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Alex Bolton
Member
Username: Alexb

Post Number: 16
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 10:09 am:   

I thought I'd start a more generalised thread cos the OA discussion was getting a bit long for my dial up!

Guy I was listening to the CD version of SHF without the bonus tracks - reissued I think in the mid 80s.

Heaven help us if its been "juiced up" anymore!
I really think the production on that album doesn't do it any favours. One wonders whether that album really killed the first stage of their career - it certainly finished the record company. It starts of well with Bachelor Kisses which is totally unreresentative of the record.

One does wonder whether the band had gone for a 16LL type record earlier in their careers they might have become more successful.

Production is such a hit and miss affair isn't it? I prefer the slighty more organic sound on Liberty Belle or the bigger rock acoustics of Tallulah. 16LL managed to be both lush and intimate. But then that reflects the songs I suppose.
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Jerry Clark
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Username: Jerry

Post Number: 135
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 10:33 am:   

Thanks, Alex, it was turning into an absurd epic wasn't it.
Is it time to start wailing about SHF now. The Circus double SHF is as good as it's gonna get and was a hit on this board 3 years ago. Of the first 3 reissues, this was like a rediscovery, a bit like Tallullah was with the latter 3. Apart from the hike in volume between Bachelor Kisses & Five Words, which I'll admit can be scary, if you're not ready for it.
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 130
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 05:26 pm:   

For my money, they've never had better production than they had on "Before Hollywood," which is crisp and punchy (Lindy's drums never sounded better) and adds keyboards and multiple guitar overdubs to the trio's basic sound without being slick or cluttered. Sonically, I find it the least dated sounding of the '80s albums. "Liberty Belle," great as it is, suffers just a little from its heavily compressed drum sound, which is still preferable to the programmed drum wallop of "Tallulah" and (to a lesser extent) "SHF." Eighties production didn't really do justice to Lindy...
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Guy Ewald
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Username: Guy_ewald

Post Number: 83
Registered: 02-2005
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 06:08 pm:   

They did succumb to 80's production cliches to some extent, but I don't think they ever got swamped by it.

Before Hollywood is the purist, most natural recording in their canon and it's too bad they never made that 7th album with an acoustic, live-in-the-studio ensemble approach. Judging from Danger in the Past and the Botany Tapes performances, that would have been a nice one.
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 82
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 06:47 pm:   

Ive said this before - for such a great band the Go Betweens have never really "sounded" that great to me. This is mostly due to recording their best work in the decade that style forgot - the 80s. Some great albums from this decade suffer from that horrible drum sound that hung over the 80s like a bad smell. Kurts on the money though regarding BH
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Alex Bolton
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Username: Alexb

Post Number: 17
Registered: 01-2006
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 08:59 pm:   

The real exception I think is 16LL which has a wonderfully sympathetic production that hasn't obviously dated. The warmth and lushness of the sound matches the songs perfectly. The guitar parts are bell like in the clarity (Clouds, Streets of Your Town) the strings romantic with out being cheesy. Interestingly Grant's songs are to the fore, perhaps because this is his natural territory. The album IMHO is by far the GoBs best a real thematic and musical cohesion.
Usually when bands iron out the rough edges they become bland; not here.
16LL now gets a mention in pretty much every reference book of best ever albums.
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kevin
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Username: Kevin

Post Number: 84
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 09:35 pm:   

16LL now gets a mention in pretty much every reference book of best ever albums.

hhhmm - not in any lists I have seen, or give credance to.

This album is for me the weakest of GO-Bs mk1.
The songs are great - the production values are weighted way too much for commercial crossover for my liking.
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 132
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 10:17 pm:   

"16LL" has a lovely acoustic guitar sound, and the vocals are extremely well-recorded. Those are the highlights, production-wise; otherwise, it's pretty '80s. As Lindy has commented, the drums are mostly not there on this album--practically inaudible on "Love Goes On!" for example (compare the alternate take on the bonus disc), except for "You Can't Take Love for Granted," where the programmed drums are, hate to say it, fairly headache-inducing.
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Robert Vickers
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Username: Robert_vickers

Post Number: 20
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 12:25 am:   

Just to answer someone's question somewhere in that momumental thread, Robert and Grant have not, in my experience, shown much interest in the technical side of recording. I'm not sure they both attended even the mixing of OA, much less the mastering.

