Post by Erik Rupp on Aug 21, 2009 21:48:59 GMT -5
So as I was listening to, "Modern Day Delilah," today and kind of analyzing the audio production I started thinking - "What ARE some of the best produced Rock albums of all time?"
Now I'm talking about the technical, audio side of the producer's job, not the song selection, performance coaching side of the producer's job.
So what, in your opinion, are some of the best produced Rock albums of all time??
Here are some of my picks...
AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)
It never ceases to amaze me just how fresh the production job still sounds on this album. It was recorded 29 years ago, but still sounds new. The guitar tone is perfect, just enough distortion for appropriate bite, but enough warmth to smooth it out a bit. The bass tone holds down the bottom end very well, and the drum sounds could not have been better recorded or mixed. That snare sound is Godlike. Not overblown, but perfect - snappy and full. This album really made Mutt Lange's reputation, and deservedly so.
Boston - Boston (1976)
While John Boylan got credit as the producer, and Warren Dewey got engineer's credit on this album, it was really Tom Scholz' baby. Dewey did engineer it along with Scholz, but his job was really secondary to the perfectionist and electronics whiz. The guitar tones on Boston's first album are crisp and articulated, the snare drum sound was the best of it's day, and the overall mix is perfect. So perfect that try as he may Scholz was not able to quite match the audio production job done on this album when he did the second Boston album, Don't Look Back (although that album still sounds really, really good).
KISS - Revenge (1992)
Bob Ezrin worked with KISS three times in their career. The first was on their legendary Destroyer album, an album that took them to the next level in the studio, then on 1981's Music From The Elder, a concept album that almost killed their career, then finally in 1992 with this album - Revenge.
The mix by Mick Guzauski is fantastic - the bass is full, but punchy, the guitars are crisp but maintain a level of warmth, and the drums are huge - but not ridiculously so. In fact, the snare drum sound on Revenge rivals that of AC/DC's Back In Black.
DIO - Holy Diver (1983)
DIO's first album (at this point still more of a band than a solo act), Holy Diver was produced by Ronnie James Dio himself, with Angelo Arcuri engineering and mixing the album.
Again, the snare drum is snappy and full - one of the key's to great audio production. A bad or even mediocre snare sound can ruin an album from an audio production standpoint. The guitar tone is excellent - not too midrangey, but still crisp while maintaining some warmth, and the bass tone is amazing. Punchy but still VERY full, Arcuri did a great job of miking and EQ'ing Jimmy Bain's bass rig.
Those are four albums that I consider to be perfect from an audio production standpoint, and they all hold up very, very well today when compared to modern recordings.
Now I'm talking about the technical, audio side of the producer's job, not the song selection, performance coaching side of the producer's job.
So what, in your opinion, are some of the best produced Rock albums of all time??
Here are some of my picks...
AC/DC - Back In Black (1980)
It never ceases to amaze me just how fresh the production job still sounds on this album. It was recorded 29 years ago, but still sounds new. The guitar tone is perfect, just enough distortion for appropriate bite, but enough warmth to smooth it out a bit. The bass tone holds down the bottom end very well, and the drum sounds could not have been better recorded or mixed. That snare sound is Godlike. Not overblown, but perfect - snappy and full. This album really made Mutt Lange's reputation, and deservedly so.
Boston - Boston (1976)
While John Boylan got credit as the producer, and Warren Dewey got engineer's credit on this album, it was really Tom Scholz' baby. Dewey did engineer it along with Scholz, but his job was really secondary to the perfectionist and electronics whiz. The guitar tones on Boston's first album are crisp and articulated, the snare drum sound was the best of it's day, and the overall mix is perfect. So perfect that try as he may Scholz was not able to quite match the audio production job done on this album when he did the second Boston album, Don't Look Back (although that album still sounds really, really good).
KISS - Revenge (1992)
Bob Ezrin worked with KISS three times in their career. The first was on their legendary Destroyer album, an album that took them to the next level in the studio, then on 1981's Music From The Elder, a concept album that almost killed their career, then finally in 1992 with this album - Revenge.
The mix by Mick Guzauski is fantastic - the bass is full, but punchy, the guitars are crisp but maintain a level of warmth, and the drums are huge - but not ridiculously so. In fact, the snare drum sound on Revenge rivals that of AC/DC's Back In Black.
DIO - Holy Diver (1983)
DIO's first album (at this point still more of a band than a solo act), Holy Diver was produced by Ronnie James Dio himself, with Angelo Arcuri engineering and mixing the album.
Again, the snare drum is snappy and full - one of the key's to great audio production. A bad or even mediocre snare sound can ruin an album from an audio production standpoint. The guitar tone is excellent - not too midrangey, but still crisp while maintaining some warmth, and the bass tone is amazing. Punchy but still VERY full, Arcuri did a great job of miking and EQ'ing Jimmy Bain's bass rig.
Those are four albums that I consider to be perfect from an audio production standpoint, and they all hold up very, very well today when compared to modern recordings.