Recording, production and technology
George Martin: The A&R Manager Behind The Comedy Successes Forecasts...
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, March 1962
...Cribbins, Drake, Sellers, Milligan, Bentine Have Bright Disc Futures ...
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, April 1962
PUZZLING, isn't it, that no one has thought of an award for the wives of hit parade stars — to be presented when they inspire ...
Mickie Most: Do-It-Yourself Mick!
Profile and Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, October 1963
AFTER A MINOR record success with his 'Mr. Porter', Mickey Most looks all set for a far bigger success with the follow-up 'The Feminine Look', ...
Jack Nitzsche, Righteous Brothers, The: Jack Nitzsche: Disc Producer To Film Gerry...
Interview by David Griffiths, Record Mirror, October 1964
HAVE YOU heard about Electronovision? If not, you soon will. For American composer-arranger Jack Nitzsche is in London this week lining up appearances in the ...
Beatles, The: The Beatles: Making A Gold Record
Report by Derek Taylor, KRLA Beat, May 1965
ST. JOHN'S WOOD is very much London. Solid and a little old. But nice and comfortable, and not yet shabby. The buildings have dignity and ...
Rolling Stones, The: We Go To The Rolling Stones' Secret Record Date
Report by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, October 1965
THE ROLLING Stones were in the U.S. for just two short days. They flew all the way over here to cut some tracks at the ...
Beach Boys, The, Brian Wilson: Some Producers' Hints From Beach Boy Brian
Interview by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, April 1966
FOR THE LAST few weeks, we have been speaking with various record producers exclusively in The BEAT in an effort to take The BEAT'S readers ...
George Martin, Beatles, The: The Beatles: Ringo Played Cards As Others Sang 'Paperback'!
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, June 1966
...reveals GEORGE MARTIN, the Beatles' recording manager, in an interview with Alan Smith. ...
Doors, The: Paul Rothchild Speaks, March 1967
Book Excerpt by Paul Williams, Outlaw Blues, 1967
This interview was taped in Englewood, New Jersey, in March 1967, shortly after the release of the first Doors album, which Paul Rothchild produced. Last ...
Phil Spector: The Musical Guts Behind Spector
Profile and Interview by uncredited writer, Beat Instrumental, January 1970
PHIL SPECTOR is alive and well and living on Sunset Boulevard in his beloved Los Angeles. He's producing records again, having come out of retirement ...
Garnet Mimms: Reflections On Garnet Mimms
Overview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1970
NEW YORK SOUL '64 TO '67 ...
Interview by Charlie Gillett, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1971
The Land of a Thousand Drifters: Charlie Gillett talks with arguably the greatest recording engineer in rock and soul history about the early days with Atlantic, Leiber and Stoller, The Rascals and Stax.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 53.2meg, total interview length: 58' 07" sound quality: ***
Profile by Charlie Gillett, Fusion, July 1971
IF BRITAIN HAD a good system of radio stations, the history of the world might have been at least a little different. ...
Beatles, The, George Martin: The Beatles: Produced By George Martin
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, August 1971
GEORGE MARTIN is probably the most shadowy character in rock and roll history. His influence has been immense, yet few people outside the immediate circle ...
Harold Battiste: All for One – A Study in Frustration and Black Organisation
Interview by Charlie Gillett, Cream, September 1971
HAROLD BATTISTE has worked on a lot of very big hits, but although you probably have some of them, it's unlikely you'll be able to ...
Peter and Gordon, James Taylor: The Producers: Peter Asher
Interview by Harold Bronson, Hit Parader, 1972
HIT PARADER: From Peter and Gordon, how did you get into producing? ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer, Yes: Ready, Eddie? An Interview with Eddie Offord
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, February 1972
EDDIE OFFORD SITS in his penthouse flat, way above the traffic that thunders down the Vauxhall Bridge Road past Victoria. ...
Profile by Richard Williams, Let It Rock, October 1972
ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED MOMENTS IN late-Sixties rock comes at the beginning of 'To Be Alone With You' on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline album. ...
Willie Mitchell, Syl Johnson, Al Green: Willie Mitchell
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1973
WILLIE MITCHELL. His name is synonymous with the rich brass sound that has become known worldwide as the Memphis Sound. For years, Willie as been ...
Elton John: What do Bowie, Elton, and Mantovani have in common?
Interview by Harold Bronson, Music World, June 1973
I DON'T KNOW why so many of the stars take up residence at Hollywood's Chauteau Marmont Hotel on the Sunset Strip. Perhaps it's because of ...
Allen Toussaint, Producing the New Orleans Feel
Interview by Barbara Charone, NME, July 1973
QUESTION: What could Alvin Lee, Frankie Miller, Mac 'Dr. John' Rebennack, Robbie Robertson and Lee Dorsey possibly have in common? Answer: Allen Toussaint. ...
Allen Toussaint: Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, July 1973
THEY KNOW, of course, which one is Dr John. The Swiss photographers huddle around the stage, clicking their Nikons like American tourists determined to capture ...
Smokey Robinson: Miracles And Meditation
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1973
IT'S JUST on a year since Smokey Robinson split from the Miracles to spend more time as an executive of the Motown Corporation. Now, he ...
Alice Cooper, Lou Reed: Bob Ezrin: The Square And The Faggots
Report and Interview by Nick Kent, NME, August 1973
"DETACHMENT. Yes, that's it exactly. We were both talking about that. Lou said last night: 'This album is an exercise in detachment and apathy'. I ...
New York Dolls: Standing in the Shadow of Rock: Shadow Morton, Pt. 1
Interview by Lenny Kaye, Melody Maker, March 1974
"I don’t consider myself a good producer. I’m one of the best." Shadow Morton, producer of the New York Dolls, talks to Lenny Kaye. ...
