Producers/Engineers

[frankie teardrop]

was just going on a smiths binge and was thinking about some of my favorite producers and engineers over the years... the people behind the decks that help craft and define a band's sound, often a key component that's sorely lacking when a band chooses someone else. a few favorites:

john fryer: cocteau twins, fad gadget, some wire/dome/he said, swans, breathless, parts of pretty hate machine, pretty much everything on 4ad in the 80s (all time favorite)
stephen street: the smiths/viva hate, cranberries, darling buds, blur
alan moulder: curve, ride, my bloody valentine, jamc, obv. NIN
tony visconti: bowie's 70s work and then some (eno is often wrongly credited for the berlin era, where he was a writer, not a producer)
hugh jones: modern english, the sound, simple minds, icicle works, latter day pale saints
phil spector: most of the crazy good girl pop greats that ruled the world for a little while
steve lillywhite: peter gabriel's melt, first siouxsie record, first three u2 albums
john a. rivers: dead can dance, eyeless in gaza, felt, in embrace, love & rockets, close lobsters
martin hannett: joy division, the names, section 25, new order, a certain ratio, (pretty much most early factory), psychedelic furs, the high

who are yr favorites, and landmark artists/albums?

[brokenfragility]

Rick Rubin: Slayer, Danzig, Public Enemy, Johnny Cash, the list for him goes on and on and on and on, most of it isn't music I particularly like, but his production style is amazing
Brian Eno: U2, Roxy Music, Talking Heads
Flood: NIN, The Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode, ect
Geoff Barrow: Portishead, The Horrors
Madlib: Madvillian, Quasimotto, pretty much my favorite hip hop produceres
Kanye West: Common, his own albums
David M. Allen: The Cure, The Chameleons, Depeche Mode

I would have a lot more, but you already said most of my favorites.

[mfte]

RZA - the best stuff came out 92 - 95. Flawless albums like Enter the 36 Chambers, Return to the 36 Chambers, Tical, Cuban Linx, Liquid Swords, Iron Man. Its that W.

[blackholesun]

Steve Albini: The Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, Mogwai, Owls, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Scout Niblett, Mono, Magnolia Electric Co./Songs: Ohia, Low
Kurt Ballou: Converge, Pygmy Lush, Jesuit, Cave In, Orchid, pg.99, Breather Resist, Modern Life is War, Trap Them, Adai, Nails, Kvelertak, All Pigs Must Die, Black Breath, Torche
Matt Bayles: Botch, Isis, Minus the Bear, Mastodon, Russian Circles, Giant Squid, KEN Mode, Narrows
Magnus Lindberg: Cult of Luna, EF, Jeniferever, pg.lost, Lis Er Stille

[frankie teardrop]

David M. Allen: The Chameleons

not sure how i forgot about this guy since i've played in the modern chameleons vox lineup and love those mid-period cure records. also worth mentioning is mike hedges, who knocked it out of the park on the early cure & associates records as well as banshees, lush, bauhaus, etc.

[thevoid99]

George Martin's work with the Beatles deserve some recognition. Even the contributions of engineer Geoff Emerick who worked with the band from Revolver to Abbey Road.

Some of my favorite producers are Alan Moulder, Flood, Brian Eno/Daniel Lanois, Rhett Davies (for his work with Roxy Music), Tony Visconti, Martin Hannett, David M. Allen, Dave Jerden (for his work with Jane's Addiction), and Jeff Lynne (the stuff he did with Tom Petty is amazing and I like his approach to recording).

[Highly Psychological]

I think Martin Hannet is my favorite producer of all time. He totally transformed his band's sound on record almost to fit his own vision. Very domineering presence. I love the malevolent bizarre atmosphere he created. Heavy use of reverb and echo, He could turn crappy music (Happy Mondays) into acctual masterworks, it was amazing.

