Ticket 2 Ride

Being a successful recording artist is a partnership between the artist(s) and the team on the other side of the glass in the control room. Some artists produce themselves, others choose or are given a producer. How the artist and producer work together helps determine the project’s success. Some of those partnerships are very successful, others fail.

Here are a few partnerships that were quite successful and resulted in some legendary results. Of course, this is by no means a complete list. Feel free to suggest others.

Elton John – Gus Dungeon – The classic years were Elton’s early years through the 1970s. Not too many missteps, mostly a stream of world-wide hits. Eventually, boredom and drugs would bring this relationship to an end, but it was incredible while it lasted.

The Rolling Stones – Jimmy Miller – Wanting a blusier, harder sound, the Stones turned to Miller, who had worked with Traffic and other bands. Starting with the single “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and continuing through Goat Head Soup, Miller was behind the console for arguably the Stones’ greatest period of work.

Genesis – David Hentschel – From A Trick of the Tail (1975) through Duke (1980), and the loss of Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett, Hentschel guided the band from progressive rock into shorter, more commercially successful songs, without completely changing their sound.

Yes – Eddie Offord. In the 1970s, Offord worked on eight albums for Yes. The band evolved and went through multiple lineup changes as it forge its signature progressive-rock sound and unusual song structure. Yes was a band that took a variety of song ideas and sculpted complete songs, incorporating bits and pieces, in the studio.

Yes – Trevor Horn – From the Buggles, Horn and Geoff Downes joined Yes in 1980 for the album, Drama. Horn would leave Yes, but return to produce two very successful albums including 90125. He returned again in the 2010s to produce Fly From Here. Horn gave Yes a contemporary sound when they needed it and provided material that kept Yes in the game when they were struggling for direction.

Eagles – Bill Szymczyk – Original producer Glyn Johns lasted into the sessions for album number three until it was clear that a change was needed. Henley and Frey were cooling to the country-rock sound and wanted to go in a harder direction. Szymczyk was Joe Walsh’s producer, so the Eagles made the switch; Walsh would board the Eagles a bit later.

Alice Cooper – Bob Ezrin – Beginning with the Alice Cooper Group’s third album, Love it to Death, and continuing with Cooper after he went solo in 1975, Ezrin helped with School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies, and then Welcome to My Nightmare and two other successful albums. Ezrin struck the right balance between hard rock and commercial sensibilities.

Chicago – James William Guercio – From the debut, through Chicago XI, Guercio served as Chicago’s manager and producer. After the death of guitarist Terry Kath, Chicago broke with Guercio. Chicago enjoyed tremendous success during the Guercio years, until their relationship came to an acrimonious end in 1978.

Steely Dan – Gary Katz – Until they took a hiatus in the 1980s, Katz was the steady hand for Steely Dan. As Becker and Fagen got more and more particular on their sound, with many musicians playing the same song in search of the right mix, Katz (with engineer Roger Nichols) helped them to find the magic.

Johnny Cash – Rick Rubin – Late in his career, Cash found himself without a record label. In 1994, Rubin signed Cash to his label and afforded Cash to release a series of critical acclaimed albums before his death.

Ringo Starr – Richard Perry Ringo’s third solo album, and his first rock and roll album, ended up being his most successful. Perry produced two albums for Ringo, with this one reaching number two on the Billboard Chart.

Tom Petty – James Iovine – Petty and Iovine hooked up on Petty’s third album, Damn the Torpedoes, Petty’s breakout album. Iovine worked on the next three Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers albums. Petty worked with many producers, as he kept evolving. Iovine became one of the hottest and wealthiest producers, label owners and headphone manufacturers.

Glen Campbell – Al De Lory – They started working together on Campbell’s fifth album (1967) and collaborated until 1972. This period included “Gentle On My Mind,” “Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Together, they developed the pop-country-adult contemporary genre that served Campbell so well.

Doobie Brothers – Ted Templeman – The band was fortunate to team up with Templeman from their debut through the 1983 live album, when they disbanded for a while. Templeman helped refine their raw sound through a decade of high charting albums and singles, and through a major sound shift.

Billy Joel – Phil Ramone – Starting with his fifth album, Ramone produced The Stranger through The Bridge, Joel’s hugely successful period. Joel experimented with his style, providing successful each time, while digging deeper to record socially significant themes, to go along with pop radio hits.

