Steve Albini passed recently, and the music (and pop culture) press went into overdrive praising the prickly, iconoclastic musician and engineer. In his career, he started out as the equivalent of a Twitter troll, writing songs, naming groups, and giving interviews designed to outrage. But unlike most trolls, Albini made you think.
He was a great writer (“The Problem with Music” is his magnum opus), and as he aged, he softened a bit. He was a devoted husband, an ace poker player, chef, and all around truth-teller.
I have everything his bands recorded (except for a bonus track by Big Black covering “In My House”, the Big Black single “Il Duce”, and the first few Shellac singles. I had them on vinyl and I wish I had them back).
Of all his work with Big Black, Shellac, and the unfortunately named Rapeman, you can’t go wrong with the full length records from all the bands (though Terraform by Shellac is probably the weakest). Also check out“Budd” by Rapeman, the Racer-X EP by Big Black, and “Cables” by Big Black.
What he did best, though, was elevate each and every band he produced. Maybe not in terms of material (I mean, he did produce the second Bush album, which was horrible, but it SOUNDED great).
I think what made Albini stand out as a ‘producer’ is that he gave every insturment the space it needed in context of the song. His micing and recording of drums is legendary, and every instrument falls into its rightful place as the artist envisioned (he listened very well in his role).
I’ve made a public playlist of everything in my catalog that Albini recorded, and here are some of the bands he worked with that I find special (not counting the records he made with PJ Harvey and Nirvana, you know those) and some tracks of the better tracks on them.
Pixies - He brought out the best of them in Surfer Rosa. There’s a winner in each track, and listening to this version of “Vamos” versus their debut EP you can clearly hear Albini’s work in bettering a band. Also check out “Cactus” and “River Euphrates”, or well, anything on that record.
Poster Children - Hailing from Champaign, Illinois, this band of grungy alt-rockers fit right in with the sound of the time. Albini recorded four songs from their debut album, then all of the follow up Daisychain Reaction, originally released on Twin/Tone before they signed with Sire Records. Check out “Eye”, “Wanna”, “Cancer”, and “If You See Kay”.
The Jesus Lizard - Albini recorded their entire damn catalog on Touch and Go Records, so there’s a lot to pick from. Their two best albums in that time, and among the best albums of the 90’s, are Goat and Liar. The earlier ones are a bit more unhinged (still great but not a good intro), and their last Touch and Go album Down was a subtler affair. For newbies, there’s “Then Comes Dudley”, “Mouthbreather”, “Nub”, “Gladiator”, “Boilermaker”, and “Puss”.
The Breeders - The original vision was an outlet for the songs that Kim Deal and Tanya Donnelly were writing that didn’t fit into Pixies or Throwing Muses. The first album, Pod, was Deal’s album, and the follow-up was to be Donnelly’s but she formed Belly instead and her songs went there. Pod really gets going in the second half, with “Hellbound”, “When I Was a Painter”, “Fortunately Gone”, “Iris”, and “Only in 3’s”. When the Breeders reformed after a break, Albini recorded their albums but it wasn’t the same.
Tad - Authentic Pacific NW grunge met the dean of Chicago punk. The results were absolutely tremendous. Salt Lick was a short album (maybe an EP, but Sub Pop didn’t distinguish), but it’s packed with quality tracks that truly defined Seattle grunge in “Axe to Grind”, “High on the Hog”, “Loser” and especially “Wood Goblins”. You listen to this, and keep this in mind, Tad Doyle has a music and performance degree from Boise State. He knows the right way to do things - he’s just subverting them. (i.e. it’s loud and sloppy!)
Superchunk - Recorded in three days, No Pocky for Kitty put Superchunk on the map. Albini didn’t take credit on the album, but you can tell it’s him for sure with the first three tracks “Skip Steps 1 & 3”, “Seed Toss”, and “Cast Iron”. The production is miles better than their first recordings.
The Wedding Present - Albini worked with the UK indie rock band for Seamonsters, which just happens to be that band’s best work. “Dalliance” is a heart breaker of a track and “Suck” is tremendous as well.
Tar - The Chicago-based grungy punk band recorded many records with Albini, and all are pretty good. “Altoids, Anyone” is my favorite track but you can choose anything, really.
Urge Overkill - Albini recorded almost all of their independent records, including the fab Supersonic Storybook, which was packed with great tracks (just listen to the whole thing). The thing is that Albini produced their first album, and it was a mess. He redeemed himself and the band.
Low - It may be odd to have someone known as a noisy producer to record the premier slowcore band in Low (they play slow, kinda gentle, and really emotionally powerful). But the entirety of Secret Names and Things We Lost in the Fire are brilliant and wrenching.
The Sadies - Another “what?” pairing. The Sadies are one of the best alt-roots-country bands out there. He recorded them a bunch, and any of them are recommended. Start with Precious Moments and go from there.
Robbie Fulks - Albini could be a sardonic prick. Robbie Fulks can come off as a sardonic prick in his songs (especially when he’s talking about the Nashville machine). It was a great pairing. The first album they did together was the hilariously named The Very Best of Robbie Fulks which was an odds-and-ends collection that really was strong, and a good starting point for Fulks’ bizarre twist on country and folk. I can’t find any producer credits, but during Fulks’ time recording with Albini he put out “Fountains of Wayne Hotline”, which is spot on regarding that late great band.
God speed Steve Albini. Your music is your legacy.