Jolly good show, guys! Especially appreciated the comments on Rubin, Roy Thomas Baker (spot on) and Martin Birch. I suppose Mutt Lange and Bob Rock are another two legendary producers with distinctive sounds and huge influence on the bands they’ve worked with (at times exclusively). Also, Phil Spector is another giant who made tremendous things happen !
That's an excellent choice. I realize that even though many of the artists are not among my favorite the technical work done on those recordings is stellar.
And yet the albums that those producers did still sound amazing till this day. They were very innovative and imaginative with what little they had to work with. It’s a shame that sound has been lost in this modern world…
All great picks guys. My pick has to be George Martin. What he did on those later Beatles albums, with half the equipment and technology that all theses other great ones you named, deserves to be there. 👍
Popoff and Pardo are at it again with another interesting subject. Some great choices here and some not too familiar. Not to repeat too many but my list would have to include Todd Rundgren, George Martin and, due to the listening of my childhood, Phil Spector. Fun show as always, gents. Glad to hear about the two podcasts, Martin. Now will go listen to those. Thanks again to you both for another entertaining show.
I think Chris Tsangarides deserves a mention, his metal productions that I'm familiar with always sound clear, bright and distinctive and he gives plenty of attack to the drums. When I looked up all the artists he'd worked with I couldn't believe how many there were!
some hilarious moments in the anvil movie,when they go to chris tsangerides house in england to record,or ct as he calls himself,and the band start falling out with each other
I liked the way you discussed the various attributes of each producer that you liked . Skillfully breaking down the songs and rearranging them , bringing out the vocal harmonies , doing whatever it takes to achieve the sound by adding strings or musicians , challenging the band members to bring out the best in them , being a musician themselves , helping define the band’s sound , breaking new ground in the studio , and adding sophistication to the music . That sounds suspiciously like the guy who , arguably , did all of that first in rock. George Martin . An interesting video . Thanks
Great picks all around. Suggestion: can you guys talk about the Loudness War? It's my main reason for going back to vinyl, but I would love to hear your opinions.
Me, too. Once I commented how much I loved 'the sound' of Chicago's debut...some Loudness War advocate basically responded that 'the sound' of CTA wouldn't even make a good demo by today's standards. Rubbish!
Beau Hill, Ron Nevison, Neil Kernon, Peter Collins, Max Norman, Martin Birch , Tom Allom, Ted Templeman, Andy Sneap, Keith Olsen, Roy Thomas Baker and Mutt Lange would all be among my fav's.
So many great producers. Some only worked with a few artist and some worked with many. Others defined an Era/sound. This a list of undeniable top producers and some are just my personal favorite. Hard to put in order, but will try... Love your channel Pete. You and Martin also work very well together. Thanks 1. George Martin 2. Barry Gordy 3. Phil Specter 4. Bob Ezrin 5.Tony Visconti 6. Ray Thomas Baker 7. Jimmy Page 8. Terry Brown 9. Todd Rundgren 10. Nile Rogers 11. Jeff Lynne
Mine, no order: Quincy Jones, Ted Templeman, Tommy LiPuma, George Martin, Gary Katz, Teo Macero, Arif Mardin, Daniel Lanois, Barry Gordy(Motown), Manfred Eicher(ECM Records), Hugh Padgham, Bob Ezrin, Rick Rubin, Tom Dowd, Alan Parsons, Timbaland, Nile Rodgers. That's it for a while. 🙂
Well you're getting into pop there a little bit but great list ! Here are five of mine: Andy Warhol, Malcom Maclaren, Tony Wilson (Factory), Steve Albini, Digby Pearson (Earache) and Jim Morris (Morrisound). Now, if we get into hip hop Dr. Dre have to be there, well Rick Rubin is there so...
I don't have a list of favorite producers, but I used to buy everything Scott Burns produced in the 80s and 90s. His name was effectively a seal of approval for those of us who were into Death Metal at the time.
There must be something about producers with "Martin" in their names! :-) George Martin's Beatles production work is *definitive* in rock history. Martin Hannett's production on Joy Division's two studio albums, "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer," turned those albums into *unearthly, unforgettable* experiences. Martin Birch's work on Sabbath's "Mob Rules" is my favorite metal production to this day.
Great record producers are so important to the development of an album and its sonic qualities. Five of my favourites... *Phil Ramone* I'm no expert on studio techniques but Phil Ramone was a true master of recording instruments faithfully so that they sit beautifully within the overall sound picture. He also had an incredible knack for getting hooks down on tape, those nagging little guitar or keyboard riffs that bury themselves in your head and refuse to let go. His work with Billy Joel ('The Stranger', '52nd Street') and Paul Simon ('There Goes Rhymin' Simon', 'Still Crazy After All These Years') is masterful. *Gary Katz* Mostly for his incredible work with Steely Dan. People tend to talk about an SD 'sound', but what they're really talking about is the audiophile clarity of 'Aja' and 'Gaucho'. In fact their records fall into eras in terms of the recording style, the early band records ('Can't Buy a Thrill' through 'Pretzel Logic'), the mid period albums with session players and a hint of a band sound ('Katy Lied' and 'The Royal Scam') and the jazz rock years ('Aja' and 'Gaucho'). Katz was brilliant at overseeing the incredibly complex process of keeping track of Becker and Fagen's perfectionist tendencies and getting the best takes and performances down on tape. Those records just sound wonderful to this day. *John Wood* Strictly an engineer, but he was in so many senses a producer as well and was a genius at recording acoustic instruments and getting the best out of the great singer-songwriters. With and without Joe Boyd at Sound Techniques studios he made career-defining albums with Fairport Convention ('Unhalfbricking', 'Liege and Lief'), John Martyn ('Bless the Weather', 'Solid Air') and Richard and Linda Thompson ('I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight', 'Pour Down Like Silver'). *Glyn Johns* His discography is just incredible, working with just about everyone of note in the late '60s and early '70s, a veritable Who's Who of rock. Speaking of which, his masterwork is undoubtedly 'Who's Next', a record which benefited hugely from his eminently sensible decision to persuade Pete Townshend to jettison his overblown 'Lifehouse' project and just stuck with a single LP. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Move, Eagles, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton... wow. *George Martin* An innovator who as a man was far more complex than his popular image would suggest. Came from a humble background so adopted an upper class accent so as to 'get on' in life. Seemed very upright and straight-laced but was a right one for the ladies. His incredible work with Peter Sellers featuring all manner of sound collages was his apprenticeship for the work for which he will be forever remembered. His classical training allowed him to facilitate The Beatles' incredible but unschooled imaginations and realise their most out-there ideas. The perfect meeting of incredibly gifted students and a teacher with a genuinely open mind. He didn't do that much of note afterwards, but he did produce 'Blow by Blow' by Jeff Beck which is by far his best album and a beautifully recorded LP.
Terry Brown did one of my favourite old records, Edward Bear's "Bearings" album, which came out in 1969. You put that record on now and it still sounds really good.
Thank you very much Pete, for the TILES mention in your speech about Terry Brown. Agreed on all you said about Terry. Terry is a wonderful, giving and nice person too. Terry is also remixing the Discipline "Unfolded like staircase" that will be released in November I think. Terry worked with the Who, Klatuu and Jimi Hendrix in his early days in England. Just as an FYI.
My picks not mentioned ... Mutt Lange, Beau Hill (the genius of the Ratt sound - perhaps no 80's sound has aged better), Scott Burns (death metal doesn't get off the ground without him), Terry Date (Prong - Cleansing might be my favorite)
He wouldn't quite make my top-5, but Beau Hill did some great work. His stuff with Kix is also really good, but you're right, those Ratt albums are near perfect. Raw yet somehow refined.