I know for Liberty Belle they were rarely at the mixes. That dosen't mean they didn't have opinions or were slow to voice them but the process never seemed to interest them much. And niether of them are audiofiles. I'm sure when they got their mastered finished copies of OA to approve they didn't listen to them through headphones on high-end stereos.

I can easily see how they could have wanted a more modern sounding album (after BYBO who wouldn't)and have trusted the producer to make it happen.

Trusting producers has always been a GBs weakness but it's such a crapshot. Who would believe BH and SHF are produced by the same person? Or 16LL and OA? I personally am most happy with LB where we where co-producing with someone who was only interested in helping us and had no agenda of his own or power to hold over us.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 77
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 10:43 am:   

Very well put. This comment has clarified some thoughts I'd been having about my opinions and expressing them on this msg board (probably one of the most entertaining and thoughtful around! - you should be in the Josef K yahoo group!!). And for what its worth, although discussion boards are great (this one has probably eclipsed the website from whence it came) and we all use them and know why we like to voice our opinions, I do tend to think certain threads within this msg board have a tendency to provoke us into over analysing every conceivable untapped area of a group's existence. And, I ask is it really worth it? I am gulilty of that myself. (I did question Lindy's style of drumming with the GB's, but after playing Lib Belle yesterday I realise that it was perfect for them, so I fully retract my comments about her). Maybe its time for a rest, for me anyway, and settle with the fact that like many others, I just adore the music of The GB's and that's it. Why get anally retentive? Like why was there a buzz on the bottom 'E' on the nut of Grant's acoustic uitar on the outro to such and such a song! The one thing I loved about vinyl was the intrigue. There could be little wrong with my favorite group's released in those days. I was just pleased that i could afford to buy it! Lying on my bed in '85 looking a the cover of Liberty Belle whilst listening to the first few tracks was magical. There were questions, but the questions were not technical, theye were like, what a great idea for a cover, where did they conceive that from? What a great running order, what timeless songwriting qualities, etc etc. Rather than, whilst playing Oceans Apart, my bass level on my mhz Bose EQ system is on red!!! I don;t think the fantastic groups that were on Postcard ever worried about this. It wasn't a concern, thius kinda thing was surely left to David Gilmour and Pink Flloyd to worry about? There's little point in trying to unravel why this and that was done, its the feeling, more than the playing, its just a bit sad, some things are best left alone and admired for what they are and not to question their imperfection!! (if there are any!) Excuse speling errors.
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spence
Member
Username: Spence

Post Number: 78
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 10:50 am:   

Oh, finally on this thread, my earlier referral to Josef K, I believe the reason their first LP Sorry For Laughing remaining officially unreleased at the time was beacause it was 'over produced'! Love it, what followed was Postcard's only LP, 'The Only Fun in Town' its so great, even though its like listening to a weedy sounding chainsaw in a cathedal, its beauty is that its understated (in the technical recording side of things).
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Jerry Clark
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Username: Jerry

Post Number: 140
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Saturday, February 18, 2006 - 12:00 pm:   

Well said Spence, the world would be a better place if all recordings were made with 1 microphone. Lee Mavers was right all along.
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Paul Wright
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Username: Wallaby

Post Number: 13
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, February 22, 2006 - 09:36 am:   

