skippy the wonder dog Wrote:Rock deserves some credit for rejuvenating things, getting the band to branch out, etc.
But he also made some pretty vile choices on this album. I'd rank it among their worst produced, which is too bad, because his creative contribution in other ways seems to have been pretty valuable.
I know this has been discussed ad-nauseam, but I'm not going to sift through pages of posts to re-acquaint myself with your specific reasons as to what makes this record's production so poor in your view. I do recall that you aren't too keen on the big, dramatic "over-the-top" gloss of certain songs ("Pretend" & "World Container", perhaps?).
I understand what you mean in regards to those two tracks, specifically, but could it be that the root of what draws such criticism lies in that which you are praising here (rejuvenation / variation)? Because it seems to me that the arrangement / engineering of these tracks in particular is done specifically to accessorize the dramatic theme and concept of the pieces themselves, and are therefore quite fitting.
I'm not particulary fond of those two songs either, but it's certainly not because of production -- it's the overall concept / musical scheme that doesn't interest me.
But as far as the production itself -- I put WC at the top of the list, hands down. The percussion sounds so much fuller and more true-to-life on this Hip record than any other. The rest of the mixing also seems far and away more masterful; each instrument is clearly audible, yet they manage enhance one another and meld wonderfully, without distortion or cracking or hissing. The bass / guitar sounds are captured as well as I've heard on any hip album, too. In songs like "Fly", where there is an acoustic track underneath the electric tracks, you can FOR ONCE actually hear the chords being played, as opposed to just the clicking of the pick being dragged across the strings when overshadowed by more dominant electic sounds. The bass is strong and solid, and the vocals are sharp. The dynamic range is as wide on this record as any I've heard.
I was listening to this album on headphones recently, and couldn't believe how incredible it sounded, especially in comparison to some tunes from other Hip albums when interspersed.
I understand how certain works can benefit from more subdued or muddier, "raw" sounding production (see Day for Night), but Rock's work is optimal for the music on WC, imo.