Interview by Lenny Kaye, Melody Maker, March 1974
Part two of the Shadow Morton story by Lenny Kaye ...
Terry Melcher: Surf's Up! Terry Melcher's Nightmare Is Over
Interview by Tom Nolan, Rolling Stone, May 1974
LOS ANGELES – Terry Melcher, a consistent professional, has participated in scores of hits with artists as diverse as Frankie Laine and the Byrds. Seven ...
T. Rex, David Bowie: Tony Visconti: Behind Bolan And Bowie
Interview by Ray Fox-Cumming, Disc and Music Echo, September 1974
THIS IS a story of Marc Bolan and David Bowie – compared and contrasted. Bolan, the complete professional, who lost out through believing himself above ...
Mike Oldfield: Tom Newman: The Man Who Taped the Tubular Bells
Interview by Fred Dellar, NME, February 1975
WHEN IT COMES to tape, who better to talk to than the guy who did the 2,000 over-dubs on Tubular Bells, engineer Tom Newman? ...
Dion, Phil Spector: Phil Spector: He's A Rebel
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, May 1975
THE OCCASION is Professor Phil Spector's guest lecture at the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College record producing seminar. Last time Phil talked at the school was ...
Elton John: A Million Dollar Friendship: An Interview with Gus Dudgeon
Interview by Jon Tiven, Circus Raves, August 1975
NARY A POTENTIOMETER breathed a word at the Caribou Ranch high in the Rocky Mountains. And the baffles relaxed as the massive array of equipment ...
Allen Toussaint: Feel Like Staying Home
Profile and Interview by John Morthland, Creem, September 1975
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Allen Toussaint has moved into the pop spotlight lately via Labelle and Paul McCartney but it's not his first time there. ...
Thom Bell, Dionne Warwick: Dionne Rings The Changes
Report and Interview by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, January 1976
SINCE IT was the arranging/production and inspiration of Thom Bell which took Dionne Warwick (no final "e" these days) back into the charts after a ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, January 1976
TOM WILSON is an elegant, very tall (6ft 4in) black American, a former Harvard man who talks a little like Bill Cosby but whose pencil-thin ...
Alan Parsons: Parsons Knows: The Tale of Alan Parsons and Edgar Allan Poe
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, July 1976
THE CONCEPT ALBUM, contemptuously rejected by many critics as the great bore of rock, has returned, and this work of producer Alan Parsons, supported by ...
George Chandler: Anatomy of a Soul Record
Report by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1976
George Chandler in the studio at Chipping Norton ...
Comment by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, November 1976
BY NOW we must all, surely, regard the coming of rock's New Wave as beneficial. Whether the currently fashionable bands prove to be the real ...
Rose Royce, Temptations, The: Norman Whitfield
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
With three of his productions currently in the top four singles in this country, the timing could not have been better for this exclusive interview ...
Review by Andy Gill, NME, January 1978
SO NOW the whole Toussaint catalogue is available again, enabling listeners of taste to trace for themselves the development of the New Orleans man's approach, ...
Clash, The: Cult Figure Cuts Clash To Suit American Dream Machine
Interview by Paul Rambali, NME, February 1978
SANDY PEARLMAN IS A BRISK and lively talker. He can probably offer an animated dissertation of any number of irregular topics, ranging from advancements in ...
Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Ann Peebles: Willie Mitchell: Gettin' Hi High Again
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
Willie Mitchell has virtually forsaken his own career in favour of running Hi Records and putting the label back up there... ...
David Bowie, Elton John: The Producers: Gus Dudgeon
Interview by Fred Dellar, Sound International, May 1978
The producer's job is possibly one of the least-understood and most under-rated in the entire recording business. One usually thinks of a producer as providing ...
Clash, The, Blue Oyster Cult: Blue Oyster Cult and Sandy Pearlman
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1978
ERIC BLOOM is adamant about the current position and status of the band he sings and plays for, the am-aaa-zing Blue Oyster Cult; they are ...
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
Pete Silverton assembles a few views of Basher — man, myth and magic ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Ramones Go Gold?
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, July 1978
TOMMY RAMONE don't wanna be a pinhead no more (that's assuming you thought he was a pinhead in the first place – in which case ...
Tyla Gang: Moon Proof (Beserkley)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, November 1978
THERE ARE certain musicians whose burden in life is to carry the can for mediocre past. Sean Tyla, late of Ducks Deluxe, is suffering from ...
Clash, The: The Clashmen Meet The Pearlman
Report and Interview by Ira Robbins, Trouser Press, February 1979
"It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever I done, that's for sure." I had Sandy Pearlman, Record Producer, on the phone from some unnamed restaurant ...
Mud, Suzi Quatro, Sweet, Blondie: Chinn & Chapman: Ballroom Blitz & Hearts of Glass
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, March 1979
Mike Chapman began with Mud and Sweet, disappeared when glitter-rock went cold, and came back to make the new wave palatable for America with the ...
Jack Clement: 'Cowboy' Jack Clement: The Nut With The Midas Touch
Profile and Interview by Martin Hawkins, Melody Maker, October 1979
RECENTLY, the successful Nashville-based record producer and songwriter, sometime singer, and failed movie mogul. Jack Clement, made his first visit to Europe. At the age ...
Clash, The: Guy Stevens: “There Are Only Two Phil Spectors In The World And I Am One Of Them”
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, December 1979
Selected tableaux from The Guy Stevens Story. ...
A Short History of the Rock Guitar
Overview by Charles Shaar Murray, History of Rock, The, 1981
BEFORE THE ADVENT OF ROCK, guitars were just guitars. Amplification made guitars more flexible, more assertive and more prominent, but even so the electric guitar ...
