Songs That You Like For Their Production

[Soot and Stars]

Production qualities divides a lot of listeners. Some like to here as bare production as possible and some loved very detailed production. Some like very raw, visceral sound quality and some like a crisp, flawless sound. For example pop gets criticized for sounding too polished. What's a track that shows production you appreciate. Mine would be the following Switchfoot track. I was lukewarm about the band until this particular album and the record was one that sounded like they went to painful lengths to get the perfect sound the were going for. Since they are a spiritual band I think a clean, pure sound was perfect for this and on the following track the production sounds great to me especially around the vocals as you can hear every detail of his vocals down to picking up the small cracks and grit around an otherwise smooth voice. I love it and besides the song being good it wouldn't be as good without the pure, crisp, clean, perfected sound from the studio efforts.

Switchfoot-Sing It Out


What are your picks?

 

[LG]

I will always prefer a professional sounding recording, the "Raw" or "Minimal" techniques some newer bands use remind me of the crappy production values of the 50's, when they had no choice and were limited by the technology of their era.

You can achieve any kind of sound you want with all our newfangled gadgets now, there is no excuse for a band like Metallica to have almost No bass guitar, and a skinny drum kit as well. I know Hetfield loves the spotlight but their studio recordings are way below the standards I would expect from such a legendary band.

Here's a song that is still better produced than many of today's offerings.

Something...by the Beatles from 1969.

 

[FretBuzz]

I can't think of any individual songs that I like just for their production (I'm not fully awake yet...still drinking my morning coffee)...but I can think of some albums that I listen to mainly just for their production:

Avalon by Roxy music...what a lush sound this album has.

Teatro by Willie Nelson. I like Willie, but not enough to buy his albums (except for this one).This was produced by Daniel Lanois, who's work I really like.

Wrecking Ball by Emmylou Harris. Same as above!

Daniel Lanois has also worked with U2, and lots of other bands. He was in a serious motorcycle wreck recently, I hope he's recuperating okay.

There are other producers I like a lot, such as Steve Albini, Brian Eno, and Jimmy Miller, but as for the albums I have which were produced by them, I wouldn't say I listen to them mainly for the production.

 

[ladyislingering]

"Never Going Back Again" - Fleetwood Mac.

Aside from that, basically every ABBA song. No joke. If it wasn't for the lush sound, I wouldn't have any reason for their music.

 

[b.o.b.]

I like the bass and the squeak of the fingers on the strings.

 

[aeroplane]

A lot of people claim that Bob Rock was the worst thing to ever happen to Metallica and Motley Crue.

However, his production alone made the albums he did with those bands sound a lot better, just from a production standpoint, than any of their old work.

After he came on board, I could barely listen to the old Crue and Metallica albums because the production paled in comparison. Hell, members of Motley Crue and Metallica say that very thing to anyone who will listen, that their old albums weren't very well produced. Hetfield and Ulrich have often said that And Justice for All sounds really weak production-wise. From Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx has no kind words for the guy who did their production in the early and mid 80's (Tom Werman).

Like LG, I hate crappy sounding production, which in fact will steer me away from certain recordings. I like things to be reasonably professional.

Thus my favorite Metallica album was The Black Album and my favorite Crue albums were Dr. Feelgood and the self-titled one.

 

[tomcat]

I suppose I'd have to say most Zeppelin albums, especially Physical Graffiti.

 

[FretBuzz]

...From Motley Crue, Nikki Sixx has no kind words for the guy who did their production in the early and mid 80's (Tom Werman)....

The only Crue I've ever really heard was from this period, and I thought those records sounded terrible. Everything way too compressed, no dynamics...

I agree with you about Bob Rock and Metallica. In that documentary about the making of St. Anger, he seemed as much like their therapist as their producer! I felt sorry for the guy, he was stuck in a 'no win' situation on that one.

Rick Rubin is another producer who I think does good work.

 

[Dave78]

Jethro Tull's Songs From The Woods LP, and virtually everything Supertramp ever recorded.

Edited to add: Chicago IV at Carnegie Hall and Loggins & Messina's On Stage.

 

[LG]

Like LG, I hate crappy sounding production, which in fact will steer me away from certain recordings. I like things to be reasonably professional.

I feel the same way Aero, there is no reason I can think of to not do the best job possible in the studio. You can achieve all the "Rawness" or "Minimal" sound you want and still keep the production values high.