Records that you would love, except for the production...

[daseb]

Normally production or a crappy recording doesn't matter that much for me. If the songs are there, then that's all that matters, who gives a crap. I mean like Born Against are like one of my favourite ever bands and their records sound like wet garbage.

BUT, as a bassplayer first and foremost and someone who cares way too much about gear, there's one thing that will often put me off a record:

NSFW: show

THESE FUCKING THINGS

Seriously, that bright, clicky active sound is like an icepick in my ear. Sometimes they can be used for good, not evil (first couple of Hot Water Music records, sounds kinda warm and nice, but holy shit on A Flight and a Crash when he switched to a G&L there it is, CLICK CLICK CLICK, damn near ruins that fucking record* for me too).

Isis. Love 'em. But jesus flipping shit that bass tone can fuck right off. Can you imagine how much cooler Isis would've been with Cult of Luna's thundering bass sound ripping shit apart? It might have even made In The Absence of Truth kind of listenable.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VMZsUWSZ3M[/youtube]

This record is a total dollar bin ripper and one that I foist on to all my friends who show the remotest interest in this kinda music. Absolutely underrated killer of an album. But fuck me that bass sound is so bright you need to wear sunglasses.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0CqvqKtw9k[/youtube]

Emo metal classic. Perhaps some of the finest unnecessary use of bass harmonics in the last 25 years. Here's a link to my kickstarter to go and re-record it with a precision bass and a rat pedal.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2gGwTjkcIs[/youtube]

Look I'll be honest I kinda have a love hate relationship with this band anyway. Lyrics can be cool, music can be interesting, fans are some of the biggest fucking fence sitting punishers I know and the idea of 'political pop punk' is still utterly fucking stupid for me. But with a better bass tone, could I tolerate it rather than immediately assuming it's music for people who say shit like 'I eat meat, but I support animal rights'? Who knows? Who the fuck cares because I try and listen and all I hear is the earth's resources being wasted via a battery plugged into an active pickup. NICE ONE GUYS.


So...what about you? Any records you think you'd like but for some instrument sound or recording thing that just makes you go UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH YOU STUPIDS?




* I haven't listened to it in ten years, it was cool when I was in my early 20s**.
** I have a hot water music tattoo lel.

[casecandy]

It's really too bad we can't be friends... we like a lot of the same music.

Hot Water Music and/or Chuck Ragan is amazing and the fact that you have a tattoo is awesome.

Uh... I actually am having a really hard time thinking of artists for this thread.

I will say that I favour rawer production over more polished sounds and just about any band's major label debut is gonna sound like shit to me.

In before "A lot of '80s bands"... TBH I learned to love '80s production. I love The Replacements peroduction even

[neonblack]

When I was into The Fall of Troy, I was really stoked about Manipulator having heard some of the songs live beforehand, but the production was just so...polished. It just seemed like everything was too safe and sterile, so even the most badass riffs on the album were limp.

Also his voice is awful and the production just highlights it.

Also in general I don't care for Matt Bayles' production.

[goroth]

Any of those super clean, super punchy, anonymous, Andy Sneap modern productions. He has single handed let ruined so many cool albums. Eg arch enemy's wages of sin, but really just anything he's done. Fucking Studio Fredman as well. Tue Madsen...
(I think I'm hating producers more than albums.... But they ruin everything they touch so )

Also, pretty much all tech death. Yes, screw you guys, I like some techy death. For example, the first Fleshgod Apocalypse album. The production ruins a great album. Unfortunately that album is there best produced one. Everything after that just got harder compressed/saturated/quantised.

[Blackened Soul]

Most Motorhead albums after AOS, all the old "cool" black metal ever recorded... Most Ministry records, Joy Division, Bloody Kisses and October Rust, all post 70's ZZtop except Rhythmeen and Recycler, CFH, Q: Are we not men?, Boris's Rainbow

[neonblack]

Viet Cong - Cassette

[snipelfritz]

Mehbeh Tool.

Probably a lot of 90's and beyond hard rock in general.

[Dungus]

There's lo-fi and then there's Times New Viking. A real good band who made unlistenable albums. Oops!
I think they toned it down on their last album, but I couldn't hear it because I no longer had functioning cochleas.

[goroth]

Most Motorhead albums after AOS, all the old "cool" black metal ever recorded... Most Ministry records, Joy Division, Bloody Kisses and October Rust, all post 70's ZZtop except Rhythmeen and Recycler, CFH, Q: Are we not men?, Boris's Rainbow

Love the production on Rhythmeen.

Song writing isn't bad either, but the production makes it that much better.

[DarkAxel]

Last two Neurosis albums
Seriously. The fact they changed their sound and went for a more "live in the room" vibe is awesome, but the sound they got definitely does not fit the band and the music for me. I miss the golden mid-Neurosis era type sound, so visceral and ugly... the last two seem incredibly sterile to me in some way but not necessarily in terms of texture but impact... hard to explain

Most of Glassjaw and Refused

Dase, you're definitely right about it in general, but I'd argue Isis' bass tone is not bad... it's unusual and in general pretty stupid, but I think it really serves the music and makes the band special there were some comments about their bad tone or whatever in the other thread - I don't really hear that at all. It works for Isis and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't need to be a good tone for everyone if it's good for the band it's used in
But I'm probably just more accepting of their bad sound aesthetic

[daseb]

oh yeah this is basically musical irrationalities part two. It's not that the sound of stingray basses is 'bad' per se, it's just when I hear them on a recording it throws me right out of it to the point where often it'll totally put me off.

[DarkAxel]

I know what you mean, but I have been pleasantly surprisd by Stingrays too. Just for the record I sort of hate active basses in general

but for example Salome by Marriages is a Stingray and it sounds incredible in my opinion (well Greg at least plays it live... but has a surprisingly notch sound)
(just found this live session and jesus, it's my favourite tracks from the record )
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBlp6v1oV5M[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGbcLzAQoQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbs574jZzd0[/youtube]

my love for this record is unnatural

oh another one came to mind since we'Re talking shit about Caxide's tone... Remember that Palms record? that was some utter shit production-wise.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k48nGiJuHao[/youtube]

sounds super mid-scooped and awfully trebly to me and I would love that because I love Chino and his vocals really fit this music I'd say

[casecandy]

Most of Glassjaw and Refused

Are we talking about before Worship & Tribute and Shape of Punk, or after?

I always thought of W&T as one of my favourite albums, production-wise. I can't find the anecdote, but I recall Rick Ross convincing them to ditch their Dual Rectifier in favour of a H&K TriAmp. All Justin's guitar sounds on the record are one amp, one guitar? This is what I was told, anyway.

[DarkAxel]

I'm talking everything I've heard aside from Coloring Book and Shape of Punk, respectively

[casecandy]

I'm talking everything I've heard aside from Coloring Book and Shape of Punk, respectively

Ooh, I do love Coloring Book. Early Refused all sucks IMO (not just the production).

You know what basses are underrated? Gibson Rippers.