How Rock Group X Recorded a Jingle for Kelloggs Rice Krispies in 1964

Question

Accepted Answer

In 1964, the rock group X was chosen by Kelloggs to produce a jingle for their Rice Krispies cereal. The process of recording the jingle showcased technological advances in audio engineering and early innovative usage of multiple takes and editing techniques that would come to define how commercial music is created today.

The process began when the band recorded an instrumental version of the now famous “Snap, Crackle, Pop” song during a studio session at London’s Abbey Road Studios. Recorded on four tracks and played with traditional instruments (guitar, bass, drums), the group ran through several passes of the song before collective deciding they had captured something special.

However, due to concerns over broadcast standards in those days (and since no one wanted a TV ad that may be interpreted as loud or inappropriate) it was decided that English children’s singers Peter Auty and Brian Witcomb were added to give the jingle a more innocent sound. To this end, each child singer added their vocals separately on two additional tracks in order for producers to achieve a perfectly-balanced mix.

Afterwards, these various takes were then edited together until all elements met requirements for use within an advertisement; something which took quite some time considering technology available at the time! Finally – once corporate sponsors deemed it acceptable -the jingle was ready for broadcast and eventual mass admiration from fans worldwide.