quote Page 28 (according to GB)
> > Year: Circa 1970 to 1974 (One catalog says "no.1-18 (1970-74)")
> > Database; Google Books Snippet; must be verified with scans/hardcopy
> >
> > [Begin excerpt]
> > It's a real blues. REAL, true blues. Yes, I'm planning to record it.
> > And I got my own style. I don't play like nobody's. Junior, that's his
> > trouble. I cut a record on him. I sent it to England. And they
> > wouldn't accept it because it was too much like B.B. King. And they
> > was right.
> > [End excerpt]
> >
> > Garson
> > On Sat, Sep 15, 2018 at 3:46 PM Ben Zimmer <bgzimmer at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > OED2 has "cut" meaning 'to record; to make (a record)' from 1937 but says
> > > nothing about an insider-y usage of "cut" in the music biz: "cut (a
> > > song/track/record) on (someone)." Examples:
> > >
> > > ---
> > > David Ritz, _Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin_ (2014), p. 107
> > > [Quoting Clyde Otis, who produced Aretha on Columbia Records in 1964:]
> > > "[Columbia president] Goddard Lieberson himself called and said... 'Cut an
> > > R-and-B hit on her and we'll take our cue from Motown and cross her over to
> > > pop.'"
> > > ---
> > > Smokey Robinson with David Ritz, _Smokey: Inside My Life_ (1990), p. 113
> > > [In section about Smokey producing "I'll Be Doggone" in 1965 for Marvin
> > > Gaye, who he nicknamed "Dad"]: Went in and cut the song on Dad, who sang
> > > the shit out of it.
> > > ---
> > >
> > > Based on the above, it's likely that it can be dated back to the mid-'60s
> > > at least, but so far this is the earliest I've found:
> > >
> > > ---
> > > Billboard, Sep. 24, 1977, p. 18
> > > [Interview with Casey Kasem:] "Eddie [Haddad] kept telling me that someone
> > > wanted to cut a record on him... So, we cut Eddie on a song that didn't
> > > become a hit."
> > > ---
> > >
> > > That example suggests a peculiar dual usage: "cut (a song/record) on
> > > someone" and "cut (someone) on (a song/record)."
> > >
> > > --bgz
> > >
> > > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org