"Classic" engineers.. amazing talents or "victims" of circumstance?

[Stephen Matthew]

"Classic" engineers.. amazing talents or "victims" of circumstance?

You know, sometimes I wonder whether the Andy Johns/Eddie Kramer caliber dudes were so very talented or simply in the right place at the right time in the vastly different industry of 40 years ago...

What do you think?

Check out my blog where I've posted quite entertaining videos of the mentionees. Andy Johns is a bit Spinal Tap!
http://stephenmatthew.blogspot.com

 

[RickW]

I might...if I knew where it was.

 

[XLR]

...Andy Johns/Eddie Kramer caliber dudes were so very talented or simply in the right place at the right time...

Both. The classic combination for success since... well, forever... having the ability and being in the right place/time.

 

[Stephen Matthew]

Yeah.. the opportunity to be involved in this was so much more focused and rare back then. How many studios existed per 50 miles as opposed to now? Now, there's technically more opportunities (bands, studios) and amazingly professional affordable and accessible gear, but the marketing of all this stuff is sort of a trick played on us- too widespread of a recording industry to ever attain the groundbreaking and legendary status of icons. They were building the temple- we're only bowing down to it (or maybe kicking it, but it won't budge). There won't be any more Eddie Kramers. Although, that doesn't make doing any of this any less satisfying.

 

[kludge]

You know, sometimes I wonder whether the Andy Johns/Eddie Kramer caliber dudes were so very talented or simply in the right place at the right time in the vastly different industry of 40 years ago...

What do you think?

Check out my blog where I've posted quite entertaining videos of the mentionees. Andy Johns is a bit Spinal Tap!
http://stephenmatthew.blogspot.com

You should read "White Bicycles", by Joe Boyd - he has much to say about fortuitous combinations of talent and timing.

Actually, I highly recommend that book to ANY recording nerd who loves the music of the 1960s.

 

[noisewreck]

I think it's an entirely different culture now, just look at this forum And I for one am glad that it's much more accessible and democratic. While the field is more crowded, there are definitely individuals that push the envelope. It's just in a different way, although just as important. Just look at the way people like Tim Exile, Michael Paradinas and Aphex Twin have pretty much singlehandedly created entirely new genres and virtuosic performances. No matter how much you sing the prases of the Zappas and the like, you can't take that away from the new generation. And their stuff is decidedly more "home recording" and "project studio"-y. You complain that there is a lot of garbage... yup. That's what happens when things become accessible to the masses, but talent remains talent, and they stand out from the crowd. Just go look at some of the electronic music production forums and you'll see there are artists that are revered as much as The Beatles, and a lot of folks want to figure out ways to imitate them. And that's what separates the greats. They set the bar, while everyone else just tries to mimic.

I guess what I am saying is that while some of you get all nostalgic about the good old days, you're missing the future, and the now.

It's a great time for anyone who wants to get involved with music and express themselves. Instead of complaining about the hype, find your niche, do your own thing, and be brave.

 

[XLR]

...Instead of complaining about the hype...

I didn't get the feeling that anyone was complaining.

...find your niche, do your own thing, and be brave

+1

 

[Simman]

I'll sum it up like this...look at the immense amount of musicianship and talent that these guys were involved with and look at how their own talents shaped an entire industy. The musicians these guys recorded (and the quality of some of the recordings) shaped music for generations and in fact, you in this thread are still talking about them 40 years later. 40 years!!!!! That’s longer than most people posting on the board have been in existence. Give me a brake...Is the industry different today; absolutely; is it better maybe not. I always come back to the one thing you can never fake and that is raw talent. The talent pool today, IMO is severely watered down. Don’t get me wrong there are some good musicians around but careers in the “current” music industry last maybe 1 – 3 years if you’re lucky. Andy Johns/Eddie Kramer are the real deal and some of the people they recorded some 40 years ago are still in the industry and in fact, some are grossing more money in 6 months than most new bands today will ever make in their lifetime.