Captain Beefheart: Ted Templeman on Captain Beefheart
Interview by David Gans, BAM, September 1981
What did you expect when you did Captain Beefheart's Clear Spot? ...
Interview by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, 'The Record Producers' (BBC Books) , 1982
WHEN SIFTING through the potential candidates for a book such as this, it is obviously essential to reflect the present and future, as well as ...
Eagles, The, Joe Walsh: Bill Szymczyk
Interview by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, 'The Record Producers', 1982
THERE CAN'T BE too many people whose surnames have eight letters, none of which is a vowel, but it hardly needs to be said that ...
David Bowie, Thin Lizzy, T. Rex: Tony Visconti Talks
Book Excerpt by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, 'The Record Producers' (BBC Books), 1982
IN MUCH THE same way that George Martin is known for his work with the Beatles, anyone who has ever inspected the small print on ...
Book Excerpt by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, 'The Record Producers' (BBC Books), 1982
WHILE THE NAMES of George Martin and Mickie Most are probably the best known among British record producers, Glyn Johns was making hit records with ...
Book Excerpt by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, 'The Record Producers', BBC Books, 1982
IF ANY PRODUCER could be said to have an instantly identifiable sound, aside from the obvious case of Phil Spector, it would be Richard Perry. ...
Book Excerpt by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, The Record Producers, 1982
CAREERS IN POPULAR music are often notoriously short, particularly in the most creative areas of activity, therefore it is of more than passing interest to ...
Book Excerpt by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, The Record Producers (BBC Books), 1982
THE END OF 1981 sees Chris Thomas, ex-student of the Royal Academy of Music and also producer of the earliest (and best) Sex Pistols' records, ...
Book Excerpt by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, The Record Producers (BBC Books), 1982
ELVIS PRESLEY was the King of Rock'n'Roll – anyone who might care to dispute that should try reading another book, for without Presley, neither we, ...
Book Excerpt by John Tobler, Stuart Grundy, The Record Producers (BBC Books), 1982
RUNNING NORTH off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood is a steep road which twists and turns upwards into the Hollywood Hills. ...
Book Excerpt by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, The Record Producers (BBC Books), 1982
WHENEVER THE subject of record producers is discussed by anyone born before 1960, one name will always surface, that of Phil Spector. ...
Profile and Interview by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, The Record Producers, 1982
THERE HAVE been numerous record producers who have started their own label, including Phil Spector, Richard Perry, Tony Visconti and Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman. ...
Profile and Interview by Stuart Grundy, John Tobler, The Record Producers (BBC Books), 1982
IN MUCH THE same way as Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were the first American record producers, that accolade in Britain belongs to the man ...
Interview by David Gans, BAM, 1982
The super producer talks about Little Feat, Van Halen, the Doobies, and staying sane in a world of crazies. ...
Phil Spector: To Know Him Is To Love Him
Retrospective by Greg Shaw, History of Rock, The, 1982
So much has been written about Phil Spector, yet he still remains an enigma. ...
Human League, The: A Life In The Day Of Martin Rushent
Interview by Mark Cooper, Record Mirror, June 1982
MARTIN RUSHENT, producer of the Human League and Altered Images, talks to MARK COOPER. ...
Rockers Revenge, Arthur Baker: Rockers Revenge: The Big Bang Theory
Report and Interview by Ian Penman, NME, September 1982
Or... how a crate of records fell onto producer Arthur Baker's head and created a new jazz music and the beginning of Rockers Revenge ...
Mickie Most: The Midas Touch: Mickie Most
Profile by Steve Turner, History of Rock, The, 1983
Record production made millions for Mickie Most ...
Marshall Crenshaw Has A Field Day
Report and Interview by Karen Schlosberg, Creem, August 1983
WHAT A GUY. That phrase, always delivered with a flatter-than-thou Midwestern twang, is often bandied about within the Crenshaw camp. ...
Hal Willner, Thelonious Monk: Interpretations Of Monk By Jazz, Rock Musicians
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, January 1984
WHAT DO FELLINI soundtrack composer Nino Rota and the late jazz great Thelonious Monk have in common? ...
Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell: Robert ‘Bumps’ Blackwell
Obituary by Fred Dellar, NME, March 1985
ROCK LOST another legendary face-moulder on 9 March, when Robert ‘Bumps’ Blackwell died at his home in Hacienda Heights, near LA. ...
Scritti Politti: Green Machines
Interview by Adrian Deevoy, International Musician, July 1985
"I'D JUST like to say now that I am not a knobist." ...
Willie Mitchell, Memphis Magician (1985)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, October 1985
The legendary Memphis producer talks about the rise of Southern Soul and the Memphis Sound, meeting and producing Al Green and making all those fabulous hits for Hi Records
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 46.2meg, total interview length: 50' 30" sound quality: ****
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, Summer 1985
The legendary producer gives a history of Memphis R&B, touching on (in no particular order) Stax, James Carr, Dan Penn, Elvis, the fading of the Memphis light and the perils of Nashville.
File format: mp3; in 3 parts, total file sizes: 78.3mb, total interview length: 1h 25' 33" sound quality: ***
Led Zeppelin: Chris Huston, Eddie Kramer's Co-engineer on Led Zeppelin II
Interview by Steven Rosen, Guitar World, July 1986
FOR MANY, the first two Led Zeppelin albums were Led Zeppelin. The enormous drum sound, those magical guitar tones and just the energy and volume ...
Mantronix: Will Hip Hop Eat Itself?
Report and Interview by Sean O'Hagan, NME, November 1986
Where is it? New York city. How is it? Bloody hot in here. Why is it? Because MATRONIX, pure-steel technologists of studio and vox, have ...
