Social Question
What recordings have been ruined by bad production?
I have always been obsessed with music production – so much so that there have been albums (CDs) that I just couldn’t enjoy because of the mix. For example, my absolute favorite album of all time is the Pixies’ Surfer Rosa (1988). The mix is so drum-heavy, with paper-thin acoustic guitar, along with painfully-loud lead from Santiago, that it just screams perfection. I was 16 when this album was released. When I heard it, it is not hyperbole to say that I was breathless.
Then, in 1989, I waited for their next release, only to be served up with Doolittle. Of course, Doolittle is what exposed the Pixies to a wider audience, and there are people who swear this is their best stuff. I just can’t get over how limp the whole thing sounds. I can’t help but wonder what it would sound like with Albini’s production and sound that he created on Surfer Rosa. I was close to tears (the sad kind) when I first heard Doolittle (the day it came out). I still taste sad when I hear the production on this cd.
I am alone here? Are there recordings where you just can’t get over the production quality? If so, what are they?