Producers work best in different areas
I think Alan Moulder is without a doubt the best for guitars, My Bloody Valentine, Jesus and Mary Chain, Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle's track Magdalena, Ride, Curve, he is able to get the most out of the sound that instrument creates. He warps it, Almost makes it sound like a machine.
Flood is slightly more innovative and experimental, just as good too but i notice he is better for atmospherics and electronic beats. I really like what he did with Machina by The Smashing Pumpkins. Everything them two touched in the 80s and 90s turned to gold.
Andrew Weatherall Is a genius, done some of the best remixes of all time and been behind some of the best electronic music ever.
Steve Albini is probably the best for drums and for creating a live sounding album.
Youth did a lot of underrated production material in the 1990s.
Ross Robinson - He is undoubtedly a brilliant producer for Metal.
My favorite producer currently working is Dave Sardy. I notice his work has been really innovative recently.
John Fryer i agree created some of the most transcendental music for a while. Robin Guthrie also did a lot of brilliant trippy production too for Lush.
Dan the Automater. Was very fucking mind blowing for a while.
J Dilla - Favorite Hip Hop producer since The Bomb Squads groundbreaking work with Public Enemy.
Neil Davidge and Nelle Hooper did a lot for Massive Attack Bristol trip hop scene.
I also really like Jagz Krooner , Mantronix, Joey Negro and David Holmes

[Clownboat]

I came here to post Steve Albini and I was beaten to it. My favorite of his will always be High on Fire's Blessed Black Wings. That said, Kurt Ballou is sort of the new Albini in my eyes. Gaza's No Absolutes in Human Suffering is my favorite work of his.

[piggy]

Alan Moulder (MBV, NIN, JAMC)
Flood (Depeche Mode, NIN, U2, PJ Harvey)
Brian Eno (U2, James, Talking Heads)
Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots)
Scott Litt (R.E.M.)
Steve Lillywhite (Morrissey, U2)
Stephen Street (The Smiths, Lloyd Cole)

[xmd 5a]

Seconding (thirding, fourthing, whatever) Hannet, Eno, Albini, Weatherall, Moulder and RZA. Just recently got into J Dilla as well - some brilliant stuff.

I'll throw Hugh Jones, Steve Fisk and Phil Ek out there too.

[Jinsai]

Brian Eno (U2, James, Talking Heads)

and... DAVID BOWIE

[piggy]

and... DAVID BOWIE
I was about to put that in my post but I didn't want to perpetuate the misnomer that Eno produced the Berlin trilogy. The only Bowie album that he actually produced was Outside. He was of course a major collaborator on the Berlin trilogy, but he is not credited with production. They were all co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.

[Clownboat]

Just recently got into J Dilla as well - some brilliant stuff.
Same here. I'm new to his stuff so I can't really list him as a favorite producer or engineer, but my mind is being blown by each new discovery. Here's a particular favorite of mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYw0NnHDRzc

[frankie teardrop]

Seconding (thirding, fourthing, whatever) Hannet, Eno, Albini, Weatherall, Moulder and RZA. Just recently got into J Dilla as well - some brilliant stuff.

I'll throw Hugh Jones, Steve Fisk and Phil Ek out there too.

hugh jones makes my list, too. i never knew steve fisk produced beat happening/a lot of grunge stuff. i primarly know him from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o19Lm8c8i4Q

[Jinsai]

I was about to put that in my post but I didn't want to perpetuate the misnomer that Eno produced the Berlin trilogy. The only Bowie album that he actually produced was Outside. He was of course a major collaborator on the Berlin trilogy, but he is not credited with production. They were all co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti.

Wow. I stand corrected.. I always thought he was the producer for Heroes.
That's really surprising actually.

[xmd 5a]

hugh jones makes my list, too. i never knew steve fisk produced beat happening/a lot of grunge stuff. i primarly know him from this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o19Lm8c8i4Q


Don't know how I missed Jones on your list, nor how I forgot to 2nd Fryer.

I'll throw out a mention for Chris Hufford as well, who assisted with Slowdive's LPs. Some of the most pefect sounding albums on the planet.