When they worked with Steve Albini
When they worked with Steve Albini
As tributes flow this week, listening in as a couple of musicians with Greater Lafayette ties talk about working with Steve Albini, a recording engineer who helped shape the sound of alternative rock
This edition is sponsored by Lafayette Chamber Singers, which will present its final concert 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, after 50 years in the community. The free concert, with donations accepted at the door for Lafayette Urban Ministry programs, will be at Unitarian Universalist Church, 333 Meridian St. in West Lafayette. For more details, see the flyer below.
WHEN THEY WORKED WITH STEVE ALBINI
For music fans of a certain vintage, the outsized influence of Steve Albini was impossible to miss on the sound of alternative rock.
From his New York Time obit after he died of a heart attack earlier this week (“Steve Albini, Studio Master of ’90s Rock and Beyond, Dies at 61”): “With a sharp vision for how a band should be recorded — as raw as possible — and an even sharper tongue for anything he deemed mediocre or compromised, Mr. Albini was a visionary in the studio and one of rock’s most acerbic wits.”
Greg Kot, legendary Chicago rock critic, had some great lines, too, about the Chicago native: “Concerts by Steve Albini's bands, from Big Black to Shellac, were must-see events. His tireless work as a recording engineer for countless underground bands could chart the history of punk/post-punk the last 40 years. And, oh yeah, he worked with Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Plant-Page and a few other big shots, but it's his work with bands like Low, Slint, the Jesus Lizard, etc. that he most loved to talk about. He was a helluva poker player, a huge baseball fan – I once ran into him in the bleachers at a Cubs game wearing a baseball glove like a Little Leaguer hoping to catch a home run – and he could make a mean cup of coffee. His verbal hostility could be withering, especially when aimed at major labels, corporate shenanigans, music critics (present company included). But he was never less than honest, and frequently insightful.”
Also among a certain vintage of rock fans were a couple of musicians with Greater Lafayette ties who worked with Albini in some capacity through the years. Both agreed to share their memories of Albini here.
Mass Giorgini has been force in the punk scene since his days of the all-ages club Spud Zero, time in bands ranging from Rattail Grenadier, Screeching Weasel and Squirtgun and carving a national reputation from the Sonic Iguana studio tucked along Kossuth Street in Lafayette. Giorgini moved to Italy with his family two years ago (“Mass Giorgini, Lafayette punk legend, bids arrivederci”), where he had this story:
“As a teenage punk rock fan and musician in the American Midwest of the early 1980s, I was fortunate to have absolutely world-class bands as musical and personal heroes (Toxic Reasons and Zero Boys) barely an hour’s drive away from me. Not only that, my producer idol and eventual mentor Paul Mahern (also lead vocalist of Zero Boys) was recording legendary albums right there in Indianapolis.
“That said, I was also fully aware of and impacted by the work and philosophies of Chicago-based Steve Albini, partly for his musicianship in several bands, but primarily for his work as a “recordist” (the term he preferred to “producer”). Most widely known for his recordings of bands like Nirvana, the Breeders, the Pixies, Bush and Jawbreaker, he also made thousands of records for smaller punk bands from Illinois and beyond.
“Despite his proximity and our many overlapping clients, we did not meet in person until 1995 at the release show for the Riverdales debut album, when we were introduced by Ben Weasel. After the brief introduction, I told Steve it was nice to meet him. Albini responded with his trademark acerbic wit: “Oh, I know who you are. Nice guitar sound,” the tone of “nice” clearly sarcastic. He followed that with a chuckle, and walked away.
“A full ten years passed before the next time we crossed paths — this time online. We were on a recording forum, and someone brought up my work. One beginner engineer praised it, another trashed it. Then Steve chimed in and said my work should be taken seriously, adding that I had made amazing records in a small studio I designed myself, and gave me kudos. I was surprised and amazed, considering our earlier interaction.
“Less than a year later, in another recording forum I had recently joined, Albini wrote:
“‘I just want to add that I think Mass did some great records in a genre that is difficult to do well by. I think he's much better at it than me, if that means anything. Glad to have you aboard.’
“After that post, we collaborated on a couple of albums that he recorded and I mastered. From then on, every exchange was always positive, and while I can’t say we were close, I believe we had a great relationship of mutual respect that eventually reached the status of friendship.
