3 July 2013 (Day 184) – Producers As Musicians

I sort of conceived today’s listening as an add on to yesterday’s paylist.  The only problem is now as I sit to write this post, I cannot possibly conceive of the connection.  It’s not as though most producers disguise their true identities when they release albums.

Perhaps what I originally had in mind is once a musician is recognised as a type flight producer, any albums of their own music that they produce are probably more likely to be seen as an adjunct to what’s perceived as their main career.  In some ways it is akin to the member of a band who releases the occasional solo album but is never tempted to leave the band in which they made their name.  The resultant albums tend to be viewed as an opportunity for the individual to record material that would never otherwise see the light of day, an attempt to try out things that could not be attempted in their day job or as a pressure release valve.  Whilst this makes a certain kind of sense, it still doesn’t explain my initial concept. 

But the overall concept for today’s listening is a sound one, even though the initial premise was found to be extremely wanting.  And so for whatever reason a number of individuals who’ve made their mark as producers have also been responsible for creating some fine albums of their own music.  This shouldn’t be all that surprising; in just about every example I can think of, the producer began their music career as a musician before turning to production.  (Having said that, one of today’s selections did go the other way, that is from producing to creating music.)  For the purposes of selection, my definition of producer means a producer of music created by other acts.  Anyone whose production history revolves around their own work has been excluded.   

(# 496) Joe Henry – Kindness Of The World (1993)

Joe Henry has produced a number of wonderful alt-country albums over his career, mutating into an acclaimed producer of a some of the industries most respected artists.  These include Solomon Burke, Aimee Mann, Bette LaVette, Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint, Loudon Wainwright III, Bonnie Riatt, and Billy Bragg.   This was his fouth album and arguably the one that put him on the map.  No doubt this was partially due to the involvement Jayhawks members Gary Louris on guitar and Marc Perlman on bass but the songs are of an uniformly high quality.  Of particular note is the magnificent and optimistic Fireman’s Wedding, the title track a duet with great Victoria Williams, Dead to The World a rocking country number incorporating fuzz guitar and great vocal support from Louris and Buckdancer’s Choice.

(# 497) T-Bone Burnett – The Criminal Under My Own Hat (1992)

Burnett has produced an imposing list of major albums for acts such as Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, Counting Crows, Gillian Welch, The BoDeans, Robert Plant/Allison Krauss, Steve Earle and the Elton John/Leon Russell collaboration. He has composed or compiled soundtracks for Hollywood movies which have earned him an Oscar and a Golden Globe Award.  But his own albums have proved to be nothing short of exceptional.  The material on this album consists of two basic types of tracks all with country overtones.  Some numbers are very much in the vein of his soundtrack work incorporating acoustic instrumentation such as double bass and fiddles and the remainder are electrified.  Indeed one track, I Can Explain Everything, appears twice in either guise.  And as is the case for most of his albums, he sings with a casualness that is quite appealing that is sometimes mixed with a dose of sly humour.

(# 498) Daniel Lanois – Arcadie (1989)

The only producer here that didn’t start his career as a musician, Lanois was first really noticed when he worked with Brian Eno (someone I could also have played today) in producing U2’s The Unforgettable Fire.  Since then he’s co-produced more U2 albums with Eno including The Joshua Tree and  Achtung Baby and been solely responsible for major releases by Peter Gabriel (So and Us), Emmylou Harris (Wrecking Ball), Neil Youing (Le Noise), Willie Nelson (Teatro)  and Bob Dylan (Oh Mercy and Time Out Of Mind).  Arcadie was his first solo album and by the time the first two sublime numbers Still Water and The Maker have concluded it’s clear that he has applied the same glistening production sound that is the hallmark of his most famous production jobs.  The biggest surprise on this is his confident vocal delivery with lyrics delivered in English and French but on occasion he left the vocal duties to others, noticeably on an arrangement of Amazing Grace featuring the incomparable Aaron Neville.

(# 499) John Cale – Fragments Of A Rainy Season (1992)

John Cale has played a major role in rock music history, first as a member of The Velvet Underground (and before that, drone pioneers The Theatre Of Eternal Music) and also as a producer of some of the finest albums ever recorded including debut albums for The Stooges, The Modern Lovers and Patti Smith. But he has also recorded a string of marvellous and challenging solo albums.  Fragments Of A Rainy Season is not an example of his production skills.  It is a recording of a live performance consisting of just Cale, his rich Welsh voice and his piano.  It includes highlights of his best known work (Paris 1919 and Guts), Style It Takes from his Andy Warhol tribute album with Lou Reed and two of the most audacious cover versions ever recorded.  One is his deconstruction of Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel in which the entire tune is slowed down to a crawl and performed as a tragic ballad.  The other is his version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah performed relatively straightforwardly in a manner that would have provided both Jeff Buckley and k.d Lang with the necessary inspiration to attempt their interpretations.