Mick Jones not included.
Excluding self-produced albums, what established artists who have dabbled in producing records for other artists most interest you? And I put an emphasis on dabbled to rule out established artists who are also established producers, like Steve Albini and Brian Eno.
For instance, I wish I could hear a few more albums produced by Elvis Costello, who somehow made both clear and extremely simple the clutter of The Specials‘ debut. He also produced the only (in my opinion) fully enjoyable Squeeze album, East Side Story, which was engineered by Friend of the Hall Roger Bechirian.
Andy Partridge is another artist I’d like to hear produce a few more albums. I’m a big fan of his work on Peter Blegvad‘s The Naked Shakespeare and Martin Newell‘s The Greatest Living Englishman. I wish he’d have taken the reins on his own band’s albums beginning with Skylarking, but that may have eliminated him from this discussion.
As far as I know Ray Davies only produced one album for another artist, The Turtles‘ Soup album. That’s a winner, but considering Kinks albums are typically no great shakes in terms of conventional recording techniques I’m not sure Davies had that much else to offer.
David Bowie has proven himself a pretty lousy producer, or at least a less-than-satisfying one, in his work with others. I’m not saying the bass-heavy version of Raw Power rectified the shortcomings of the original mix, but it’s still hard for me to fully enjoy that album. His production work on the biggest-selling singles by both Mott the Hoople and Lou Reed is amazing, but I’m not a big fan of his work overall on their albums.
Which artists do you wish you could hear more—or less—of in the producer’s chair?
Although he was technically recording a “demo,” John Cale’s take on The Modern Lover’s album seemed like a great handling — or non-handling — of that band. Stripped down and simple.
Cale also did an amazing job producing Patti Smith’s Horses. The first Stooges album is not really a triumph of production, although the one-note piano and sleigh bells on “I Wanna Be Your Dog” was a stroke of genius.
Maybe because of his high batting average producing landmark debuts I think of Cale as a full-fledged producer more than a “dabbler,” but I’m willing to accept him in this conversation.
Let’s not forget EC’s work on the superb Rum, Sodomy, and the Lash.
I like the remix of Raw Power. I don’t quite get what the problem(s) is (are) with it.
Did Townsend ever produce anyone else after Thunderclap Newman?
Didn’t Townshend produce Angie, of “Peppermint Lump” fame, right? Remember HVB’s piece on that from a month or two ago. He would be worth hearing more of from the producer’s chair.
Forgot about that. That was a new one for me.
Davies is actually the first person I thoght of, before I got to the part where you mentioned TURTLE SOUP, which is not only a horribly underrated album, but sounds absolutely fantastic, in my opinion. It’s also worth noting that the Kinks albums produced by Shel Talmy sound like crap, and they didn’t truly start to sound good until Davies took over the production himself on VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY. Considering how lame the post-MUSWELL HILLBILLIES Kinks output was (though it always had a wonderful production sound), it would have been great to hear what he could have done with someone else’s work.
Michael Nesmith. The only record I know of that he produced that wasn’t his own, was an album by Ian Matthews. As far as I know, this record has never appeared on CD.
In the early 70s, he teamed up with Jac Holzman and started a label called Countryside. They released a few records of the California/country-rock ilk, but the label went defunct (I blame Eagles.).
I adore Turtle Soup. A truly GREAT album and an often overlooked one.
TB
I’m pleasantly surprised that a few of you know and dig Turtle Soup!
Townshend: did he produce one other ’60s Mod-Psych artist who may have also had ties with the Small Faces crew?
Did Jimmy Page ever produce anyone but his own band(s)? It would have been cool hearing him produce some creative, dynamic artist.
Peter Buck produced the underrated second Feelies album The Good Earth. Later when he co-produced Mark Eitzel’s West album he seemed to have evolved to a role where he basically joins your band as a collaborator, as he also does with Robyn Hitchcock.
