lefteri
Well-Known Member
So good - I had it on repeat for months
Legendary studio producers
- Thread starter articul8
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So good - I had it on repeat for months
Some great tracks included there - many of which I still play around with when I play out. Although - it has to be said - if you presented this mix without the contextual information I don't think it would be particularly well rated.
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Chemical needs
stirring
Paul "Groucho" Smykle who mixed Black Uhuru - The Dub Factor.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
I'm always impressed by good jazz production, particuarly from the days where everything was done live, punch-ins and overdubs were unheard of and technology didn't allow much wiggle room at all.
Teo Macero has a hell of a back catalogue. Kind of Blue, Mingus Dynasty, Dave Brubeck's Time Out; look up the list of all those groundbreaking jazz records from 1959 and Macero produced most of them.
It's brilliant. Worth the admission price for the Harold Melvin edit alone
oh.
Anyway, he isn't legendary for his production (mainly because he mostly only produced his own band), but on the scant evidence there is - two non talking heads albums - David Byrne should have done a whole load more production work in the 80s. Both these albums are brilliant, and to my mind are of a piece, and quite different to the rest of both bands' other output
the evidence:
Anyway, he isn't legendary for his production (mainly because he mostly only produced his own band), but on the scant evidence there is - two non talking heads albums - David Byrne should have done a whole load more production work in the 80s. Both these albums are brilliant, and to my mind are of a piece, and quite different to the rest of both bands' other output
the evidence:
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
Brian Wilson
Bones Howe
Bones Howe
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
shel talmy is a bit of an unsung genius IMO - he produced the kinks and the who's first singles - "you really got me" "cant explain" and "my generation". There is a dynamism, power and clarity to these recordings that still makes them leap out over 50 years later.
With "you really got me" - David Davis may have come up with the killer riff - but its was (presumably) Talmy that pushed it to the forefront of the record and essentially created hard rock - this was not the blues anymore - this was a game changer, a sonic blast that would make it one of the most influential records ever recorded.
The Who ended up in a bitter court battle with Talmy as they tried to get out of the miserly contract he'd signed them to. They claimed that Talmy didn't actually do anything in the studio and it was all down to enigneer Glyn Johns (who went on to become a very successful producer himself).
But i dont really buy this - the who's records post talmy didn't have anything like the same clarity and punch in the production. Talmy won the court case and walked off with a share of the who's royalties for the next 10 years - earning him an absolute fortune for doing fuck all.
After the kinks and the who he didn't really do anything of note but feast your ears on his great works -
the way the guitar chords ring out on this
I love the way that gnarly, trebly bass guitar sound drives this. as with You Really Got Me - talmy seemed to zero in on sounds that had this sonic aggression and violence - setting the template for what was to come
With "you really got me" - David Davis may have come up with the killer riff - but its was (presumably) Talmy that pushed it to the forefront of the record and essentially created hard rock - this was not the blues anymore - this was a game changer, a sonic blast that would make it one of the most influential records ever recorded.
The Who ended up in a bitter court battle with Talmy as they tried to get out of the miserly contract he'd signed them to. They claimed that Talmy didn't actually do anything in the studio and it was all down to enigneer Glyn Johns (who went on to become a very successful producer himself).
But i dont really buy this - the who's records post talmy didn't have anything like the same clarity and punch in the production. Talmy won the court case and walked off with a share of the who's royalties for the next 10 years - earning him an absolute fortune for doing fuck all.
After the kinks and the who he didn't really do anything of note but feast your ears on his great works -
the way the guitar chords ring out on this
I love the way that gnarly, trebly bass guitar sound drives this. as with You Really Got Me - talmy seemed to zero in on sounds that had this sonic aggression and violence - setting the template for what was to come
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blossie33
trailer trash
I'm not sure it was just one person, Berry Gordy did some of the earlier stuff and Earl Van Dyke was a later producer.
If you're interested in the history of the music, this is a great film about about the original backing band and how they made the first records;
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
I'm not sure it was just one person, Berry Gordy did some of the earlier stuff and Earl Van Dyke was a later producer.
If you're interested in the history of the music, this is a great film about about the original backing band and how they made the first records;
oohhh - that looks good. the motown house band (funk brothers?) are unsung heroes. I think the whole musicality and innovation of motown gets overlooked in favour of the white guitar bands.
Casual Observer
enough
Not to mention The Creation, whose best work was also produced by Shel Talmy. Marvel at the ringing guitar sound of Eddie Phillips on Through My Eyes. Phillips was an early (the first?) pioneer of guitar feedback and also invented the technique of playing guitar with a bow (later pinched by Jimmy Page), turned down the chance to join the Who and gave it all up to become a bus driver but that's another story.
SpookyFrank
A cheap source of teeth for aquarium gravel
All the more impressive when you think The Who would have been one of the first acts to give so much prominence to the electric bass. There wouldn't really have been anyone to copy.
Kaka Tim
Half Arsed and Slapdash till I Die
ah - didn't know he produced the creation as well. the man was mister freak beat.
wiki tells me he also produced some early bowie stuff - and this classic - again the guitar sounds leap out - as does the overall energy and dynamism.