Chronological order. 1)Glyn/Andy Johns (and Ethan Johns) - 2)Martin Birch - 3)Rick Rubin (The Cult's Electric, Danzig, Slayer, Trouble... Great sounding albums from 86/92 that had Andy Wallace, an awesome mixer/engineer that became a great producer on his own. But Rick did a lot other great albums). 4) Steve Albini 5) Butch Vig - One-band producers: George Martin (Beatles), Vanda & Young (AC/DC), David Briggs (Neil Young), Tom Werman (Cheap Trick). H.M. Roy Thomas Baker, Brendan O' Brien and Robert Mutt Lange (really important only from 79 to 83)
Reinhold Mack as a producer (Queen's "The Game" and "The Works") and as engineer (ELO's "Face The Music," "A New World Record," "Out of the Blue," "Discovery," "Xanadu," "Time," and "Balance of Power") is worth mentioning. All those classic ELO albums are classic because of Mack.
"Countdown to Extinction, perfection heavy metal"...yep, I agree with that statement. Love "Power of the Night" too, had to buy that one recently, definitely needed to own that one in my Savatage collection.
@@matthewjachimiec Ken Scott is a great shout !No idea why he wasn’t mentioned, from Hunky Dory to Pin UPS , taking in to Ziggy stardust, and Aladdin Sane , these are the best sonically sounding Bowie albums of all time !
Max Norman is one of my favorites - Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction , Youthanasia , Hidden Treasures , The first 3 solo albums by OzzY , Lynch Mob's Wicked Sensation and many others.
Top 5 for me, in no particular order- Terry Brown - the golden era of Rush, great sounding albums. Martin Birch - Sabbath, Maiden, Rainbow, some of the greatest sounding heavy albums of all time. Ted Templeman- Montrose, Doobie Bros, and the classic Van Halen albums all sound amazing like the band is in the room with you. Tom Werman - some of the bands that worked with him have criticized him, but I think he’s done some of the most amazing albums in rock. Cheap Trick, Crue, BOC, Nugent , the list goes on and on… Max Norman - early Ozzy albums, Megadeth, Loudness, Lynch Mob, Death Angel… great sounding albums. Honorable mentions- Brendan O’Brien - great modern producer, stuff like STP AC/DC, Pearl Jam and I love the production on King’s X Dogman album. And speaking of King’s X, shout out to Sam Taylor who produced those first 4 Kings X albums. I think they sound amazing. Cheers 🍻
Great show, guys. 1) George Martin- The Beatles, Jeff Beck, America etc. 2) Terry Brown- Rush, Klaatu, Max Webster etc 3) David Foster - The Tubes, Alice Cooper, etc 4) Roy Thomas Baker- Queen, Starcastle, Cheap Trick etc 5) Brian Wilson- Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile, Surf's Up albums)
Something to point out is that ‘loudness’ isn’t necessarily a producer’s choice. Before release albums get (re)mastered by mastering engineers who transfer the sound from the master tapes to a medium with volume adjustments and some let the music ‘breath’ with plenty of room for dynamics while others aim for the earbuds generation, making the music loud enough to overcome everyday noises (travelling, etc.), thereby squashing the dynamics. It’s also a way of making the music stand out through the airwaves.
I first want to say I love this concept! I hope there are more of these discussions focusing on the producer's role. I'll mention one: Steve Lillywhite-he produced my favorite Ultravox record (Ha!-Ha!-Ha!), my favorite XTC record (Black Sea), my favorite Peter Gabriel record (the 3rd, 1980, Melt...whatever you want to call it), my favorite Siouxsie (the Scream), my favorite Psychedelic Furs (the self-titled debut). I will concede that he's also produced some really crappy records, but the ones I mentioned outweigh those imo.
Max Norman for sure! Glad you mentioned Coney Hatch and Malice (Mick and Jay were at my apartment before their Dallas show with Alice Cooper; my roommate Tuttle used to play with them) and Roy Thomas Baker. Evolution and Candy O are some of my favorite records. Great discussion.
Pete when you mention atmosphere in terms of production Jimmy Miller comes to mind; what he did on those five Stones records, not to mention the Blind Faith album… incredible mark he left on those efforts
Great video as always! 😀 Like your picks. I would have had three names on my list that weren't mentioned: Andy Wallace (ok, ok, he was "mentioned" 😉), Desmond Child and Trevor Horn.
Yet another example of what makes Popoff / Pardo great stuff- thanks guys! Jimmy Page Steve Albini Terry Brown George Martin Teo Macero then probably everyone Pete mentioned a top 10 for me. For a specific album, Dust Brothers on Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys- in which the sound is good but the sampling is epic.
A lot of great mentions here, including my favourite Martin Burch. One GREAT overlooked producer is EL-P (not to be confused with ELP) and his Definitive Jux label (Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, etc.), as well as his work with Run the Jewels (particularly the first 2 albums). EL-P's production for hip hop is about as spacey and psychedelic as any Canterbury/Prog/Fusion music out there. If you love Gong/Steve Hillage/early Floyd, you just might love EL-P, especially his Cure 4 Cancer album from 2012.
What about doing an "In The Prog Seat" show about your favorite avant-prog albums (Univers Zero, Henry Cow, Thinking Plague, Magma, 5UU's, Present...) with Ken Golden or Steve Feigenbaum as guests ?
It’s funny because when you said there was one who has a very distinct sound, I immediately thought Andy Sneap. I love him though. I think that, in addition to guitars, he is also really good at recording drum sounds, especially on those Nevermore and Stuck Mojo albums. They sound like pure combat.
Glad Martin mentioned Max Norman. Diary Of A Madman and Countdown To Extinction are among the best sounding Metal albums I have. Both Pre-Loudness wars too.
Hey there buddy. Greetings from Canada. I love your videos, especially the ranking the album series. I just finished watching your best prog albums of the 70s video. I noticed 2 albums over your right shoulder (Left from the viewers point if view) That have really cool album covers. They're the two albums closest to the top of the screen. Would you happen to know which albums those are? Thank you
@@wernermoritz882 true, I think , in some cases, when the band employs or the record company appoints different producers for each albums, the sound changes, the whole band character changes for better or worse..just an observation..check out Bryan Adams album Get Up , produced by Jeff Lynne, Jeff converted Bryan into a travelling wilbury!
Favorites (in no particular order): Martin Birch, Tony Visconti, Terry Brown, Bob Ezrin, Ken Scott Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Page, Mutt Lange, Jimmy Miller, Dieter Dierks, Mike Varney, John Alcorn
Joe Hardy Also did Tom Cochrane Mad Mad World & a little Gem called Barstool Prophets "Last Of The Big Game Hunters" But got to check out those ZZ Top albums.
Josh Silver from Type O Negative Is often overlooked as a producer. He did an amazing job on those TON albums. All that layering of sounds/effects. 🔥🤘🏼
Eno's work on Talking Heads" Remain In Light" ALONE should get him mentioned.. Never mind an Incredible body of work before & after That masterpiece... Eno Deserves Better.. Good Call
Legendary perhaps, but remember, this is about our FAVORITE producers...purpose of the show was not to name every notable or legendary producer who ever was.
