He rejected Dynasty. Wants to go independent.

Of course you could argue that corporations are only doing what labels did in the past but that would be a blinkered view IMHO as the similarities are mostly (although not entirely) fiscal and not ideological.

As you mention, a 30% stake for a relatively minor £75k investment does not look like a good deal in anything other than the immediate short term - a record label may take a similar percentage but a label could easily spend that on the recording of an album before things like PR, radio plugging, band expenses etc etc are paid for - in this situation I think the band have been blinded by the relatively small pot of (fools) gold at the end of the televisual rainbow.

The, frankly disgusting, idea of product placement in music started some time ago although thankfully it has not really taken off….yet. However the fact that large ’super brands’ such as Starbucks are running labels and releasing work from notable artists (McCartney, Carly Simon, Sonic Youth) does not bode well for the future of mass released music.

‘Branding’ for me is where advertising has gone past its logical usefulness - I’m not that old but when I was a kid the only thing you branded was livestock.

I’m sure you’ve already read it (and it is a decade out of date) but Naomi Klein’s ‘No Logo’ is a fascinating read on the subject of the tip from advertising to branding (as well as the inevitable ethical questions about sweatshops etc etc)

To digress slightly……

Speaking as a musician I feel that the key (digital revolution etc) we thought would free us from our shackles has in fact locked us into a cage…and our captors are no longer people who package music to the masses, they are people who package ‘lifestyle’ to the brain-dead and the spiritually bankrupt. Not a great swap.

It would certainly be interesting if cars/clothes could be replicated perfectly for anyone with an internet connection without the designers getting any recompense - music has touched more people (in a positive manner at least) than any of these other forms.

At least we can’t download weapons!

In the words of B*Witched, c’est la vie…..

There’s the rub, that statement sums up the problem of the independent artist, and the real problem for the industry. The industry has the power to make or ignore an artist, but the artist, by comparison, is relatively powerless. To ensure a return on their investment, the industry picks which horses to back..and the banality factor is very frequent, prevelant as a result..that is the real prolem..the public does not get what it wants and needs, just what is told to want and need, but knows no better..

New, different talent is frequently ignored..the industry is stagnating, from the inside..record sales, are on average declining, and the industry, unthinkingly oblivious to all that, goes for the wrong targets to blame for the demise of the record industry..

That, I fear, is the overall reason for the wailing and nashing of teeth in the industry…

It’s a personal view, but, having thought about it long and hard, it works for me…

but if none of you have considered RADIOHEAD’S - KID A

THEN YOU’RE ALL MAD!

Cheers,

Adnan

The list you have is pretty good i’m unsure if i’d wan’t to cut any of those out. I love Justin’s suggestion of captian beefheart!

Brian Wilson had a similar sort of style so i’m glad to see him on the list (assuming thats some sort of greatist hits).

I would like to suggest more recent producers like timberland and kanye but i guess they are less about mic placement and more about editing and sampling (kanye).

I’ll let you know if i think of any others

What’s Going On - Marvin Gaye
I can listen to this album all day/every day, its fantastic, and I think the reason it works so well is the great production, with tracks flowing into each other and lots of sound layering. It really takes you into Marvin’s head and is very evocative of the time/place it was created in.

Cuckooland - Robert Wyatt
A fairly recent album (2003) but still a classic I think. I love it because it evokes Robert as an auteur. Working away in his home music room, creating the sound that he wants and chipping away at each track. Sorry to mix metaphors, but when I listen to this its like I can hear the brush stokes on his canvas.

A Love Supreme - John Coltrane
I was also going to list Miles’ ‘Bitches Brew’ but Gary got in ahead of me, nice one. Anyway, I got to thinking about my Jazz collection and of course A Love Supreme jumped out and hit me in the head. Again, its a very personal album to the artist, so it exudes emotion and craft through its creation. Its absolutely flawless, the breathless whisper of ‘A Love Supreme, a Love Supreme’ sends shivers down my spine everytime.

