FAQ & A

After a glorious (LOL) week in LA - actually it was fine, though chillier than one would like - we spent another couple of days tweaking some of the 'Toy' mixes, then adjourned for Thanksgiving festivities. Since I've already bored everyone silly with mix details (enough about compression already) and I'd hate to repeat myself too much, I'm going to use this space to answer a few of the questions I've been receiving ........

'As a producer, have you ever had a situation where you disagreed with the artists material or felt that it was not 'good enough', or do you as a producer have to be diplomatic and attempt to maximize what is available. You don't have to mention any names!'

Well, it wouldn't be any fun if we DIDN'T mention names, now would it?

It depends on how much of the material we're talking about. If I receive a demo from an artist and I just can't relate to the songs or the voice, I'll just say so outright - there's no point in it for any of us if I don't get it. If I'm already on a project and an artist brings in a song that I don't like, generally I'll do it if the artist and everyone else is really sold on it - since music is such a subjective thing perhaps I'm the one not getting it if I'm the lone voice of dissent. I can tell if the elements are right though, so I can carry through and do what's necessary even if the song isn't my favorite. Sometimes it can become one of my favorites if I give it time (and other times it can become more and more diabolical).

If I think a song is weak - like the bridge could be better or a vocal isn't cutting it - I'll just throw that out on the table. That is what people are paying me for, so it wouldn't be right for me to sit on that. Yes, you've got to be diplomatic - the last thing a creative person needs is to feel attacked, and there are ways to deliver even the most cutting criticism. I made an exception in the case of Hooverphonic, as the ego of one of the two band members (it wasn't Frank) was so out of control that subtlety simply wasn't an option.

And, there are instances when you have to let things play out to know. There's a song on 'Toy' that I wasn't sure about because the production was being pulled in two different directions, and David and I couldn't agree on it. The debate hinged on a keyboard part from Mike Garson which changed the entire flavor of the track. David really wanted it in there and stuck to his guns, but he also knew it wasn't quite there yet. For me, it made the overall tone of the song a bit too serious, though I liked the tone of it on its own. What made it work in the end were a couple of overdubs from Lisa, plus scuttling my guitar part and reconstructing it. Now it's one of my favorites and I couldn't imagine it without Mike's part.

'When you are working on an album with someone like Bowie, do you feel the pressure that everything is always measured against his albums from the 1970's?'

That's always there to some degree, and the same goes for any artist I've worked with that's had a record that made a stylistic mark on music or was a huge seller, or both. You have to try and stay in the moment and do what's right within the current set of musical circumstances, and not judge things too much against what's come before.

'Are you really Mr. Total Blam Blam?'

No I'm afraid I'm not, though I don't have any real proof of that. If anyone has a picture of Mr. Blam and myself together or other such corroborating evidence, please let me know (I can assure you I'm not Emm, Holly, or Gail either). I've been receiving Blam-related questions from this person for the past six months, so now maybe the record will be set straight.

'If I could be so bold, is there any chance of an autographed pic of David, please? I know you must get asked for many but as I've no chance of meeting either of you I have to be a bit cheeky. Sorry to impose.'

Well, be as cheeky as you like, it's no imposition.....thought I'm in no position to obtain autographed DB photos or other prizes, sorry.

'In your journals you said that you found it difficult to believe you were on stage with people like Bowie, Garson and Slick, the very first time? Are they the best group of musicians you have worked with to date?'

Hmmm.....best.... that's a bit of a sticky expression (I tend to feel that whatever I'm doing at the moment is the best thing I've ever done!) Live performing is a bit different as that's not what I usually do most of the time, so of course the experience of being in a group like this is light years ahead of any other band experience I'd ever had. I've recorded some great musicians, and Garson and Slick would certainly rank with those; I've also been lucky to have tracked some amazing singers, my favorites being David Bowie, Suzanne Vega and Robert Smith (in no particular order); but the cohesiveness of this particular group, not forgetting Sterling and Gail, is something unto itself. It'd be a great thing to play with this band for six months or so, and see where it goes.

Also there's the history factor. Bowie, Garson and Slick were on two of my all time favorite records - Aladdin Sane and Station to Station - and being able to play music with them means a lot on a number of levels.

' I read something on your web page where you said how against old ways of production you are, how you are more in favor of producing through computers or whatever, and you also go on to say something to the effect that you find it strange that people still prefer vinyl over CD's.'

This is part of an ongoing analog/digital debate that's been going on in various private emails. This is really a two part issue where previous answers of mine might have been lumped together into a single answer, so I'll just lay it out.....

As a multitrack format, I've become more and more attached to using the computer as digital workstation as opposed to analog tape. This doesn't mean that I'm anti-analog, it's just that for me the benefits of the digital workstation outweigh the drawbacks at the present time. Of course, the rest of the signal path I use is as analog as ever - tube mics, Neve or API preamps, LA2A or Tube Tech compression are on the front end before anything hits the analog/digital interfaces. I still mix through an analog desk as well.

As a consumer format, I'd have to say that I still prefer the sound of vinyl over CDs. To me CDs are a bit harsh, and vinyl sounds warmer. Of course there are limitations with vinyl when it comes to bass response and phase (no problem there with CD) and it was cool not to have those annoying pops and clicks you might get after a few listens of an album. And availability is a major issue now, most releases don't have a readily available vinyl counterpart. Yet vinyl is still more appealing to me sonically, which might just reflect the fact that I grew up with it more than anything else and I'm used to it. If the quality of CDs improves - greater bit depth & sampling frequency - then there might be no issue for me. Though the kids growing up with 16 bit/44.1 CD's might miss THAT sound when the next wave comes.

I'm sure there are people still around that miss 78's.....

'...at the BBC gig, how come you swapped on 'Ashes to Ashes' with Ms. Dorsey (who is an amazing bassist)'

Gail and I first decided to swap in Milan while we were doing one of those TV shows where you only get to play one song. We were playing 'Thursday's Child' for the umpteenth time, so we decided to make it interesting and switch off. We decided that we'd do it in concert after that, and we chose 'Ashes' as it has both a great guitar and bass part, and the band were then in the process of learning it. We later swapped on 'Seven', and also on 'London Boys' when Gail plays clarinet.

'Any chance of getting the track list for the 'Toy' album from you?'

Nope, not yet as I don't want to spoil any surprises. Some tunes are already out there, possibly in Napster-land ('London Boys', Dig Everything', 'Afraid') and another one has been mentioned ('Uncle Floyd') but I'm not really at liberty to give it away, give it away now.