Producers, Recording Engineers and Studio Wizards: POLL RESULTS

7. Conny Plank (306 points, 13 votes, 1 #1 vote)
http://www.billycurrie.com/images/gallery/web_sized/conny_plank4.jpg
Credits: Cluster, Kraftwerk, Neu!, Ash Ra Tempel, Guru Guru, La Dusseldorf, Brian Eno, Moebius, Roedelius, Ultravox, Eurythmics

lookit the jorts on this guy

I'll guess perry-martin-eno top 3

Richard Perry?

anyway Plank, what can you say about this guy - a master of slapback echo and tape delay

Really really pleased to see Conny Plank in the Top 10. His work on the three albums he did with Ultravox alone still sounds fresh, and that was pretty late career for him wasn't it?

satin track shorts ≠ jorts

oh wow you're right

still... lookit the satin track shorts on this guy!

6. RZA (348 points, 14 votes, 1 #1 vote)
http://www.xxlmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/rza-piano.jpg
Credits: Wu-Tang

wu-tang + kudos for the Ghost Dog & Kill Bill scoring etc. (both brilliant imo)

nice dn btw

5. Lee "Scratch" Perry aka the Super Ape aka Pipecock Jackson aka the Upsetter (255 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 votes)
http://www.ukfestivalguides.com/App_themes/Main/News_Images/leeperry.jpg
Credits: Solo, the Upsetters, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Junior Murvin, the Congos, Jah Lion, Susan Cadogan, Prince Jazzbo, Max Romeo, Junior Byles, many more

Let's all get stoked! Grab a beer, it the Final Four!

Well final three anyway - I think we all know who's going to be #1 by now.....

1. Ark Music Factory (536 points, 18 votes, 4 #1 votes)

Credits: Rebecca Black, anybody else whose mother can afford them

4. George Martin (455 points, 16 votes, 2 #1 votes)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/images/episode/b00mkgzx_640_360.jpg
Credits: The Beatles, America, Jeff Beck, Gerry & the Pacemakers

so young and dashing

Only #4, eh? I predict that Nigel Godrich is one of the top three, then.

Perry had 355 points, not 255 btw

still, a 100 point jump between him and George Martin

3. Timbaland (493 points, 19 votes, 3 #1 votes)
http://www.fuse.tv/media/music/polls/timbaland-517x386.jpg
Credits: Solo and w/Magoo, Jodeci, Sista, Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Nas, Da Brat, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Bubba Sparxxx, Mack 10, Ruff Ryders, Ms. Jade, Justin Timberlake, Brandy, Cee-Lo Green, LL Cool J, many more

this poll rules

conny plank is smokin in that pic btw

nice dn btw

:D

conny plank is smokin in that pic btw

he appears to be taking a hit from an invisible bong

okay so everyone knows what the last two are rite

2. Brian Eno (562 points, 20 votes, 3 #1 votes)
http://kobason.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/brian-eno.jpg
Credits: Solo, John Cale, Talking Heads, Devo, Ultravox, U2, Jane Siberry, James, Coldplay

have to say I was a bit disappointed in this - don't get me wrong, he's great and a massive figure in the biz obviously but my favorite things he was involved with tend to be things he did not actually produce (Roxy Music, Bowie Berlin trilogy) and his best production work imho is actually Remain in Light. Most everything post mid-80s has been garbage tho. and I hate U2. so there.

honestly at a loss as to who #1 is. If it is Godrich, that is way too high imo

the #1 entry was number one as soon as the second ballot came in, and never moved from the top spot

It's Phil.

LOL at Eno being higher than Conny Plank... and Visconti!

xpost: Yeah, I like Godrich's productions, but I don't think he deserves to be #1 at all.

drumrolllllllllllll

> Most everything post mid-80s has been garbage

Ah c'mon, the Windows 95 booting-up music is awesome

1. Phil Spector (664 points, 26 votes, 1 #1 vote)
http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf1goiHZyt1qah2gqo1_r1_500.jpg
Credits: The Ronettes, the Crystals, Darlene Love, The Treasures, The Righteous Brothers, Bob B. Sox & the Blue Jeans, The Modern Folk Quartet, Ike & Tina Turner, The Beatles, John Lennon/Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Dion, Leonard Cohen, the Ramones, Starsailor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0upHlWfQ4

It's Phil.

oh yeah, duh

Ah, but of course!!

pretty much every ballot that was not all hip-hop (or from Tuomas) included Spector somewhere in the rankings, which put him way over the top.