“Learning that Steve passed away at 61 years of age from a heart attack has taken the wind from my sails. It is undeniable that his loss will leave a profound void in the world of music production — not only in terms of the audio techniques he pioneered, but also for his often antagonistic recording philosophies and opinions on the record industry, which were always well thought-out and no less influential than his production work. In fact, I clearly remember discussing the article Steve wrote for MaximumRockNRoll with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day while we were co-producing the aforementioned Riverdales album.
“Steve, your legacy transcends mere recordings; it is a testament to the transformative power of art, the enduring spirit of punk, and the profound impact of a career conducted with unyielding integrity. Rest in power, old friend, as your spirit echoes through the halls of punk rock immortality.”
Then there’s this …
Jay McDowell, a West Lafayette High School grad, taught guitar at McGuire Music and was part of the Purdue scene in the era of parking lot shows behind Von’s and house parties where high rises stand now a few blocks from campus. (I still play a Shindigs tape they sold after shows at the long-gone Locomotive’s.) McDowell left for Nashville in the early-’90s, eventually settling in on standup bass with BR5-49, a country phenomenon that went from playing for tips in raucous shows at Robert’s Western World to touring as a major label act. McDowell told this story from those BR5-49 days.
“Steve Albini looked at things differently than other people.
“We loaded our gear into Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. It was cold and rainy. We had just spent two weeks in Nashville recording our second full-length album. We had gotten some airplay on our first couple of singles on mainstream country radio as well as some exposure on some alternative rock stations. Arista Records wanted us to re-record some of our songs to service them to those alternative stations. It was arranged for us to work with Steve Albini at his studio. He had produced Nirvana, PJ Harvey, The Breeders, and The Pixies.
“A couple of the engineers greeted us, showing us where to unload our stuff and unpack. Steve Albini walked into the studio. He was polite but reserved. We started to set up our instruments, and after shaking our hands and welcoming us, he talked with us only from the control room. It was all business. We ripped into ‘7 Nights To Rock,’ and I could see Steve's face through the window. He started to lighten up. His demeanor loosened up quite a bit in the next couple of hours. We took a break and sat around the kitchen.
“Steve then shared the truth with us, ‘I didn't want to like you guys. I took this job purely for the money. It makes me feel like a whore.’
“I remember hearing him say that and thinking, ‘Well, this was clearly a mistake.’
“But, as the nights went on, we were able to change his mind. We could dish his cynical thinking right back at him, and he respected that. It was a great match. We were all really happy with the results. It was the only time that the band ever recorded late into the night. All of our other albums were recorded during daylight hours. I always felt that we played differently at night. It was more what our shows were like. These recordings were only ever offered as a promo item. I wish we could have done more with Steve Albini.
“He kept saying, ‘I want to be invisible. I don't want to change anything about you guys. I want to capture exactly what you guys do live and let that be what gets on tape.’
“It was so refreshing to be in a studio and not be concerned about what was currently on country radio. Instead, he wanted to allow the listener to pick up on what worked when we got together in a room and made music. Those recordings came out as the “Bonus Beats EP.” My favorite memory about Steve is his twisted sense of humor. He came across as very reserved and quiet, and then – out of nowhere – he could cut through it all with an incredibly dark, mean-spirited jab that would get the whole room laughing.
“Someone said something to me once about the Albini recordings sounding too over-produced. It was his opinion, and I COMPLETELY disagreed. In my mind, there was next to no production on those recordings. Steve wanted us to sound as natural and as close as possible to how we sounded on stage every night. He went out of his way to be invisible on those recordings. I didn't even try to argue with the guy because it was his opinion, and maybe he just felt like because Albini gets so much hype as a producer, he must over-produce the music. Whatever. I love those recordings. It makes me think how cool it would be to record the same song with five different well-known producers and compare them. Jeff Lynne, T-Bone Burnett, Steve Albini, Dave Cobb, Jimmy Page …”
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Thanks again to this edition’s sponsor, the Lafayette Chamber Singers, which will present its final concert 3 p.m. Sunday, May 12, after 50 years in the community. The free concert, with donations accepted at the door for Lafayette Urban Ministry programs, will be at Unitarian Universalist Church, 333 Meridian St. in West Lafayette. For more details, here’s your link.
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