John you have to understand this is Pete and Martin's list you can have whoever the hell you want on your list. And they only limited themselves to five they didn't list hundreds and hundreds did they?? NO
@Braidwood Inn yes they do. But he did not make up his own little list this original commenter basically directed his disgust of his ones not mentioned at Pete and Martin
I've got a question for Martin & Pete - could you explain the thinking behind song order on albums? I've heard that bands/producers prefer to top-load (tracks 1-3) albums with the best songs that are most likely to hook the listener, put the next best song at the end of the album, and stuff all the filler in the middle. Is that true at all, and what else goes into making the decision of song order? Thanks a lot, been watching the show for years and love it
@@MartinPopoff Yeah, that would be really cool to see. I think there might not be enough to talk about to fill the usual 30+ minutes, though. Lots of people are probably wondering about it since no one ever talks about song order
@@stevepoleri7604 those strings almost against the lyrics in Sad Song get me everytime. Is there not also a bit of Alice in The Wall as well, can't remember the song just now.
@@ron6927 The whole of side 2 of Berlin is crushing. I had a roommate whom I had to have an intervention. I came home to find him listening to The Wall. He then informed me he already listened to Closer by Joy Division and Berlin. I promptly removed The Wall from the turntable.
@@stevepoleri7604 I totally get that. I had a mate who spent a summer taking magic mushrooms almost daily and listening to nothing but The Wall. He's still out there. Somewhere.
@@stevepoleri7604 I love Joy Division, and Reed's "Berlin," and "The Wall"-- and I *completely* get what you're saying. I have to be careful *not* to listen to those artists and albums when I'm in an emotional place where I know that I will be brought down by them. Some music is brilliant, but very dark, and, in my experience, not to be listened to carelessly.
Here are five of my favorites (w/examples) 1. Rob Cavallo - Green Day (Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, American Idiot), My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade, Danger Days), Paramore (Brand New Eyes) 2. Niklas Karlsson - Orbit Culture (Nija) 3. Scott Burns - Death (Human, Individual Thought Patterns), Deicide (Deicide), Gorguts (Considered Dead), Obituary (Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death), Sepultura (Beneath the Remains, Arise) 4. Butch Vig - Nirvana (Nevermind), Smashing Pumpkins (Gish, Siamese Dream), Garbage (Garbage, Version 2.0), Foo Fighters (Wasting Light) 5. Rick Rubin - Slayer (Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss), Beasty Boys (Licensed to Ill), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute, Californication, Stadium Arcadium), System of a Down (Toxicity, Steal This Album!, Mesmerize), Audioslave (Audioslave, Out of Exile), Linkin Park (Minutes to Midnight, A Thousand Suns, Living Things)
Great show! One of my absolute favourite producers has to be Hugh Jones. He has been responsible for 2 of the best Post-Punk albums of the 80s with Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen and Songs from the Lion‘s Mouth by The Sound. All of this albums had great bass and drums sound. With the Icicle Works and Modern English he went for a more wavey sound that was also classy. Conny Plank also was a great producer for the likes of Ultravox! or Killing Joke as well as some Krautrock acts.
One guy is Kevin"Caveman" Shirley who produced Rush Counterparts. He really brought back the heavy sound that had been missing in their studio recording. BCC of course! Many others.Great show!
Rodney Mills Martin Birch David Foster Todd Rundgren Bruce Fairbairn Honorable mentions: Hugh Padgham Tom Allom Roger Glover Alan Parsons Mike Stone Kevin Elson Beau Hill Neil Kernon Some producers' sound I’m not crazy about; Bob Ezrin, Ron Nevison, Keith Olsen, Jeff Glixman, Andy Sneap, Steven Wilson, Mutt Lange.
1. Martin Birch - Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Maiden. 2. Steven Wilson - For his work with PT and Opeth and off course his Remixes 3. Jens Bogren - so many of my fave newer albums. Opeth, Amon Amarth, Caligula's Horse, Wilderun, Amorphis, Enslaved, Haken... 4. Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds - The Mona Lisa of Albums 5. George Martin
So glad to see Martin Birch finally cited as the last entry! Martin seems to get the very best out of everybody as his huge list of “classic” albums can attest. An let’s not forget the masterful work he did on Machine Head, working entirely out of a rented motel! How the Hell do you do that?
Todd Rundgren (Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell), Robert "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, The Cars, AC/DC), Michael Wagener (Dokken, Exreme, Skid Row, Warrant, White Lion), Phil Spector (The Ronettes, Righteous Brothers), Berry Gordy (Motown), Desmond Child, Mike Clink (Megadeth: Rust in Peace, Guns N Roses: all their good albums), Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica: Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and Justice), Mike Stone (Journey, Asia, Whitesnake, Y&T)
Great Episode, Gentleman! Producers and production work are all-too-often overlooked. Here are my top 5: Creed Taylor (Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery, Hubert Laws, Deodato and the first Allan Holdsworth album) Eddie Offord George Martin Ken Scott Gary Katz Wayyyy too many honorable mentions (like 40). I will say that just once after Rush parted ways with Terry Brown, I wanted them to bring in Jimmy Page to produce. Hoped a new deal with Atlantic would be the binding connection but it was never to be
I'm in that smoke and terrible conditions in BC that Martin talked about. I cut lawns so I'm breathing in that smoke for hours most days. I just want to finish my work and get out of the smoke. I'm hoping August will go fast because I don't think things will change until Sept.
@@fattymcfatso1083 Presumably it's the sound quality of the T Rex records. His production philosophy was "give the artist what they want". Maybe it's the comparison to how some of his other productions like Bowie & Thin Lizzy sound. If Visconti really gave all of his artists the exact sound they were looking for then maybe the criticism is for Marc Bolan
@@MartinPopoff Thanks for replying. What do you think is lacking production wise on these albums? Does the fact you don’t like T.REX a factor? What don’t you like about T.REX or is it just one of those bands you just don’t get?
3 producers who come to my mind : 1) Alan Parson: The Beatles-Abbey Road, Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon, Al Stewart-Year of The Cat 2) Rick Rubin: Slayer-Reign In Blood, The Cult-Electric, Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik Johnny Cash-American 111, Tom Petty-Wildflowers & Adele-21 3) Bob Ezrin-Alice Cooper-Billion Dollar Babies, Kiss-Destroyer, Pink Floyd- The Wall Honorable mention: Jimmy Page for his work on all the Zeppelin albums.
Tony Visconty also did produce the albums for 'CARMEN' FANDAGOS IN SPACE and 'DANCING ON A COLD WIND' two fantastic albums. ( and he played ukkelile) I met him once in the ninetees
Don't forget Roy Thomas Baker also produced The Cars "Shake It Up", Cheap Trick "One On One", the "Heavy Metal" Soundtrack and the "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" Soundtrack......
Rick Rubin was supposed to produce what would be the last CSN record. When they got there, Rick didn't turn up, he sent an assistant. He gave them a list of songs they should cover. CSN said "we don't mind doing some, but we're not looking for a covers record" and Rubin shouted at them "THIS IS THE FORMULA". About the only thing all of Crosby Stills and Nash agreed on in the past 20 years? They all hate Rick Rubin.
Gus Dudgeon did great work with Elton John. Really knew how to record Elton and various musicians and orchestras on Elton's albums. Gus worked with Bowie on "Space Oddity." Also, George Martin did a great job on those Beatles albums with such limited equipment compared to what folks had available later.
Chris Thomas because he had a hand some of the biggest groups and their big selling albums: 1. The Pretenders (Pretenders II, Learning To Crawl, a fav, etc.) 2. Badfinger (Badfinger, Wish You Were Here, etc.) 3. INXS (Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X, favs) 4. Elton John (Too Low For Zero, Reg Strikes Back, etc) 5. Roxy Music (Stranded, For Your Pleasure, etc.) 6. The Sex Pistols (Never Mind The Bullocks) 7. The Beatles (The White Album, etc.) 8. Pete Townsend (White City, etc.) 9. U2 (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, a fav) 10. Pink Floyd (Dark Side Of The Moon)
I would love to find the actual interview, but I am pretty sure Jon Anderson told a story of Roy Thomas Baker referring to takes as "takey-poo's", as in "Let's have another takey-poo of that number"
He did artists you guys probably aren't into that much, Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Manic St preachers, but I love pretty much everything Steve Albini has worked on. Signature sound.
