Quote:
Originally Posted by gibsonchet
For me, if the songs are well composed and the lyrics are up to Dave's 90's standards, it doesn't matter who produces the album. We used to listen to tapes and low quality mp3s of the band from 93 onward and the sound was poor and the live effects were minimal...but the songs were fantastic. We would audibly sift through the noise to hear the music. That's what it's all about. You could throw Baston back in there and as long as the band had a clear vision and quality songs, it wouldn't matter what effects and loops he used...they would simply support the finished idea. That's where recent albums fall short:
Stand Up songs are poor lyrically and seem like ideas more than anything else. Given the lyrics and song structure as they were/are, even Lillywhite couldn't have done anything with them. It's really up to the band to complete an idea, work on the songs, and be more than somewhat prepared going into the studio. Let the producer put his/her touches, but the meat should be done ahead of time.
Styles change and ideas change - I get that...but quality of work should not be sacrificed despite experimentation. You want to experiment? Go play on the road or at your house. Experiment there...but then take time with these new ideas to add your craft and talent. It's a special thing.
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I agree with most of what you're saying. If the songs are of good quality then we'll all be happy regardless of production value. That said, both Batson and Cavallo DROVE the sound of those albums. Both producers created a song-writing environment that was not conducive to creativity. A lot of the songs from those albums (as you said) were based on small ideas, not overall depth and quality. That lazy songwriting style was encouraged by both producers. Couple that with Batson's misguided notion of adding a hip-hop flair to DMB or Cavallo's preference for electric over acoustic, and you get a lot of dissatisfied fans.
Obviously Stand Up was a disaster and although I did enjoy Big Whiskey a lot (before they beat it into the ground at shows), there's no denying that both producers influenced the songwriting process. Lillywhite brings out all of the best features of the band and usually pushes them to higher levels than other producers. It also goes without saying that he gets the most production value out of their songs. Even some standup songs would be pretty good with him producing (Hello Again, Stolen Away, AB Intro, etc.). I think that this album will be solid, but overall the producer does make a big impact.