question about production

[OneDown]

Let me start off saying that  "the tennessee fire" has quickly become one of my favorite albums. It is quite unique and it embodies a lot of what I look for in music and art in general.

Anyway, I was kind of surprised to see reviews on different websites (amazon.com, etc.) that complained about production. I kind of think that is odd because the people said they loved the music in spite of what they felt as inadequate or less than professional recording and producing. Oddly enough, perhaps, I think I like the album so much partially because of  how it sounds.

I mean I think a lot would be lost if it sounded crisper and more glossy in terms of how it was recorded. Is this a commonly shared feeling here or in the MMJ fanbase in general?

[sweatboard]

I think so.  Many people are just conditioned to only be able to appreciate production if it's done with really high end equipment.  The first two records have a low-fi sound do to the quality of the recording equipment, but there is no question that the production on both those records is nothing short of stellar, and in the case of At Dawn better than anything ever created by mankind.  So to me it's just the difference between lo-fi and hi-fi, many people like lo-fi stuff and I can see why when I listen to stuff like TN Fire and At Dawn - Many people like Hi-Fi and I can also see why on records like It Still Moves and Z.      

[OneDown]

Yeah, I think that makes sense. I mean I love "the tennesse fire" for what it is and "it still moves" for what it is too.
Basically  I enjoy them both for what they are and how they were recorded.
 But if  "the tennesse fire" was re-recorded or re-prouduced in a way more typical of a customary studio album.. it would be of a crappy standard next to how it originally was.

[BH]

I say amen and a hell yeah to everything you say.  If you don't have the Early Rec. CD's yet, get them, and you will enjoy.  You can almost imagine jim in a basement somewhere working his majic like mad scientist.  Chptr 1 is overtaking 2 as my current favorite.

[sweatboard]

I don't think ANYONE here is wanting any kind of reproduction done on any of the early stuff, if anything I think there are some people here that wish they would go back and revisit the low-fi sound for an album.

[sweatboard]

Personally I just hope Jim gets more involved in the production of the next album regardless of what equipment or what sound they want to achieve.  Z is more or less flawless but I think it's missing his touch in the production a bit.  I'm just a big fan of what he has done with production and I would hate to see him give it up.

[EC]

jim's a co-producer on z, so i'm sure he had a fair amount to say.  ;)

[tomEisenbraun]

i think my favorite moment on TN Fire is Jim banging down the stairs into the beginning of I Will Be There When You Die. I wouldn't have that album without it.

and the starkness of They Ran is just beautiful. They milked that farm for that album, and I love it.

[SiOuxTribe]

They milked that farm for that album,

You're full of puns' arnt you?

[tomEisenbraun]

i suppose it's pretty bad when you get to the point where you don't even realize it as they come out, eh?

[SiOuxTribe]

I would say so, and in the tab section i think it was you who said something in the Steam Engine topic the line 'i do believe' like the first lyric of the song.  

[tomEisenbraun]

i do believe that was intentional...but maybe not, i really can't remember. i'll never know for sure...

[BH]

Puns

When will they come? How do you know?  How could I know?

[primushead]

That was so corny I could shuck it.

[Clarkwork]

Personally I am not a fan of the TN Fire production.  Love the songs but the production is not great.  Now I love the production on At Dawn and It Still Moves.  To me those albums capture the "it" that makes MMJ sound so great.  

[banjohead]

That was so corny I could shuck it.

Haha. Nice. Except that was so sour it made me pucker.
The production value on "Z" is miles ahead of "At Dawn" and even "It Still Moves" but in my opinion does not make it better, or worse for that matter, just different. With more popularity comes more money, and with more money comes greater production options and values. Granted, "Z" sounds much more like a modern studio recorded album with the clear sound and blending of the songs, but I prefer the sound and feel of the previous CD's. Don't get me wrong, "Z" is great, but it is much shorter and much cleaner, which makes it lose a few points in my book.
I don't have the CD's on me right now or else I would answer this question for myself, but, did "Z" have a different producer (besides Jim) than the previous CD's?

[EC]

i don't have the CD's on me right now or else I would answer this question for myself, but, did "Z" have a different producer (besides Jim) than the previous CD's?

john leckie.  (i think that's how it's spelled)

he and jim produced it together.

[banjohead]

john leckie.  (i think that's how it's spelled)

he and jim produced it together.

Ok, so he produced "Z" ?
Who produced the other CDs?

[EC]

Ok, so he produced "Z" ?
Who produced the other CDs?

jim, i believe.

[banjohead]

I know that Jim Co-Produced on the CDs, but he was not the overhead producer. Production on an album has a huge effect on the sound and feel of it, which is why I was wondering if  "Z" had a different lead producer. I will check on it when I get home and have the CDs in front of me.