Great topic.I have alot on my mind on this subject.I felt like I was the only one who took notice of certain producers.So I will throw my opinion out there. 1.Jimmy Miller He took the Rolling Stones,who were in a strange place after the death of Brian Jones and the counterculture movement around them and aimed them in the right direction into a run of classic albums from 1968-1974.Probably no one has recorded drums as good as Jimmy. 2.George Martin Not for nothing,im not a huge Beatles fan,but you can't deny George Martin was the first producer to properly record a rock n roll album,and changed history. 3.James Guthrie Probably not a fair choice because he wasn't a rock producer by trade,but Judas Priests Stained Class was a heavy metal masterpiece. 4.Ron Nevison He had a hard time working with bands like The Babys and Heart and botched Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin albums he worked on. but helped bands like UFO achieve thier classic sound. 5.Ted Templeman. He pretty much helped invent the movement Van Halen started with his production on those seminal albums.He knew how to record them,I think as good as they were,they needed someone who wasn't going to stifle them or try to reel them in,and he did great work with the Doobie Bros.as well,and started it all with that first Montrose album. My honorable mentions are Martin Birch,Keith Olsen and Tom Allom.
Surprised Martin Popoff didn’t mention his favourite UFO album (No Place to Run - 1980) and George Martin, of ‘Beatles' producer fame, an amazing and criminally forgotten gem
Jeff Glixman- His work on Sabbath's Seventh Star and The Eternal Idol and Jagged Edge U.K.'s Fuel For Your Soul all sound so good to me. Andy Sneap- Blaze Bayley's Silicon Messiah, Judas Priest's Firepower and all the recent Accept & Testament albums. Richie Zito - Heavy Bones, Tyketto - Don't Come Easy & Poison- Native Tongue. Bob Rock- David Lee Roth- A Little Ain't Enough, Motley Crue (self titled) & Metallica (from the black album to St. Anger). Jim Morris- from Jag Panzer to Iced Earth to Nevermore Mike Shipley(RIP)- just for the album he did with Winger called Pull. Ted Templeman- Van Halen(duh) but also his work on the BulletBoys albums. Honorable mentions- Tony Platt, Keith Olson, Terry Date, Beau Hill, Andy Johns(RIP), Max Norman, Mark Dodson & Bill Kennedy.
I never look at the production credits on an album, so I did not know that Jack Endino produced Skunkworks. Now that I know that, it makes perfect sense. Also, I think Jack invented the term "yarling" to describe the vocal style of Eddie Vedder and his imitators. So, it turns out that I'm doubly indebted to Mr. Endino.
Great topic. Here is my list by decades: 60's - Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, George Martin (in that order), 70's - Gus Dudgeon, Richard Perry, Giorgio Morodor, Phil Ramone, early eighties - Quincy Jones, Jam & Lewis, Steve Lillywhite, Nile Rodgers, Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin, Mutt Lange (too many to choose!), 90's and beyond - Butch Vig, Steve Albini, Dr. Dre, T Bone Burnett, Mark Ronson, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams / The Neptunes, Max Martin. I know this is waaay more than five - but I thought it important to include producers over a much greater swath of music than only those who excelled in the heavy metal/hard rock genres. You may not necessarily enjoy artists produced by Max Martin for example, but you can't deny his excellence as a producer.... So don't hate on this list.
The producer with the most identifiable sound - a toss up between Jam & Lewis and Timbaland. I can immediately identify any record these guys produced.
'90s ZZ Top really rounds out their career IMO. "Afterburner" and "Recycler" had disappointed me at the time, but "Antenna" and next few really brought them back for me! Great pick Martin, with Joe Hardy. I also love "Itch" from Kim Mitchell, didn't know the link to ZZ until today! Very cool!
I just watch these episodes every week for weather updates.
We all do. 😄👍
LOL!!!!!
Jolly good show, guys! Especially appreciated the comments on Rubin, Roy Thomas Baker (spot on) and Martin Birch. I suppose Mutt Lange and Bob Rock are another two legendary producers with distinctive sounds and huge influence on the bands they’ve worked with (at times exclusively). Also, Phil Spector is another giant who made tremendous things happen !
Hugh Padgham did some incredible work in the 80s. Abacab’s drum sound alone makes him worthy of a list like this.
That's an excellent choice. I realize that even though many of the artists are not among my favorite the technical work done on those recordings is stellar.
I can never get over the production team on Yes' Drama, Eddie Offord, Yes guided at the time by Trevor Horn plus Hugh Padgham.
Those Drums!
A special shout out to producers who did so much with relatively few tools: George Martin, Brian Wilson, Jimmy Page, Jimmy Miller, Tom Dowd.
And yet the albums that those producers did still sound amazing till this day. They were very innovative and imaginative with what little they had to work with. It’s a shame that sound has been lost in this modern world…
Another from that era- Phil Spector.
All great picks guys. My pick has to be George Martin. What he did on those later Beatles albums, with half the equipment and technology that all theses other great ones you named, deserves to be there. 👍
Wow! I am pretty sure this is a new SOT record: 1 minute and 20 seconds of pure weather discussion! Great work, guys, as always!
Popoff and Pardo are at it again with another interesting subject. Some great choices here and some not too familiar. Not to repeat too many but my list would have to include Todd Rundgren, George Martin and, due to the listening of my childhood, Phil Spector. Fun show as always, gents. Glad to hear about the two podcasts, Martin. Now will go listen to those. Thanks again to you both for another entertaining show.
I think Chris Tsangarides deserves a mention, his metal productions that I'm familiar with always sound clear, bright and distinctive and he gives plenty of attack to the drums. When I looked up all the artists he'd worked with I couldn't believe how many there were!
Anthem!
some hilarious moments in the anvil movie,when they go to chris tsangerides house in england to record,or ct as he calls himself,and the band start falling out with each other
Absolutely,the first 2 Tygers of Pan Tang,Y & T,Thin Lizzy,Renegade and Thunder and Lightning,i put him up with M.Birch
One just has to listen to Painkiller by Priest. Awesome production!
I liked the way you discussed the various attributes of each producer that you liked . Skillfully breaking down the songs and rearranging them , bringing out the vocal harmonies , doing whatever it takes to achieve the sound by adding strings or musicians , challenging the band members to bring out the best in them , being a musician themselves , helping define the band’s sound , breaking new ground in the studio , and adding sophistication to the music . That sounds suspiciously like the guy who , arguably , did all of that first in rock. George Martin . An interesting video . Thanks
Great picks all around. Suggestion: can you guys talk about the Loudness War? It's my main reason for going back to vinyl, but I would love to hear your opinions.
Me, too. Once I commented how much I loved 'the sound' of Chicago's debut...some Loudness War advocate basically responded that 'the sound' of CTA wouldn't even make a good demo by today's standards. Rubbish!
Tom Dowd
George Martin
Glyn Johns
Jimmy Miller
Eddie Kramer
Eddie Offord
Ted Templeton
Some of the best in music history… imho ✨
Terry Brown
Beau Hill, Ron Nevison, Neil Kernon, Peter Collins, Max Norman, Martin Birch , Tom Allom, Ted Templeman, Andy Sneap, Keith Olsen, Roy Thomas Baker and Mutt Lange would all be among my fav's.