best man won imho. I said this on some other thread, but unlike a lot (all?) of the other douchebags on here, Phil never made a bad-sounding record. the worst thing with his name on it is Lennon/Ono's Sometime in NY City, and even there his sound and his style are the best things about it and the only thing that make it worth listening to.

recap:
50. Mutt Lange (82 points, 3 votes)
49. DJ Quik (83 points, 3 votes, 1 #1 vote)
48. Carl Craig (85 points, 3 votes, 1 #1 vote)
47. Prince Paul (86 points, 4 votes)
46. Glyn Johns (87 points, 3 votes, 1 #1 vote)
45. The Dust Brothers (88 points, 5 votes)
44. Swizz Beats (89 points, 5 votes)
43. David Briggs (91 points, 4 votes, 1 #1 vote)
42. TIE Xenomania (94 points, 4 votes) AND Gary Katz (94 points, 4 votes)
41. TIE Jimmy Miller (95 points, 4 votes, 1 #1 vote) AND Norman Whitfield (95 points, 5 votes)
40. Marley Marl (96 points, 5 votes)
39. Joe Boyd (98 points, 4 votes)
38. Todd Rundgren (101 points, 5 votes)
37. Geoff Emerick (109 points, 4 votes, 1 #1 vote)
36. John Leckie (110 points, 6 votes)
35. Prince (115 points, 5 votes)
34. Chris Thomas (117 points, 7 votes)
33. Pete Rock (118 points, 5 votes)
32. Les Paul (122 points, 4 votes, 2 #1 votes)
31. Tom Wilson (124 points, 6 votes)
30. Thom Bell (131 points, 5 votes)
29. Martin Rushent (134 points, 7 votes)
28. George Clinton (136 points, 4 votes, 1 #1 vote)
27. Jimmy Page (139 points, 5 votes, 1 #1 vote)
26. Willie Mitchell (140 points, 6 votes)
25. Tom Dowd (141 points, 6 votes)
24. Holland/Dozier/Holland (165 points, 7 votes)
23. Rick Rubin (168 points, 9 votes)
22. The Neptunes (172 points, 7 votes)
21. Rudy Van Gelder (176 points, 6 votes, 1 #1 vote)
20. Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (180 points, 7 votes, 1 #1 vote)
19. Teo Macero (207 points, 9 votes)
18. Trevor Horn (226 points, 9 votes)
17. King Tubby (239 points, 9 votes,3 #1 votes)
16. TIE DJ Premier (242 points, 9 votes, 2 #1 votes) AND Tony Visconti (242 points, 10 votes)
15. Joe Meek (245 points, 10 votes, 1 #1 vote)
14. Martin Hannett (246 points, 10 votes)
13. Steve Albini (247 points, 12 votes)
12. Brian Wilson (248 points, 11 votes, 1 #1 vote)
11. Dr. Dre (254 points, 11 votes, 1 #1 vote)
10. Chic Organisation (275 points, 9 votes, 2 #1 votes)
9. Giorgio Moroder (278 points, 13 votes)
8. The Bomb Squad (287 points, 13 votes, 1 #1 vote)
7. Conny Plank (306 points, 13 votes, 1 #1 vote)
6. RZA (348 points, 14 votes, 1 #1 vote)
5. Lee "Scratch" Perry aka the Super Ape aka Pipecock Jackson aka the Upsetter (355 points, 15 votes, 1 #1 votes)
4. George Martin (455 votes, 16 points, 2 #1 votes)
3. Timbaland (493 points, 19 votes, 3 #1 votes)
2. Brian Eno (562 points, 20 votes, 3 #1 votes)
1. Phil Spector (664 points, 26 votes, 1 #1 vote)

take comfort Turrican, only two people voted for Nigel Godrich btw, and he was low in their rankings

oh thank god

It would have been dishonest of me to leave Spector off my ballot entirely -- though I thought about it -- but I wish he hadn't won.

I'm really really gutted Terry Brown didn't get more love.

xp Tubby was my #1 too. Kinda wish he'd beaten Perry but they're both amazing.

Thanks Shakey and everyone else. This poll was great. I'm checking out like half the names here.

(Though I wish Villalobos had made it.)

Hey, thanks Shakey for an excellent poll idea and great results! I had Plank as my #1. Love how the guy could handle spare or chromed or bouncy or bliss or blistering with equal aplomb.

