09/05/2024
coffee, snus, cool automobiles and another tragic loss for anyone who's passionate about music, Steve Albini (RIP) a legend, one of the greatest producers in modern rock, an anti hero in many ways, with an incredible work ethic, he didn't even like being liked called a producer, as pragmatic as he was, for him recording and producing a record was what he felt was work, but with an unique and amazing work ethic, known for HIS signature, ORGANIC drum sound amongst many other Albini trademarks albeit mostly being ALL about recording or making sure HE captured the band/artist AS THEY sounded or wanted to sound and NEVER impose his ideas, perhaps his biggest trademark/signature, and coming from the DIY punk-H/C scene, and starting out as a musician, known from his first band Big Black to Shellac, known for never wanting to impose his ideas on the bands/artists he worked with, Pixies's classic full-length debut album; Surfer Rosa, being the ONE album were the band took to his ideas/suggestions, and this would forever bother him, being his first BIG album he produced, and i LOVE all the quirkiness' you hear on that album, which are most his ideas/suggestions, the small snippets of insider jokes at the beginning of a couple of the tracks off of this classic album, were Albini's ideas and many other off the wall suggestions, which to his surprise the band were were all in on, and i think they all worked out really well, and i always was sure that it was from the mind of frontman Frank Black until my latest documentary although being ABOUT the recording of this album with track by track comments from the entire band sans Charles aka Frank, but ALSO the man behind the desk; Albini, but now i know, i highly recommend that documentary or rather interview, as it's audio only for all Pixies fans/enthusiasts or even for those who love Steve Albini's work as a producer/engineer, and this album is arguably my fave Pixies album and perhaps my all time fave Albini produced album too, although i have watched MANY, MANY hours of him talking about production and from his teachings/masterclasses, a VERY producer/engineer FOR the bands/artists he worked with and for the listeners and NEVER for record industry, he NEVER took points, royalties, ONLY what his ALWAYS cheap recording rates, and you could to his dying day at the young age of 61, book time at his amazing studio regardless who you were, and even when he produced Nirvana's final album; In Utero, they even begged him to take points/royalties, but no, ever the i am the working class and i am here to do work and to HELP you and SERVE you and have say in how you want to sound, but know that if you sound like s**t, you Steve Albini would make that happen as he was EXTREMELY talented of CAPTURING the SOUND of your band/instruments, a very humble and as i said pragmatic almost anti producer, STILL highly REVERED and FOR a REASON, and i'm not the biggest fan of all of his recorded work, even though from the albums/bands i do know he recorded/produced which is probably just 1/3, still QUITE a few nonetheless, of his enormous body of work, he mainly worked with and is mostly known for working with indie rock, post rock, grunge when this was a thing, although a genre before it changed the world, but also metal bands, and of course he was NOT friends with triggers, DUH! i could say so much about this highly influential and phenomenal engineer/producer and his one of a kind work ethic amongst his peers, and from what i have gathered by as i mentioned, having watched many, many hours about his work by his own words, who seemed like a very intelligent, and great human being, the kind of, if there only were more people like him, attitude wise/as a human being, the world would be a better place, and personally even though i don't own too many of his albums, i have a tremendous respect for his recording skills, hence me having watched/listened to what he basically have learnt me, ever eager to learn about things that i am all about, music yes, but there's a reason i watch a lot of documentaries about producers/engineers too, you who know, know, but therefore i sit here with tears in my eyes having to learn about another one who just passed away, just like that 😓 and he also had VERY interesting and clever view upon what some may call piracy in the world of digital mediums for music, i strongly suggest you google that, cause i would say, he PRETTY much NAILED it by what he perspective on that, IF you are a deep listener a true music enthusiast , even the musician, and to finish my little attempt of an hommage to a wonderful and highly influential musician, producer and recording engineer, that is another one to leave us way to early, he would cite the following 3 artists as a big influence and people who would've loved to work with, in their prime, 3 very different, yet when he named them, it made sense; Patsy Cline, Neil Young and AC/DC...here's a short clip of Albini talking about an IMPORTANT Albini album for me, although the one he would sure NOT to produce in the same way EVER again, as to give directions or giving ideas and suggestions, but "just" MAKE SURE to capture the sound you have to offer of you music in the best and PUREST way possible, i HAVE SO MUCH respect for a work ethic he used, found natural, deeply rooted in DIY and Punk
This clip is from Better Yet Podcast Episode 135 published August 6, 2019 Listen to the entire episode here:http://www.betteryetpod.com/episodes/2019/8/6/e...
