Steve Albini - Taking a ‘Sonic Break’

We all know Steve Albini recorded many great records including bands I love like The Pixies, Fugazi, Nirvana, Slint, Dirty 3, PJ Harvey, Will Oldham, The Stooges, and Page and Plant. He seemed to be a big hero to the others in the band. I didn’t really do heroes so felt like a little bit of an outlier in that regard. I don't think he wanted to be anyone's hero judging by his non egotistical style and famously strong socialist stance. The most striking thing about him and the way he looked was how not striking he and all of the other workers looked in the studio. Uniquely, everyone who worked there had to wear matching grey overalls in an extension of what he hoped would encourage a communal respect and non-hierarchy within the studio.

He was low key himself and seemed to spend a lot of time carefully and lovingly placing mics in the most unique positions, sometimes on the floor or the wall, and sometimes up to 30 for the drums alone. He loved to keep things analog while recording. I’ll always remember him micing the batter head of the Ludwig bass drum I was using with a tiny mic like the end of piece of string dangling in front of the head (see photo below). This was so novel to me at the time!

He was so understated in his work that he came across as being uninterested and non plussed by our performances or songs in general. Maybe that’s just the way he was for all recording sessions, but he never said ‘cool song’ or anything like that to us. Not when I was in the room anyway. I took it as an indifference to our music. But then again that was maybe the point. He was there, “like a plumber” as he once compared himself, and to just get the job done. Get the band recorded, and not hang around nursing egos or, if you like, admiring the ‘house’ where the 'plumbing' was taking place. I learned from that. Don't wait to be charmed or complimented. Roll up your sleeves and work hard.

I did have one experience which I was uncomfortable with during my time there. My memory of it is a little vague but I could hear some of the band talking to him about the lack of steadiness in the groove and feel for one of the songs we were doing on one of those occasions out there. They didn’t know I could hear the conversation. He just suggested listening back to the drums against the click as far as I know. They did that and said it seemed fine, but it still seemed an unsolved mystery to them. I felt a little undermined, sort of isolated and a little paranoid then also. It can be a thing in a band... to subtly try to control someone by affecting their confidence. I've probably done it myself without meaning any harm. I think it's a subconscious thing.

I think maybe my timing wasn’t as good then as it possibly is now. I don’t know. I also think one of the band was ‘ahead of the beat’ quite a lot and I was often ‘behind the beat’. I think that was the real issue. I didn’t know how to create the micro ‘pocket’ of space between band members then, but I’m aware of it now. Anyway, I can’t say I was always comfortable there for those sessions, personally and musically, even though I wanted to be.

He would often take what he uniquely called ‘sonic breaks’ while working with us. This usually would take place every few hours for an hour or so, whether we were just getting into something or not. He said it was important to rest your ears from being over stimulated and jaded, and I suppose that is a wise philosophy. It nearly always turned into him sitting in the control room with us though, orating about his beliefs about how the record Industry was fucked, and was full of charlatans and rip off merchants. He famously insisted on never being referred to or credited as a ‘producer’, and refused to take any royalties or ‘points’ from bands.

“Participating in the mainstream music business is, to me, like getting involved in a racket. There's no way you can get involved in a racket and not someway be filthied by it”.

Anyway, during one such ‘sonic break’ he treated us to the most unforgettable experience and for this I am forever grateful. He told us that the mixes he did for Nirvana’s famous ‘In Utero’ album weren’t initially accepted by the record company, as they were deemed too aggressive and non-commercial. So, he took us into his confidence, and treated us to a full length, cranked up, full-volume, thrill ride of an experience with the original 2 inch master tapes of that classic. It was frightening (only time I think music has caused me to feel fear) … the mixes he did were exceptionally raw and fierce and very different to, say, the re-mixes of the album singles. Albini was critical of the compromised final mix of the album; he said, "The record in the stores doesn't sound all that much like the record that was made, though it's still them singing and playing their songs, and the musical quality of it still comes across." According to Albini, In Utero made him unpopular with major record labels, and he faced problems finding work in the year following its release.

