Author:Daniel Lanois
I bought this book second hand on a whim as Lanois had produced a few albums I really liked. Part way in I was ready to ditch it. He came across as a nerdy rebel, chronicling his life in a fairly perfunctory way. However, my opinion changed as I read on.
As you’d expect, there is a lot of techno talk about different types of gadgetry, the importance of the feel and establishing the groove ahead of everything else. Surprisingly, there is very little on the making of his own records or writing his own songs – you’d think The Maker at least would get a few paras. Personal life gets short shrift too. He acknowledges he is an eccentric, that like his father he is always moving on, and life with him can be difficult. But, when he suddenly shut down his massive New Orleans set up and sold all his motorbikes and moved to Mexico, he simply describes the motivation as “for personal reasons”. Personal reasons- this is an autobiography isn’t it? A motorbike accident that nearly killled him gets no mention. Partners, wives, children, if he has them, go unmentioned.
Some albums such as Emmylou’s classic Wrecking Ball get just a few pages, there’s a bit on The Neille Brothers’ Yellow Moon ,but not enough for my liking. Peter Gabriel comes across as undisciplined, as an artist, having only half-baked ideas when they come to record. Amusingly, Lanois recounts bolting a door shut to stop PG going outside for one of his many interrupting phone calls.As you’d expect there is a lot on working with U2 and his friend and mentor Brian Eno. He has a very high regard for The Edge noting approvingly of his forensic approach to note-taking on composition and arrangements.
A motivation on buying this book was his work with Dylan and I wasn’t disappointed. Oh Mercy is covered in some detail, creating the ambience, getting Dylan to play all his guitar acoustic (through a Fender clip on pickup) and electric through the same Fender concert amp. Interstingly, he agrees with Dylan’s account of the recoding sessions in Chronicles but makes no mention of his rage, including smashing a dobro, that Dylan err chronicles.
The Time Out Of mind sessions are covered in the most detail of the book. Dylan refers him to Charley Patton, Arthur Alexander etc. So he and one of his muso mates spend time playing along to these records then stripping the originals out of the mix toy listen to what they’ve got left. They then take them back to New Orleans as the basis for some grooves for the sessions. Dylan arrives down in New Orleans and according to DL things are going swimmingly, until Dylan says he wants to play with a band AND he wants to record in Miami. Dylan has said that with Lanois things end up sounding like Lanois records not the artist. I expect this is why he shook things up a bit. In the Emmylou chapter he notes he has decided the sound and the musos he wants to have on her record within 5 minutes of being in her house, so you can see him easily dominating proceedings. I didn’t realise he had Brian Blade AND Jim Keltner playing together on TOOM. In fact two-teaming drummers appears to be a stock in trade for DL. Nor did I realise Dylan went onto add verses and guitar licks etc after the recordings which had to be massaged, or that Make You Feel My Love was written in the studio.
There is also a nice chapter on recording Willie Nelson’s Teatro album.
There is a lot of technical talk and when he is talking equipment he names names ,though not all of the time… “got to keep some of my secrets” and there are some practical tips for recording sessions like having synched clocks visible to everyone so that, if anything is picked up, they have the exact common time reference.
Some things made me laugh. In a remote area he marvels at the clean sound sans any magnetic fields interfering…” “The Lawrence magnetic pick-up sounded great plugged into my tiny battery- Peavey street busker’s amp”.
The anecdote of he and Eno with mini disc recorders walking through a Moroccan souk for 20 minutes and then excitedly playing back their synced recordings to hear true depth of field. Nerd central.
This was a hard back, nice big print. Only one howler Jimmy Herndrix. Oh dear.
Length of Read:Short
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
People who like recording geekery such as @Twang and @FentonSteve and those particularly with an interest in the recording of the U2 and Dylan albums Lanois produced.
One thing you’ve learned
Lanois worked with Jimmy Cliff
Junior Wells says
Bump
Kaisfatdad says
I enjoyed your review Junior. He is a fascinating bloke who has done some great music. But it sounds as though he is a bit geeky and not particularly forthcoming.
A book about him might be more revealing.
Would definitely buy it though if I saw it in a chazza.
Junior Wells says
Thanks KFD.
Twang says
Sounds brilliant. I shall be looking for a copy.
SteveT says
Saw him in a live setting once – he had the personality of a cardboard box. I agree with the comment that all of the albums he has produced sound like Daniel Lanois albums. Love Wrecking Ball but would love to hear an alternative version to see if it is the songs or the production that make it Emmylou best albun.
Junior Wells says
Wonder d what he would be like live.
There are song lyrics interspersed and I have no idea what he connection is to the the text.
He is an obsessive person. He says that if he hears a bass line he likes he will immediately run out of the venue so his memory of the line is uncluttered as he tries to memorise it.
With his anger , his obsessions , his bad boy street racing on bikes you’d think there are a few issues there.
Kaisfatdad says
One reason that Wrecking ball was such a fine album, (as were the live shows when she toured it). was that Spyboy were an excellent band and gave a slightly rockier, more urban edge to the music.
Drummer Brady Blade (Brian Blade’s brother) has worked in a variety of genres, as has bassist Daryl Johnson, who has played with the Stones, Dylan and the Neville Brothers. Buddy Miller has a broad track record too.
dadwardo says
I’m with you, KFD, love the Spyboy live versions of the tunes (Buddy Miller on Red Dirt Girl especially) but Lanois’ own version of Where Will I Be has its own charm.
Johnny Concheroo says
Good review Junior. I’m a little ambivalent about Lanois. He’s clearly a great producer, but the Dylan story you mention, where DL loses his temper, smashes a guitar and yells at an minion made him seem like a petulant wanker (even Bob admits he was embarrassed by the outburst). The U2 connection doesn’t help much either (except to prove it is possible to polish a turd).
Junior Wells says
I’ve relistened to his records and save for Acadie they seem more like background music ( which he rails against ironically ) rather than songs. Noodling, mellifluous noodling admittedly, but noodling nonetheless.
Still, he is great at setting up great environments conducive to the feel he is after and obviously knows the old and new equipment to achieve what he wants too.
He talks s lot about summary amplifiers, if memory serves, whereby all the inputs are mixed automatically according to the characteristics of that box. With Dylan he and Bob plugged into the same box a few times. He believes leaving all the mixing til the end. Am be a mistake and sometimes it is better to lock in a mix as you go. @Twang might be interested in this.
Johnny Concheroo says
That’s the thing, isn’t it? He has a signature sound. All well and good, but who wants their Dylan albums to sound like U2?
Blue Boy says
Except it can’t be completely coincidental that two of Dylan’s best three or four records since the 70s have been produced by Lanois.
Junior Wells says
True very true
Johnny Concheroo says
Some good songs on Time Out of Mind but almost every track sounds similar
Junior Wells says
Similarly good for mine.
Junior Wells says
Which is why most move on.