Allman Brothers Band – Tom Dowd – The Brothers were supposed to work with Dowd on their first album, but it was recorded when he wasn’t available. He did produce the next three, which yielded several classic songs, and the band’s signature sound. Dowd returned in the 1990s when the band regrouped and returned to some solid studio and live recordings.

Aretha Franklin – Jerry Wexler – Aretha signed with Columbia Records as an 18 year old, but success eluded her, until she moved to Atlantic Records and paired with producer Wexler and engineer Tom Dowd. Wexler had her shift from jazz to R&B, and the rest is history.

Carole King – Lou Adler – King had been a songwriter with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin in the 1960s. Wanting to record her own songs, King was signed to Adler’s Ode Records. He produced her albums in the 1970s, including Tapestry, the most successful album of its time.

James Taylor – Peter Asher – Traveling to England to record for the Beatles’ Apple Records, Taylor released one exceptional album before returning to the States, where Asher (of Peter & Gordon fame), produced Taylor’s next group of albums that launched Taylor as one of the most influential singer-songwriters. Asher would also work with Linda Ronstadt on a series of platinum albums.

Linda Ronstadt – John Boylan – The person who looms the largest in Ronstadt’s life and career is Boylan, who served as producer of two early albums, her interim manager and onetime boyfriend. He helped her change labels and hire backing musicians that morphed into the Eagles. Boylan would continue to advise her through the years and assist in handling her affairs after her retirement.

Doors – Paul A. Rothchild – All of the Doors’ studio albums, except for L.A. Woman, were produced by Rothchild. He guided the Doors through blues, rock, pop and psychedelic rock. Rothchild produced other Laurel Canyon artists during the period. He produced Janis Joplin’s posthumous album, Pearl.

Seals & Croft – Louie Shelton – A popular session guitarist, Shelton had moved in production, and secured a deal for Seals and Croft at A&M Records. He produced all eight of the duo’s gold and platinum albums, including “Summer Breeze”, “Diamond Girl” “Year of Sunday”, “Sudan Village”, “Get Closer”, “Down Home”.

Simon & Garfunkel – Roy Halee – In 1965, Halee first started working with S&G as an engineer. He became their co-producer too, receiving four Grammy Awards for the music he helped them create, including with The Graduate, Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Halee would periodically work with both on their solo projects. Halee helped S&G to move from folk to pop, while expanding their audience without losing the intimacy of their ideas.

Michael Jackson – Quincy Jones – A match made in recording heaven. Jones had a long and successful career, and Jackson wanted to step outside of the Jackson group. Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad sold millions of albums and every major award, and represented the high point of Jackson’s recording career.

Christopher Cross – Michael Omartian – A session musician and staff producer, Omartian was selected to produce Christopher Cross’ debut album. A massive hit, Omartian won three Grammys for the album. He also produced the next three across albums, contributing greatly to the creation of the new genre, yacht rock.

Dionne Warwick – Burt Bacharach – Signed to Bacharach and Hal David’s label, Warwick worked exclusively with them through the 1960s, with hit after hit record. Bacharach produced the recordings. When that songwriting team broke up in the early 1970s, that largely ended the hits. You can’t think of the 1960s without humming a few of their hits.

AC/DC – Mutt Lange – Lange first produced Highway to Hell, which was a massive hit for AC/DC, followed by Back in Black, an even bigger hit. These were the only two albums Lange produced for the band, but it was a template for continued success. Lange went on to produce The Cars, Bryan Adams and his then wife, Shania Twain.

Barbra Streisand – Barry Gibb – Streisand used many producers in her long career, including Richard Perry and David Foster, but had particular chart success with Barry Gibb, who co-wrote and co-produced Guilty (15m sold) and Guilty Pleasures.

Donna Summer – Giorgio Moroder & Pete Bellotte – Euro disco pioneers Moroder & Bellotte were with Summer from the start of her career, singing breathy, pounding love songs that were first popular in Europe, then America in the late 1970s. The three wrote several classic dance hit before she transitioned into more of a pop-R&B singer in the early 1980s.

Bette Midler – Arif Mardin – As an Atlantic Records producer, Mardin worked with Midler periodically through the 1970s and 1980s, overseeing her most successful work, over a variety of musical styles. Mardin had a long history of working with a variety of artists and styles. Midler moved from ballads to pop to Broadway to jazz.