So many great producers. Some only worked with a few artist and some worked with many. Others defined an Era/sound. This a list of undeniable top producers and some are just my personal favorite. Hard to put in order, but will try... Love your channel Pete. You and Martin also work very well together. Thanks
1. George Martin
2. Barry Gordy
3. Phil Specter
4. Bob Ezrin
5.Tony Visconti
6. Ray Thomas Baker
7. Jimmy Page
8. Terry Brown
9. Todd Rundgren
10. Nile Rogers
11. Jeff Lynne
Good show, it’s fascinating listening to Pete and Martin discussing music and all the various nuances that go with it, very enlightening
Mine, no order: Quincy Jones, Ted Templeman, Tommy LiPuma, George Martin, Gary Katz, Teo Macero, Arif Mardin, Daniel Lanois, Barry Gordy(Motown), Manfred Eicher(ECM Records), Hugh Padgham, Bob Ezrin, Rick Rubin, Tom Dowd, Alan Parsons, Timbaland, Nile Rodgers. That's it for a while. 🙂
Well you're getting into pop there a little bit but great list ! Here are five of mine: Andy Warhol, Malcom Maclaren, Tony Wilson (Factory), Steve Albini, Digby Pearson (Earache) and Jim Morris (Morrisound). Now, if we get into hip hop Dr. Dre have to be there, well Rick Rubin is there so...
Alan Parsons is amazing!
@@MsKalachakra You brought good ones too. I had thought about Dr Dre, but think that Timbaland would represent well Hip Hop. 😉
Great analysis! Very interesting guys. Thanks for this 👍
I don't have a list of favorite producers, but I used to buy everything Scott Burns produced in the 80s and 90s. His name was effectively a seal of approval for those of us who were into Death Metal at the time.
There must be something about producers with "Martin" in their names! :-) George Martin's Beatles production work is *definitive* in rock history. Martin Hannett's production on Joy Division's two studio albums, "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer," turned those albums into *unearthly, unforgettable* experiences. Martin Birch's work on Sabbath's "Mob Rules" is my favorite metal production to this day.
Great record producers are so important to the development of an album and its sonic qualities. Five of my favourites...
*Phil Ramone*
I'm no expert on studio techniques but Phil Ramone was a true master of recording instruments faithfully so that they sit beautifully within the overall sound picture. He also had an incredible knack for getting hooks down on tape, those nagging little guitar or keyboard riffs that bury themselves in your head and refuse to let go. His work with Billy Joel ('The Stranger', '52nd Street') and Paul Simon ('There Goes Rhymin' Simon', 'Still Crazy After All These Years') is masterful.
*Gary Katz*
Mostly for his incredible work with Steely Dan. People tend to talk about an SD 'sound', but what they're really talking about is the audiophile clarity of 'Aja' and 'Gaucho'. In fact their records fall into eras in terms of the recording style, the early band records ('Can't Buy a Thrill' through 'Pretzel Logic'), the mid period albums with session players and a hint of a band sound ('Katy Lied' and 'The Royal Scam') and the jazz rock years ('Aja' and 'Gaucho'). Katz was brilliant at overseeing the incredibly complex process of keeping track of Becker and Fagen's perfectionist tendencies and getting the best takes and performances down on tape. Those records just sound wonderful to this day.
*John Wood*
Strictly an engineer, but he was in so many senses a producer as well and was a genius at recording acoustic instruments and getting the best out of the great singer-songwriters. With and without Joe Boyd at Sound Techniques studios he made career-defining albums with Fairport Convention ('Unhalfbricking', 'Liege and Lief'), John Martyn ('Bless the Weather', 'Solid Air') and Richard and Linda Thompson ('I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight', 'Pour Down Like Silver').
*Glyn Johns*
His discography is just incredible, working with just about everyone of note in the late '60s and early '70s, a veritable Who's Who of rock. Speaking of which, his masterwork is undoubtedly 'Who's Next', a record which benefited hugely from his eminently sensible decision to persuade Pete Townshend to jettison his overblown 'Lifehouse' project and just stuck with a single LP. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Move, Eagles, Boz Scaggs, Eric Clapton... wow.
*George Martin*
An innovator who as a man was far more complex than his popular image would suggest. Came from a humble background so adopted an upper class accent so as to 'get on' in life. Seemed very upright and straight-laced but was a right one for the ladies. His incredible work with Peter Sellers featuring all manner of sound collages was his apprenticeship for the work for which he will be forever remembered. His classical training allowed him to facilitate The Beatles' incredible but unschooled imaginations and realise their most out-there ideas. The perfect meeting of incredibly gifted students and a teacher with a genuinely open mind. He didn't do that much of note afterwards, but he did produce 'Blow by Blow' by Jeff Beck which is by far his best album and a beautifully recorded LP.
all great choices. I especially like the mention of Glyn Johns.
@@Gardosunron thanks
Trevor HORN. Roy Thomas BAKER. Nile RODGERS. George MARTIN. Phil SPECTOR Tony Visconti. Jeff Lynne. Etc etc
Terry Brown did one of my favourite old records, Edward Bear's "Bearings" album, which came out in 1969. You put that record on now and it still sounds really good.
Great show as usual, At the Funhose is my favorite show of the week.
Always interresting topics and lots of facts to dig in to. Thanks guys.
Thank you very much Pete, for the TILES mention in your speech about Terry Brown. Agreed on all you said about Terry.
Terry is a wonderful, giving and nice person too.
Terry is also remixing the Discipline "Unfolded like staircase" that will be released in November I think.
Terry worked with the Who, Klatuu and Jimi Hendrix in his early days in England. Just as an FYI.
My picks not mentioned ... Mutt Lange, Beau Hill (the genius of the Ratt sound - perhaps no 80's sound has aged better), Scott Burns (death metal doesn't get off the ground without him), Terry Date (Prong - Cleansing might be my favorite)
Hell yeah Scott Burns production on those early death metal album's are top notch
He wouldn't quite make my top-5, but Beau Hill did some great work. His stuff with Kix is also really good, but you're right, those Ratt albums are near perfect. Raw yet somehow refined.
Chronological order. 1)Glyn/Andy Johns (and Ethan Johns) - 2)Martin Birch - 3)Rick Rubin (The Cult's Electric, Danzig, Slayer, Trouble... Great sounding albums from 86/92 that had Andy Wallace, an awesome mixer/engineer that became a great producer on his own. But Rick did a lot other great albums). 4) Steve Albini 5) Butch Vig - One-band producers: George Martin (Beatles), Vanda & Young (AC/DC), David Briggs (Neil Young), Tom Werman (Cheap Trick). H.M. Roy Thomas Baker, Brendan O' Brien and Robert Mutt Lange (really important only from 79 to 83)
Reinhold Mack as a producer (Queen's "The Game" and "The Works") and as engineer (ELO's "Face The Music," "A New World Record," "Out of the Blue," "Discovery," "Xanadu," "Time," and "Balance of Power") is worth mentioning. All those classic ELO albums are classic because of Mack.
"Countdown to Extinction, perfection heavy metal"...yep, I agree with that statement. Love "Power of the Night" too, had to buy that one recently, definitely needed to own that one in my Savatage collection.
Martin Birch is my personal favorite but I thought there might be some chat about Eddie Kramer.
Ken Scott. Anyone who produces crime of the century is up there as one of the best.
He made my list just on the strength of his work with Bowie. Excellent resume for sure.
@@matthewjachimiec His book is fantastic, too! From the book, I learned that he even managed Missing Persons.
@@matthewjachimiec Ken Scott is a great shout !No idea why he wasn’t mentioned, from Hunky Dory to Pin UPS , taking in to Ziggy stardust, and Aladdin Sane , these are the best sonically sounding Bowie albums of all time !
