All this and he even managed to coax a gospel album – 1979’s Slow Train Coming – out of Bob Dylan. He steered Aretha Franklin from gospel to soul, produced Dusty Springfield’s ‘Dusty In Memphis’, worked regularly with Ray Charles and set Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack on their way to stardom, confirming his place as one of the true visionaries of classic R&B. MH 44 Jerry Wexlerįrom that most noble of backgrounds – music journalism – Jerry Wexler went on to become one of the most revered record industry executives, co-heading Atlantic Records and getting his hands dirty in the production booth. One of the many who attempted to harness Guns ‘N Roses’ ‘Chinese Democracy’, Baker returned to the pomp rock fold with The Darkness’s ‘One Way Ticket To Hell… And Back’ in 2005. Baker was behind half a dozen Queen albums as well as Free’s classic blues-rock third ‘Fire And Water’, but he managed to evolve his style to produce a clutch of Cars and Devo albums in the 80s. Even if you’re heartily sick of it 30-odd years down the line, you have to admit it’s a production job of some chutzpah. Let’s put it this way: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’.
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Wu-Tang albums have popped up only occasionally, but the collective’s solo efforts have kept the RZA in work – as have precursors Cypress Hill and, recently, Kanye West on ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ – and he’s enjoyed a nice sideline as Bobby Digital, releasing three unhinged albums in the 2000s, plus another under the RZA name. 46 RZAĭiggs secured his place in hip-hop history from the get-go producing his group Wu-Tang Clan’s 1993 debut ‘Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)’ and introducing the world to a new, fluid, insidiously menacing style of rap production. He’s also flexed his remixing skills on tracks by artists ranging from Black Eyed Peas to Scritti Politti. On his own, Rock has become one of the most influential producers of his era and in his field, credited on Nas’s Illmatic, albums by Redman and Common and Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘Watch The Throne’. Making his name with CL Smooth and their seminal 1992 hit ‘They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.), Pete Rock was one of the movers and shakers of a jazzy style of hip-hop practised by Stetasonic, A Tribe Called Quest and, of course Guru and Gang Starr. While George Clinton is perhaps best known for his production on his own work, most notable Parliament and Funkadelic, and creating p-funk, he was also called in behind the desk for Bootsy Collins and Red Hot Chili Peppers for their seminal ‘Freaky Styley’ album. We’ll gloss over the first Kate Nash album.
And to top it all, he’s been helping 2012’s future ruler Azealia Banks with her forthcoming debut album ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’. To that category you can add Bloc Party’s ‘Silent Alarm’, Florence and the Machine’s ‘Lungs’ and even Plan B’s schizoid double. Adele’s ‘21’ has ensured Epworth will never want for diamond-encrusted mixing desks, but he was already well established as a producer of classy albums on the right side of the cool divide.
The Grammy Award-winning Paul Epworth, we should say. Essentially a hip-hop album, 1996 debut ‘Endtroducing….’ took sample culture to its (un)natural conclusion as Davis pieced together the entire record from snippets of jazz and psychedelic tunes picked up in record stores, along with cuts from interviews and other hip-hop records, and spliced it all together with his AKAI MPC60.
Remix work – and a stint in UNKLE with his Mo’ Wax boss James Lavelle – aside, Josh Davis has largely kept his production smarts to himself, extending the remit of sampladelica beyond anyone’s imagination. We highlight and celebrate the 50 most influential producers ever. They’re the people who often make the idea come alive. Producers are an often overlooked but always integral part of the recording process.