I love the producer. The person behind the scenes, putting together the sound of a record and getting very little recognition, if any. I have alot, but I'll only list a few and hope to get a few responses and maybe learn of some new people. Also, I don't know enough about early 20th century field recorders and true innovators that were doing stuff when recorded sound first came about, so if anyone does, please educate us. My knowledge is basically 1950's and beyond. Martin Hannett - recording all of the Joy Division material would be enough for an automatic entry into some sort of hall of fame, but if you dig deeper into Factory catalog and find artists like the Happy Mondays (Bummed is a wall of sound classic), Crispy Ambulance, ACR, Durutti Column, etc, etc, you'll see that this man was in a class of his own. The way he got Joy Division's drums to sound is still used by folks today. Genius. Giorgio Moroder - His early disco records with Donna Summer are spectacular. I hate to go back to Factory again, but New Order would never have happened without them hearing his stuff. Phil Spector - his work has been discussed ad nauseum, so I won't bother. You know who he is and what he's done. I will say that George Harrison's All Things Must Pass is one of his best jobs. The Bomb Squad (Hank Shocklee) - Jesus, do you remember hearing "It Takes A Nation Of Millions..." for the first time?? It still freaks me out if I'm in the right mood. Ice Cube's "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" is an overlooked classic of theirs, as well. Never has chaos made people nod their heads in unison so well. Jack Dangers (Meat Beat Manifesto) - I think Storm the Studio is one of the best LP's of all time. The electronica society and white hip-hop in general owes this man a huge debt of gratitude. He went crate digging and found old rocksteady, soul and breaks records and went to town without paying attention to any rules whatsoever. Ended up creating absolute anarchy. Who else can layer a song in feedback and still make you dance?? Andrew Weatherall - Basically created Screamadelica by Primal Scream, which should need no introduction to the influence it has on modern music today. Still DJs and produces and is just as important as he's ever been. He is the man. Rick Rubin - I'm not a fan of his personality or media image or whatever, but he's done some of the most important records of all time. Reign In Blood. Enough said. Got Johnny Cash to record some of the best music of his career (arguable, I know) when most people would have humored and patronised him. I'm leaving out alot, so help me. Bill Price is springing to mind. Rudy Van Gelder...
a few of my favorites scott litt incubus - make yourself, morning view REM - document, green, out of time, monster indigo girls - indigo girls the db's the replacements - all shook down nirvana - unplugged as engineer on lone justice - shelter brendan o'brien pearl jam - vs. (also jeremy from 10) rage against the machine - battle of los angeles stone temple pilots - core, purple (also trippin on a hole...) train - drops of jupiter matthew sweet - 100% fun as engineer on red hot chili peppers - blood, sugar, sex, magic & black crowes - shake your moneymaker, southern harmony and musical companion & the jayhawks - hollywood town hall berry gordy too many to list - marvin gaye, the supremes, the temptations, smokey robinson and the miracles, jackson 5, junior walker, martha and the vandellas don gehman REM - life's rich pageant, dead letter office john cougar mellencamp - lonesome jubilee, american fool tracy chapman, give me one reason george drakoulias the jayhawks - hollywood town hall screaming trees - dust the cult - electric maria mckee - you gotta sin to be saved primal scream - give out but don't give up black crowes - shake your moneymaker, southern harmony and musical companion jimmy iovine lone justice - shelter tom petty - damn the torpedoes, southern accents u2 - rattle and hum dire straits - money for nothing also engineer on bruce springsteen - darkness on the edge of town & meatloaf - bat out of hell butch vig nirvana - nevermind garbage - garbage smashing pumpkins - siamese dream sonic youth - dirty helmet - betty L7 - bricks are heavy steve lillywhite dave mattthews band - under the table and dreaming,crash XTC - white music u2 - boy, october, war, acthung baby, all that you can't leave behind travis - good feeling also psychedelic furs, morissey, the pogues, steel pulse and big country rick rubin sheryl crow - the globe sessions beastie boys - licensed to ill (also sounds of science) audioslave - audioslave run DMC - raising hell, tougher than leather one to watch john alagia john mayer - room for squares jason mraz - waiting for my rocket to come dave matthews band - remember two things, listener supported red hot chili peppers - californication, by the way (also give it away)
Bruce Dickinson. He puts his pants on just like the rest of us - one leg at a time. Except, once his pants are on, he makes gold records.
Jimmy Miller - Produced Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main Street and Goats Head Soup for the Stones. Also worked with Motorhead, Johnny Thunders and Primal Scream.
I forgot some Jamaican figures like King Tubby (practically invented dub music and is considered almost more of a musical hero in Jamaica than Bob Marley) and Augustus Pablo (my personal favorite reggae producer, his melodica playing over his rhthyms are some of the most beautiful, serene sounds made by man).