Max Norman is one of my favorites - Megadeth's Countdown to Extinction , Youthanasia , Hidden Treasures , The first 3 solo albums by OzzY , Lynch Mob's Wicked Sensation and many others.
RIP was Mike Clink.
@@stephanea5364 Your correct Stephane , Max Norman did the mixing and engineering on it. I knew he played a part in Rust in Peace. Thanks
Top 5 for me, in no particular order-
Terry Brown - the golden era of Rush, great sounding albums.
Martin Birch - Sabbath, Maiden, Rainbow, some of the greatest sounding heavy albums of all time.
Ted Templeman- Montrose, Doobie Bros, and the classic Van Halen albums all sound amazing like the band is in the room with you.
Tom Werman - some of the bands that worked with him have criticized him, but I think he’s done some of the most amazing albums in rock. Cheap Trick, Crue, BOC, Nugent , the list goes on and on…
Max Norman - early Ozzy albums, Megadeth, Loudness, Lynch Mob, Death Angel… great sounding albums.
Honorable mentions-
Brendan O’Brien - great modern producer, stuff like STP AC/DC, Pearl Jam and I love the production on King’s X Dogman album.
And speaking of King’s X, shout out to Sam Taylor who produced those first 4 Kings X albums. I think they sound amazing.
Cheers 🍻
Love Rungren’s production on XTC Skylarking - a true masterpiece to my mind
Me too! Sooo atmospheric!!
Great show, guys.
1) George Martin- The Beatles, Jeff Beck, America etc.
2) Terry Brown- Rush, Klaatu, Max Webster etc
3) David Foster - The Tubes, Alice Cooper, etc
4) Roy Thomas Baker- Queen, Starcastle, Cheap Trick etc
5) Brian Wilson- Beach Boys (Pet Sounds, Smile, Surf's Up albums)
6) Bob Ezrin- Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd etc.
Something to point out is that ‘loudness’ isn’t necessarily a producer’s choice. Before release albums get (re)mastered by mastering engineers who transfer the sound from the master tapes to a medium with volume adjustments and some let the music ‘breath’ with plenty of room for dynamics while others aim for the earbuds generation, making the music loud enough to overcome everyday noises (travelling, etc.), thereby squashing the dynamics. It’s also a way of making the music stand out through the airwaves.
Todd Rundgren (solo, Utopia, Hillage, Meat Loaf, et al) Ken Scott (Dixie Dregs, Happy The Man) David Hitchcock (Caravan, Genesis)
I first want to say I love this concept! I hope there are more of these discussions focusing on the producer's role. I'll mention one: Steve Lillywhite-he produced my favorite Ultravox record (Ha!-Ha!-Ha!), my favorite XTC record (Black Sea), my favorite Peter Gabriel record (the 3rd, 1980, Melt...whatever you want to call it), my favorite Siouxsie (the Scream), my favorite Psychedelic Furs (the self-titled debut). I will concede that he's also produced some really crappy records, but the ones I mentioned outweigh those imo.
Sam Taylor's production on the first four King's X albums is awesome.
Max Norman for sure! Glad you mentioned Coney Hatch and Malice (Mick and Jay were at my apartment before their Dallas show with Alice Cooper; my roommate Tuttle used to play with them) and Roy Thomas Baker. Evolution and Candy O are some of my favorite records. Great discussion.
Pete when you mention atmosphere in terms of production Jimmy Miller comes to mind; what he did on those five Stones records, not to mention the Blind Faith album… incredible mark he left on those efforts
Or Traffic or Spooky Tooth....he elevated pretty much everything
Great video as always! 😀 Like your picks. I would have had three names on my list that weren't mentioned: Andy Wallace (ok, ok, he was "mentioned" 😉), Desmond Child and Trevor Horn.
Coney Hatch...one of my favourite Canadian bands, Martin. So good!
agreed , that 1st album amazing. So unknown , what a shame
Yet another example of what makes Popoff / Pardo great stuff- thanks guys! Jimmy Page Steve Albini Terry Brown George Martin Teo Macero then probably everyone Pete mentioned a top 10 for me. For a specific album, Dust Brothers on Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys- in which the sound is good but the sampling is epic.
Heh, I was going to say Albini but he'd get pissed at being called a producer.
As usual, I agree with Pete's picks over Martin's picks!
A lot of great mentions here, including my favourite Martin Burch. One GREAT overlooked producer is EL-P (not to be confused with ELP) and his Definitive Jux label (Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif, etc.), as well as his work with Run the Jewels (particularly the first 2 albums). EL-P's production for hip hop is about as spacey and psychedelic as any Canterbury/Prog/Fusion music out there. If you love Gong/Steve Hillage/early Floyd, you just might love EL-P, especially his Cure 4 Cancer album from 2012.
Tony Visconti, Martin Birch, Eddie Offord, Scott Burns, Pytten, Roger Glover, Michael Wagener, Jimmy Page.
Great subject. Looking forward for part 2, 3, 4…
Fantastic show as always
Rundgren, Eno, Birch, Horn, Martin, Katz... man so many gifted pairs of ears!...
LOVE Pete's 2 eyebrow lifts when responding to "The Wall" ending comments. Love u Pete!
What about doing an "In The Prog Seat" show about your favorite avant-prog albums (Univers Zero, Henry Cow, Thinking Plague, Magma, 5UU's, Present...) with Ken Golden or Steve Feigenbaum as guests ?
It’s funny because when you said there was one who has a very distinct sound, I immediately thought Andy Sneap. I love him though. I think that, in addition to guitars, he is also really good at recording drum sounds, especially on those Nevermore and Stuck Mojo albums. They sound like pure combat.
My top 5 producers (in no particular order)
1) George Martin
2) Steve Lillywhite
3) Hugh Padgham
4) Todd Rundgren
5) Tom Werman
Glad Martin mentioned Max Norman. Diary Of A Madman and Countdown To Extinction are among the best sounding Metal albums I have. Both Pre-Loudness wars too.
Speaking of Loudness….he did Thunder in the East by Loudness. A killer sounding record.
Hey there buddy. Greetings from Canada. I love your videos, especially the ranking the album series. I just finished watching your best prog albums of the 70s video. I noticed 2 albums over your right shoulder (Left from the viewers point if view) That have really cool album covers. They're the two albums closest to the top of the screen. Would you happen to know which albums those are? Thank you
They look almost like Roger Dean artworks. But don't know that they are
Transatlantic, Seventh Wonder, and Tomorrow's Eve are all the CDs you see there.
@@seaoftranquilityprog which albums are they? I can't seem to find them
i love when the band themselves becomes the producer, the real band sound, the way that the band wants us to hear them, not an outside person
In some cases it works…but most bands don‘t know enough about production to do it right.
@@wernermoritz882 true, I think , in some cases, when the band employs or the record company appoints different producers for each albums, the sound changes, the whole band character changes for better or worse..just an observation..check out Bryan Adams album Get Up , produced by Jeff Lynne, Jeff converted Bryan into a travelling wilbury!
Favorites (in no particular order): Martin Birch, Tony Visconti, Terry Brown, Bob Ezrin, Ken Scott
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Page, Mutt Lange, Jimmy Miller, Dieter Dierks, Mike Varney, John Alcorn
Joe Hardy Also did Tom Cochrane Mad Mad World & a little Gem called Barstool Prophets "Last Of The Big Game Hunters" But got to check out those ZZ Top albums.
I just learned that Animals was produced by the band. Wow!
Good show guys!
