Introduction -- What Is A Record Producer?
(Edited Excerpt from Tony Visconti, Bowie, Bolan and the Brooklyn Boy)

The role of a record producer hasn’t changed much since Fred Gaisberg instructed opera singers to move closer or further from a horn whilst singing, as he cut their performances to wax cylinders in the 1890s. His was the voice of experience, helping the artists of his day to get their performances to a high standard onto the recording medium.

In the 60s, it was Phil Spector who brought this role to the public’s attention, but most records of that time were still produced anonymously. It was many years after the event when the great Quincy Jones admitted to arranging and producing the 1963 hit “It’s My Party” by Lesley Gore.

When I heard a Beatles records produced by George Martin I began to understand that record production was an art form, not just an aural mirror of a live performance. Before the intricate Beatles recordings it was just that, a live performance captured on cylinder, disk or tape. It is said that once Bing Crosby, the legendary crooner, discovered that two performances could be edited together by cutting audio tape with a razor blade, he gave birth the “art” of record production.

There was one pioneering genius who stood the recording world on its head and changed everything forever – Les Paul. His name is on millions of the solid body electric guitars that he designed for Gibson. But his greatest contribution was his concept of the multi-track tape recorder. With his wife, Mary Ford, he produced supernatural recordings of complex arrangements (supernatural in the sense that two people sounded like twenty).

Since the 60s most recordings have been made in assembly line fashion, not all the sounds recorded at once, but in layered overdubbed sessions. Even in the sacrosanct world of classical music soprano Maria Callas broke the rules by overdubbing a missed high ‘C’ in an otherwise perfect performance. There was a critical furor but since then classical record producers have been doing virtually what a pop record producer does.

Eventually the role of a producer became more creative and it resembled that of a “music director”. George Martin, a very accomplished orchestrator, pianist and oboist, crossed the line and wasn’t shy about giving the Beatles positive feedback and suggesting changes in their musical arrangements. I think his most glorious moment in the Beatles recorded repertoire was his stunning string octet arrangement for “Eleanor Rigby.” Equally stunning is the sheer wizardry of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” Of course the Beatles contributed greatly and John Lennon refused to take ‘no’ for an answer when he wanted two disparate takes, recorded on different days, in two different tempi and keys to be joined together. George Martin and his extraordinary engineer Geoff Emerick stayed up all night and made it work! There might have been four Beatles, but there were two über Beatles working in the shadows. Record production, as we know it today, started with George Martin and The Beatles. I make it no secret that I fashioned my style of production after his.

To be responsible for every aspect of a recording a record producer should have a working knowledge of recording techniques and music. Many modern record producers are experts at one or the other or both. I have read that we also have to be psychologists, but that’s a bit far fetched. I see us more as coaches, a job where some psychology might be necessary. My policy is to interfere as little as possible, but to draw out the best in the artists I work with, especially the singers. The best part is towards the end, when I sit at a mixing console and put it all together. It’s actually a very nice occupation.

For a limited time autographed copies of the book are available through this site for the USA and Canada ONLY (currently it is available in the UK only).

Visconti’s Inventory Plus Bonus Tracks -- Yes, the infamous Inventory is available through this site and personally autographed in silver ink! Wow! This version has 13 bonus tracks containing outtakes of the album, plus demos for Inventory II.