It’s time to share your gut feelings with your fellow Townspeople. If you’ve never joined in on Dugout Chatter before – or haven’t done so in some time – try it. You’ll find it highly rewarding and stimulating. Or at least the rest of us will find your answers so. Let’s get it on!
Does any non-Beatles song better mix the characteristics of Lennon and McCartney’s late-period work with The Beatles as well as melding the best qualities of their solo records better than ELO’s “Telephone Line”?
Excepting his production of the Talking Heads‘ albums and non-rock albums, such as the two Jon Hassell albums, is there any evidence that Brian Eno had anything to offer as a producer of rock bands? Please provide specifics.
What’s your favorite artist photograph/portrait on an album cover (ie, as opposed to non-artist-related images on album cover art itself)?
Excluding the Sam Ash Sound, what’s the most recent “original guitar sound” that you’ve heard (ie, the most recent development in original guitar sounds that you’ve noted)?
Which rock musician would you most like to see hosting a late-night talk show that is not necessarily concerned with music?
If you could direct a rock video for one song, what would it be?
I look forward to your responses!
I think ELOs Mr. Blue Sky does a better job albeit more McCartneyesque.
How about Eno’s own early self-produced albums. Duh.
I always liked this image of, what I’ve assumed is David Byrne, from the inside (not quite cover I know) of Fear of Music.
Would love to see Iggy Pop host an issues based talker.
Cherry, Cherry
Excluding Eno’s self-produced albums as well, of course.
“Does any non-Beatles song …better than ELO’s “Telephone Line”?”
I donno, Klatu?
“Excepting his production of the Talking Heads’ …Brian Eno …”
No. I’m not crazy about the Talking Heads’ production either.
“What’s your favorite artist photograph/portrait on an album cover (ie, as opposed to non-artist-related images on album cover art itself)?”
Without a doubt London Calling
“…Excluding the Sam Ash Sound, what’s the most recent “original guitar sound””
Not new but Marc Ribot is the last guy I’ve heard who has what I consider to be an original sound.
“Which rock musician would you most like to see hosting a late-night talk show that is not necessarily concerned with music?”
Tom Waits
“If you could direct a rock video for one song, what would it be?”
Since I just like live footage as opposed to a story line, or worse yet, “Losing My Religion”-style Deep Imagery, I would do a video for the MC5, arguably the coolest looking band of all time (perfectly proportioned righteous rock and roll poses and delightfully cheesy show biz shenanigans).
1. Sorry but my lack of interest in late period Beatles is matched by my lack of interest in ELO.
2. He did produce that great first Devo album. Were the bands on No New York rock bands? Ultravox?
3. This one is hard to beat: http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/PictureGallery/5165.jpg
4. Again not exactly new, but I heard a snatch of Bill Frisell on Morning Edition today. That echo/vibrato thing he does is pretty cool and thankfully not widely imitated.
5. I assume this question is inspired by the news that Elvis Costello is going to do a talk show. I say let Liam Gallagher have a show. I can picture him with a bottle of booze on the desk head-butting any guest that argues with him.
6. Mine would either be a performance video, with an actual live performance, not lip-synching, or something along the lines of that Derek Jarman film Blue.
Re: Eno’s other production work, I don’t think he did anything special with the first Devo album. Remember that piece Sammy did last year with those early self-produced singles? I thought they had more life. The No New York production work is in a similar category for me, it’s more like he was an Executive Producer, more involved for giving the bands his personal stamp of approval.
Ultravox has never made an impression on me, so I can’t judge his work with them.
Was Eno’s work with U2 actually that different from what they’d been doing with Lillywhite? I don’t think that band has much to offer any producer that they didn’t bring to the table with “I Will Follow”.
I heard some songs by a guy or band named James that Eno produced. That stuff also failed to impress.
Eno’s production of those early Television recordings was terrible.
I know there aren’t many examples, but I’m not sure he ever applied his methods to a rock band with as much success as he did Talking Heads.
Eno did “suck the punk” out of Devo as previously discussed but in that same discussion it was noted that Eno’s production is likely what led to their commercial success.
1. Generally, I am not fond of songs that attempt to mimic late-period Beatles. The Beatles moved on from that sound, so why should anybody else pursue it? It reeks of parody. I am neither fond of ELO or of Jeff Lynne’s production. What am I going to say, “Sowing the Seeds of Love”? It’s over, move on, people.
2. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that what Brian Eno had to offer was the mentoring of Daniel Lanois. And what Eno did with U2 was very different from what Lillywhite did. What’s the most atmospheric thing Lillywhite has done? I know it’s not cool to like U2 on this board (I presume) but Unforgettable Fire was the beginning of a departure that came to fruition with Joshua Tree.
3. I like the cover of Nashville Skyline.
4. The last Crowded House album, which I think is pretty pedestrian, sadly, has a tune called “Silent House”. Neil Finn gets the most fucked-up, fuzzed-out, distorted tone I’ve heard in some time, especially in the context of such an ethereal tune.
5. AC/DC’s Brian Johnson’s late night Koffee Klatch. Gotta be on cable, though.
6. The laughing gnome.
Does My Life in the Bush of Ghosts count as a “non-rock” album? Also, what about Devo’s 1st album. I love his production on that record, though I know others who hate it.
