Two producers that were both influential in producing Born To Run are Mike Appel and Jon Landau.
Mike Appel
Mike Appel (born October 27, 1942) is an American music industry manager and record producer, most known for his role in both capacities early in the career of Bruce Springsteen.
Appel was born in Flushing in Queens, New York, of three-quarters Irish and one-quarter Jewish heritage and was raised Roman Catholic. His father was a successful real estate broker on Long Island. Appel began playing the guitar at age fourteen.
Appel was a guitarist and songwriter for several obscure groups during the 1950s and 1960s. He was a member of The Balloon Farm, and co-wrote their 1967 hit "A Question of Temperature". He also was a producer and songwriter for the early metal band Sir Lord Baltimore.
In 1971, Carl 'Tinker' West, the manager of some of Springsteen's early bands - Child, Steel Mill and The Bruce Springsteen Band - referred Springsteen to Appel. Springsteen auditioned for Appel in 1971; Appel told him to come back when he had written more songs. When Springsteen returned in 1972, Appel signed Springsteen to a production contract, and got Springsteen the audition with CBS Records' John H. Hammond that led to CBS's signing Springsteen. He produced Springsteen's first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, both released in 1973. He also co-produced Springsteen's third and breakthrough album, Born to Run.
Appel gradually fell out of favor with Springsteen during and after the recording of Born to Run and was replaced in both roles by Jon Landau by 1976. A lengthy legal battle between Appel and Springsteen ensued, which was eventually settled out of court. Appel, who was not able to find further success in the industry, subsequently co-wrote the 1992 book Down Thunder Road about his experiences with Springsteen.
Appel is generally credited for his aggressive tactics in getting Springsteen's career started, although his production abilities have often been criticized. However, Appel is also sometimes credited with fostering the looser, more musically adventurous and lyrically romantic approach of Springsteen's first two albums. After Landau took over, Springsteen's work became more tightly focused in musical terms and more political in content.
Jon Landau
Jon Landau (born 1947) is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.
He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
As a critic, Landau wrote for Rolling Stone from its first issue and for other publications. In vol. 1, number 1 of RS, 1967.11.09, Landau compared Jimi Hendrix and his debut album, Are You Experienced, to Eric Clapton and Cream's debut album, Fresh Cream (both released months before, and both Jimi and Cream having made huge American splashes as live performers that summer). The next few issues saw Landau staking out more traditional R&B and soul territory with profiles of Aretha Franklin, and Sam and Dave, plus a posthumous Otis Redding appreciation.
Landau's prophetic 1974 article in The Real Paper, wherein he famously claimed "I saw rock and roll's future and its name is Bruce Springsteen", is credited by Nick Hornby and others with fostering Springsteen's popularity. Landau was then hired by Springsteen, and is cited as co-producer on Springsteen studio records from 1975's Born to Run, through 1992s Human Touch and Lucky Town. He is considered to have influenced Springsteen artistically as well as professionally.
Other artists that Landau has managed and/or produced include MC5, Livingston Taylor, Jackson Browne, Natalie Merchant, Alejandro Escovedo, and Shania Twain, among others.
Landau was once married to The New York Times film critic (and later book reviewer) Janet Maslin. He is now married to Barbara Downey, a former Rolling Stone editor. They have two children, Kate and Charles. Kate is also an artist manager.