There are advantages to having fucked up your hearing with too much loud music at too young an age - high end stereos mean nothing to me. Which saves me a lot of money. And means I can focus pretty much on the music and not the fine details of production. Despite which, when I had a hobby band the mixing was left to me and the engineer - whilst the other guys (who wrote 3 times the number of songs that I did) sat back, drank beer and made comments on the final mix. I can understand it not being everyone's favourite activity - some people are just more focussed on the writing and playing than the technical stuff.
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Larry Crane
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Username: Larry_crane

Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 07:22 pm:   

Those interested should read my interview with Robert from my magazine Tape Op. It's all about the recording of their albums and his solo releases. This was conducted pre, uh, Friends of Rachel Worth, and is how we met before I worked on that album. I find it funny to read y'all comparing the diferent albums, Mr. Vickers has it right about their level of recording expertise/interest. Realize that with FORW they really wanted to make a simple, low key record. There was no drive to make 16LL, which is still one of my favorite records. They want to be in control to a degree but their interest certainly doesn't lean in any technical areas too far! One of my favorite experiences in the studio so far in my life though. Here's the link, if you are into this sort of thing check out our mag, Tape Op as well - it's all about making records.

http://prosoundweb.com/recording/tapeop/gobetween/gobe_13_1.shtml

www.tapeop.com

Larry Crane, Tape Op Magazine/Jackpot! Recording Studio, Inc.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 301
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 07:50 pm:   

thanks larry
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 255
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 07:59 pm:   

yeah, thanks for the link larry. tapeop.com is another message board where i've spent far too much of my time!
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 196
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 09:48 pm:   

I would love for T-Bone Burnett to produce the GBs...may seem like an odd choice, but he's done some beautiful, organic productions and always seems to cast artists in the most flattering (sonic) light...They probably can't afford him though.
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Kurt Stephan
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Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 238
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 10:06 pm:   

I don't know...when I think of T-Bone, the noisy claptrap that was EC's "Spike" comes to mind. And then I think of T-Bone's sometimes co-conspirator Mitchell Froom, who's never met an artist he couldn't drown in electric piano, organ, and clattering percussion. Keep him away from the Go-Betweens!
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 197
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 10:26 pm:   

Methinks you do Spike a bit of an injustice, Kurt - it has its moments, but actually, I was thinking of King of America, pretty much my favorite EC disc, which T-Bone also produced. Very warm, sympathetic production - I think his schtick is to be a, if you will, ringleader and create environments where magic can happen, and of course, to make it sound like a million bucks...(in that understated rootsy way).

Not to get all provocateurish and all, but MF (curious initials, huh) has produced some nice sounding records too, though he has his detractors (many of them RT fans who were overjoyed when he finally got off the Froom train),including "Mercury" my American Music Club and I believe all the Crowded House stuff, and oh yeah, Brutal Youth, speaking of EC, which rocks like a, well, MF.
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 257
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 10:27 pm:   

I think it would be nice to see them work with Richard Preston again, and have Dean Broderick (aka Dean Speedwell) do the arrangements again.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 305
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 10:30 pm:   

Jeff I was just about to say exactly that!!!!!!!
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 239
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 10:52 pm:   

How about having Robert Vickers produce the next album? As producer, maybe he can even talk Grant into plugging in the old electric more often! Barring that, going back to the LBATBDE team is an excellent idea.

Hardin, you make good points about T-Bone and Froom--and it's true the latter has made some good records (he made his ex-wife Suzanne Vega a lot more interesting, for one). But my opinion stands on Spike!
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 199
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 11:04 pm:   

Ah well, you can't always win converts...also, I'm far from objective about EC...

Way geeky piece of trivia: Soul Coughing's Ruby Vroom was named after the Froom's daughter. Suzanne told them they couldn't use her daughter's exact name, so they cleverly disguised it...somehow it seemed a little cooler not knowing that, when I thought it was something they had dreamed up...scares me about myself that I know that. Useless trivia sticks to my brain, yet I forget things like PIN numbers, birthdays...
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Andrew Kerr
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Username: Andrew_k

Post Number: 66
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 12:07 pm:   

Thanks a lot Larry for that really informative interview.