The Cars – Roy Thomas Baker – After having produced albums for Queen, Baker took up The Cars and their quirky synth and pop guitar sound. The debut made to top Billboard 20, and eventually sold over 6m in the U.S. alone. Baker produced the next three Cars albums.

U2 – Brian Eno & Daniel Lanois – Eno & Lanois were at one point, the hottest production team in the business. They first worked with U2 on The Unforgettable Fire, which saw the U2 sound becoming more ambient and ethereal. Eno & Lanois have produced about a half dozen U2 albums, rotating in and out of the producer’s chair like Steve Lillywhite, Flood and Danger Mouse.

David Bowie – Tony Visconti – The longest tenured Bowie producer, Visconti would work on 12 Bowie albums, starting with Space Oddity and finishing with Blackstar. Visconti lent his arranging, engineering, musical and production skills as Bowie needed, across a wide spectrum of musical styles.

The Tubes – Todd Rundgren – The Tubes had great success with both Rundgren and David Foster, two very hands-on producers. Rundgren was less likely to bring in session players in place band members, although Rundgren would also rework songs like Foster. Rundgren first produced the album, Remote Control, before returning three albums later for criminally underrated, Love Bomb.

The Moody Blues – Tony Clarke – When the Moodies regrouped in 1966, Clarke came aboard as their producer. He worked on their next eight albums, from Days of Future Past to Octave. Clarke also produced several of their solo projects in the 1970s. He is responsible as much as anyone for what became the Moodies’ ethereal, symphonic sound.

The Beatles – George Martin – History speaks for itself.

Elvis Presley – Sam Phillips – Although Elvis was only on Sun Records for a short time, Sam Phillips helped give birth to the brand of rock and roll that Elvis, Jerry Lee, Johnny and Carl would perform and make famous.

George Harrison – Jeff Lynne – After some bad experiences with his record company in the early 1980s, Harrison was leery about going back into the studio. Enter Jeff Lynne of ELO. The two struck up a friendship and Lynne helped Harrison on songs that would end up being Cloud 9, which proved a big success and made making music fun again for Harrison. The two would collaborate on the Traveling Wilburys and the Beatles Anthology new Beatle tracks. Lynne assisted Harrison on his final album, released after Harrison’s passing.

The Pretenders – Chris Thomas – The first three Pretenders albums were produced by Thomas. Their debut album, arguably their best, was hard-edged, but tight and melodic. Swagger is a difficult thing to capture without sounding fake. Thomas always it to come through without sounding boastful or unearned. Punk had happened, bands were wanting the energy and directness, but also honest and fresh.

George Benson – Tommy LiPuma – Known as a jazz, R&B and adult listening producer, matching him with guitarist George Benson. Releasing his first solo album in 1964, it wasn’t until 1976 when Benson signed with Warner Bros. and was paired with LiPuma that Benson’s remarkable talent was released. Breezin’ topped the Jazz, R&B and Pop charts, sell 3m copies, and a Grammy winner. LiPuma produced the next three albums including a great live recording, featuring “On Broadway.” Next up would be one album with Quincy Jones that turned Benson toward being a pop star. LiPuma had given Benson more room to sing and more contemporary songs, which brought him a wider audience.

Diana Ross – Ashford & Simpson – Nikolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson were writer/producers for hire, and quite popular in the 1970s. “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Surrender,” “What You Gave Me,” “The Boss” and “It’s My House” were some of the songs Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced for Ross.

Chic – Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards – Chic was a funk-dance group headed by guitarist Nike Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards, who wrote and produced Chic albums. The definitive guitar riff-thumping bass musical style that also produced hits for Diana Ross, Sister Sledge and many others.

Nirvana – Butch Vig – I’m not a diehard Nirvana fan, but I respect this group’s impact on rock music at the time. Nevermind was the only full studio album produced by Vig for Nirvana. Vig was an experienced producer by this point and blended the songs, the addition of Dave Grohl to the lineup, and the support of a major label. Vig tightened Nirvana’s focus, just at the right time.

XTC – Steve Lillywhite – His resume is a who’s who of rock and roll, and early in the game he left his mark on XTC. Lillywhite works efficiently and brought some order to XTC’s song structure, getting them played on the radio and easier to reproduce onstage.

