Groundbreaking productions

[mshilarious]

We still haven't blamed anybody for squishing. I am hesistant to name NIN or Pumpkins or bands like that, because that was probably an intentional artistic choice, and somewhat suited to the genre.

The first big album I heard inappropriately squished to death and wonder why they wanted to totally destroy their record was RHCP's "Californication".

 

[chessrock]

Oh, for crying out loud, let it go already!

But I was having so much fun.
.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

We still haven't blamed anybody for squishing. I am hesistant to name NIN or Pumpkins or bands like that, because that was probably an intentional artistic choice, and somewhat suited to the genre.

The first big album I heard inappropriately squished to death and wonder why they wanted to totally destroy their record was RHCP's "Californication".

It would be interesting to find some information from "insider" producers and engineers regarding this. I'm not sure - one way or the other - that a "smoking gun" album could be properly identified. My impression has been that this trend has it's roots as an evolution of pre-existing trends infused with some marketing hype, more than as a seminal artistic pivot point.

On the marketing side, it has a geneology that dates back to AM radio advertising, but that's more like a grandfather than a birth mother of the phenomenon.

On the music production side, similar things with volume and RMS were done at places like Casablanca Records during the unfortunate disco craze of the 70s. After that it could also be found in much of the synth-heavy releases of the 80s where it was easy to boost RMS because there wasn't much dynamic range to begin with.

There are additional influences from the movie soundtrack industry, which in the 80s and 90s was a very dynamic (pun intended) force in the area of pushing music RMS on their soundtrack releases (again, more for marketing and effect than for fidelity.)

Then there was both the competition and merger with the explosive popularity in the early 90s of the various genres of rap, which by their nature also have very thin dynamics and in-your-face production.

So, as to whether there's an alt/rock/grunge album that could be called a "smoking gun" or "vanguard" that sparked the modern volume wars, or whether it's more of an evolution where several poped up sopntaeously, I'm not sure. It would be interesting to check out, though. In the meantime I'd agree that RHCP were probably among the first of the new breed to push it purposefully.

G.

 

[RyanHubris]

Broken Social Scene

 

[reverieman]

The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and yes Pantera

Well everyone seems to be stuck on Sgt. Peppers, but we must look before Sgt. Peppers. See if you were looking for particular introductions into mainstream through the medium of record.. we can start as far back as the feedback in the beginning of "I feel Fine" Then the backward echo in "Rain" (which John Lennon found on accident when he came home stoned and put the tape in backwards), oh and must we not forget "Tommorow Never Knows", and the introduction of a tape loop. Although others including Pink Floyd on "Money" may have also used this, it was the Beatles who did it first. From the original posts.. I think he was looking for specifics.. rather than just naming a top album from the 80's. Heres another.. Vinnie Paul from Pantera used a broken credit card taped to his beater to give his bass drum sound that definitive slap.. which is still being used today by many many many metal bands.

 

[tbonejc1]

Wilco?

I think Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot deserves a mention of some pretty incredible 21st century production, if not slightly overdone, but all in all a lot of pretty interesting work was done with some relatively simple material.
JC

 

[47ronin]

I would add Loveless by My Bloody Valentine
Public Enemy (Bomb Squad)
Endtroducing (DJ Shadow)

 

[Dimebag]

Youthanasia - Megadeth.

This was (to my understanding) one of the first albums ever, to be made completely in the digital domain. Everything was recorded digitally, mixed digitally, and mastered digitally.
Besides, I believe that many of the guitarparts on the album were recorded NOTE BY NOTE and put together digitally!!!! Kind of like what we know from our sequencing programs today, but this was 15 years or so ago....

 

[Rickson Gracie]

I think that Sgt Pepper is a bit overrated song wise (relatively speaking.)

I believe Revolver is a significantly better album technically and musically. There's more standout songs and very cutting edge stuff going on in Revolver. I definitely push the 'next track' button on my CD player much less on Revolver.

Now..its like comparing Ferrari to Lamborghini so take this for what its worth.

 

[corban]

I happen to agree with you, as much as I respect the Pepper album, it's not their strongest work, song-wise.

 

[blackdiscoball]

A little meek arent we?

Forgive my if I missed it But it would seem to me that Joe Meek should be somewhere on this list, he was pre-Beatles and did all the tape splicing, backwards noises and strange song structure well before the beatles even got signed let alone srgt. pepper. (though that could be one of my favorite albums) He also did a lot of ground work in changing the way things were do in the studio (started the end of the white coats, Beatles finished it). He did a lot with the available technology and some not available (made his own spring reverbs, compressors, eq's) and new techniques. Just my .02 cents.

 

[blackdiscoball]

ALso forgot to mention Oasis. I forget what album, but they had one of the first albums that started the whole compressed to kingdom come age where in now. From the first note to the last the VU meter is in the red. Whether people like it or not (not a big fan but to each his own) that louder then all the other songs on the radio was started by that. (not entirly but the engineer consiously made it that loud)