Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: The Smithereens’ “Behind the Wall of Sleep”
The Smithereens Get Bumped to Record Plant Studio C and Make a Classic
Classic-Tracks
Classic-Tracks
“Car Wheels on a Gravel Road”
Lucinda Williams’ Breakthrough, Grammy-Winning Masterpiece
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: “Tainted Love”
Soft Cell’s Synth-Pop Dance Hit and the Emergence of Sampled Sounds
Recording
Classic Tracks: “Total Eclipse of the Heart”
Behind the Scenes of Bonnie Tyler’s Classic Earworm
Recording
Classic Tracks: ‘Ships in the Night’ by Be-Bop Deluxe
By 1975, British rockers Be-Bop Deluxe had recorded and released two albums on EMI’s Harvest label without much notice in the States. The first,...
Profiles
Classic Tracks: The Moody Blues’ “Nights in White Satin”
In 1966, pop music was changing drastically, and so were The Moody Blues.
Recording
Classic Track: Blondie, “Denis”
Blondie included “Denis” on the album "Plastic Letters," the second LP the band made in Plaza Sound, New York City, with Richard Gottehrer and...
Recording
Classic Track: The Cowsills, “Hair”
By Matt Hurwitz. Carl Reiner was pulling together a television special called "Wonderful World of Pizazz," which celebrated the hippie styling of the day,...
Recording
Classic Track: Semisonic ‘Closing Time’
If it had not been for producer Steve Lillywhite, Semisonic’s "Feeling Strangely Fine" and its hit single “Closing Time” would never have seen the...
Recording
Classic Tracks: “I’ll Be You,” The Replacements
“I’ll Be You,” became The Replacements’ biggest hit.
Recording
Classic Tracks: “Guitar Town” by Steve Earle
In this month’s Classic Tracks we take a look at sessions for the entire album, which included not only the Top 10 title track,...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Supertramp’s “Give a Little Bit”
By Matt Hurwitz. Though he no longer recalls precisely where or when “Give a Little Bit” was written, Hodgson explains, “I’ve always known that...
Recording
Classic Track: ‘Master of Puppets,’ Metallica
By Sarah Jones. "Master of Puppets," Metallica’s third album, was released in March 1986 as the band’s major-label debut. Five years into their careers,...
Recording
Classic Tracks: A Tribe Called Quest, “Can I Kick It?”
You know it the moment it starts: that unmistakable bassline, Lou Reed’s“Walk on the Wild Side” recast as the slinky pulse of a head-bobbing...
Recording
Classic Tracks: The Dead Milkmen, “Punk Rock Girl”
The story behind this month’s Classic Track, “Punk Rock Girl,” is a tale of two musical cities: Locales in the Dead Milkmen’s hometown of...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Katrina & The Waves, “Walking On Sunshine”
A song is in select company when listeners know it from the drum intro. Hits such as “Superstition,” “Get Off of My Cloud” and...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Cheap Trick At Budokan
In August 1977, Cheap Trick had the lead review in Rolling Stone magazine—the same issue marking Elvis’s death—for their new album, In Color. Though a...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Dolly Parton, “Here You Come Again”
Armin Steiner can’t say enough good things about Dolly Parton.He had never worked with her before she came to L.A. to record this month’s...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Camper Van Beethoven “Pictures of Matchstick Men”
Camper Van Beethoven formed in the founding members’ hometown of Redlands, Calif., but it was in their college days, at the University of California...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Aerosmith “Walk This Way”
It’s a good thing Aerosmith needed a break one day while recording a track at Record Plant New York for their most successful album,...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Mr. Mister’s “Kyrie”
A quintessential representation of its time is Mr. Mister’s synthesizer- propelled “Kyrie” which hit Number One on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in March of...
Recording
Classic Tracks: Jennifer Warnes’ “Right Time Of The Night”
“Right Time of the Night,” released in 1976, was all about firsts. It was the first hit by songwriter Peter McCann. It was artist...
Recording
Classic Tracks: “How Sweet It Is (to Be Loved by You)”
Recording JT's version of the Motown hit
Recording
Classic Track: “Best of My Love,” The Emotions
If The Emotions’ hit single “Best of My Love” sounds like a female version of Earth, Wind & Fire, that’s because it almost is....
Recording
Classic Track: “An American Dream,” The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Four studios from all around the country, an initial duet refusal, and the ultimate singing partner were all part of the “An American Dream”...
Recording
Classic Tracks: “All By Myself,” Eric Carmen
In late 1974, Raspberries were still in full gear as one of power pop’s biggest bands. But the Cleveland-based group’s front man, Eric Carmen,...
Recording
Classic Track: “Trail of Broken Hearts,” k.d. lang
Greg Penny and k.d. lang originally bonded over an Indian lunch. Producer/engineer Penny and his engineering colleague Joe Seta had signed on for some...
Recording
Classic Track: ‘Fast Car,’ Tracy Chapman
When stars align and the right producer hears an artist, gets excited and shares a vision—even helps shape that vision—magic is often the result....
Recording
Classic Track: “Open Arms,” Journey
VH-1 named it the greatest power ballad of all time, and even though it only went to Number 2 on the Billboard charts in...
Recording
Classic Tracks: “Roll With the Changes,” REO Speedwagon
In 1977, REO Speedwagon was on the verge. That Midwestern hair and guitar band—having survived several lineup changes since forming at the University of...
Recording
Classic Track: “Honky Cat,” Elton John
How do you choose a classic track out of Elton John’s vast collection of greatness? You gotta go for the unexpected, I guess, and...
Recording
Classic Track: “Veronica,” Elvis Costello
In his recent memoir, Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink, Elvis Costello writes—among many other things—about the impact that The Beatles had on his musical...
Recording
Classic Track: “Rise,” Herb Alpert
Readers may recall that 1978 was the height of the Platinum-selling, Saturday Night Fever-fueled, aesthetically divisive disco craze. While rock and punk artists turned...
Recording
Classic Track: “Those Were the Days,” Mary Hopkin
Who could possibly predict that a five-minute recording of a Russian romance song composed in the early 1900s with English lyrics written in the...
Recording
Classic Track: “Ride Like the Wind,”Christopher Cross
“Ride Like the Wind,” and Christopher Cross’s Grammy history-making debut album, might not have happened if Cross hadn’t discovered in time that Michael Omartian...
Recording
Classic Track: ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’
Glen Campbell’s Number One Hit, 40 Years Ago This Month