The Producer as Composer: Shaping the Sounds of Popular Music
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Book Overview
The evolution of the record producer from technician to auteur, from Phil Spector and George Martin to the rise of hip-hop and remixing. In the 1960s, rock and pop music recording questioned the convention that recordings should recreate the illusion of a concert hall setting. The Wall of Sound that Phil Spector built behind various artists and the intricate eclecticism of George Martin's recordings of the Beatles did not resemble live performances - in the Albert Hall or elsewhere - but instead created a new sonic world. The role of the record producer, writes Virgil Moorefield in The Producer as Composer, was evolving from that of technician to auteur; band members became actors in what Frank Zappa called a movie for your ears. In rock and pop, in the absence of a notated score, the recorded version of a song - created by the producer in collaboration with the musicians - became the definitive version.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0262134578
ISBN13:9780262134576
Release Date:January 2005
Publisher:MIT Press (MA)
Length:143 Pages
Weight:0.60 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
Good Insights!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 14 years ago
Mr, (Dr.??) Moorefield has collected a lot of research and experience into the process of production. Aside from some editorial errors, it's a good, quick read that warrants re-reading.
Using this for my class
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
This book is a nice study on production. I especially appreciate the classic tracks-style breakdowns of historic song productions. I will look into using it for one of my future production classes.
excellent
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
I've been trying to find a book like this for quite a while. It's an excellent academic, yet accessible, study of modern producers - their techniques, technology, and personalities. I only wish it covered more people. ...though the producers that were chosen were excellent choices.
A Unique View of an Essential Creator in the world of Popular Music
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I love this book! It finally brings to light for the average popular music consumer as well as the scholarly directed the vital function that has made the producer the king of the studio. We members of the business side of popular music have recognized the financial rewards that come to producers from the likes of Phil Spector and Leiber and Stoler on to the producers of more current rap, hip hop and other genres including disco. But this book finally brings a search light of musicology to show the skills that warrant the status of producers as a vital contributor to the music scene. It is a worthy tribute to each of the many producers whose contributions are analyzed with skill by an author who combines his role as professor and working musician. Bill Krasilovsky ( co author of This Business of Music)
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