Producers that make (or break) the band
The most common type of producer is the most difficult to find an example of and talk about because their role is simply to clean up the sound a bit. The eight-inchround cake tin of music. They’re not even making a point of not overproducing.
One 8″ Victoria sponge mould would be Stephen Street, who produced Blur’s Modern Life Is Rubbish, Parklife and Blur (as well as albums by Kaiser Chiefs, Babyshambles and The Smiths). Given the very different sounds on each album – from pristine guitar pop to American lo-fi influenced rock – it’s clear that this is not the kind of producer who dominates the sound of the record.
If there’s one cohesive element to Street’s production work, it’s that he has a good ear for what works commercially. It just manifests a lot more subtly than the obvious crowd-pleasers like Bob Rock.
Another hit-factory producer is Linda Perry, initially famous for 4 Non Blondes, who has worked as a producer-songwriter since 2001. Though she’s more well-known as a songwriter (Gwen Stefani’s ‘What You Waiting For?’, Pink’s ‘Get This Party Started’), Perry’s production credits include acts like Christina Aguilera. Linda Perry was the original producer on Hole’s Nobody’s Daughter before Courtney changed her mind about the direction she wanted the record to take and re-produced the tracks they had recorded. Perry retains songwriting credits on four tracks and a production credit on one track (‘Letter To God’).
As you can hear, there isn’t a “sound” to those recordings, in terms of an identity distinctive to the producer that makes its origins immediately identifiable. If Timbaland’s records could have anyone singing and sound roughly the same, Linda Perry’s songs are generic in their production.
(continues overleaf)
No space for Steve Albini or even Rick Rubin?
Bob Rock is the the devil as far as I’m concerned. He’s like McDonalds – food easy to get and consume but it’s unhealthy to eat in large doses.
Hahaha, Bob Ezrin! I would love to see a “Some Kind of Monster” style documentary about KISS recording “The Elder”
yeah i was hoping for a bit of a look at rick rubin too. such an aloof, hands-off guy who’s talent seems to be (if i can delve into the wank for a moment) helping flailing artists to ‘find themselves’ and make career-saving albums. with artists as diverse as Metallica, Johnny Cash, and the Dixie Chicks, certainly the sound isn’t the same, but the rubin effect is obvious. but it doesn’t work for everybody of course – Slayer were notably disappointed to never see rubin until the mixdown, only to have him make comments about photos and album sleeves, not the tunes.
I did consider Steve Albini and Rick Rubin, but they didn’t really fit into the context of the article, i.e. I thought there were better examples in the ones I picked. Perhaps another article. 🙂
I’d say Bob Rock is more like Burger King – I’d never eat at McDonalds!
Great article! I too was expecting to see Albini and Rubin, but it’s no big loss, either. Another good example is Todd Rundgren. Notoriously difficult in the studio, but produces excellent work, and even those who hate him at the time oft don’t argue with the finished results.
Also interesting is the choice of “River Deep, Mountain High” for Spector’s work, as it was a puzzling failure for Spector, and he quit producing for a few years after it bombed…
I was going to mention Todd, he made one of the worst sounding records ever in Patti Smiths Wave. Overproduced and flat. My two idols coming together seemed like a masterstroke but wound up a damp squib. Whoever produced Saxons debut seemed to insist that the drums sounded like wet cardboard being hit by knittting needles. And what of Eno? Managed to make U2 sound half decent (not Lanois, he likes adding layers of syrup).
Rubin should be a therapist – not a producer. Yes, he helps bands re-invigorate themselves but the guy knows next to nothing about sound design and, as a result, ninety per cent of his output is equipped with horrendously bland (Red Hot Chili Peppers Californication) or just outright incompetent (Metallica) production.
Martin Hannett?
Matt – Death Magnetic was actually quite good in Metallica terms. I thought Rubin did a good job here.
“Darragh says:
June 22, 2011 at 3:29 pm
No space for Steve Albini or even Rick Rubin?”
Also, I don’t think Linda Perry did Hole or Courtney Love’s solo stuff any favours whatsoever… but 4non blondes was great and what she does for Pink and those pop stars with rock poses works, though I dislike it immensely. I don’t like what Phill Spector does all that much. I also dislike what producers in general have done to metal (emo etc)- it’s so clean and glossy it’s suitable to bring home to meet your parents. There’s more edge on a Timbaland record than in most of it. Makes me sick… it’s like it’s had it’s balls neutered and that does. not. rock.
Anyone know any good alternative lo-fi producers working in the UK right now that I should be aware of?
He’s also one of the nicest and most interesting fellows around. Weirdly enough, I never really knew him at the time. We only got to hang out from ’98 onwards.
where does he live Everett?
Always thought it was interesting that John Cale produced the first albums by the Stooges, Patti Smith, Jonathan Richman, Squeeze, and Happy Mondays.
As far as I know, he never produced anyone’s second album.