Thanks to today’s new technology, audio engineers can extract separate tracks from mono recordings and remix them into stereo. This new technology can work wonders on mono recordings, and “Get Happy” from Summer Stock is a perfect example.
Our friend Mark Milano has shared this amazing audio recording with us, married to the film footage. Here’s his explanation:
Many recordings made during the Golden Age of film musicals survive in stereo because their original multichannel tracks survived. But some of the very best were lost, including Judy Garland’s iconic performance of “Get Happy” in “Summer Stock” (1950).
Now, thanks to audio master Bob Zwolinski, we have this Digitally Extracted Stereo version. After decades of hoping this would turn up, here it is – Judy finally gets the lush sound she deserves. Sing Hallelujah!
I think you’ll agree that the results are just amazing. Be sure to put on your headphones and enjoy this iconic number as never before! Thank you, Mark and Bob!!
Below is a video explanation of how this new software works and is able to extract the music and vocals into separate tracks to make a true stereo recording.