Al Stewart – Alan Parsons – After working for The Beatles, engineers Pink Floyd, and moving into production, Parsons began working with folk artist Al Stewart, who sang about history and romantic, far off places. Stewart had a collection of songs that would become the surprise hit, Year of the Cat. Parsons gave the songs lush support to highlight the cinematic lyrics and haunting melodies.

The Who – Glyn Johns – Name a British band in the 1960s and Johns was rolling tape. Of the hottest bands, he is tied closer to The Who, who he engineered sessions for in the mid-60s. He was engineer and associate producer on Who’s Next, and produced Who By Numbers, and worked on later albums. I think bands liked the way he mic’d the instruments, particularly the acoustic ones. Johns’ recordings have a full, warm feel.

Bob Dylan – Bob Johnston – If you recorded for Columbia Records in the 1960s, you were given to Tom Wilson or Bob Johnston, staff producers. Johnston had Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen.

Bonnie Raitt – Don Was – Bonnie Raitt worked with many producers, but Don Was produced comeback the album, Nick of Time, which won both Raitt and Was an Album of the Year Grammy. Was co-produced her next three albums, continuing strong record sales and good reviews.

Cat Stevens – Paul Samwell-Smith – With Mona Bone Jakon in 1970, Samwell-Smith produced five more albums for Stevens, ending when Stevens gave up music in 1978. An original member of The Yardbirds, Samwell-Smith spent considerable time working with singer-songwriters after he left that group. Stevens and Samwell-Smith had many hits together.

John Mellencamp – Don Gehman – Very much a “sound guy,” Gehman knew how to reproduce a genuine, earthy sound. Working with Mellencamp and R.E.M. prove that. Gehman engineered early Mellencamp recordings and became a co-producer during Mellencamp’s incredibly successful period of the 1980s, concluding with The Lonesome Jubilee.

Tom Jones – Peter Sullivan – A Welsh singer became Tom Jones and was given a song, “It’s Not Unusual,” which became a hit and his theme song. This was followed by a string of successful singles during the 1960s, all produced by Peter Sullivan.

Neil Diamond – Tom Catalano – Looking back, Diamond’s first album in 1966 featured “Cherry, Cherry” and “Solitary Man” so he already an established writer. By his third album, Velvet Gloves and Spit, Tom Catalano joined the production team and would stay there through Serenade (1974). This six year period was huge for Diamond, not only writing hit records, but taking chance on bold, experimental musical concepts. For a successful artist, that’s a huge career risk. Diamond might used lush orchestration and a huge stage show, but he was one of the first stars in the world at the time.

Olivia Newton-John – John Farrar – The constant in her early career was Farrar. He worked with her writing “Have You Never Been Mellow,” “You’re the One That I Want,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You” and “Magic,” and producing most of her material between 1971-1989.

Tina Turner – Terry Britton & Graham Lyle – When Tina Turner started her reemergence in 1984, she used a team of songwriters and producers. Britton & Lyle was one of her main suppliers. Their songs for Tina included “What’s Love Got to Do With It?,” “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” “Typical Male,” “Something Special,” “Two People” and Something Beautiful Remains.”

The Supremes – Holland, Dozier, Holland – At Motown, The Supremes were given the best writing and production talent, under the watchful eye of Berry Gordy Jr. HDH wrote for other Motown artists, but their songs shaped the red hot career of The Supremes. “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “Can’t Hurry Love,” “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” “Reflection,” “Baby Love,” “Stop! In the Name of Love,” “I Hear a Symphony” and others.

Kris Kristofferson – Fred Foster – Signed by Foster to his Monument Records, Foster produced most of Kristofferson’s albums in the 1970s. Some of Kristofferson’s songs were being recorded by other artists, he recorded his own versions. His early albums didn’t sell well, but his reputation skyrocketed and Foster found arrangements that emphasized Kristofferson’s ragged voice, rather than let it be a detriment.

Jefferson Airplane – Al Schmidt – Producing four of their albums, including the landmark Volunteers album, Schmidt (winner of 20 Grammy Awards) balanced the Airplane’s raw concert sound with commerciality, while achieving both.

Earth, Wind & Fire – Joe Wissert – The early sound of EWF was in the hands of Wissert, producing their first six albums, before turning it over to EWF leader Maurice White. The jazzy, funk carried over to Wissert’s production of Boz Scaggs’ Silk Degrees.

