The best productions

[Jimi75]

We talk a lot about single musicians and their sound, but how about pointing out some productions and talking about some quality records where let us say the balance between the instruments and vocals is perfect, the reverb is cool or whatever else that makes it perfect to you? I am a fan of the Blues and raw sound, but I decided not to post a Blues record. I picked a number/record of The Rembrandts. Although not being a huge fan of the typical 80's pop I was always impressed by the clarity of this record. It is almost like "holiday" for my ears listening to this production. It is not so bass heavy as newer records, the reverb on this record gives the impression as if the band is playing right next to me, the drum sound comes from a real drummer although sounding like a drum computer, but anyways it is a very tight drum sound that doesn't steal the dynamic of the other instruments. The vocals are perfectly centered. Hey, and that guitar solo is tasty, thick sound, nice scale choice. The entire album is really one of the best productions ever to me. Looking forward to reading your suggestions...

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[Spudman]

For pop material:

The Feeling -"12 Stops and Home" is a good one for me. There is quite a bit going on through the whole album yet it all comes through just right. It wasn't produced to be loud like so many CDs are theses days. There are a lot of dynamics. Unfortunately YouTube doesn't have the fidelity of the CD. All the songs are well crafted and produced.
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This is from the new album which sounds a lot different. Still good but doesn't have the charm of 12 Stops and Home.
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"Join With Us" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoBz54K4wzU)

[evenkeel]

Ok, I'm not exactly going out on a limb :whatever:

But for production genius.

"Be My Baby" The Ronettes. This is Phil Spector, Wall of Sound, at his best. "River Deep, Mt. High" by Ike and Tina Turner is another great Spector single. I just love the density of the sound.

"Pet Sounds" The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson obviously stole a bunch of ideas from Spector but his take his magical, at least to me. "Caroline, No" and "Wouldn't it be Nice" still sound fresh and beautiful. To go from this to "Kokomo" is a crime.

"Sgt. Pepper" the Beatles. Martin and sound guy Geoff Emerick pushed the envelope and created a masterpiece. For production values some might argue "Rubber Soul" is the better choice and for "Norwegian Wood" alone they might have a point. Side note, Cheap Trick just a couple of weeks ago played "Sgt. Pepper" live, start to finish. Emerick did the sound work. A friend caught the show and said it was fantastic.

"Blonde on Blonde" Bob Dylan. Produced by Bob Johnston. I love Dylan and to me this is his best. The sound is raw, unbridled and wonderful. Highway 61, with "Like a Rolling Stone" is also on the list. Al Koopers organ work with the just behind the groove playing is great and the sound just shines.

Yeah I know, obvious. But for me these are the benchmarks of great production.

[stingx]

Aside from the usual suspects, I absolutely love and admire the production on Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting album. Johnette Napolitano having some of the best vocals in the business makes the production even easier. This is simply so well done and absolutely haunting. It stays with you long after you stop playing it. A very underrated album from an underrated band and vocalist.

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[sunvalleylaw]

Pink Floyd - The Wall. I guess Floyd is what I think of when I think production. And The Wall is certainly a peak. I am often anti-production when it comes to pop/rock music, and I don't think about it much in regards to pop/rock other than stuff like Floyd. Good thread Jimi! This will cause me to look at things a bit differently.

But in the meantime,

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkJNyQfAprY

BTW, I can't believe the guy is smashing that nice Nikon in this vid. Terrible!

[R_of_G]

Good thread Jimi.

My three choices happen to be my three favorite albums of all time.

1. In a Silent Way - Miles Davis

Produced by Teo Macero
Teo was an absolute master of turning Miles' sessions into a complete and coherent finished product. Like many of Miles' classic albums, there have been boxed set releases of the complete recording sessions. These are fascinating listens in and of themselves, but more so when compared to the finished product. It is remarkable to hear what Teo had to work with and what he turned that into. He is not often given the credit he deserves, but it's pretty clear to me that his genius is on par with that of Miles.

2. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits

Produced by Tom Waits
My favorite non-jazz album of all time, though it has a couple of tracks on it that are definitely jazz. Tom's sound had already begun to change with this album's predecessor (Swordfishtrombones) but it is with Rain Dogs where it really began to solidify. The album contains so many different styles of music all of it produced remarkably. More than any other artist, Tom manages to create music that perfectly paints a picture of the worlds inhabited by the characters in the songs. This album also marks the first time Tom worked with a guitarist named Marc Ribot, and was my first exposure to Ribot. The addiction began there.

3. OK Computer - Radiohead

Produced by Nigel Godrich
Nigel is the perfect producer for Radiohead. This was his first production for the band (their third album altogether) and he has been their producer ever since. The production values on this album are spectacular. Thom Yorke often lists some of Miles' electric albums (particularly *****es Brew) as well as the work of Ennio Morricone as influences on this album. While the influence may not be readily apparent from the music itself, it is pretty clear from the overall approach. There is much about the album that is more atmospheric and textural, very much in line with the influences. This album was also the turning point for Radiohead moving beyond being simply a guitar-based band and branching out into other instrumentation, both in terms of actual instruments and electronic experimentation. The experimental nature of the album was a harbinger of the future of their sound (as well as a whole host of imitators).

[oldguy]

This was probably the first song I gave any thought to "production" on.
I heard it on an AM transistor radio I'd saved all summer for.
When this played I remember thinking "Hey, that's smooth!":D
I was nine years old.

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[Andy]

some of my favorites have been mentioned ,I prefer analog vs digital

on left base here,some of Richard Carpenters productions , the amazing harmonys. and the way Karens voice seems like it's right there in the room with you. his production work is top notch