And yes I was one of those people that detested Mitchell Froom's production on Richard Thompson. A completely unappropriate sound.
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Todd Slater
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Username: Todd_slater

Post Number: 42
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 01:36 pm:   

I've always thought that it would be wonderfully amusing, informative and down right mindblowing to be a fly on the studio wall while watching Rick Rubin cast his spell over the Robert & Grant.

After listening to what he acheived with Johnny Cash over the course of the American series and 'Cash Unearthed ' the posthumous boxed set you get the feeling that anything is possible with this guy behind the desk.
There is of course the now mythical, reclusive Australian knob turning wizard in Tony Cohen as well, who produced Send Me A Lullaby amongst a host of legendary records.
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Randy Adams
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Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 273
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:11 pm:   

Rick Rubin would be an awesome choice. He'd be able to tell R & G when their songs were weak.
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 259
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:20 pm:   

Todd Rundgren could possibly be an interesting match, based on his work 20 years ago on XTC's brilliant "Skylarking."
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 205
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:24 pm:   

Yeah Rick would be good...that Unearthed box set is the shit. And not that I care at all about NIN, but Johnny's version of Hurt completely stops me in my tracks every time...

And, I think Rick really could "keep them in line"...if nothing else he could flay them with his massive beard when they got too pretentious!
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Randy Adams
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Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 275
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:24 pm:   

I think Todd is too heavy-handed, like Mick Harvey. I'm afraid he'd make them sound like Todd Rundgren.
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 243
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:30 pm:   

I agree with Randy--no Todd. He did wonders for XTC with "Skylarking," but that was a band with serious problems focusing and tightening up their songs and arrangements. Robert and Grant need someone who will challenge them a bit and push them to expand their arrangements without *imposing* a sound on them. In that sense, Mark Wallis is a pretty good producer for them, but they need someone who's more fond of analog warmth than digital harshness.
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 260
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 04:52 pm:   

I still kind of like the idea of Todd. Rick Rubin, on the other hand, may have done wonders for Slayer, but I don't think he'd be a good choice for the Go-Betweens.

I do agree, however, with Randy's comments about Mick Harvey being too heavy-handed. Sometimes it sort of bums me out that parts of "Danger in the Past" sound so much like the Bad Seeds. I used to like the Bad Seeds when I was a teenager, but really haven't wanted to listen to them in years.

Either way, Robert and Grant *do* need someone who will really push them, and someone who really knows how to milk or flesh out all the melodic potential in their songs (something that *didn't* happen on TFORW and BYBO).

Maybe John Porter, the one who helped nurture Johnny Marr's rich guitar layering on the early Smiths records.

Or if you could get Mitch Easter to warp back in time to when he did REM's early records, like Murmur, and have him approach a Go-Betweens records with a similar state of mind. I think the production of Murmur is beautifully lush and rich. Some of the most perfect blending of electric and acoustic guitar textures I've ever heard.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 306
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 05:55 pm:   

ENO!
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Jerry Clark
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Username: Jerry

Post Number: 235
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 07:47 pm:   

John Cale, Daniel Lanois, John Leckie & Steve Lilywhite. A 4-way fight & the winner gets the job. I hope Lilywhite's a wuss.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 309
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 07:54 pm:   

GIL NORTON
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 244
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 08:03 pm:   

Keep all those big name and/or egocentric producers away from the Go-Betweens! My nominee: Roger Moutenot. He's done good sounding, creative albums with Yo La Tengo and Sleater-Kinney, and he must be good to work with because artists stick with him. Plus his studio is in Nashville, which I'd think would be interesting/significant to Robert and Grant. And I like what he says in the following interview:

http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/tapeop/roger/roger.php
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 261
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 08:04 pm:   

Maybe Hugh Jones?

I'm not sure about today, but I think there was a time when both Leckie and Lilywhite could've been a good or at least interesting fit for the Go-Betweens. Leckie normally has kind of a hands-off approach, which is *not* what the Go-Betweens need, however, I do quite like his work on XTC's Dukes of Stratosphear records.

