british/american styles

[dobro]

Long about last year, me and somebody else wondered out loud what differences there might be between British and American recording styles. We got no nibbles, but I found this in 'Behind the Glass' by Howard Massey (what a good book):

Q: Do you think there's a "British sound" versus an "American sound"? If so, what accounts for it?

Alan Parsons (he did Dark Side of the Moon, for example): 'I think American engineers are more into the sound of an individual piece of gear than British engineers are. The British will go for more of an overall feel or an overall atmosphere in their sound, whereas an American might be much more analytical. But why spend hours of grief possibly losing the spontaneity of the artist in order just to establish what sounds best? American engineers are just more into their equipment and less reliant on the performance and the performer's ability to get a good sound.'

I don't completely buy this, but what do I know? I think *everybody's* into gear these days, and recording's moving in a control freak direction. Pitch shifters - poo - gimme a break. Are we all having a 'perfect' contest?