Buck also produced Uncle Tupelo’s March 12-13 (I might have that date wrong) and a Drivin ‘n’ Cryin’ album, I think. On the Tupelo album, he did a very good job of staying out of the way.
I think he also produced an Original Sins album that my man sethro b played on. He seems like a good egg despite not doing much that interests me with his own band.
Michael Stipe produced West of Rome by Vic Chestnut. It’s yet another album where I only like 4-5 songs, but I like those songs a lot.
David Byrne produced the Fun Boy Three debut and it’s amazing.
Chris Stein Produced Miami, the second album by The Gun Club, also amazing. However, he also did Zombie Birdhouse by Iggy, which stinks.
Gene Simmons produced Wendy O. Williams debut album W.O.W. I like it. i think it kicks ass.
Todd Rundegren did the Dolls debut, which is legendary, but I don’t like it.
I like Bowie’s work on Transformer. I think it’s Lou’s best.
I actually own an Ellen Foley album, but NOT the one Mick Jones produced. yukk!
Thomas Dolby produced the Prefab Sprout album, “Steve McQueen/2 Wheels Good.”
And David Gilmour produced the 80’s Dream Academy.
Wow, I didn’t know there was one that Jones didn’t produce. I’ve got the one he produced. It ain’t no “Hitsville U.K.”
Miami is great. I love the way that sounds.
I like Zappa’s production on Grand Funk’s Good Singin’ Good Playin’ album for some reason.
Wouldn’t Todd Rundgren fall under the established producer category?
I have another one that was produced by Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson with Hilly Michaels on drums. It’s a little better, but flatter overall. There is “cathedral” reverb involved.
That’s how I see him, yes.
How about Ray Manzarek? No matter what you think of his work with the Doors or his interview persona, he produced all those great, early X records.
GREAT one! How did he get that gig in the first place and why did no one else hire him?
Did I really have to ask that last part of the question?
I believe that I read somewhere that Manzarek “discovered” X. Whatever that means.
i’m sure it was a mutually beneficial relationship. X got the name and talent of an “industry tested” veteren, and Manzerak got to feel hip again for 10 minutes.
I just remembered that Ric Ocasek produced the great debut EP by Romeo Void, Never Say Never. I didn’t know of any other producing he’d done, but see that Wikipedia has a rather interesting list of bands he’s produced. (incl. Weezer, Guided by Voices, Jonathan Richman, No Doubt)
He produced the second Suicide album, which is a pretty great-sounding record IMO.
No Doubt??? I like the GbV album he produced.
God knows what he’d do now after being out of the game for so long, but Robbie Robertson produced two very fine debut LPs — Jesse Winchester and Hirth Martinez.
Never heard of Hirth Martinez! What kind of music did he/she play? Didn’t Robertson also produce the New Orleans guy whose rare, cool album you burned me years ago, or did The Band just play on taht album? (Sorry, I’m blanking on his name!)
Oh, and don’t forget Neil Diamond’s Beautiful Noise, aka “The Reason Diamond Appears in The Last Waltz.”
You’re thinking of Bobby Charles, and Band associate John Simon produced that album.
Hirth Martinez was a quirky songwriter from California. The Robertson-produced album was called Hirth from Earth, I guess because his songs are often about outer space. Not really about outer space, but there’s a weird science fiction vibe to them. It sounds dreadful, but it’s actually funky and cool. His second album, Big Bright Street, was produced by John Simon. Both are only available as Japanese imports now, but I still have my vinyl rips.
I don’t think I ever heard that Neil Diamond album. His song in Last Waltz did not inspire me to pursue it. His transformation into hipster touchstone is one of the many things about music fandom that mystify me.
Yep, Bobby Charles. That’s a good album. I’ll have to check out Hirth from Earth. It certainly sounds like a dreadful concept, but sometimes folks committed to bad concepts make the magic happen.
That Neil Diamond album BLOWS! Don’t bother, and don’t bother trying to convince yourself that anything but his early “hits” album of mostly songs other bands made famous is worth owning.