Roxy Music’s Country Life
Berlyant, I hate to break the news, but that’s not Bryan Ferry and Eddie Jobson on the cover of Country Life🙂 I mean best shot of an ARTIST on a record cover, front, back, gatefold, inner sleeve.
1. XTC “One of the Millions”: Colin Moulding does a good job of channeling Lennon’s
cynicism.
2. I think Eno tends to collaborate with whatever people he’s working with: he’s not really a producer per se.
3. Blonde on Blonde
4. I really like Stephen Malkmus’s super distorted tone.
5. Randy Newman
6. Joni Mitchell, “Blue”
Does any non-Beatles song better mix the characteristics of Lennon and McCartney’s late-period work with The Beatles as well as melding the best qualities of their solo records better than ELO’s “Telephone Line”?
“Evergreen” by Steve Ward. Abbey Road with a smattering of Magical Mystery.
Excepting his production of the Talking Heads’ albums and non-rock albums, such as the two Jon Hassell albums, is there any evidence that Brian Eno had anything to offer as a producer of rock bands? Please provide specifics.
No.
What’s your favorite artist photograph/portrait on an album cover (ie, as opposed to non-artist-related images on album cover art itself)?
The back of George’s head looks really good on Hard Day’s Night but that cross-legged pose by Susannah Hoffs on Bangles-All Over The Place is better. If you’re going to cover the good bits, at least use a Rickenbacker!
Excluding the Sam Ash Sound, what’s the most recent “original guitar sound” that you’ve heard (ie, the most recent development in original guitar sounds that you’ve noted)?
Is anyone successfully using what I call the “pixie strings” above the fretboard near the tuning pegs? Toy piano players beware!
If not, I take this technique as my own.
Which rock musician would you most like to see hosting a late-night talk show that is not necessarily concerned with music?
I could get behind Tom Waits, because his voice is funny – but does Chris Isaak count as a rock musician? For one night, I’d like to hear him inteview Alice Cooper about Groucho Marx without mentioning golf or politics.
If you could direct a rock video for one song, what would it be?
I guess I would like to film one of those Kinks story songs; perhaps Do You Remember Walter, since I had a crazy friend named Walter when I was a lad. Very talented, could burp 72 times a minute.
I love Telephone Line, but I don’t know if it’s the most Beatlesque Lynne song, even. At least not all that late/solo Lennon-sounding.
Some contenders: Badfinger’s “Take It All” and “Flying” really hit the mark for me. Flying in particular sounds like McCartney doing a Mind Games/Walls & Bridges Lennon song to me, or maybe one of those sped-up sounding demos of Lennon from that time doing a “No Words”-style Wings song.
Cotton Mather’s “My Before and After” is probably more mid-period Beatles, but on the same album, “Aurora Bori Alice” has the White Album sound, and “Autumn’s Birds” is halfway between solo McCartney and Lennon. Robert Harrison’s latest band, Future Clouds & Radar, has a few, too. “Quicksilver” sounds (maybe a little too much) like Lennon’s “Oh My Love” at times.
I can think of at least one song I’m a big fan of by a Townsperson that scratches the White Album-and-after itch for me whenever I listen to it.
World Party’s “Another 1000 Years” is practically a rewrite of “Baby You’re a Rich Man” to the point that I’d probably disqualify it as a “mix.” XTC’s “The Loving” is definitely a Pepper/Magical Mystery Tour song, so maybe too early?
I think Graham Coxon kinda carved out his own sound, especially the murky, distorted stuff he was doing on Blur’s 13.
Oats is sleeping on this one: Charlie Watts. Every time a guest would come out and sit on the couch, Charlie would just sit behind his desk and stare at him, maybe murmuring something occasionally, then it would go to commercial and they’d bring out the next guest. But every now and then, he’d lose his shit and try to throw the musical director out a window.
“As We Go Up We Go Down” by GBV from Alien Lanes
and about a dozen other tunes from that album and Bee Thousand.
Eno’s own records, especialy “Before and After Science” and “Another Green World” are pretty well produced I think. Also, as much as I hate to give them any recognition at all, U2’s The Unforgetable Fire, Achtung Baby, and All That You Can’t Leave Behind are their best records by far, and I believe they are all Eno productions
Alladin Sane by Bowie-Definative
I hate to say it, but Audioslave’s first single had this amazing guitar sound that was purely 21st century.
It didn’t make the song good, but it was a real sound innovation. Other than that, I’d say some White Stripes tunes-great tones!
The late Joey Ramone
The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen.
I could make a cool video for that tune.
Some great answers so far. Alexmagic, the spot-on Lennon parts I hear in “Telephone Line” are on the opening phrases of verses, such as the verse that opens with “Hey…” Then he does some McCartney-esque little trills that come right out of “Maybe I’m Amazed”.
Shawnkilroy, I’d already ruled out Eno’s solo albums, but I forgot that he may have produced Achtung Baby. I love the production on much of that album. If Eno was the main producer, yes, there’s a clear sign of him offering something to a rock band beside Talking Heads.
Paul Simon isn’t a rock band, and technically Eno wasn’t the producer, just ‘collaborator,’ but Surprise was damn fine album.
And yes, Achtung Baby (co-produced with Lanois) is/was an awesome record.