Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: USA For Africa’s “We Are the World”
Recording engineer Humberto Gatica shares why "We Are The World" was the most significant, precious and satisfying job in his storied career.
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Classic Tracks: The Eagles’ “Hotel California”
Producer/engineer Bill Szymczyk looks back at capturing the Eagles' evergreen, number-one single, "Hotel California."
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Classic Tracks: Paul Davis’ “I Go Crazy”
When Paul Davis played engineer Ed Seay his new song, neither could have known the track would eventually run 40 weeks in the Billboard...
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Classic Tracks: The Tubes’ “White Punks On Dope”
The studio version of The Tubes’ anthemic, zany, crowd favorite was also Al Kooper's "greatest engineering feat"—and it features one of The Eagles on...
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Classic Tracks: Iris DeMent’s “Let the Mystery Be”
Producer Jim Rooney shares how Iris DeMent nearly left 'Let The Mystery Be' off her debut, 'Infamous Angel.'
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Classic Tracks: Digital Underground’s “The Humpty Dance”
A Friday night house session and an unforgettable bass line led to hip-hop’s most joyfully irresistible hit.
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Classic Tracks: David Bowie’s “Heroes”
Tony Visconti pulls back the veil to reveal how David Bowie's seminal "Heroes" was created in the shadow of the Berlin Wall.
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Classic Tracks: The Cyrkle’s “Red Rubber Ball”
An U.S. folk trio managed by Brian Epstein and named by John Lennon, The Cyrkle had a hit on its hands with "Red Rubber...
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Classic Tracks: Randy Newman’s “Sail Away”
Randy Newman's "Sail Away" is a classic that probably couldn't get airplay today.
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Classic Tracks: Soft Cell’s “Tainted Love”
When Mike Thorne first heard Soft Cell’s version of the song “Tainted Love” on a demo, it was missing the crucial "bink bink."
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Classic Tracks: Prince’s “Kiss”
Charged with turning a half-written Prince demo into a full-fledged track, David Z went to sleep one night and woke up to find Prince...
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Classic Tracks: Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”
A stinging critique of the 1980s even as they happened, Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" had a lengthy genesis, as related here by engineer...
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Classic Track: The Chambers Brothers, “Time Has Come Today”
Not too many people these days know about the Chamber Brothers, but when their first Columbia album, The Time Has Come, was released in...
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Classic Tracks: Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl”
Whether you label it power-pop, rock or AOR, Rick Springfield's "Jessie's Girl" is a classic mix of a memorable hook, taut storytelling and producer...
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Classic Tracks: Genesis’ “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway”
It's not surprising that decades down the line many people don't realize that Peter Gabriel was once a driving member of Genesis—an effort that...
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Classic Tracks: The O’Jays’ “For the Love of Money”
"For the Love of Money" had interesting audio trickery in it, most famously the ghostly refrain of "Money, money, money" blowing through the song...
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Classic Tracks: Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do”
Neil Sedaka shares how he made a smash out of four tracks and a vocal he taught the background singers while driving them to...
Music Production
Classic Tracks: Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons’ “Rag Doll”
The song, inspired by a experience during an excruciatingly long traffic light at New York City's Eleventh Avenue, became a crucial hit for The...
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Classic Tracks: Jennifer Warnes’ “First We Take Manhattan”
Jennifer Warnes, bassist Roscoe Beck and engineer Billy Youdelman share how the unlikely Leonard Cohen cover—and the album around it—came to be a hit.
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Classic Tracks: Charlie Rich’s “Behind Closed Doors”
“To me, those Charlie Rich sessions were so special,” recalls engineer Lou Bradley.
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Classic Tracks: The Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'”
“You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'” was one of the most perfectly realized examples of the “Wall of Sound” technique that Phil Spector refined.
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Classic Tracks: Fine Young Cannibals’ “She Drives Me Crazy”
The sublime studio concoction of "She Drives Me Crazy" involved a trip to Minneapolis, that signature falsetto and an unmistakable snare hit known to...
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Classic Tracks: Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”
Whitney Houston’s First Platinum Single, Produced by Narada Michael Walden
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Classic Tracks: Carl Perkins’ “Blue Suede Shoes”
Honoring an undisputed classic and the Original Cat alike, herein lies the tale of how “Blue Suede Shoes” came to be.
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Classic Tracks: X’s “The New World”
"We were in a different city every night for six weeks, and we saw all of the United States." Then they wrote a record.
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Classic Tracks: Stan Ridgway’s “Goin’ Southbound”
Stan Ridgway’s Noir-Style, Lo-Fi, High-End Sound
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Classic Tracks: The Band’s “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”
Decades later, it's difficult to put into words just how bold and fresh and affecting those opening lines were in 1969.
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Classic Tracks: Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise”
The amazing story of how a Hollywood Hills house party turned a Stevie Wonder loop into one of hip hop’s biggest hits.
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Classic Tracks: Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf”
Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and legendary producer David Kershenbaum share how they hot-rodded "Hungry Like The Wolf"—and half the 'Rio' album—to appeal to American...
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Classic Tracks: Steve Earle’s “This City”
Steve Earle’s ode to the city of New Orleans had a surprising start, as engineer Jason Wormer shares.
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Classic Tracks: Al Stewart, “Year of the Cat”
Folk singer Al Stewart reinvented his sound when he met producer Alan Parsons, resulting in the classic "Year of the Cat."
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Classic Tracks: Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues”
“You know, Eddie, there’s never been a blues song written about the summertime. Let’s write a song called ‘Summertime Blues.’"
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Classic Tracks: Martina McBride’s “Independence Day”
How Martina McBride recorded her passionate, powerful, CMA-winning anthem.
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Classic Tracks: Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”
Blue Oyster Cult talks about recording "(Don't Fear) The Reaper," keeping the vibe of the original demo...and that SNL "More Cowbell" skit.
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Classic Tracks: Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters”
You know the movie and you know the classic track, but do you know how the song really came to be?
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Classic Tracks: Oingo Boingo’s “Just Another Day”
Oingo Boingo's new wave classic “Just Another Day” turns out to be more timeless than one might have imagined in 1985.
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Classic Tracks: Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer”
While it started as a songwriting exercise inspired by Alice Cooper, "Psycho Killer" became the New Wave standard-bearers' calling card.
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Classic Tracks: Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy”
Bow Wow Wow's cover of "I Want Candy" centers around the Burundi Beat and explosive bass, but the secret ingredient behind its guitar...
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Classic Tracks: The Edgar Winter Group’s “Frankenstein”
Edgar Winter bought a new ARP 2600 at Manny's Music in New York City so he could be more mobile onstage; what happened next...
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Classic Tracks: Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London”
When Warren Zevon emerged in the midst of L.A.'s vibrant singer/songwriter scene in the mid-'70s, he was like a breath of...well, strange air.
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Classic Tracks: Tower of Power’s “What Is Hip”
Tower of Power was a funky downtown combination of soul, jazz and rock powered by a virtuoso rhythm section, and "What Is Hip" was...
Classic-Tracks
Classic Tracks: Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen”
It’s a simple song with a simple message, but thanks to Travis’ pitch-perfect, unmistakable voice delivering the clever lyrics and easy melody, it was...