Josh Silver from Type O Negative Is often overlooked as a producer. He did an amazing job on those TON albums. All that layering of sounds/effects. 🔥🤘🏼
For me one of the most influential producers of all time is Quincy Jones 👏
No Todd Rundgren or Brian Eno? How very very very sad....these guys where on some LEGENDARY albums
Eno's work on Talking Heads" Remain In Light" ALONE should get him mentioned.. Never mind an Incredible body of work before & after That masterpiece... Eno Deserves Better.. Good Call
Legendary perhaps, but remember, this is about our FAVORITE producers...purpose of the show was not to name every notable or legendary producer who ever was.
John you have to understand this is Pete and Martin's list you can have whoever the hell you want on your list.
And they only limited themselves to five they didn't list hundreds and hundreds did they?? NO
@Braidwood Inn yes they do.
But he did not make up his own little list this original commenter basically directed his disgust of his ones not mentioned at Pete and Martin
@Braidwood Inn lol some collectors like to have all releases in their collection.
I've got a question for Martin & Pete - could you explain the thinking behind song order on albums? I've heard that bands/producers prefer to top-load (tracks 1-3) albums with the best songs that are most likely to hook the listener, put the next best song at the end of the album, and stuff all the filler in the middle. Is that true at all, and what else goes into making the decision of song order? Thanks a lot, been watching the show for years and love it
Sounds like a great show idea!
@@MartinPopoff Yeah, that would be really cool to see. I think there might not be enough to talk about to fill the usual 30+ minutes, though. Lots of people are probably wondering about it since no one ever talks about song order
Love Bob Ezrin's production on Lou Reed's Berlin. Not the cheeriest of albums but sounds amazing.
The strings on Sad Song show up on Comfortably Numb.
@@stevepoleri7604 those strings almost against the lyrics in Sad Song get me everytime. Is there not also a bit of Alice in The Wall as well, can't remember the song just now.
@@ron6927 The whole of side 2 of Berlin is crushing. I had a roommate whom I had to have an intervention. I came home to find him listening to The Wall. He then informed me he already listened to Closer by Joy Division and Berlin. I promptly removed The Wall from the turntable.
@@stevepoleri7604 I totally get that. I had a mate who spent a summer taking magic mushrooms almost daily and listening to nothing but The Wall. He's still out there. Somewhere.
@@stevepoleri7604 I love Joy Division, and Reed's "Berlin," and "The Wall"-- and I *completely* get what you're saying. I have to be careful *not* to listen to those artists and albums when I'm in an emotional place where I know that I will be brought down by them. Some music is brilliant, but very dark, and, in my experience, not to be listened to carelessly.
Maybe an obvious follow up but - favorite record labels with a few of the best albums/and or bands from each chosen label.
Here are five of my favorites (w/examples)
1. Rob Cavallo - Green Day (Dookie, Insomniac, Nimrod, American Idiot), My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade, Danger Days), Paramore (Brand New Eyes)
2. Niklas Karlsson - Orbit Culture (Nija)
3. Scott Burns - Death (Human, Individual Thought Patterns), Deicide (Deicide), Gorguts (Considered Dead), Obituary (Slowly We Rot, Cause of Death), Sepultura (Beneath the Remains, Arise)
4. Butch Vig - Nirvana (Nevermind), Smashing Pumpkins (Gish, Siamese Dream), Garbage (Garbage, Version 2.0), Foo Fighters (Wasting Light)
5. Rick Rubin - Slayer (Reign in Blood, South of Heaven, Seasons in the Abyss), Beasty Boys (Licensed to Ill), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Blood Sugar Sex Magik, One Hot Minute, Californication, Stadium Arcadium), System of a Down (Toxicity, Steal This Album!, Mesmerize), Audioslave (Audioslave, Out of Exile), Linkin Park (Minutes to Midnight, A Thousand Suns, Living Things)
Great show!
One of my absolute favourite producers has to be Hugh Jones. He has been responsible for 2 of the best Post-Punk albums of the 80s with Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen and Songs from the Lion‘s Mouth by The Sound. All of this albums had great bass and drums sound. With the Icicle Works and Modern English he went for a more wavey sound that was also classy.
Conny Plank also was a great producer for the likes of Ultravox! or Killing Joke as well as some Krautrock acts.
Terry Date wasn’t mentioned. He did the great Pantera albums, The Years of Decay by Overkill and Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden amongst many others
Jack Endino's production on High on fire's Death is this communion is amazing!
One guy is Kevin"Caveman" Shirley who produced Rush Counterparts. He really brought back the heavy sound that had been missing in their studio recording. BCC of course! Many others.Great show!
Peter Collins produced Counterparts, Kevin Shirley was the engineer on that album.
Early Rick Rubin was awesome. Rick Ruben changed the sound of extreme metal on Reign In Blood.
Welcome to the weather report with Pete and Martin. Also music!
Rodney Mills
Martin Birch
David Foster
Todd Rundgren
Bruce Fairbairn
Honorable mentions:
Hugh Padgham
Tom Allom
Roger Glover
Alan Parsons
Mike Stone
Kevin Elson
Beau Hill
Neil Kernon
Some producers' sound I’m not crazy about;
Bob Ezrin, Ron Nevison, Keith Olsen, Jeff Glixman, Andy Sneap, Steven Wilson, Mutt Lange.
Neil Kernon. His work with Nevermore is excellent
1. Martin Birch - Deep Purple, Whitesnake, Rainbow, Maiden.
2. Steven Wilson - For his work with PT and Opeth and off course his Remixes
3. Jens Bogren - so many of my fave newer albums. Opeth, Amon Amarth, Caligula's Horse, Wilderun, Amorphis, Enslaved, Haken...
4. Brian Wilson - Pet Sounds - The Mona Lisa of Albums
5. George Martin
Awesome episode!!
So glad to see Martin Birch finally cited as the last entry! Martin seems to get the very best out of everybody as his huge list of “classic” albums can attest. An let’s not forget the masterful work he did on Machine Head, working entirely out of a rented motel! How the Hell do you do that?
Currently evacuated from the Mount Law fire in West kelowna, but at least I got you guys for entertainment.
Todd Rundgren (Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell), Robert "Mutt" Lange (Def Leppard, The Cars, AC/DC), Michael Wagener (Dokken, Exreme, Skid Row, Warrant, White Lion), Phil Spector (The Ronettes, Righteous Brothers), Berry Gordy (Motown), Desmond Child, Mike Clink (Megadeth: Rust in Peace, Guns N Roses: all their good albums), Flemming Rasmussen (Metallica: Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and Justice), Mike Stone (Journey, Asia, Whitesnake, Y&T)
What a great topic!
Great Episode, Gentleman! Producers and production work are all-too-often overlooked. Here are my top 5:
Creed Taylor (Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery,
Hubert Laws, Deodato and the first Allan Holdsworth album)
Eddie Offord
George Martin
Ken Scott
Gary Katz
Wayyyy too many honorable mentions (like 40). I will say that just once after Rush parted ways with Terry Brown, I wanted them to bring in Jimmy Page to produce. Hoped a new deal with Atlantic would be the binding connection but it was never to be
1) Martin Birch
2) Flemming Rasmussen
3) Alan Parsons
4) Andy Sneap
5) Terry Brown
H.M:
Rick Rubin
Jakob Hellner
I'm in that smoke and terrible conditions in BC that Martin talked about. I cut lawns so I'm breathing in that smoke for hours most days. I just want to finish my work and get out of the smoke. I'm hoping August will go fast because I don't think things will change until Sept.
Hi Martin what are your issues with Tony Visconti’s work with T.REX. Just curios buddy!
I was wondering the same thing.
