Gordon Raphael "the Strokes" 's producer in SOS

db51

db51

New member
For those of you who know the band "the Strokes", there's a good article in April's "Sound on Sound" issue.

It explains how they recorded the album "Is this it?". Interesting read, as the album sounds very different from the average radio-friendly commercial record, and the whole album was recorded in a basement studio
 
when i first heard the album i thought to myself, "i wonder how many dollars worth of effects this huge ass studio used to get it to sound like a nice homecooked garage recoding"...:D, now i know..
 
This is what really pissed me off about the Strokes' album. It's a major-label album, but it sounds like shit, obviously to try and retain somekind of punk/indie rock credibility that they never had. The drum sound, especially, is terrible, it sounds like he's banging on cardboard boxes. I have to admit I like the distorted vocals, though.
 
The vocals sound like they're recorded with the Radio Shack mic that Bruce had in his last shootout.

I sorta like it, but they could have been a bit more varied when it comes to the recording. But it's a bunch of really good songs.

Cheers
/Henrik
 
It's a major-label album
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Not really...They had the backing of RCA when they recorded, but they turned down Gil Norton (who obviously would have made it sound like a major label album) and stuck with a then unknown producer by the name of Gordon Raphael who co-owned a basement studio. It was NOT recorded in one of NY or LA's top studios, so I wouldn't call it a major label album.

The vocals sound like they're recorded with the Radio Shack mic that Bruce had in his last shootout.
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Actually they were recorded with both an AT4033 an a neumann TLM 103... The singer sang through an AT4033 into a small peavey amp which was then recorded by the TLM103 :eek:

There was a lot of experimental stuff like this done during the recording, so read the article, and listen to the album it's brilliant :D
 
I think it sounds terrible too. A bunch of rich kids trying to sound poor and lo-fi is, IMHO, tasteless, and does a disservice to all the poor bands that are actually forced to record like that. If their songs were even half as good as their publicity, I'd acknowledge it, but as it stands, the product is lousy.

It really irks me when bands like this with a lot of hookups and famous names get killer record deals, while hundreds of far better bands with far lesser means never get anything more than a terrible indie deal, if even that.
 
When you say, "They had the backing of RCA when they recorded," I'm assuming you mean financial backing. So how does that contradict what I said earlier? They had the potential to make a good recording, but they consciously chose to make a shitty one, simply to pretend like they had some cred. Sorry. I agree, some of the songs are pretty good, it's just the attitude, the pretension, and the overhype that totally ruin it for me.
 
They can stroke me off...

Notice how at least 7 of their songs sound exactly the same?

Not just the recording, the song itself. I dunno why they even bothered to come up with different track names. They all sound like ass, BTW...but a bunch sound like the same ass warmed-over.
 
I simply have to disagree with you there, Dolemite and Charger. At first I just thought The Strokes were this week's hyped thing, but I had to give in. The songs are really good. The bass line on the title track is already a classic and I just can't hold back a big smile every time I hear it. The singer is good, even though he's not worthy of kissing Liam Gallagher's feet.

The retro-hifi sound may be a bit of a disturbance, or at least the lack of variation when it comes to sound, but IMNSHO there is a lot of true quality in that album.

Cheers
/Henrik
 
Everytime I hear that bass line in "Is This It" I think I'm listening to that Spacehog song that was popular a few years ago.
 
Henrik said:
...he's not worthy of kissing Liam Gallagher's feet.
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Well then we already see where you're standards are. ;)


I can actually appreciate a few Oasis songs...I know this guy who is absolutely balls-out gay love fanatical about them so that really made me stop and think. Oh well, he's a huge tool anyway.

And then The Strokes...blah.


It's a major-label album, but it sounds like shit, obviously to try and retain somekind of punk/indie rock credibility that they never had.
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A bunch of rich kids trying to sound poor and lo-fi is, IMHO, tasteless, and does a disservice to all the poor bands that are actually forced to record like that.
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Agreed.
 
I agree with every one of these posts.

Rich kids who never would have made it w/o connections, pretensious looks and sound etc.

But,

I like the sound even if it is lofi, but it does get old. Would have been cool if maybe one song had that vocal thing going, but when it's every song, it seems like lack of creativity or masking a poor singer.

I think the drums sound sorta natural and intimate. Frankly, I get tired of hearing the same old perfectly clean 15 miced set.

Despite all this, I like the album ok. It's no classic, but compared to everything else popular in the Rock world, it's pretty damned awesome.


**************
BTW, THE HIVES are who the strokes wish they were.
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YEAH!
The Hives rock! Plus, they're one of the first Swedish with international attention that you can actually be proud of.
 
Damn! This always happens...I post at the same time as someone else but the other person's post always comes first in the thread, making me look like a moron...

I've got to get a faster connection :p
 
they're one of the first Swedish with international attention
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Are they famous? I feel so less underground elite now. I hate when eveyone else finds out, ruining a perfectly cool band. ;)



Hey, don't forget ABBA!!
 
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