Sound Of Silence: The Rise Of The Compact Disc
Report by Jack Barron, Sounds, December 1986
You don't have to be a classical fanatic or yuppie stadium rock lover to appreciate compact disc – the quiet revolution has hit the indie ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1987
The First Gentleman of New Orleans on the city's music then and now, on Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey and the Meters, and on songwriting, producing and performing.
File format: mp3; file size: 66.4mb, interview length: 1h 12' 30" sound quality: ***
Steve Hoffman: The First Genius Of CD
Interview by Tom Graves, Rock and Roll Disc, October 1987
MCA's Remastering Genius Discusses His Archival Work And His New Position At Dunhill Compact Classics ...
M/A/R/R/S: Sound Wars: M/A/R/R/S Vs. Stock, Aitken, Waterman
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, December 1987
At what point does sampling cross the fine line between flattery and theft? The battle between Stock Aitken Waterman and M/A/R/R/S may be the first ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, January 1988
Remixed albums are big business. Call in a remix engineer and squeeze more sales out of the same songs. Ideal for injecting added danceability. Useful ...
Narada Michael Walden: Riding On The Freeway Of Love With Narada Michael Walden
Interview by John Mendelsohn, San Francisco Magazine, June 1988
Grammies, Platinum Albums and Adulating Superstars Won’t Deter Him From Being A Regular Artist Kind Of Guy...Maybe ...
Phil Spector, Jack Nitzsche: Phil Spector: Jack Nitzsche remembers the Wall of Sound
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Goldmine, June 1988
NOW IN HIS 30th year in the music industry, Jack Nitzsche is one of the great composers and arrangers of our time. In this decade ...
Smiths, The, Morrissey: Hate Male
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1988
The Smiths were "like a life-support machine" to Morrissey. Without STEPHEN STREET – co-writer/producer of Viva Hate – it's conceivable that Les Miserable himself would ...
Let's Active: Mitch Easter of Let's Active
Profile and Interview by Christine Natanael, Reflex, September 1988
"AS A KID, I was sort of a science nerd," says Mitch Easter. Despite his Einstein-like beginnings, this young boy from Greensboro, North Carolina would ...
Beastie Boys, The, Slayer, LL Cool J: Rick Rubin: Mental Metal Master
Interview by Paul Elliott, Sounds, March 1989
From rap to metal, LL Cool J to Slayer, producer Rick Rubin has shaped the definitive street beats of the decade. Paul Elliott hears the ...
Profile and Interview by Len Brown, unpublished, March 1989
IN AN UPSTAIRS storeroom at Hannibal Records HQ, the quarterback-sized Joe Boyd sits on a sack. Around him are boxes, piled high, brimming with the ...
Report by Mark Kemp, Option, May 1989
"You see you misunderstood A sample's just a tactic. It's a portion of my method, A tool in fact. It's only of importance When I ...
Sampling: A Creative Tool or License to Steal?
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, August 1989
Guitarist Leo Nocentelli vividly remembers his first exposure to sampling in 1982. "I was on a session and the guy pressed one note on the ...
Quincy Jones: Mr Jones, I Presume!
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, April 1990
THE THREE DUMBEST questions you could possibly ask this month are, "Do the ambulance workers deserve more pay?", "Is Mike Gatting a pillock?" and "Does ...
Interview by Andy Gill, Q, June 1990
THERE ARE SEVEN of us round the microphone, and I, for one, am a little nervous. I should be, too: three of the voices present ...
Interview by Steven P. Wheeler, Music Connection, July 1990
FOR OVER 25 years, English-born Ken Scott has been in recording studios working with the legends of rock. Throughout the Sixties and Seventies, Scott was ...
Retrospective and Interview by John Pidgeon, Classic Albums (BBC Books), 1991
IN 1983, AT THE age of 45, Tina Turner could lay claim to a handful of hit singles, the first of which had come in ...
Public Enemy: Hank Shocklee: Turntable Terrorist
Interview by Mark Kemp, Option, May 1991
WHEN NEW YORK hiphop filtered down from Harlem and the Bronx into the suburbs of Long Island around the turn of the last decade, a ...
Bill Inglot: An Analog Heart In A Digital Domain
Interview by Tom Graves, Rock and Roll Disc, August 1991
THE NAME Bill Inglot became synonymous with the CD medium in the earliest days of the new digital technology. Working most often with Rhino Records, ...
Joy Division: An Interview with Martin Hannett, 29th May 1989
Interview by Jon Savage, Touch-Vagabond, 1992
JS: How did you come across Joy Division? ...
Report by Johnny Black, Q, July 1992
The sound of compact discs was hailed as a technical miracle. But is it? Classic albums get re-issued on CD and we're told they're better. ...
Essay by David Toop, Wire, The, September 1992
"Whoever doesn't like what I did, 20 years from now they can go back and redo it."Teo Macero, discussing his method of recording Miles Davis ...
Big Black: Steve Albini: Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
Interview by Simon Reynolds, Melody Maker, November 1992
Big Black (1981-1987) were one of the most influential bands of the Eighties. Industrial music, 'skronk' rock, New York noisecore, British indiepop, Nirvana, Ministry, Suede, ...
In Pursuit of Pure Sound: The Story of the Audiophile Record Label, Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs
Report by Tom Graves, American Way, May 1993
HERB BELKIN, EXECUTIVE vice president of ABC records at the time, remembers the day in 1977 when two young audio engineers came into his office ...
Jerry Wexler: Crossing The Divide
Profile and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Independent on Sunday, May 1993
GET JERRY WEXLER started on the big bands of the Thirties and Forties and you'll never hear the back of it. Most ageing music moguls ...
