Bryan J. Adams-Lynne

[uwe]

Talk about a signature production sound, it's my first Bryan Adams product in ages:

http://www.myvideo.de/musik/bryan-adams/you-belong-to-me-video-m-12006079

http://www.universal-music.de/bryan-adams/videos/detail/video:373082/brand-new-day

Meanwhile, when the master is not producing others, he is succumbing to his Beatles obsessions ... 

[Basvarken]

Is it a good thing when a producer totally overshadows the artist with his production?
Bryan Adams sounding like a Dire Straits version of ELO is not what I call a desirable outcome... 

[uwe]

When you buy a Jeff Lynne production, you get a Jeff Lynne production, everybody knows that. And those people who do, want just that. He has a big lever in his studio that says "DON'T TOUCH, AUTOMATIC JEFF LYNNE SOUND PROCESSOR!!!" 

[Granny Gremlin]

Is it a good thing when a producer totally overshadows the artist with his production?

IMHO, no, but that is the de facto standard in today's pop and urban music, and has been for some time now. See Timbaland, Pharrell, Dr John etc

Something is bothering me about those vids but I can't put my finger on it. 

Bryan Adams sounding like a Dire Straits version of ELO is not what I call a desirable outcome... 

I'm not sure that's what that would sound like.  But these songs do sound like age has not only taken whatever interestingness Herr Adam's had in his songwriting as well as his strength to fight back against a producer that wants every song to have a Ric in the spotlight.

Now Cuts Like a Knife and Summer of 69.  There was a guy who could write a song.

[uwe]

Oh my, Jake, and I thought you only knew BRyan Adams! 

Jeff Lynne will live with his low standing among critics, it's nothing new to him, in their heyday no one admitted to liking ELO either.

Producers leaving quite an imprint with any artist they work with is nothing new, think of George Martin, Phil Spector, Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards, Bob Ezrin, Eno, Rick Rubin, Tony Visconti, Ron Nevison, Derek Lawrence, Trevor Horn, Bob Rock, Tony Platt, Tom Dowd, Eddie Kramer, Mike Stone, Jack Douglas, Ted Templeman, Martin Birch, Keith Olsen, Jim Guercio, Tom Allom, Dieter Dierks, Mack, Conny Plank, Giorgio Moroder, Kevin Shirley, Danie Lanois, George Marino, Jimmy Ienner, Bob Clearmountain, the list is endless and they all had their handwriting. Look what Bob Ezrin did to Kiss on Destroyer and how their next album Rock'n'Roll Over (produced by Eddie Kramer) sounded - it's like two different bands.

[Dave W]

Phil Spector -- worst thing to ever happen to pop music until auto-tune came along. OTOH, your auto-tune unit won't lock you in a room at gunpoint.

[Basvarken]

You can make that list as long as you want Uwe. And most of those producers (except for Bob Ezrin maybe) managed to get the best out of the artist on their productions. Which is exactly what you hire a producer for.

But this Jeff Lynne production of Bryan Adams makes Bryan Adams sound nothing like himself. And I find that annoying.

[patman]

Have to agree there (w/ Dave's comment)..too much crap going on with Phil Spector recordings.

[uwe]

His productions give me headaches too, but he sure had a signature (wall of) sound.

[patman]

I have to admit "You've Lost That Lovin Feeling" sounded good.  So did the Ronettes...

I disliked what he did with Beatles and post-beatle recordings.

George Harrison's Jeff Lynne recordings sound good to me (on the other hand)...

[uwe]

But this Jeff Lynne production of Bryan Adams makes Bryan Adams sound nothing like himself. And I find that annoying.

You can still hear Bryan Adams sing!  I dunno, it's not that Adams hasn't made stylistic changes in the past (yet always remained the same somehow), I believe he was looking for something different and he got it. You don't hire Jeff Lynne as a producer for that "warm mono tube radio sound" without knowing what you're in for, if anything, his production jobs have become more radical and idiosyncratic over time, he has become more low fi if anything.

Crucify me, but I find it a fresh approach (for Bryan A.). We all know how Adams sounds in AOR FM radio production mode, that's been done to death. And the production goes well with some of the rockabillish compositions.

What's wrong with Bob Ezrin as a producer? You no like? He was pivotal for the Alice Cooper Group sounding like it did, made great Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd recordings, invented the bass runs for Detroit Rock City and Another Brick in the Wall, did the best album of the Hanoi Rocks and of Kiss and was responsible for Deep Purple having the best production job (and co-writing) in a long time with Now What?! I'm indebted to the guy! 

[Granny Gremlin]

The only un-Adams Lynnian thing about these songs is the twangy Rickenbacker all over everything/how burried the overdrivven LP is; lack of typical Fender tones generally.  Adams was obviously going for a change here anyway - see the hair, biz-casual clothes and the B&W of every dang vid from this record.  Lynne was a calculated part of that, I'm sure. The whole thing screams "my target market is aging nostalgic boomers, and I'm gonna hock em in goddammit."

Putting your sound all over an album is not the same as bringing out the best in the artist.  Both Lynne and Spector had this weakness.  I do enjoy some records by these guys (despite the gun stories, I really like that Ramones Record; a few songs are too throw-backy, but there's some gold on there, purists be damned).

[uwe]

"My target market is aging nostalgic boomers, and I'm gonna hock em in goddammit!"


Who is calling?

[Granny Gremlin]

The prosecution rests.

(I see my talent for typos has struck again: pawn your elders)

Also, Riff Raff is my favorite character from Rocky Horror; apparently also the one who wrote the damn thing.

[BTL]

Is there a link to the video/audio that can be played in the US?