...Years later, after producing a Sinatra-Streisand duet for which the two stars recorded their tracks separately, Foster saw them both at a party and suggested they perform it for the guests.

"Why the (bleep) would I want to do that?" Sinatra snapped.

...Invited to work with Madonna shortly after she'd made "Truth or Dare," Foster told her he didn't care for the film's guy-on-guy kissing.

"If that bothered you, you're too square for me," she told him. "You represent everything I'm trying to change."

...Foster is remarkably tolerant of other divas. Though Streisand is a perfectionist, he knows she'd bail him out of jail at 4 a.m.


Remind me never to hire Whatshisname Foster to produce my record. What a prick.

"Hey, Frank, why don't you and Barbara sing a song for everybody?"
"Who are you again?"
"I'm your record producer."
"You're fired."

"Hey, Madonna, I didn't like your film."
"Excuse me? Who are you?"
"I'm your record producer."
"You're fired."

"Barbara, it's me, your record producer. Can you come get me out of jail?"
"Ugh, what time is it? Who is this?"
"It's me, your record producer. It's four a.m."
"You're fired."

Music producer talks about famous musicians in the recording studio. "I remember busting (Neil Young) for singing out of tune, and he shot back, 'Hey, man That's my sound'"

Keep on sucking in the Free World...

This was a nationally famous moment in the mid 80s. Did he really need to remind us like it was a new thing?

This guy comes off as an ass. At least the people he's ragging on have talent, mostly. Plus several of the people he's talking about are dead and we can't get their side of the story. Ass.

From the article: "[Princess Diana] told me at one point, resting her bejeweled hand on my arm and batting her eyes, 'Fergie has the reputation for being the bad one in the family, but she's not. I'm the bad one.'"

Bunk. [Not as in "That's", but rather as in "I'll be in my."]

Thankfully The Fall wasn't in the studio or this guy would have had a heart attack.

subby Sinatra has chunks of guys like you in his stool!

badkaraoke: This was a nationally famous moment in the mid 80s. Did he really need to remind us like it was a new thing?

Which one are you referring to? I haven't heard any of those stories.

Sounds like a pretty cool book but of course the review probably listed most of the interesting stories. Has anyone called his stories false?

I came for the Walken reference...

I left disappointed...

/I have a fever...and there's only one cure...MORE COWBELL!

The Neil Young one...it was in the video they made for Tears are Not Enough. Anyone who was in his mid teens who saw that at the time walked around saying that for a few days...I can still do it and I probably haven't seen that in 20 years.

And did I mention David Foster is a knob? Thanks for wrecking Chicago, you twit.

Ever seen the mercifully short-lived "reality" show with Foster and his bratty kid? Yeah... Not a big fan of the guy.

He's had a buttload of hits, sure. But all of his records that I've heard sound like all of his other records. A truly great producer, in my opinion, brings out the best in the artist without superimposing his own crap all over it. Guys like Foster, & Phil Spector aren't that hot in my book. They may have lots of hits, but you're buying a record more of the producer than the artist.

Butch Vig & Rick Rubin on the other hand, are what I would call great producers.

Neil Young admitted in his liner notes he sings out of tune. Subby did not entice me to click link.

More barn!

/obscure to non-Neil fans

TalAlpha: I came for the Walken reference...

I left disappointed...

/I have a fever...and there's only one cure...MORE COWBELL!

I'll take Neil Young singing "out of tune" any day over that Sigmund-the-Sea-Monster-looking dude from Nickelback.

That guy does come across as a real jackass. The stories aren't even that revealing...

Sinatra - big deal. Everybody in the room got paid just for showing up. It's not like Frank stiffed them. A producer knows better than anybody that when the finished the product will be 50 minutes and last, hopefully, forever. If farking Frank Sinatra isn't feeling it, I don't want to waste a day trying to make it come out.

Neil Young - well, that is his sound. BFD.

All the stories are one BFD.

Favorite producer - Brendan O'Brien. He's the only producer I've heard that has violated the 'not everything can be loud in the mix' rule. He also manages, when appropriate, to get 10 guitar tracks going that are all discernible and all add to the total.

badkaraoke: The Neil Young one...it was in the video they made for Tears are Not Enough. Anyone who was in his mid teens who saw that at the time walked around saying that for a few days...I can still do it and I probably haven't seen that in 20 years.

And did I mention David Foster is a knob? Thanks for wrecking Chicago, you twit.

Yeah, that video is a classic. Neil's getup is priceless, he was definitely in a period of wardrobe oddities.

Neil hasn't been able to hit the high notes at any volume since 1977, give the dude a break.

David Foster almost ruined The Tubes. Case in point, "The Monkey Time" from "Outside Inside". I was told by one of the band members that Foster initially wanted to give The Tubes one side of the album to do whatever they wanted, and he would bring in his guys (aka Toto) and songs (aka crap) for the other side, with The Tubes adding vocals. Thankfully, they managed to avoid that.

GibbyTheMole:

Butch Vig & Rick Rubin on the other hand, are what I would call great producers.

Clearly, you haven't heard Death Magnetic.

jpat: Favorite producer - Brendan O'Brien. He's the only producer I've heard that has violated the 'not everything can be loud in the mix' rule. He also manages, when appropriate, to get 10 guitar tracks going that are all discernible and all add to the total.

Errr, have you heard Springsteen's "Magic"?

never mind the article. Have a look at the fifty worst album covers.
That's comedy gold right there.