Interview by Nick Coleman, Time Out, August 1993
From Sly and Robbie to Mick Jagger and Public Image, record producer Bill Laswell's client list is as varied as the sounds he pulls out ...
Daniel Lanois: The Book of Daniel
Interview by Fred Schruers, Musician, September 1993
Dan Lanois The Musician Eclipses Lanois The Producer ...
Interview by Ian Christe, Warp, 1994
MICROPHONE CONNOISSEUR and billiardsman Steve Albini has recorded albums for the Pixies, Nirvana, the Jesus Lizard, and PJ Harvey. He doesn’t know when to ...
Everybody's A Musician: Interactive CD-ROMS Encourage Listeners To Get In The Act
Essay by Charles Bermant, Chicago Tribune, November 1994
IN 2019, THOSE WHO observe the 50th anniversary Woodstock celebration from the comfort of their own homes probably will have the richer experience. ...
Interview by Michael Lydon, unpublished, 1995
AT 94, JESSE STONE, arranger, bandleader, and song writer extraordinaire, has spanned the entire 20th century of African-American music. ...
Joe Meek: Various Artists: It's Hard to Believe It - the Amazing World of Joe Meek (Razor & Tie)
Review by Simon Reynolds, Spin, 1995
WHO WAS Joe Meek? A cut-price Spector crafting pocket symphonies in his North London studio for a stable of dodgy pre-Beatles combos? Yes, but the ...
Willie Mitchell, Al Green: Willie Mitchell: Tell’Em Willie Boy Was Here
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, MOJO, June 1995
Willie Mitchell, maestro of the Memphis soul sound that gave the world Al Green, has his life’s work celebrated by the box set Hi Times: ...
Interview by Andy Gill, MOJO, June 1995
You’d like your album smoothly airbrushed with the minimum fuss, and expertly streamlined to slot into a tidy marketing profile? Don’t phone Brian Eno then. ...
Guide by John McCready, MOJO, 1997
UNLIKE THE Hoover, a similarly undisputed brand leader which describes any vacuum cleaner as all vacuum cleaners do the same thing, all synthesizers are, over ...
Retrospective by Jon Savage, Request, 1997
SO YOU THINK Giorgio Moroder and you think of Donna Summer's pornographic 'Love To Love You Baby' and all that followed, but there's more to ...
Interview by Johnny Black, Rock's Backpages Audio, May 1997
Purveyor of pap, or pop genius? The Rak man on 'House of the Rising Sun', Herman's Hermits, 'Hi Ho Silver Lining', Donovan and lots more
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 42.8meg, total interview length: 46' 50" sound quality: *****
Radiohead: Radiohead Get The Details
Interview by Mac Randall, Musician, September 1997
On tour in Spain with five musicians for whom the little things mean a lot ...
Oasis: In The Studio With Oasis
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, September 1997
An interview with Oasis producer Owen Morris ...
Jimmy Bowen and Jim Jerome: Rough Mix (Simon & Schuster)
Book Review by Ted Drozdowski, Boston Phoenix, January 1998
JIMMY BOWEN is the music-biz sharpie who made Nashville's country industry what it is today -- a multi-billion-dollar-generating machine. For that, he's both loved and ...
Bert Berns: The Soul Man with a Huckster's Heart
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, March 1998
HE WAS, said Jerry Wexler, "a paunchy, nervous cat with a shock of unruly black hair". He looked like a vaguely disreputable cross between Gene ...
Jack Nitzsche: Ten Questions For Jack Nitzsche
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, MOJO, April 1998
HOW DID YOU first meet Phil Spector? ...
Producer in Paradise: Joel Dorn Revisits a Golden Age of Jazz
Report and Interview by Ted Drozdowski, Boston Phoenix, April 1998
JOEL DORN describes himself as "a stand-up guy. I grew up on the street corners and in the playgrounds, and I was raised to believe ...
Aretha Franklin: Arif Mardin: A Man For All Musical Seasons
Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, July 1998
READING THROUGH the list of artists that producer/arranger Arif Mardin has worked with is like looking at a chapter of history from American pop music. ...
Beach Boys, The: Record Producer Nik Venet: 1936-1998
Obituary by Steve Roeser, Goldmine, Spring 1998
NIK VENET, an East Coast friend and mid-Fifties music scene contemporary of Bobby Darin who came to Los Angeles to become one of the key ...
Bob Dylan: A Session With Bob Dylan
Memoir by Happy Traum, Guitar World, 1999
IN OCTOBER OF 1971, I got a call from Bob Dylan asking me if I'd like record some songs with him for his Greatest Hits, ...
Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor: Peter Asher: A World Of Sound
Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, April 1999
"I ALWAYS found the studio a fascinating place," says producer Peter Asher, "and the process of assembling a track and figuring out what each musician ...
Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans: Bobby Sheen
Obituary by Richard Williams, Guardian, The, 2000
WHENEVER HE MADE records under his own name, Bobby Sheen, who has died aged 57, was out of luck. But as Bob B Soxx, the ...
Bee Gees, The: How the Bee Gees got into Disco: An Oral History of Main Course
Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Q, April 2000
NOTE: This is a considerably extended version of the piece published in Q. ...
Jimi Hendrix: Black Secret Technology
Retrospective by Simon Reynolds, Uncut, July 2000
Hendrix wasn't just the original firestarter, all flash and dazzle. He was a scientist of sound. ...
Jack Nitzsche: Legendary Music Arranger and Composer, Jack Nitzsche Dies
Obituary by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, September 2000
Legendary arranger and award-winning composer Jack Nitzsche died at Queen Of Angels hospital in Los Angeles, Calif. , on August 25, 2000. Nitzsche’s death was ...
