Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Don Shouldn't



FRIEND: Why am I already bored with the Stones blues album without hearing it?
ME: Don Was
FRIEND: Was excited. Now Not Was
ME: Don Wasn't

This went on for a bit, but eventually morphed into something worthwhile--right artist/wrong producer.

My friend suggested Leonard Cohen and Phil Spector, but that lasted one record.

I am interested in a bad working relationship that lasted for a few records. We've discussed "dream teams" before, but I'm not sure if we've discussed a series of disappointments from the same artist and producer.

Go...

17 comments:

wardo said...

Jeff Lynne and anybody. He manages to make every drummer -- Ringo, Keltner, Stan Lynch -- sound like the same boom-thwack machine.

Sal Nunziato said...

Fair enough, but let's focus on something. I hate T Bone Burnett, but of the three Costello records he produced, one, "King Of America" is my second fave EC album. So, one producer/one artist, a series of bad records.

Noam Sane said...

Don Was is the reason the quality of Stones records dropped from the lofty heights of Steel Wheels and Dirty Work.



Bill said...

I like the early Richard Thompson/Mitchell Froom records (Daring Adventures, Amnesia, and especially Rumor and Sigh), but by the time You? Me? Us? rolls around, the shine had worn off the Froomy novelty.

xopher.tm said...

I'm just going to add that someone should go back in time and kill Steve Lillywhite's parents before they meet (met?).

-Xtm

xopher.tm said...

Perhaps that's a bit extreme, but ... you know.

-Xtm

Anonymous said...

Emmylou Harris/Daniel Lanois, though I always thought Brian Ahern held her back, too.

paulinca said...

Bruce and Brenden O'Brien. Too much compression, muddy mess of instrumentation. Still dream for Steve's last shot of a garage rocker.

kevin m said...

Christopher M - Really? I'm not saying Steve Lillywhite is a genius (far from me to know about that) but I have always thought he's done some good to great work with Psychedelic Furs, Simple Minds, Talking Heads, and early U2.

Here's my worthless 2 cents on this subject; how about Dylan producing Dylan? Maybe it's just be but I thing Jack Frost needs someone, maybe even Don Was, to add what Guy Fieri would say some "Flavor Town".

And on that note, I'm going to have to add some Flavor Town to my mother in law's turkey tomorrow. In that vein, Happy Thanksgiving!

Sal Nunziato said...

Jack Frost is Bob Dylan

ken49 said...

Mitchell Froom and Richard Thompson. Way way too busy.

Sal Nunziato said...

Kevin, I should have known you knew Jack Frost is Dylan. I read it wrong, more like you were suggesting Dylan producing Dylan. In any case, I couldn't agree with you more.

Jim said...

Miles Davis and Teo Macero; Linda Ronstadt and Peter Asher

Ralph said...

Absolutely agree about Brendan O'Brien and Springsteen, for me his most recent albums are more unlistenable because of this, there's no 'light and shade' it's all ON.

Zippy said...

I have to say to the Brendan O'Brien haters that I like a lot of the Bruce stuff he's done, tho not all of it, surely.
He's clearly doing what's been asked of him, which is create a Bruce sound that MIGHT be playable on radio these days. Nothing more.
I'd love to hear a Joe Henry-produced Bruce album, or Rick Rubin American Recordings style one, but Bruce could get that with a phone call if that was what he wanted. It's Bruce that wants that radio sheen, and I get what he's trying for, and a lot of it works for me.
As to the Sal question itself...I guess I'd take Jeff Lynne off of things that aren't ELO, particularly the Threetles and Petty and I'd love to hear every atmospheric Lanois production with his work stripped away like Let It Be Naked-style, just to hear the songs left alone out of curiosity. Those may be obvious ones.
Please keep em comin Sal!!

Anonymous said...

To get off the thread a bit, I think you slam the Stones a bit too hard and a bit too frequently. A world with the Stones in it is better than a world without them. Voodoo Lounge is my least favorite album of theirs, but I'm glad it exists, and I'm glad they didn't break up after Undercover even if I don't listen to their later albums very much.

Pete

Sal Nunziato said...

@Pete

In my defense, that is just not true. I am the guy who's been slamming the guys who claim the last good Stones album was "Exile." I have come to the Stones defense on countless occasions, as well as raving about records right thru and including "Steel Wheels."

What is true is, I don't like what they are now, and a lot has to do with Jagger, who is probably responsible for Don Was. And yes, I've been very clear that I think their records after "Steel Wheels" are lousy, as is their practice to charge up to $500 for concert tickets. Of course the world is better with than without the Stones, but that doesn't mean I have to pretend to like their recent records or pretend they sound good live.