Trout Mask Replica - Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band
OK, I know, I know, but the story and circumstances of its production have got to be admired. Yes its bonkers, yes its a decent into madness, and yes the first time you listen to it you want to throw it out the window. However, there is something about this album that keeps daring you to fall in love with it. Just as you raise your arm to throw it, something stops you and a voice in your head says ‘go on have another listen’ and you do. Its and strange kind of voodoo, but it gets inside you and eventually you discover a whole ‘new world’ from which characters and stories emerge. You become hooked and thats it.

Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones
I wouldn’t call myself a fan of the Stones, but this album is on regular rotation in my house, so it must have something. Like ‘What’s Going On’ above I think its the fact that the tracks work so well together and the whole production feels ‘complete’. Its band and studio working together as a complete unit, they are all in ‘the zone’ and when you listen to it you feel like it was recorded in a single session, at midnight, with the Devil himself at the desk.

Those are my New Additions. What I would like to do now is suggest some alternatives to the albums on the list, by the same artists.

Instead of ‘I Should Coco - Supergrass’ I think you should replace it with ‘A Road to Rouen - Supergrass’ which I think demonstrates a band who have travelled a long way and who have technically developed into something that with this album transcends their earlier work.

‘Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd’ this is a tough one, but for me ‘Atom Heart Mother - Pink Floyd’ truly represents the band at their most playfully inventive point, when the experimentation was still fresh and you can just picture them leaping around the studio in a frenzy of ‘lets record bacon frying’ enthusiasm. Maybe its too raw, too ‘not there yet’ for some, I don’t know, but there is something about it that is still pure and unique, where as I feel ‘Wish You Were Here’ is a developed sound that draws on the ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ formula, rather than actually pushing the boundaries.

‘Rumours - Fleetwood Mac’ again a tricky argument, but I go with my gut and nominate ‘Mr Wonderful - Fleetwood Mac’ instead. I guess this is a mute point really, as the lineup for each was totally different, so maybe this is a bit daft, but what the hell, its Mr Wonderful for me, and thats that.

‘London Calling - The Clash’ I really agree with this as a chioce, but as the list is for interesting recording techniques what about ‘Sandinista! - The Clash’. I know it gets a bad review and is seen as being disjointed and unedited, overblown etc. However, the fact remains that it was recorded by a band who were trying to do something totally different with their sound and are trying to incorporate a world of new experience and music into a single album. It was bound to fail thematically, but if when you listen closely to whats actually in Sandinista! you can’t help but be impressed by the shear ball’s of what they were trying to pull off.

‘Original Gold - The Beach Boys’ a compilation, what??? Oh please, how can you not include ‘Pet Sounds - The Beach Boys’ or for that matter ‘Smile - The Beach Boys’, both works of genius and thats final.

‘20 Greatest Hits - Aretha Franklin’ another compilation, no, no, no. Lets put this one to rights by going for ‘Young, Gifted and Black - Aretha Franklin’ its pedigree is undeniable, as I think one of her best. If you are going to ‘get’ Aretha, then get this, its that simple.

‘Divine Madness - Madness’ Yes, yes, I love these boys to, but for me they never did a good album, hence why Chris went for this compilation I guess, so I am going to suggest replacing this one with ‘I Just Can’t Stop It - The Beat’. I guess in some ways The Beat are very much a singles band like Madness, but I think this debut album shows that they could also produce something that would work as a package. In this case, it also includes a strong political message with the very overt ‘Stand Down Margaret’ to the deeper social commentary of ‘Mirror In The Bathroom’.

Anyway, thats it from me. I hope I haven’t been too controversial or gone on too long. At the end of the day I love music, so lists are always impossible, as I would like to mention at least a 1000 records if I had the time.

I look forward to seeing everyone elses suggestions.

Then theres also Donald Fagen’s ‘Nightfly’. Although I’m not a great fan of his music, I end up listening to it just for the sound - mind blowing!

Note he doesn’t always take a listed credit.. he’s a funny guy I guess.
Interesting article..
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep05/articles/albini.htm

Additionally I have to agree with “A Kind Of Blue”.. incredible sounding record that holds up today and probably always will.

I think it is a good thing to start at the source: get the band positioned well, know who plays what and when, give each other room to play and listen to the balance of the band in the room. Get that right and your mix is going to be a lot easier! You’ll find out that it is amazing what you can do with just a pair of mics and maybe one or two spot mics.