For CD Guru, Masters Are His Domain
Profile and Interview by Fred Shuster, Los Angeles Times, October 2000
SOME PEOPLE have the best jobs. ...
Rolling Stones, The, Jack Nitzsche: Tuning the Key of the Universe: Jack Nitzsche Remembered
Profile and Interview by David Dalton, Gadfly, 2001
Jack Nitzsche, who died last August at the age of 63, was a seminal but shadowy figure in rock ’n’ roll since the early '60s. ...
Jimi Hendrix: The Jim Marshall Interview
Interview by Joe Matera, Mixdown, 2001
In a rare and candid interview, the man behind the legendary amplifier talks to Joe Matera about the Marshall legacy. ...
Brian Eno: "So Why Are We Doing This?"
Interview by Andy Gill, MOJO, May 2001
IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT, observing Brian Eno's early career as furnisher of funny noises to the original Roxy Music, to predict that three decades ...
Joe Meek: Hearing A New World: The Joe Meek Story
Retrospective by John McCready, MOJO, May 2001
NOTE: This piece originally featured in Mojo magazine in a truncated 8,000 word edit. this is the full near-12,000 word original piece. This is such ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations' Final Frontier
Retrospective and Interview by Ben Edmonds, MOJO, August 2001
MOTOWN KING BERRY GORDY was royally miffed. None of his subjects could come up with a hit for the act many considered the finest in ...
Byrds, The, Beach Boys, The: Gary Usher
Interview by Gene Sculatti, Scram, 2002
Gary Usher In Conversation With Gene Sculatti January 1971 ...
Beatles, The, George Martin: Arise, Sir George: The Man Behind the Beatles
Interview by Joe Matera, Mixdown, 2002
BEST KNOWN as the man who produced The Beatles, Sir George Martin was there at the beginning of the British pop revolution and went on ...
Interview by Larry Jaffee, The Audiophile Voice, 2002
PHIL RAMONE is a legendary music producer who's been at the helm on recordings by a who's who of 20th century popular music, the likes ...
N*E*R*D: Inventing The New Funk
Comment by Michael Goldberg, Neumu, March 2002
Pair the Neptunes and Kelis and what you get is state-of-the-art groove music ...
David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust And the Spiders From Mars: 30th Anniversary Edition
Review and Interview by Daryl Easlea, Record Collector, July 2002
"I'm really just a Photostat machine. I pour out what has already been fed in. I merely reflect what is going on around me" – ...
Richard Harris: The Grim Reporter
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, November 2002
Phast Phreddie Patterson on those gone but not forgotten. ...
Report by Pete Paphides, Guardian, The, November 2002
For adolescents, it was a thrill – the first music they owned. Singles survive in the CD age as bootlegs and indie specials. Their covers ...
Interview by Larry Jaffee, Rock's Backpages Audio, 2003
The legendary producer/engineer talks about the internet and file sharing, the thorny process of CD remastering of classic albums, and revisiting such classic albums as Paul Simon's Graceland and Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks.
File format: mp3; file size: 59.9mb, interview length: 1h 05' 28" sound quality: ***
Phil Spector's Ghosts: The Spooky World Of The Greatest Producer In Pop Music
Comment by Barney Hoskyns, slate.com, February 2003
FOR OBSERVERS of Hollywood, it's been irresistible: life imitating the movies once again. The death of B-movie actress Lana Clarkson in Phil Spector's Alhambra chateau ...
Phil Spector: Pop's Lost Genius: Phil Spector
Profile and Interview by Mick Brown, Telegraph Magazine, February 2003
PHIL SPECTOR PRODUCED some of the greatest pop hits of all time, from ‘Be My Baby’ to ‘Imagine’. Notoriously eccentric in his heyday, his slow ...
Phil Spector: The Mad Director: Phil Spector and the Sound of Walls
Guide by Phil Mershon, Perfect Sound Forever, March 2003
HAD PHIL SPECTOR accomplished nothing more than recording The Ronettes singing ‘Be My Baby,’ he would deserve at least one get-out-of-jail-free card. ...
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Adam Faith: The Grim Reporter April 2003
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, April 2003
Phast Phreddie Patterson on those gone but not forgotten ...
Overview by Robin Eggar, unpublished, April 2003
THE CASTLE PERCHES atop a hill in suburban Alhambra reached after a long and winding climb. The huge iron gates appear to have been shut ...
Interview by Chris Campion, Dazed & Confused, April 2003
The influence of the crush grooves produced by Def Jam and American Recordings founder, Rick Rubin, are stronger than ever. ...
Animals, The: Grim Reporter - July 2003
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, July 2003
Phast Phreddie Patterson on those gone but not forgotten ...
Saints, The: I’m Stranded: Ed Kuepper on the Making of the Saints’ Classic Debut
Interview by Joe Matera, Australian Guitar, 2004
JM: You actually did two sessions for I’m Stranded. Did you use the same gear for both sessions? ...
Digital Magic Makes A Musician Of Me
Comment by Tom Cox, Daily Telegraph, May 2004
I THINK IT'S SAFE to say I'm never going to learn to play a musical instrument properly now. The realisation first came to me about ...
Sugababes, Girls Aloud: Xenomania: Heart Of The Country, Home Of The Hits
Profile and Interview by Ben Thompson, Observer, The, July 2004
In rural Kent, the future of British pop is being shaped by Brian Higgins – a Phil Spector for the 21st century. Ben Thompson meets ...
Dan Penn: Muscle Shoals: Soul of the South
Retrospective and Interview by Chris Campion, unpublished, September 2004
Muscle Shoals and Fame Studios are synonymous with the golden era of soul music. But the musicians who wrote and played on the songs that ...