Thanks for a fun poll, Shakey. Had a higher number of "no way, TOO LOW" moments than usual. Here's my ballot --

1. Lee Perry
2. Brian Eno
3. Teo Macero
4. Tom Dowd
5. Rudy Van Gelder
6. Les Paul
7. Geoff Emerick
8. Frank Zappa
9. David Axelrod
10. Gary Kellgren
11. Leslie Kong
12. Thom Bell
13. Phil Spector
14. The Bomb Squad
15. George Martin
16. Owen Bradley
17. Steve Albini
18. Brian Wilson
19. Chris Thomas
20. Conny Plank

Great poll, Shakey.

My ballot:

1. Glyn Johns
2. The Bomb Squad
3. Teo Macero
4. Phil Spector
5. Lee "Scratch" Perry
6. Prince Paul
7. Rudy Van Gelder
8. Holland/Dozier/Holland
9. Geoff Emerick
10. Norman Whitfield
11. Tom Wilson
12. Jimmy Page
13. King Tubby
14. Jimmy Miller
15. Chris Thomas
16. Isaac Hayes/David Porter
17. Shel Talmy
18. Steve Albini
19. George Martin
20. Giovanni Bonadrini

The only ones of mine that I'm bummed missed the top 50 are Hayes/Porter.

I can't talk too much b/c I did mot vote in this, but kinda bummed that Alan Moulder didn't make the cut

>

unlike a lot (all?) of the other douchebags on here, Phil never made a bad-sounding record

Paul McC would beg to differ, but I'll defend even his still-controversal alterations to Let It Be. Your comment upthread that "Rudy Van Gelder's style of production was relatively unobtrusive - the idea was just to capture the live performance as well as possible, so it becomes all about clarity: mic placement, room dynamics, etc." made me immediately think of Phil Spector. That was how everyone used to make records. Phil Spector changed that, and destroyed the notion that a studio was only for getting a clean recording of a live performance onto tape. Instead, he ushered in the idea of records as a separate artform from live performance. Suddenly, any sounds you could create, by any means, were encouraged, even if they required added effects that couldn't be replicated live. Added reverberation, double-tracked vocals, slowing or speeding up the tape, or layering all manner of instruments were often considered fakery before Spector arrived on the scene, but he turned them into a part of the producer's art.

George Martin, Brian Wilson, and the wizards at Motown quickly picked up on his ideas and built upon them. Most of us know the story of how the Beatles were turned down by Decca after they were auditioned in 1962, but doesn't it seem quaint in 2011 that a record company would decide who to sign based only on how they sound live? It is unimaginable today that most popular music acts would be able to play something live that sounds just like a modern pop record. But it was equally unimaginable even in 1966 that a live rock band would be able to recreate the sounds on their records, at least if those records were Revolver or Pet Sounds. But just four years earlier, bands weren't allowed that freedom, which is why Decca thought the best way to determine what Beatles records might sound like was to hear them play live, which unfortunately for Decca meant what they heard on that fateful day wouldn't be able to sound anywhere near as good as most of the Beatles records we know and love.

The sea change in attitude occurred during that very short timeframe, because Phil Spector showed with his "wall of sound" records what was possible when the studio became an instrument, and opened the floodgates for bands and the their producers to explore that newfound creativity. Which makes him the most significant record producer ever. Not the best IMO (he was near the middle of my ballot), but still the most significant.

fun poll! will have to catch up on the rollout since i just showed up and saw the results, but here's my ballot:

Jimmy Page
Timbaland
Brian Eno
Prince
Willie Mitchell
DJ Premier
Gary Katz
Jam/Lewis
Trent Reznor
Dr. Luke
R. Kelly
DJ Quik
Don Fleming
Eddie Kramer
Mitchell Froom
Mannie Fresh
Nile Rodgers/Bernard Edwards
Jon Brion
Steve Albini
Andy Johns

My admittedly rockist ballot:

1 Brian Wilson
2. George Martin
3. Tom Dowd
4. Joe Boyd
5. Andy Wallace
6. Terry Melcher
7. Eddie Kramer
8. Glyn Johns
9. Andy Johns
10. Smokey Robinson
11. Rick Jarrard
12. Phil Spector
13. Tom Wilson
14. Les Paul
15. Smokey Robinson
16. Shel Talmy
17. Todd Rundgren
18. David Briggs
19. Norman Smith
20. Norman Whitfield

My most difficult pick was Terry Melcher, who I placed high largely on the strength of his production on the seminal early Byrds records, whose chimelike sound reverberates through folk-rock, power-pop, and alt-rock to this day. But many of his later productions (including a late-period Byrds album) totally sucked.

Still kicking myself for not placing a vote for Erik Jacobsen or Elliot Mazer, both of whom remain criminally underappreciated.