I really enjoy reading Bob Lefsetz' industry blog. Bob's style and opinions are an acquired taste, but his passion for music and music makers is unquestionable. In this morning's post, there was a response to Bob's mention of Stevie Wonder's famous 'trilogy' of hit records: 'Innervisions', 'Music of My Mind' and 'Talking Book'. The response was written by producer,
Jim Rodinelli. Jim mentions some aspects of making timeless records that really hit home with me. His descriptions of Stevie Wonder's 'inaccurate tempo' are right on. I've often marveled at how what is now considered technically wrong, can sound so darn good. Read on:
From: Jim Rondinelli
Subject: Re: Rhinofy-Talking Book
Bob,
Thanks for shining a light on three of my favorite records of all time. The trilogy of Innervisions, Music Of My Mind, and Talking Book, taken collectively, form a rich aperture into the soul of one of the greatest musicians of our lifetime. These three records were staples in my childhood home in Iowa from the day of their initial release, and were very important formative records to my career as a producer/engineer, giving me another point of focus in the post-Beatles era when I was (unknowingly) looking for the next point of reference in my path towards making records. Here are just a few of the lessons I directly associate with listening to these records:
1) That thing you think is a noise which needs to be killed is in fact an artifact of the performance that brings the moment to life: Listen to the squeaky chairs and string noises from the guitar on "Visions". I could easily imagine someone getting really freaked out about this stuff, and spending hours with plug-ins and the mouse trying to wipe them away. Don't. Build the recording around the music and let the rest happen.
2) Feel trumps "chops" any day: Stevie's drumming on these records is remarkable. The time is loose and swishy, the musical approach to the drumming is impeccable. No one trained as a drummer would ever have come up with the musical approach that Stevie takes to these parts. It's kind of like drumming turned inside out.
3) Quantization/Time Editing kills feel and is often complete bullshit: You want a challenge? Here's one I probably did 50 times over the years. Have your artist listen to Stevie's "All In Love is Fair" from beginning to end. It's a beautiful recording of an amazing song. Now, go back and listen to it again, keeping time through the intro into the first four bars of the drums. Anyone listening to the track in isolation with their pro tools rig in hand would think that the track was a complete train wreck, and they'd either dump the session or try and edit the crap out of it to make it fit some mechanical interpretation of time. Yes, the time is all over the place, and it's absolutely perfect that way because in the end, the song/performance/recording is so damn great you don't notice anything else.
4) Effects give a recording an indelible time-stamp, forever associating the recording with the release date of the subject FX unit: These records have help up particularly well over time because you never feel that the processing/effects ever get in the way of the performance. This is in direct contrast with a lot of records of the SSL/AMS era (80's and beyond), there isn't enough of any processing to tie the recording to a point in time. The sounds are fat, warm and spacious, all typical of a brilliantly executed recording which I suspect was filled with plenty of "Hang on, God only knows where the hell this session is going next!" moments in the control room.
5) No, you don't need to fill all the tracks to make the record: These records sound huge because they aren't over-layered with an indecipherable matrix of parts. Practical application of this for me: My first US gold record, Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend, only uses 13 of the 24 tracks available on the multitrack.
6) Music was a powerful agent of change: Stevie finds a stronger political voice on these records, interleaving songs about love with loud cries for social justice. The passion with which Stevie illuminated social inequities is virtually lost today. If you're an artist looking for an audience, find a voice, articulate some fresh thought and perspective about something that you're passionate about, and you'll have a better shot at finding an audience who've been waiting for your encapsulation of their feelings. Or, stay soft, play for the man, avoid conflict and bask in your irrelevance.
There are too many other things I learned from obsessing over these records on headphones to mention in a single email. I am eternally grateful for these three records, and feel like they should be mandatory listening for anyone who aspires to make records. Now, if we could just get Stevie to fulfill my personal dream by losing the sequencers, using all Moog bass, and playing his own drum tracks again.....
Jim Rondinelli, Producer/Engineer Emeritus