As much as I love John Cale's music, I think he's a pretty average producer. He'd probably win Jerry Clark's proposed 4-way fight, though.

I'm almost tempted to say Sean O'Hagan. As long as he's in the "organic" frame of mind he was in when he did the last High Llamas album, "Beet, Maize, and Corn" (which I thought was a an excellent album, and a surprising return to form). He'd at least be good at helping Robert and Grant further define and focus their melodic tendencies, and he'd have nice string arrangements.

Oh, and I just thought of another one - Mike Hedges!
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 262
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 08:07 pm:   

Sorry Kurt, I would be inclined to keep the Go-Betweens away from anyone who worked with Sleater-Kinney. In fact, keep all indie/lofi producers away from Robert and Grant! As much as I respect Larry Crane (who worked with SK) and his awesome magazine Tape Op, I thought his production on TFORW was really not the kind of sound (dry, simple, clear but no-frills) that brings out the best in Robert and Grant's material.
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Jerry Clark
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Username: Jerry

Post Number: 237
Registered: 08-2004
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 08:11 pm:   

Steve Lilywhite would probably come up with 16LL mk. 2
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Kurt Stephan
Member
Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 245
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 08:22 pm:   

Jeff, you may not like S-K, but don't dismiss Moutenot because he worked with them. I'm not saying you would like their album "One Beat," but the strong production and varied dynamics on it might surprise you (plus it's not all fast songs and caterwauling vocals). His productions aren't low-fi; they're very clean and natural-sounding, but not unnecessarily slick. Yo La Tengo's last two albums have been very quiet, subtle affairs, so he can do more than noisy indie bands. I stand by Moutenot as the perfect GoBs producer! He's sympathetic to the artist but not totally unaware of commercial considerations--plus he's budget conscious. Not to mention that he's wary of ProTools and digital.

But I agree with you about John Cale. As much as I admire him, he seems to make artists miserable as a producer. He'd probably
turn Robert and Grant against one another!
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Randy Adams
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Username: Randy_adams

Post Number: 278
Registered: 03-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 12:59 am:   

I'm surprised to say it but I might just vote for Lanois. I think Lilywhite is too slick. I've always liked John Leckie's productions but does he even still work? I'm not a fan of Gil Norton. I don't have any Sleater Kinney or Yo La Tengo but the name Roger Moutenot is tickling my feeble mind. I wish I could remember where I've seen his name. Robert & Grant in Nashville sounds like a great idea.
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Pádraig Collins
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Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 253
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 01:20 am:   

Get Robert John "Mutt" Lange to produce and get his lovely wife Shania to sing backing vocals. And dance in the video.
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Pádraig Collins
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Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 255
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 01:39 am:   

Mostly the dancing.
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Larry Crane
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Username: Larry_crane

Post Number: 2
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 04:56 am:   

Hey, I'd like to point out that I didn't produce TFORW! I was the engineer, and four of my rough mixes (all completed in one hour or less) made it to the album by Grant and Robert's choice. They mixed the rest with Mario Thaler in Germany. People usually are confused about producer and engineer - the basic gist here was that I provided a place to record, helped get sounds but had no say over songs chosen, melodic content, or any control over how it was mixed. I would have loved to but this was not an option, which I understood going into this. It was meant to be a very simple, underproduced record from what we talked about.

By the way: I also was the engineer, along with John Goodmanson (producer), for Sleater-Kinney's "One Beat" album, not my pal Roger Moutenot as mentioned above! he worked on Hot Rock.

Side Note: In my mind just because something is brighter or has more reverb on it doesn't mean it's produced more or better sounding. Listen to classic Dylan, The Band, The Saints, Leonard Cohen, etc. This stuff is simple and direct - and that helps the music come through. As much as I love 16LL I can't imagine recording it to sound like that myself. I'll leave that to Mark Wallis!
Larry Crane, Jackpot! Recording/Tape Op Magazine.
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Andrew Kerr
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Username: Andrew_k

Post Number: 69
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 11:10 am:   

> Maybe John Porter, the one who helped nurture Johnny Marr's rich guitar layering on the early Smiths records.