Adebisi: GibbyTheMole:

Butch Vig & Rick Rubin on the other hand, are what I would call great producers.

Clearly, you haven't heard Death Magnetic.

You guys do understand that the producer doesn't mix the album...don't you??

bbernardini: David Foster almost ruined The Tubes. Case in point, "The Monkey Time" from "Outside Inside". I was told by one of the band members that Foster initially wanted to give The Tubes one side of the album to do whatever they wanted, and he would bring in his guys (aka Toto) and songs (aka crap) for the other side, with The Tubes adding vocals. Thankfully, they managed to avoid that.

Came in here for this! Thank you!! I'd still say he did them no good after Completion Backward Principle.

badkaraoke:
Thanks for wrecking Chicago, you twit.

This. And Night Ranger (new window)

Already Disturbed: Errr, have you heard Springsteen's "Magic"?

The mastering on that CD makes it hard for me to appreciate the production. Great disc, though.

From "The Year of the Horse"

Audience member - "It all sounds the same"
Neil Young - "It's all one song!"

Heh.

50 worst music albums:

The many faces of Roger (#21) all look like Sexual Chocolate (hopefully not obscure). Joyce (#26) should get together with Ken (by request only)(#39). #38 should have the golf course exploding around a gopher. Did Freddy Gage (#42) give Jim Carroll any ideas. #50 -- I wonder what David Crosby took to be part of this group!

Producers:

Lee "Scratch" Perry

Dorf11: More barn!

/obscure to non-Neil fans

When you want overproduced oversynthesized trite pop crap, David Foster's your man.

/Mutt Lange at least puts in guitars

Pure Slaughter Value: From "The Year of the Horse"

Audience member - "It all sounds the same"
Neil Young - "It's all one song!"

Heh.

I might live a thousand years before I know what that means.

emocomputerjock: Pure Slaughter Value: From "The Year of the Horse"

Audience member - "It all sounds the same"
Neil Young - "It's all one song!"

Heh.

I might live a thousand years before I know what that means.

Randy Newman said in an interview once that Neil Young makes rhymes like a baby, really simple, spiritual lyrics...that are somehow transcendent and beautiful, but you don't really know why. I think that kind of sums up Neil's music pretty well.

/Long live Neil Young
//"I've been looking for a lover, but I haven't found her yet
///She'll be nothing like I picture her to be"

CatJumpJohn: emocomputerjock: Pure Slaughter Value: From "The Year of the Horse"

Audience member - "It all sounds the same"
Neil Young - "It's all one song!"

Heh.

I might live a thousand years before I know what that means.

Randy Newman said in an interview once that Neil Young makes rhymes like a baby, really simple, spiritual lyrics...that are somehow transcendent and beautiful, but you don't really know why. I think that kind of sums up Neil's music pretty well.

/Long live Neil Young
//"I've been looking for a lover, but I haven't found her yet
///She'll be nothing like I picture her to be"

I agree totally. I've seen him 8 times now, twice solo and acoustic (seen CSNY 3 times too) and the guy is amazing. I can't decide if he's better on his own, with Crazy Horse, or with CSN, but so much great music has been made by that one guy.

Marla Singer's Laundry: Adebisi: GibbyTheMole:

Butch Vig & Rick Rubin on the other hand, are what I would call great producers.

Clearly, you haven't heard Death Magnetic.

You guys do understand that the producer doesn't mix the album...don't you??

Rubin does have a say in how it sounds, though. qoute the almight Ulrich:

[Producer] Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds farkin' smokin'."

emocomputerjock: I agree totally. I've seen him 8 times now, twice solo and acoustic (seen CSNY 3 times too) and the guy is amazing. I can't decide if he's better on his own, with Crazy Horse, or with CSN, but so much great music has been made by that one guy.

I remember seeing him on the Greendale tour. Despite the fact that Young was very clear from when he announced the tickets that this was something very different, there were still those "HURR HURR WTF IS THIS PLAY HEART OF GOLD" dudes there.

But after about the 4th song, everyone was spellbound.

The dude's one of music's godfathers. Not just grunge, alt country, or the other genres he practically created. Nobody writes songs like him.

Adebisi:

Nope, haven't heard "Death Magnetic". I'm not a Metallica fan. But the other stuff I've heard him produce has been pretty great.

Can't believe I forgot to mention T-Bone Burnett. (Where was my brain?!?!) That guy's a terrific producer. Mitchell Froom is also very good.

GibbyTheMole: Adebisi:Can't believe I forgot to mention T-Bone Burnett. (Where was my brain?!?!) That guy's a terrific producer. Mitchell Froom is also very good.

Burnett and Froom are responsible for what are probably Elvis Costello's poorest produced albums. There were some spectacular songs on Spike and Might Like a Rose that are lost amidst percussion that sounds like clattering pots and pans.

Agree on Rubin though - he always manages to make the bands he produces sound huge and powerful without treading into cliches and cheese.

Yup. His 'reality' show with his wife's two sons was one
MASSIVE train wreck of tv goodness.

The show lasted only one episode and Foster and his wife got divorced shortly afterwards.

At least she kept custody of those two POS kids of her's.

Famous musicians don't like being asked to do favors for people to whome they owe no favors? You don't say.

Madonna tried to get you to sleep with her, huh? Fascinating.

Neil Young doesn't sing in tune? No shiat, Hercule Poirot.