Behind The Boards II

The Making of Rock and Roll's Greatest Records Revealed

By Phil O'Keefe

Most people have little idea of what it's like to work in a major recording studio, much less what it is like to be present when a major hit record is being tracked and mixed. To be fair, a lot of the time even the musicians, engineers and producers involved don't know for certain that something is going to be a hit while they are working on it, although many of them have inklings and premonitions at the time, and the desire is always present to create a hit. Fans, musicians, and recording neophytes have a great deal of interest in what goes on behind those "closed session" studio doors; many people would love to get a glimpse at the production process that goes into the creation of their favorite music.

In his earlier book Behind The Boards, award-winning author Jake Brown delivered exactly that by offering up one of the first books that opened the doors and revealed what happens inside the studio as musical magic is being made. Told mainly from the perspective of the producers who worked on the various recordings that are covered in the book, its follow-up, entitled Behind The Boards II, has recently been released by Hal Leonard Books.

What You Need To Know

• Behind The Boards II is a paperback book that follows the same basic approach as its predecessor. It includes information about record producers, numerous hit recordings and famous albums of the rock era that were not covered in the original book.

• Smoothly switching between interview and narrative, Jake Brown tells us not only about the history and context in which the records were made, but artfully weaves in illuminating insider information from the actual people who were there and actively involved in the creation of some of the most cherished recordings of the Rock era.

• Numerous details of interest to recording engineers are revealed, including what models of microphones were used on various instruments and tracks, information about effects processors and innovative and unusual studio techniques that were an integral and important part of the sound and success of those hit records.

• The personal and human interaction aspects of record production are also covered in depth, with revealing glimpses into the personalities, working relationships and creative approaches of the various artists and producers.

• A complete list of all recordings and artists covered in this book would be difficult to compile. The book approaches the subject of these hit records from a producer-centric perspective. The interviews contained within are with producers, and in the process of interviewing them and narrating their stories, Jake Brown has made sure that many of their most famous musical projects are discussed and examined.

• The book contains 16 chapters, and the names of the chapters - each of which includes the name of a producer - will give you a pretty good idea of some (but by no means all) of the records that are discussed in the course of the book. With that in mind, here's a listing of the chapters:

1.   The Long Run - Bill Szymczyk

2.   Rocket Man - Ken Scott

3.   In Step - Jim Gaines

4.   I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Narada Michael Walden

5.   Hysteria - Mike Shipley

6.   Rebel Yell - Keith Forsey

7.   Tuesday Night Music Club - Bill Bottrell

8.   Magic Man - Mike Flicker

9.   Eye Of The Tiger - Frankie Sullivan

10. Start Me Up - Chris Kimsey

11. Bloodletting - Chris Tsangarides

12. Times Like These - Nick Raskulinecz

13. Building The Perfect Beast - Danny Kortchmar

14. Bay 7 - Howard Benson

15. Don't Stand So Close To Me - Nigel Gray

16. Rock The Casbah - Joe Blaney

• Again, the chapter names only indicate part of each producer's body of work, and many other songs and albums are covered. For example, while Elton John's hit song "Rocket Man" is discussed in the course of the chapter on Ken Scott, there is also considerable coverage of his work with the Beatles, including such songs as I Am The Walrus and Helter Skelter.

• Likewise, while Bill Szymczyk may be best known for his work on Eagles albums such as Hotel California and One Of These Nights, he also worked on BB King's biggest hit, The Thrill Is Gone, as well as hit records for Elvin Bishop, Joe Walsh, Bob Seger, The Who, and Rick Derringer.

• Other producers that are not given their own chapters are also occasionally discussed in the book. Of course Ken Scott worked with Sir George Martin on Beatles records, and some of their interactions are discussed from Ken Scott's perspective. You'll also hear from Mike Shipley about working with Mutt Lange.

• It's very interesting to compare the various attitudes, styles and approaches of all the different producers in this book; Behind The Boards II also offers some examples of how record producers work with, influence, and interact with other producers.

• There are very few books that speak to the subject of making records from a producer's point of view, and Behind The Boards II, like its predecessor, offers a rare view into a world that most people will never experience first-hand, and insights into what it is that producers do - which is something that most people (and even many musicians) know little about. It provides the perspective of people who are intimately involved with the process of making records, but who work behind the scenes; relatively unknown to the public compared to the famous artists they collaborate with.

Limitations

• Behind The Boards II is completely devoid of illustration; if you're looking for behind-the-scenes studio photos, or illustrated examples of gear settings and microphone positioning, you're going to be disappointed. Still, there are plenty of descriptions of the techniques that were used on the recordings that this book covers, and engineers and aspiring engineers and producers will all no doubt glean useful insights from them.

• Behind The Boards II isn't a roadmap to duplicating any of the records it covers, but it does offer considerable insight into the mindset and working paradigms of several of history's must successful record producers, using the story of their hit records and their own recounting of their time "behind the board" as they helped craft those legendary and cherished works of art.

Conclusions

This book does a good job of revealing what it's like to work in the studio and what it is that producers actually do. It gives tantalizing behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of some of the most cherished records ever made from the perspective of the producers who worked on them, and in the process, helps to document their history and tell the stories behind those legendary recordings.

Behind The Boards II adroitly straddles the line between providing enough information to keep knowledgable musicians and aspiring producer/engineers keenly interested without going so far into the minutia of studio technology that casual fans become hopelessly confused and lose interest. Musicians and engineers may occasionally long for more in-depth information about this tiny detail or that, and illustrations would have made visualizing what is being discussed a bit easier for some readers, but there is still a wealth of information to be gained by reading this book; not only in terms of recording approaches and studio techniques, but in terms of attitude, musicality and a producer's artistic approach. If you love a wide variety of Rock music styles, are interested in the genre's biggest artists, and/or have an interest in recording and record production, Behind The Boards II should be at the top of your summer reading list. 

Resources

Hal Leonard's Behind The Boards II web page

$24.99 (US)


Inventory #HL 00120810


ISBN: 9781480350601


UPC: 884088918125


Width: 6.0"


Length: 9.0"


304 pages

Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.