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
Test Pressing has done a series of mixes that showcase some of the producers mentioned here:
321 / Producers Series #28 / Steve Nye
321 / Producers Series #28 / Steve Nye
oneflewover
Following "The Tigers"
George Martin, rightly first on the thread. Made me think straight away of this. At the moment my favourite song and nearly on continuous play
krtek a houby
Anger is Hi-NRG
ska invita
back on the other side
Rambling post incoming!
Thing about producers is, what does a producer do? Its a word with many meanings. It can mean:
-a sound engineer
-a svengali character who brings different artists together
-someone who uses their money to make albums/singles/recordings happen
-someone who uses their studio to make albums happen (not necessarily even being on the desk)
-someone who scouts talent and has control of the levers of the music industry to get that talent on the stage
-being some kind of a coach to musicians, to help bring out the best in them
-someone who composes music and books other people to play and record it
-a musician who does all of the above, including writing and playing the music themselves
-someone who makes music on a computer (which might feature other artists on it or not)
....it can be a combination of some of the above, or just one. Lee Perry is a great example who basically does all of the above.
I might be totally wrong on this but the thing about early pre-editing early jazz recording is to me it seems pretty straightforward. Once you have a great studio space set up and have worked out the mics and the levels its pretty much just a matter of hitting record, and if you've got the best jazz musicians of the day coming in, they do the rest. A producer here is basically a competent sound engineer with a top studio.
Its not particularly complicated studio craft. Three or four instruments, each with their own range, recorded pretty neutrally. Just do a few takes and move on.
Looking up Teo Macero seems he was steeped in the business, was a great talent scout, and also very competent in the studio. And broke the rules by editing jazz recordings. He's got a great resume for sure. Or someone like Coxsone who just had a knack for the business at every stage, without particularly being a great musician or sound engineer.
Stand out producers that spring to mind for me are those who are above all sound engineer pioneers, pushing the envelope behind the desk.
It gets complicated with one man and his studio electronic acts - definitely producers - but your DJ Premieres or Aphex Twins are musicians really - producer is a handy word but it kind of misses the key thing they do. Though the greats here are also very often master sound engineers for sure
Thing about producers is, what does a producer do? Its a word with many meanings. It can mean:
-a sound engineer
-a svengali character who brings different artists together
-someone who uses their money to make albums/singles/recordings happen
-someone who uses their studio to make albums happen (not necessarily even being on the desk)
-someone who scouts talent and has control of the levers of the music industry to get that talent on the stage
-being some kind of a coach to musicians, to help bring out the best in them
-someone who composes music and books other people to play and record it
-a musician who does all of the above, including writing and playing the music themselves
-someone who makes music on a computer (which might feature other artists on it or not)
....it can be a combination of some of the above, or just one. Lee Perry is a great example who basically does all of the above.
I might be totally wrong on this but the thing about early pre-editing early jazz recording is to me it seems pretty straightforward. Once you have a great studio space set up and have worked out the mics and the levels its pretty much just a matter of hitting record, and if you've got the best jazz musicians of the day coming in, they do the rest. A producer here is basically a competent sound engineer with a top studio.
Its not particularly complicated studio craft. Three or four instruments, each with their own range, recorded pretty neutrally. Just do a few takes and move on.
Looking up Teo Macero seems he was steeped in the business, was a great talent scout, and also very competent in the studio. And broke the rules by editing jazz recordings. He's got a great resume for sure. Or someone like Coxsone who just had a knack for the business at every stage, without particularly being a great musician or sound engineer.
Stand out producers that spring to mind for me are those who are above all sound engineer pioneers, pushing the envelope behind the desk.
It gets complicated with one man and his studio electronic acts - definitely producers - but your DJ Premieres or Aphex Twins are musicians really - producer is a handy word but it kind of misses the key thing they do. Though the greats here are also very often master sound engineers for sure
ska invita
back on the other side
Interesting artilce here flagging up a name I was unaware of
www.theguardian.com
...but whose music i know well:
Terry Callier, Rotary Connection, Minnie Rippington Muddy Waters, the Dells, Earth, Wind and Fire, Marlena Shaw, Deniece Williams and Ramsey Lewis.
Marc Mac from 4hero must be a fan as I heard so much of his productions from him playing them on the radio - plus 4hero covering them - never knew there was a direct connection before
Producer and arranger and writer I think
‘What he was doing was like nothing else’: the secret recordings of genius producer Charles Stepney
The soul music visionary died in 1976 at the peak of his career. But his legacy endures – thanks to sampling, fans such as Elton John and Chaka Khan, and the efforts of his three daughters
Terry Callier, Rotary Connection, Minnie Rippington Muddy Waters, the Dells, Earth, Wind and Fire, Marlena Shaw, Deniece Williams and Ramsey Lewis.
Marc Mac from 4hero must be a fan as I heard so much of his productions from him playing them on the radio - plus 4hero covering them - never knew there was a direct connection before
Producer and arranger and writer I think
He did a really good mix a few years ago featuring just Stepney productions - here:
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