Beach Boys, The, Brian Wilson: SMiLE When Your Heart Is Breaking: Brian Wilson
Interview by Roy Trakin, Hits, October 2004
"Come about hard and joinThe young and often spring you gaveI heard the wordWonderful thingA children's song" ('Surf’s Up') ...
Buggles: Trevor Horn: Vast Cities Of Sound
Profile by Paul Morley, Daily Telegraph, November 2004
Trevor Horn, one of pop music's great ministers of sound, celebrates 25 years of recording wizardry this week. And it all started with The Buggles, ...
AUDIO: Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff (2005)
Interview by David Nathan, Rock's Backpages Audio, 2005
The making of The Sound of Philadelphia: Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on the Philadelphia International label, and working with the diverse likes of Wilson Pickett, Dusty Springfield, Jerry Butler and Laura Nyro.
File format: mp3; file size: 31.5mb; Interview length: 24' 24"; sound quality: ***
Beatles, The: Abbey Road: Where Magic Was Made
Profile by Paul Trynka, Guardian, The, March 2005
Paul Trynka looks back at the relationship between the biggest band of all time and the studio that helped them create their sound ...
A Swamper Tells the Muscle Shoals Story: An Interview with David Hood
Interview by Carl Wiser, unpublished, 2006
ABOUT TWO minutes into 'I'll Take You There', a sultry bass groove plays while Mavis Staples implores, "Little David, help me out now..." ...
Morrissey, David Bowie: Tony Visconti: Bolan, Bowie, Morrissey And Me
Interview by Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph, March 2006
"WHAT A LOT of people don't realise about Morrissey," says the producer of his new album, Tony Visconti, "is that he has a sense of ...
Tom Silverman: No Expense Spared
Interview by Larry Jaffee, MediaPack, May 2006
Tom Silverman, the pioneer rap music label owner of New York-based Tommy Boy Records, is unusual among his label head peers. He's willing to spend ...
Paul McCartney, Beatles, The: Geoff Emerick
Profile and Interview by Richie Unterberger, Record Collector, June 2006
BESIDES GEORGE Martin, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, Geoff Emerick worked on more Beatles sessions than any other individual. ...
Interview by Joel Selvin, Selvin On The City, KSAN 107.7, June 2006
T-Bone Burnett guests on Selvin On the City ( KSAN Underground Radio 107.7, San Francisco), talking about production, the soundtrack for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Ralph Stanley, Jakob Dylan and more.
File format: mp3 File size: 27.2mb Interview length: 29' 44"; Sound quality: *****
Timbaland: "I'm up here. Everyone else is down there."
Profile and Interview by Angus Batey, Guardian, The, August 2006
TIM "TIMBALAND" Mosley, the most in-demand music producer in the world, is tired. But the task of staying awake is made easier because, right now, ...
Big Jim Sullivan: The Man With The Golden Arm
Interview by Jon Stewart, Guitarist, September 2006
Jon Stewart talks about what it takes to make it as a professional musician with Big Jim Sullivan, the legendary UK session guitarist who has ...
George Martin, Beatles, The: George Martin
Interview by Jim Irvin, MOJO, January 2007
THE PENTHOUSE mixing room at the top of Abbey Road Studios. We await Sir George Martin, who is 30 minutes late. "This is most unlike ...
George Martin, Beatles, The: The Sound Of Sgt. Pepper
Retrospective and Interview by Jim Irvin, MOJO, January 2007
THE RECORD ALWAYS regarded as a harbinger of pop's future is full of old-fashioned sounds. These are, in order of appearance: a theatre orchestra tuning ...
Arif Mardin: Groovin': The Genius of Arif Mardin
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, Rhino Records, April 2007
ATLANTIC'S JERRY WEXLER called him The Pasha, aka "His Soulful Turkish Eminence". It was a typically Wexleresque reference to Arif Mardin's aristocratic background and manner. ...
Joe Boyd Discusses His Book, White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s
Interview by Fred Mills, Harp, May 2007
AMERICAN-BORN, England-based producer Joe Boyd, who discovered Nick Drake, Fairport Convention and the Incredible String Band, oversaw key recordings by Pink Floyd, R.E.M. and others ...
Retrospective and Interview by Fred Mills, unpublished, Summer 2007
NOTE: This is a vastly expanded version of the Mitch Easter feature, "Perfect Sound Forever," written for issue #76, of Magnet, published summer 2007. Interviews ...
Miami Sound Machine: The Hit Factory Criteria Studio
Report and Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, July 2008
MIAMI – On any given night, as the fabled moon rises over Miami, the densest concentration of pop stars per square foot is likely to ...
Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan: Bob Johnston on Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Nashville Skyline
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, May 2009
JUNE 17th MARKS the 40th anniversary of the original Columbia Records release of Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline album, produced by Bob Johnston. ...
Barry Beckett: Soul Provider: Muscle Shoals keyboard legend Barry Beckett in His Own Words
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, June 2009
NOTE: This is a pretty straight transcript of what the late Barry Beckett said to me in his new Warner Brothers office in Nashville in ...
Nick Drake: Robert Kirby, 1948-2009
Obituary by Colin Irwin, Guardian, The, October 2009
IN HIS FIRST YEAR as a music student at Cambridge University, Robert Kirby sought to join Footlights, the undergraduates' fabled arts and drama club. He ...
Sting, Police, The: Vinyl Icon: The Police's Synchronicity
Retrospective by Johnny Black, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, November 2009
IN 1977, a virtually unknown trio called The Police recorded their debut album, Outlandos D'Amour, in a village hall that had been converted to a ...