@@fattymcfatso1083 Presumably it's the sound quality of the T Rex records. His production philosophy was "give the artist what they want". Maybe it's the comparison to how some of his other productions like Bowie & Thin Lizzy sound. If Visconti really gave all of his artists the exact sound they were looking for then maybe the criticism is for Marc Bolan
@@wolf1977 I agree with that philosophy. But I saw a Visconti interview once where he pushed back on the idea that he doesn't have his own sound.
I can't stand T.Rex. Plus the albums sound horrible.
@@MartinPopoff Thanks for replying. What do you think is lacking production wise on these albums? Does the fact you don’t like T.REX a factor? What don’t you like about T.REX or is it just one of those bands you just don’t get?
3 producers who come to my mind :
1) Alan Parson: The Beatles-Abbey Road, Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon, Al Stewart-Year of The Cat
2) Rick Rubin: Slayer-Reign In Blood, The Cult-Electric, Red Hot Chili Peppers- Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik
Johnny Cash-American 111, Tom Petty-Wildflowers & Adele-21
3) Bob Ezrin-Alice Cooper-Billion Dollar Babies, Kiss-Destroyer, Pink Floyd- The Wall
Honorable mention: Jimmy Page for his work on all the Zeppelin albums.
Tony Visconty also did produce the albums for 'CARMEN' FANDAGOS IN SPACE and 'DANCING ON A COLD WIND' two fantastic albums. ( and he played ukkelile)
I met him once in the ninetees
Don't forget Roy Thomas Baker also produced The Cars "Shake It Up", Cheap Trick "One On One", the "Heavy Metal" Soundtrack and the "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" Soundtrack......
Rick Rubin was supposed to produce what would be the last CSN record. When they got there, Rick didn't turn up, he sent an assistant. He gave them a list of songs they should cover. CSN said "we don't mind doing some, but we're not looking for a covers record" and Rubin shouted at them "THIS IS THE FORMULA".
About the only thing all of Crosby Stills and Nash agreed on in the past 20 years? They all hate Rick Rubin.
That 13 album he did with Sabbath was trash.
What Rick Rubin did with Johnny Cash was amazing, getting his interpretations of songs most people would never conceive of.
Yes, but Rick was one of the biggest problem producers when it came to the Loudness Wars.
Rick has made intimate beautiful music and some uh not so quiet music.
Gus Dudgeon did great work with Elton John. Really knew how to record Elton and various musicians and orchestras on Elton's albums. Gus worked with Bowie on "Space Oddity." Also, George Martin did a great job on those Beatles albums with such limited equipment compared to what folks had available later.
Chris Thomas because he had a hand some of the biggest groups and their big selling albums:
1. The Pretenders (Pretenders II, Learning To Crawl, a fav, etc.)
2. Badfinger (Badfinger, Wish You Were Here, etc.)
3. INXS (Listen Like Thieves, Kick, X, favs)
4. Elton John (Too Low For Zero, Reg Strikes Back, etc)
5. Roxy Music (Stranded, For Your Pleasure, etc.)
6. The Sex Pistols (Never Mind The Bullocks)
7. The Beatles (The White Album, etc.)
8. Pete Townsend (White City, etc.)
9. U2 (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, a fav)
10. Pink Floyd (Dark Side Of The Moon)
Love this! I think i would go with Jerry Finn, Rob Schnapf, Nick Lowe, Ted Hutt, and Bones Howe.
I would love to find the actual interview, but I am pretty sure Jon Anderson told a story of Roy Thomas Baker referring to takes as "takey-poo's", as in "Let's have another takey-poo of that number"
I'm a big Thin Lizzy fan but i always had a problem with the sound of Black Rose. Too harsch. I loved the sound on Bad Reputation. Am i contrarian?
Great topic, guys!
He did artists you guys probably aren't into that much, Nirvana, Pixies, PJ Harvey, Manic St preachers, but I love pretty much everything Steve Albini has worked on. Signature sound.
Great topic.I have alot on my mind on this subject.I felt like I was the only one who took notice of certain producers.So I will throw my opinion out there.
1.Jimmy Miller
He took the Rolling Stones,who were in a strange place after the death of Brian Jones and the counterculture movement around them and aimed them in the right direction into a run of classic albums from 1968-1974.Probably no one has recorded drums as good as Jimmy.
2.George Martin
Not for nothing,im not a huge Beatles fan,but you can't deny George Martin was the first producer to properly record a rock n roll album,and changed history.
3.James Guthrie
Probably not a fair choice because he wasn't a rock producer by trade,but Judas Priests Stained Class was a heavy metal masterpiece.
4.Ron Nevison
He had a hard time working with bands like The Babys and Heart and botched Thin Lizzy and Led Zeppelin albums he worked on. but helped bands like UFO achieve thier classic sound.
5.Ted Templeman.
He pretty much helped invent the movement Van Halen started with his production on those seminal albums.He knew how to record them,I think as good as they were,they needed someone who wasn't going to stifle them or try to reel them in,and he did great work with the Doobie Bros.as well,and started it all with that first Montrose album.
My honorable mentions are Martin Birch,Keith Olsen and Tom Allom.
Surprised Martin Popoff didn’t mention his favourite UFO album (No Place to Run - 1980) and George Martin, of ‘Beatles' producer fame, an amazing and criminally forgotten gem
Jeff Glixman- His work on Sabbath's Seventh Star and The Eternal Idol and Jagged Edge U.K.'s Fuel For Your Soul all sound so good to me.
Andy Sneap- Blaze Bayley's Silicon Messiah, Judas Priest's Firepower and all the recent Accept & Testament albums.
Richie Zito - Heavy Bones, Tyketto - Don't Come Easy & Poison- Native Tongue.
Bob Rock- David Lee Roth- A Little Ain't Enough, Motley Crue (self titled) & Metallica (from the black album to St. Anger).
Jim Morris- from Jag Panzer to Iced Earth to Nevermore
Mike Shipley(RIP)- just for the album he did with Winger called Pull.
Ted Templeman- Van Halen(duh) but also his work on the BulletBoys albums.
Honorable mentions- Tony Platt, Keith Olson, Terry Date, Beau Hill, Andy Johns(RIP), Max Norman, Mark Dodson & Bill Kennedy.
I never look at the production credits on an album, so I did not know that Jack Endino produced Skunkworks. Now that I know that, it makes perfect sense. Also, I think Jack invented the term "yarling" to describe the vocal style of Eddie Vedder and his imitators. So, it turns out that I'm doubly indebted to Mr. Endino.
Yarling? Have to remember that. 😆
Great topic. Here is my list by decades: 60's - Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, George Martin (in that order), 70's - Gus Dudgeon, Richard Perry, Giorgio Morodor, Phil Ramone, early eighties - Quincy Jones, Jam & Lewis, Steve Lillywhite, Nile Rodgers, Daniel Lanois, Rick Rubin, Mutt Lange (too many to choose!), 90's and beyond - Butch Vig, Steve Albini, Dr. Dre, T Bone Burnett, Mark Ronson, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams / The Neptunes, Max Martin. I know this is waaay more than five - but I thought it important to include producers over a much greater swath of music than only those who excelled in the heavy metal/hard rock genres. You may not necessarily enjoy artists produced by Max Martin for example, but you can't deny his excellence as a producer.... So don't hate on this list.
If you held a gun to my head for the #1 most important producer of all time I would have to say Phil Spector.
The producer with the most identifiable sound - a toss up between Jam & Lewis and Timbaland. I can immediately identify any record these guys produced.
'90s ZZ Top really rounds out their career IMO. "Afterburner" and "Recycler" had disappointed me at the time, but "Antenna" and next few really brought them back for me! Great pick Martin, with Joe Hardy. I also love "Itch" from Kim Mitchell, didn't know the link to ZZ until today! Very cool!