5. Daniel Lanois
Credits: Brian Eno, U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, Martha and the Muffins
Song: U2: A Sort of Homecoming
Lanois came up via Martha and the Muffins, a Canadian band his sister played bass in. Brian Eno discovered him and invited him to co-produce U2's The Unforgettable Fire in 1985; the two have frequently collaborated since. Lanois is also an accomplished guitarist, pedal steel player, and dobro player; he's released a number of interesting solo albums. As a producer, he's not dissimilar to Eno, except that he makes a point of employing more organic sounding instrumentation on many of his recordings in the service of a vaguely dreamscape-like sound. He most recently worked with Dashboard Confessional.
6. Jerry Wexler
Credits: Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Ray Charles, The Drifters
Song: Sam & Dave: Soul Man
If greatest producer can be chosen on the concept of best sounding records, Jerry Wexler has to be right up there. Wexler is perhaps best known in younger circles for his years at Stax, where he largely was responsible, along with Isaac Hayes, for the gritty, horn based Stax soul sound of the late 1960's. However, his influence dates all the way back to the mid 1950's at Atlantic Records, when he worked with Ray Charles and the Drifters. As a producer, he liked grit; he encouraged Charles to raunch it up a little, and his recordings at Stax emphasized the soul of the horns and vocals without overloading the productions with Spector or Motown style walls of sound.
7. George Martin
Credits: The Beatles, Paul McCartney, America
Song: The Beatles: Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite
Often called the fifth Beatle, the title isn't too far off the mark. What made the Beatles great was the complexity of their music; given the fact that none of them could read music, this was a real achievement. Martin was the difference; he explained to the lads what could and couldn't be done on records, he carried out some of their more whimsical ideas, and came up with a few of his own. "Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite" is one of many wild experiments. A Lennon song, its intensely psychedelic swirly sounds in the instruemental break is a tape of a circus calliope, sliced into pieces, tossed into the air, and spliced together however they fell, including backwards and upside-down. He didn't do much after the Beatles (California pop group America provided income, and the work wasn't very challenging); Paul McCartney brought him in to produce a couple of early 80's albums.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - uao
Honorary mentions: Marty Thau, Alan Parsons, Phil Ramone, Bob Ezrin, Jack Douglas, Peter Asher, Moby, Joe Meeks, Glyn Johns, Linda Perry, Trent Reznor, Todd Rundgren, Tony Visconti.
2 - gonzo marx
nice Thoughts here...definately on the "not been done bafore" category...
since you covered Todd Rungren..i only have one that need to be on the list
Terry Brown - he was the original Producer for Rush, helped create their trademark sound and approach, both in the studio....and worked the soundboard while they were on stage
they did part ways quite a few years ago, as any listener can tell simply by how the sound/mix changed
Excelsior!
3 - Triniman
Bob Rock is a very popular producer.
Ditto for Prince.
Mutt Lange has struck gold withdifferent genres, from rock to pop to country.
Jimmy Page did a terrific job with Led Zeppelin.
Who could forget Qunicy Jones?
4 - Triniman
Bill Laswell. Not a household name, but always involed with interesting projects.
5 - Sean
I'd include Nick Lowe (produced a bunch of Elvis Costello albums) and Guy Stevens (Mott the Hoople, the Clash) on the list.
6 - GoHah
Perhaps Jon Brion--Eels, Rufus Wainwright, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple (his production on "When the Pawn" is amazing. Perhaps too few credits and too recent for an historical perspective at this point.
7 - godoggo
Teo Macero.
8 - uao
gonzo marx-- Funny, I was trying to remember the name of the Rush guy, and it wasn't coming to me, and then I forgot all about it.
A lot of the names suggested surely deserve credit too; Mutt Lange, Nick Lowe, Bill Laswell, Guy Stevens.
Good ole Teo Macero is great, but more jazz than rock; I didn't think of Jon Brion at all, and wanted to include a younger name, I'll have to give him a closer listen.
This was a little harder to cobble together than the other Sunday playlists I've done; I appreciate the suggestions and feedback. Like a lot of these, someday (if only days were 48 hours long) I want to expand the list to a top-50.
Thanks for the names; a lot of knowledgeable music listeners here at BC!
;-)
9 - GoHah
oh, and Jon Brion also, oddly enough, produced the new 50 Cent release.
10 - Aaman
The Ramones and the Talking Heads - I guess Eno and Spector are tops
11 - godoggo
You said "Rock Era", and how many rockers do you have listed under, say, Jerry Wexler? Anyway, that's what I'd been thinking.
12 - uao
Okay, godoggo, Teo Macero is in. I was thinking of him, and then I remembered all the people who posted saying Miles Davis isn't rock and shouldn't be in the rock Hall, so I wussied out of the argument by slighting him.
He definitely belongs here.
13 - JR
I don't know that Tom Werman was particularly influencial or interesting, but his name is on more of my favorite albums than just about anyone else.
14 - sjbyrne
What about Tom Dowd....Allmam Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Derek and the Dominoes, STAX Records,etc,etc,etc....invented the 8 track recorder...nuff said
15 - Leonardo Landini
I really like Howard Benson:
Hobastank
My Chemical Romance
P.O.D
Papa Roach
Trust Company
Cold
All American Rejects
16 - John
Where is the heck is the greatest producer of alltime, MUTT LANGE. He is in the top 3 producers of alltime on anyones list. He created new sounds for multiple genres and produced 7 of the top 100 biggest albums of alltime and wrote the biggest songs too.
From ACDC,def leppard,foreigner,the carrs,bryan adams,Shania TWain and so many more. HE created all the sounds and is a musical genius.
Seriously, why would you leave him off your list.He should be top 2.
17 - John
Just another comment. Some of those you listed aren't even that great or big producers and had very little impact.
I do find it really funny how you left off Mutt Lange, who is in the top 2 most successful and biggest producers of alltime that everyone in the business aknowledges as the richest and most successful producer of the last 30 years.
18 - The Beast
The top songwriters and producers has to be the Bee Gees, they have written some massive selling albums and singles for various Artists
19 - Zaphod
I agree that Mutt Lange is a glaring omission ... as is another wildly successful and innovative producer Jeff Lynne.
20 - President4Life
No Quincy Jones???
Only the most celebrated and successful music producer of all-time???
That's like having a list of basketball players without Michael Jordan on it.
21 - Lee
Yeah Steve Albini and Butch Vig over Mutt Lange and Joe Meek. Right. Clearly this is more about your musical preferences than who is the best producer.
I don't like the rankings either.
22 - Jaz
Butch Vig should be number one closely followed by Alan Moulder for Loveless and mixing Siamese Dream. Flemming Rasmussen should be up there for producing all of Metallica's great albums in the 80's before Bob Rock turned them into a bunch of Bon Jovi's in the 90's. What happens in the 80's should stay in the 80's!!!!!!!!!
23 - rk
who comes up with these lists..i once saw a list of best car/road trip songs with not one bob seger song listed out of 20..that did it for me with these "lists" until I got suckered in on this one..any list that does not include todd rundgren and quincy jones is probably posted by a bored amateur
24 - Poop balls
Wtf! George Martin should be number 1
25 - doom-metal
No Mutt. A Joke!! Back in Black, Hysteria, Shania!!!!! I'd wager he's the best selling producer ever also (George Martin & Quincy would be close).