02/17/2025
Criteria Quotes Continued ___________________________________ “The pipple, Stiv, you just woodn’t belive the pipple.” RCA Italy producer Giacomo Tosti frustratingly describing recording in Rome
“If it is adjustable, it will never be right.” George Terry
“The f**kin’ music biz.” Chuck Kirkpatrick
“Find out what the client wants and give it to him.” Jerry Masters after the staff was asked to write their own job descriptions
“Remember what an expert is. Ex is a has been and spurt is a drip under pressure.” Steve Kimball
“It all goes on the record. The pizza, the agreement, the arguments, the fun, the tears, the girl friends’ phone call. It all goes on the record. What ever is happening when that red light is on, is on the record. Keep the sanctity of the control room.” Felix Pappelardi talking to me about control room etiquite.
“Felder and Henly are at it again.” Ed Mashal
“We have created the blown speaker award and the first recipient is Andy Johns.” Ross Alexander, the first thing Andy did was turn the volume control full up and then hit play.
“It takes a little time for the before 6 vibe to go away”. Harper Dance talking about the magical transformation of Criteria after all the business people left at 6pm.
On the bathroom wall…”Here I sit broken hearted, paid $150 an hour and only farted.”
Bobby Caldwell
“Their down there making records for the hard of hearing. They would be better off recording in Sign Language and Braille.” John Latta talking about someone who just gave him a difficult time.
And some of my own…
“One day there will be consoles that remember everything, and digital boxes that can produce any effect or duplicate sounds. Tracks won’t be a consideration and we will change songs at the push of a button. Besides the fact that there won’t be rewind”. Talking about the future of recording sometime around 1978.
“Every person in the room can sing a part that won’t fit on the record”.
“Three things you need to know to be a record producer. 1. I don’t know, what do you think? 2. The third one. 3. I don’t know, what do you think? The third one?
“Up is louder” discussing with Tom Dowd. The faders in Atlantic New York were opposite.