Albini had a great Nirvana story that I’ll never forget. He was recalling how he felt the band had the perfect approach to getting the ultimate recording performance for an album. They would rehearse incessantly for 3 weeks until they were sick of each other, practically hated each other, and were drained of everything, physically and emotionally. Then they would take 2 weeks off, where they would rest completely and not see or even talk to each other. Then they would finally go in to record with the benefit of being fresh and glad to see each other again, but also, and this is the trick, intensely well-rehearsed and prepared. Risky approach some may say, but listen to the results!

The studio itself, Electrical Audio, which Steve helped build, was a ‘live in’ studio and had a very liberal atmosphere. He had previously helped Iain Burgess to build Black Box Studios in France where artists like Steve Reynolds, Nina Hynes, Josh Ritter and many more worked, usually with the brilliant maverick Dave Odlum at the helm. Now I would consider Dave an ‘engineer’, but also a ‘producer’, because he was so resourceful with ideas. Never pushy, but always ready with musical contributions, if and where needed. I love Dave for his ability to perceive the right moment to offer help. He gets that balance just right. Rob Bochnik, another Frames man, also worked in Electrical Audio full time until he joined The Frames as guitarist, effectively replacing Dave Odlum who had moved to Black Box in France. Rob is an example of yet another ridiculous talent that was working in the studio in those years and took the helm for the EP we did later there. I learned so much from all of these guys.

I remember Steve was great at pool (I think he was also a successful World Masters poker player!). One day we were playing pool in the main ‘leisure’ room, and a couple of members of Lunasa ( what a band!) came in to see the studio and hang out. One had a badly bruised face and was obviously in an altercation in a bar the night before. I asked another of the band members what happened and he said… “Well put it this way, he was talking when he should have been listening”. One of my favourite quotes ever!

It’s funny the things that stay with you. I was notorious for wandering off, usually with a camera, desperate to feed off these incredibly exciting places we visited. I am also claustrophobic and often just had to leave and was often late back. I'm sure this rightly annoyed people. The studio was up the road from a grocery with the best Coke I ever drank, a longneck imported from Mexico. I couldn’t get enough of it! ( and I was still behind the beat!). I took my first roll of film there with a Canonet that I bought in Chicago at the time, a great city for all sorts of vintage stuff! Oh how I loved that camera and I really miss it! The photos here are all from that camera but were badly processed by the local Walgreen one hour photo service. ( join my Patreon to see more from the sessions and more).

I also nearly drowned in Chicago on a break from recording. It was on the closed post-summer beach of lake Michigan halfway between the studio and Chicago city centre. I shouldn’t have been swimming at all as it was all red flags right the way down as far as I could see, but I thought , ‘well you can’t drown from waves from a lake’! Wrong. I was thrown around like a cat in a washing machine ( don’t ask how I know!) and was gasping for air and then thrown back in to the fast spin another few times. I remembered advice to stay calm if ever in that kind of situation. So I only swallowed half of the lake. Thank me later Chicago!

I’m hugely proud of the For The Birds album that we were working on there, although I mostly don’t really like my drumming on it looking back, apart from maybe Lay Me Down and In The Deep Shade. The resulting album was made up from only half of the tracks from Albini’s session funnily enough. We felt that some of the tracks had a unique spirit from the selection we did in Joan’s B&B guesthouse in Ventry, Co Kerry the winter before.

Anyway, thanks for the memories and rest in peace Mr. Albini. The rest of us shouldn’t rest as long as we are still in the game. Not until the music industry is forced to create more equality, more sense of opportunity, and a proper platform for real talent. Talent that actually have something new to say, through passionate performances. We need the industry to help develop the maverick that may be buried deep in us and to facilitate our ability to express ourselves. And stop ripping us off. I’m sure Steve will raise a glass to that! But sadly, and especially without the strong punk ethic of people like Steve, I don't think that will ever happen.

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I’ll leave you with Glyn John’s brilliant and inspirational philosophy about the importance of going back to recording music in the right spirit. He was engineer with Led Zeppelin, The Beatles etc and famously the creator of great drum sounds with a special 3 mic placement. Good news for those who think they need a fortune to get a good drum sound.

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