Learning about production techniques back in the 60s really helped me understand what production is and how it is done. Music producers at this time were very much part of the songwriting process, deciding on instrumentation and song structure was a big part of their role. Performance, recording and listening were interchangeable and all equally important parts of the production process. Multi-track recording liberates the experience and brings more freedom.
After talking about the Beach Boys a lot in this class I ended up doing a deep dive on their history and watching the 2014 film Love & Mercy about Brian Wilson’s life. Seeing how Wilson, and other artists at this time, transformed the recording studio into a new creative space beyond just the performance, was really inspiring. I’m now incredibly impressed by the Pet Sounds album and have a whole new appreciation for what I (naively) dismissed as kitsch alt pop from ‘back in the day’…Quite embarrassed at this adolescent analysis I had determined but hey, it’s never to late to reconcile with a groundbreaking album 🙂