Neil Young – David Briggs – Neil Young trusted David Briggs, and always returned to him until Briggs’ passing in 1995. Starting with his first solo album, and then making a hard turn toward a leaner and rougher sound, Young was not afraid to suddenly change his style. Young and Briggs worked together periodically, on over a dozen albums. Briggs had also begun working on Young’s archive series of material in the vault.

Procol Harum – Chris Thomas – Thomas produced five of Procol Harum’s albums, starting with Home, their fourth album. This period included the departure of two group members and changing styles. Successful, but not the magic of the very first recordings.

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Chris Blackwell – Island Records to which Bob Marley was signed, was founded and owned by Chris Blackwell. The Island label was hugely influential in promoting Jamaican-based music, but artists who weren’t necessarily mainstream pop (U2 is an exception, but their early sound was not mainstream). Blackwell supported Marley’s solo career and made sure he got his money.

Eric Clapton – Tom Dowd – Tom Dowd was a blues and R&B guy, that was the history of Atlantic Records. Clapton was part of that recording family. Dowd would produce the Layla album and the next several, including 461 Ocean Boulevard, which was at the end of Clapton’s heroin addiction. Dowd would rejoin Clapton in the early 1980s, when Clapton returned to earthier, but not overly commercial albums.

Carly Simon – Richard Perry – For her third album, Simon picked Richard Perry. No Secrets topped the Billboard Album Chart and yielded two hit singles. Simon was in good hands with Perry, who could go big on uptempo pop songs, or gentle and quiet on sensitive ballads. Simon gave him both. Hotcakes and Playing Possum followed with Perry behind the recording console. Both were good, but didn’t have comparable material next to No Secrets.

Van Halen – Ted Templeman – This band was fun to watch progress over time. Templeman produced their first six albums, guiding hem from volcanic guitar riffs into complete and incendiary songs.

Fleetwood Mac – Keith Olsen – After Bob Welch left FM, Keith Olsen persuaded Mick Fleetwood to consider Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham. Olsen went on to produce the classic Fleetwood Mac album which established the band’s new sound. Although Olsen didn’t produce anymore FM albums, he went on to great fame with other artists.

Elvis Costello – Nick Lowe – The early period of Elvis was pretty special. Pop-New Wave, or whatever description fits. Lowe was the perfect producer for the early stuff, quirky, bright, full of imaginative melodies. Lowe produced or co-produced the first six albums.

Tom Waits – Bones Howe – This was a partnership based on jazz. Howe had an early background in jazz, but had been quite successful as an engineer/producer of pop. Waits was signed to Asylum Records and paired with Howe, who would produce Waits early catalogue of boozy, jazz-pop songs of late night reflections and life’s quirky characters. These albums are considered classics of the genre.

Meatloaf – Jim Steinman – These two personalities found a way to coexist and produce a body of work together that was the highlight of both men’s careers. They even died within a year of each other. Steinman wrote Bat Out of Hell, that Meatloaf took to dizzying heights. Steinman didn’t produce the album, but he did the sequel and several other Meatloaf projects.

John Denver – Milton Okun – A music publisher and producer, Okun guided a wide variety of artists. Denver made the transition from folk balladeer into a successful country-pop singer. Okun produced Denver’s 1970s albums and executive produced later ones.

Randy Newman – Russ Titelman & Lenny Waronker – One or both of these Warner Bros. guys produced the first seven of Newman’s albums. I’m not sure what they did musically, but I’m sure their job was to keep the Warner accountants at bay, despite generally positive reviews, awards and delicious satire, Randy Newman never sold a lot of records.

Tammy Wynette – Billy Sherrill – He was there from the beginning with Wynette, producing and co-writing some of her material like “Stand By Your Man.” Sherrill also produced her husband, George Jones.

Roger Miller – Jerry Kennedy – Before he wrote Big River, Roger Miller had a smooth country music career, writing insightful and sometimes satirical songs. He enjoyed success early, and had a harder time staying there. His producer in those years was Jerry Kennedy, a guitar player of note, who was a steady hand for Miller, whose life could be as quirky as his music.

Cream – Felix Pappalardi – The supergroup of Clapton, Bruce and Baker needed a strong, third party to guide them in the studio. Pappalardi, of the group Mountain, produced Disraeli Gears, Wheels of Fire and Goodbye. Pappalardi contributed some backing instruments and co-wrote a couple of songs. The sound of Cream was loud and hard, bluesy and bold.