Overview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, December 2009
From accents to Auto-Tune, singers fought to stand out from the pack ...
Retrospective and Interview by Daryl Easlea, Record Collector, Summer 2009
HERE'S IRONY for you: there were several things timed for the release of Michael Jackson's London shows that were to provide testimony to the man's ...
Jimi Hendrix: Eddie Kramer on Jimi Hendrix's Valleys of Neptune
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, eMusic.com, February 2010
EDDIE KRAMER'S credit on Valleys of Neptune is co-producer, along with Janie Hendrix (Jimi's sister) and John McDermott of Experience Hendrix, the company owned by ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Andy Johns on recording Exile On Main St.
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, March 2010
ANDY JOHNS is a world class sound engineer and record producer. On May 18th his work with the Rolling Stones on their 1972 Exile On ...
Bob Dylan: 'Bob Knew There'd Be Butting Of Heads'
Retrospective and Interview by Michael Simmons, MOJO, July 2010
HOW DYLAN'S FIRST ALBUM OF ORIGINAL MATERIAL SINCE 1990 BECAME A WAR OF WILLS, AND AN ARTISTIC TRIUMPH. AS TOLD TO MICHAEL SIMMONS. ...
Steely Dan: Vinyl Icon: Gaucho
Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, July 2010
GAUCHO, THE FINAL ALBUM Steely Dan recorded before they broke up in 1981, is still regarded as a masterpiece by aficionados, but making it put ...
Pink Floyd: Vinyl Icon: Pink Floyd's The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
Retrospective by Johnny Black, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, September 2010
IT'S WRIT large in pop history that The Beatles spent the spring of 1967 recording their classic Sgt Pepper album in EMI's Abbey Road Studio ...
Led Zeppelin: Let's Get Physical: The Story of Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, Classic Rock, September 2010
SOMETHING IS ROTTEN in the state of rock. The heady euphoria of the late Sixties has degenerated into decadence and self-satisfaction. Working-class guitar heroes have ...
Al Kooper, Bob Dylan: Al Kooper on Bob Dylan's record producers Tom Wilson and Bob Johnston
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, October 2010
"In 1966 Dylan went down to Nashville for Blonde On Blonde He stayed out in the studio 10 or 12 hours. Bob never left it. ...
Roben Jones: Memphis Boys – The Story of American Studios (University Press Of Mississippi)
Book Review by Mike Atherton, Blues and Rhythm, 2011
"THOSE SEVEN MUSICIANS, the American rhythm section, are the most creative and innovative studio musicians I know," said Memphis promotion man Marty Lacker, who, having ...
Adrian Sherwood: The Man Who Built Jamaica In The Midlands
Interview by Nick Coleman, Independent, The, February 2011
The founder of On-U Sound tells Nick Coleman that there is more to reggae than 'ooom-chicky...' ...
Van Dyke Parks: Parks Life: An Interview with Van Dyke Parks
Interview by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, May 2011
The next few months will see the release of a series of vinyl singles by celebrated writer, arranger and producer VAN DYKE PARKS, plus the ...
Steve Miller: Vinyl Icon: The Steve Miller Band's Fly Like An Eagle
Report and Interview by Johnny Black, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, May 2011
FLY LIKE AN EAGLE was the album which, in 1976, transformed San Francisco-based Stevie "Guitar" Miller from acclaimed critics' favourite to global superstar. ...
Clash, The: Vinyl Icon: The Clash
Retrospective and Interview by Johnny Black, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, May 2011
UNUSUALLY, FOR AN ALBUM awarded Vinyl Icon status, the "fi" of The Clash's eponymous debut is not of the highest. It is, however, an album ...
Chic, Norma Jean Wright: Norma Jean Wright: Norma Jean
Sleevenotes by Daryl Easlea, Demon Records, July 2011
NORMA JEAN WRIGHT'S sole album on Bearsville, released in 1978, is something of a curio, and is notable for the fact it was the first ...
Jerry Ragovoy: Old Music for New People: A Tribute to Jerry Ragovoy
Memoir by Al Kooper, Morton Report, The, July 2011
MY DEAR FRIEND Jerry Ragovoy, legendary songwriter, producer, and arranger, passed away on July 13 of complications from a stroke. ...
Brian Wilson, Beach Boys, The: Brian Wilson and SMiLE
Retrospective and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Rock's Backpages, October 2011
NOTE: A small portion of this interview appeared in the 2011 MOJO '60s issue. ...
Retrospective by Tim Meade, Rock's Backpages, October 2011
WE ALL KNOW THE STORY of the Beach Boys' SMiLE. After Pet Sounds, Brian set out to make a "teenage symphony to God" that ...
Joe Henry: Historical Home Studio: Joe Henry Records Himself in South Pasadena
Report and Interview by Don Waller, Glendale News-Press, December 2011
ROCK MUSICIAN and producer Joe Henry in his home and studio in South Pasadena on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. His home, a Greene & Greene ...
Noel Hawks and Jah Floyd: Reggae Going International 1967-1976 – The Bunny "Striker" Lee Story
Book Review by Mike Atherton, Echoes, 2012
IN 2002, BUNNY LEE asked seasoned music journalist Noel Hawks when he was going to write up his story in book form. In the best ...
Todd Rundgren: The MOJO Interview: Todd Rundgren
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, January 2012
TWO DAYS AFTER a throat-shredding three-night stand at London's Jazz Café, Todd Harry Rundgren seems relieved merely to be talking. Still sporting multi-coloured – black ...
Retrospective and Interview by Rod Tootell, Rock's Backpages, December 2012
IN SEPTEMBER 1974, a Swedish journalist was interviewing a rock singer pretty much unknown in Sweden. His name was Bruce Springsteen. ...
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