OK the Smiths' records were good, but his work on Miracle Legion's 'Drenched' was awful. Try to turn the band into something that they were not.
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Robert Vickers
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Username: Robert_vickers

Post Number: 39
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 03:18 pm:   

Exactly Larry. At the time of FORW there seemed to be a belief that all R&G needed to make a great record was a good engineer and studio. I think they have proved they can make very good records that way but to move up to great they need partners. Of course working with a producer is always a roll of the dice and R&G are well aware of now wrong that can go.
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 310
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 03:51 pm:   

i love the producion on both sorw and by bo.
there's a lovely feel to them.
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 263
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 04:52 pm:   

Look, all I'm saying about FORW, is that that in my humble, little opinion, that particular sound didn't suit their material perfectly. I think their songs tend to benefit from more space. I don't know how to describe it better than that. At least not at 8:00 in the morning.

I understand completely that that's (sound on FORW) what they wanted, and that Larry, your roll was strictly as an engineer. But for me and my tastes, it just wasn't my thing. I mean, I think it's successful in that it was recorded well, and it was executed exactly how they wanted. I think the chance to record with Larry in his studio would be really cool.


But, I honestly believe that Robert and Grant benefit from an *active* and sympathetic outside ear. Someone who really knows how to flesh out or wring out all the melodic potential that Robert and Grant's songs are so full of. I feel like that happened with Brand, it happened with the Richard Preston/Dean Broderick tagteam, and it happened with Mark Wallis. It even happened with John Wilsteed, who according to Nichols' biography, was responsible for overdubbing many of the nice, acoustic lead melodies on 16LL. With hindsight, maybe FORW would've turned out a little differently had they been willing to share the "production" reigns more with Larry Crane.

And obviously, it's not at all about reverb or gated snares or whatever, as Larry may be suggesting I'm saying. The arrangements are hugely important too. That's part of what makes an album like Liberty Belle work so well. You've got all these instruments, used very tastefully, and done so in a way that really teases out and puts focus on the melodies, and provides a really lush, layered kind of texture and sense of dynamic. Ditto Wilsteed's acoustic flourishes on 16LL. Wallis seemed to add a lot (sometimes a subtle hint of reverb on a vocal or guitar, sometimes a horn section or layer upon layer of jangly acoustic guitar) too.

Finally, I agree wholeheartedly that sometimes simnple and direct is perfect. I just don't think that approach really works with the Go-Betweens. (Although it used to, as on those early singles and SMAL). No one is saying that a brighter sound or more reverb equals better production.
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Robert Vickers
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Username: Robert_vickers

Post Number: 41
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 07:30 pm:   

I'd have to agree with that Jeff. But don't forget Audrey Riely's contribution on LB. She arranged the strings which were, I think, almost as important as Dean's parts on that record. Got to say I still get a thrill from the vibes on Twin Layers though.
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Jeff Whiteaker
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Username: Jeff_whiteaker

Post Number: 271
Registered: 10-2004
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 08:05 pm:   

Ah, I forgot that Audrey Riley arranged the strings. For some reason my poor little brain erroneously remembered Dean being responsible for all the arranging. But yeah, Audrey's work in general is always of the highest caliber. The strings on LB are awesome. And also, those vibes on Twin Layers literally send chills up my spine everytime I hear that song!
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spence
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Username: Spence

Post Number: 313
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 09:07 pm:   

Twin Layers is so my favourite track at the moment (God I seound like a pubescent american teen!), but its so beauiful. It could easily sit amongst Marquee Moon for me. It reminds me a bit of a cross between Guiding Light, and Torn Curtain even.
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Kurt Stephan
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Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 256
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 09:22 pm:   

It is an amazing track, no question--maybe the most musically interesting song they've ever done. Besides the vibes and atmospheric guitar parts, our man Robert V's thick bass line is a joy, and I love the nearly atonal piano parts.
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Hardin Smith
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Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 233
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 11:15 pm:   

That's the one with RF's great humorous and self-deprecating line, "Listen Jack, don't you know, I'm a star", right?

You know, he really has to be in similar self-deprecating mode when he sings the "golden boy" bit...he's singing it with huge air quotes around it.
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Kurt Stephan
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Username: Slothbert

Post Number: 257
Registered: 04-2005
Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 11:36 pm:   

Oh yeah, big air quotes around "don't you know, I'm a star"--it's wishful thinking. After all, the last verse of the song is "Oh, but infamy or fame/each came in a small dose/I just wish the day would come/when the last one would be so close."
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Pádraig Collins
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Username: Pádraig_collins

Post Number: 262
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 04:00 am:   

Kevin's absence can only be explained by Celtic's SPL championship win I presume? Hungover Kevin? Well done btw.
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kevin
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Username: Kevin

Post Number: 278
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Thursday, April 06, 2006 - 06:45 pm:   

half right about my absence Padraig :-) I was at the Celtic game last night to see them winning the championship, but no drink was partaken I am sorry to say!. I am starting work at 06:30am each day this week, and due to going to the Drive-By Truckers gig on Tuesday night, followed by the game last night I am literally dead on my feet - 4 hours sleep each of the last 2 nights. I am busy working my way through all the posts and normal service will be resumed soon.
Twin Layers of Lightening is probably one of the most neglected song on LB, at the expense of Spring Rain, HFOS, Apology.., etc - unfairly in my opinion as it is a cracking song, lyrically and musically
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David Matheson
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Username: David_matheson

Post Number: 74
Registered: 12-2004
Posted on Friday, April 07, 2006 - 12:40 pm:   

Production is a huge issue and one I don't feel very knowledgable about. But I guess I see it as the particular tone or feel that an album has that it makes it sound different from other albums by the same band.
Comparing different versions of the same song, such as 16LL acoustic demos with the finished album, highlights the difference production can make. And different people will have different preferences for a stripped down sound or a fuller production. I appreciate both at different times. However, I agree that Grant and Robert's songs, particularly on 16LL, benefit from the multi-textured production.
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jerry hann
Member
Username: Jerry_h

Post Number: 108
Registered: 07-2005
Posted on Sunday, April 09, 2006 - 04:27 pm:   

Larry, I've only just realised that you engineered the Richmond Fontaine LP Post to wise, thats a sublime LP especially the title. Just over 2 minutes but has everything. Great lyrics great melody and harmony.
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 281
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 09:38 pm:   

That IS impressive. Post to Wire is an impeccable piece of work...surprised Richmond Fontaine haven't gotten more props on this board, come to think of it.
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kevin
Member
Username: Kevin

Post Number: 316
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Monday, April 10, 2006 - 11:38 pm:   

Post to Wire is indeed fantastic. Not so keen on The Fitzgerald though - a bit bleak
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jerry hann
Member
Username: Jerry_h

Post Number: 111
Registered: 07-2005
Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 12:39 pm:   

Yes I agree Kevin, fewer standout tracks on Fitzgerald, played it on sunday just to see if a few months had made a diference. I think it will be one I play every now and then not on regular rotation.
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Hardin Smith
Member
Username: Manosludge

Post Number: 289
Registered: 03-2006
Posted on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 - 04:16 pm:   

I'm pretty much with youse guys on de Fitzgerald...I kind of admire it from a distance, but there's been nothing in it to draw me back to it since I got it. Not only is it bleak, but the music is equally dreary...

I have a lot of their catalog on burns or "storebought" copies and the two that really stand out for me are PTW, and the one called "Winnemucca". They're all good, though.

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