In my opinion the recording process (of a band that is) should first and foremost attempt to accurately capture the sound of that band. So if you're band sounds like cavemen banging on garbage cans and singing through broken megaphones then you're recording should capture that. if you're band sounds like robots programed to execute technical passages with precision and tonal perfection, then your recording should reflect that. Your recording quality can be a way of further trying to recreate that experience and sound and with technology as advanced as it is and recording equipment as cheap as it is, cost is not really an excuse. it's more of a choice.

On a side note, I know many people will disagree with me, but i've always been of the opinion that post production effects or overdubs that couldn't be/aren't created live or don't promote the true sound of the band usually have no place on recordings of bands (this would include using a lo-fi recording style on a not lo-fi band). This is also why i prefer when bands record live because there is something of the group dynamic that is lost when instruments are individually tracked, and thus part of the band's true sound is lost.

Anyway, with all that said, i know some people view recording as an opportunity to create something that can't be created live and like to take advantage of it's power to do so. sorta like animations ability to reach beyond the bounds of what live action can achieve, and this type of recording certainly has it's place as well...but perhaps that's a different discussion.

I don't understand why somebody doesn't want to make the best sounding record they can. The technology is so accessible now, it's easy enough (for me) to do it right at home.

lo Fi has always been a part of Garage, I like to hear distortion in recordings. Trying to convert the people of Garage Punk Hideout will be a losing battle. If distortion keeps you off the radio, who cares? I don't listen to the radio, I get exposed to new music thru podcasts. I play music for fun, if you try to crate a recording to please radio, you will be very disappointed.

i think is better something cool that play super shitty to the max than a fukkin plastic sound..the world is full of "the perfect sound" every band that has a computer, record instrument one by one, than super editing, sound modeling plug in isnt what we need now!! ..that was holy grail of the 90'..now we all have to go back in the caves and find the souls we have left there!

Good topic!

I guess you can't count out trying to get that classic garage sound like you hear on the pebbles/back from the grave comps. Problem is that using two shitty microphones into a tape deck isn't going to give you that sound. Even though a lot of it was recorded using reel to reel two tracks the engineers had knowledge of mic placement, sound levels etc and more importantly how to mix to two tracks.

And I guess the other side of the coin is necessity. Some bands simply can't afford to record and just try to do the best with what they have. That's the way I've always had to operate. The cost of recording is prohibitive. I've never used a professional studio and not because I didn't want to, it's because eating and paying the rent are higher on my list of priorities. I will say that I have never been happy with anything that I have recorded, does that make me sad? No, life is full of disappointment's; deal with it.

Also you're hardly going to find a trash band going into a 48 channel pro tools studio to record their next album perfectly and then spends days or weeks processing it down with digital effects to make it lo-fi. That just wouldn't make sense for that type of band, it just wouldn't fit with the aesthetic of a trash band to my mind.

meh.. i have a job to make money. i honestly couldn't care less if 1 or 10 million people hear my music.
i prefer some music raw and lo-fi and some not. and i know alot of people that couldn`t give a flying fuck about the radio. for me music is an outlet not some lame opportunity to cash in on the newest craze.

I used to think that wtiting music for commercials was a total sellout. Then I heard "Search & Destroy" used to sell sneakers.That shot that theory to hell. In my own case, the commercial deal fell in our lap 30 years after the band broke up. So it was not created with that as a goal. However, because we recorded at the highest quality available, these things have come our way. I agree with you regarding the fact that it's getting harder to make a living off of music. It was hard enough 20 years ago when I had a major label deal with RCA. That's why I have another career in which I make my money. This way I can play the type of music I love without ever having to worry about making it commercial. Still, I want whatever I do to sound as good as possible. I'm not just talking about local bands either. I've seen a few national acts even bands coming over from Europe that play really well & draw good sized crowds at the best clubs in town. I bought their CD's from their merch tables, & found them unlistenable. I personally know a few DJ's from Little Steven's Underground Garage radio. I've given them CD's of some hot local bands. They can not play these lo-fi CD's on the air. A little airplay on a station like that can really help a band survive. I went to Art School. I studied Photography. I remember a kid in my class came to school with a crappy camera. Our professor told him that he should think of the camera as the tool of the trade & that a craftsman is only as good as the tools he is using will allow him to be. It's the same with music. If you use crappy gear and record as cheaply as possible, it's going to sound cheap & crappy. Till this day I hear people complaing about the mix on Johnny Thunder's Heartbreakers LP LAMF. I remember them in the very early days as a much better live band than that record captured. They're gone, the record is all that's left. It's not as good as it could have been. You see where I'm coming from here?

I can see both sides of the debate on this. I find some of the more extreme lo-fi groups aesthetically pleasing, others not so much. "Un-listenable" is definitely a relative concept now days. I think the songs and ideas in the music are more important than getting paid. However, sometimes you need to get paid in order to keep doing it. Really though I think the era of "going somewhere" with your music (for bands playing rock 'n roll, punk, etc) is coming to an end. The only place you're going to go is to little pools of people in the huge ocean of the internet (unless perhaps you're really good. Even then don't count on it) If you're writing a song to try to get in a tv commercial you're just as bad as Justin Beiber or someone like that. On the other hand if you record a certain way to fit in to what you think people in a certain clique like or expect you aren't really any better. So in the end just do what you like and please yourself first and foremost.

There's a topic I've been wanting to discuss lately, especially with other musician's. Lately there has been a trend for bands, especially Garage Bands & Rockabilly bands to release their recordings in lo-fidelity.  Basically, setting up a mic or two in the room and getting a live sound, but with all the bleed between instruments, it's pretty lo-fi. There's usually a lot of distortion from over driven amps, especially the bass, which is such a large sound wave it's hard to capture. Plus tons of white noise from ringing cymbals.

I don't understand this approach. I generally record live, but wth all the instruments separated & the vocalist in a booth. This gives you better mixing options and overall clarity of each instrument.

I know a few bands that are pretty popular on the club circuit but can not get their music played on the radio because it;s so lo-fi. It's pretty short sighted really. It may be cool to be trendy & retro, but ultimately, it's closing doors that could help some of these bands actually go somewhere with their music.

I've been recording for over 30 years. I've seen so many trends come & go. Luckily I had the foresight early on, as did my band mates to record at the highest quality we could. My first recordings with The Speedies were done at Skyline & Electric Lady studios in NYC. Not only have they stood the test of time, but since they were recorded in such high quality, those recordings are still generating income for me as they've been used in commercials and as a theme to a skit on the Jay Leno show.

So my advice, to the younger bands out there. Don't sell yourself short. If a record is un- listenable why even bother?

I just posted this on my music blog. I'll share it here too Solomon Burke, one of the greatest soul singers of all time died yesterday at the age of 70. He had just landed in the Netherlands, where he was scheduled to perform. Born in Philadelphia, Burke, who also worked as a preacher, began recording in the 1950s. One of the first 45s I ever had as a kid was Burke's soul version of "Down in the Valley," an old cowboy song he turned inside out and made it into a soul testament. In recent years he'd been making something of a comeback. He did a country album called Nashville in 2006. That featured a heartbreaking version of Tom T. hall's "That's How I Got to Memphis." But my favorite song of his in recent years was from his 2002 album Don't Give Up on Me -- a cover of Tom Waits' "Diamond in Your Mind." Rev. Burke left many diamonds for our minds. Below are some performances -- they look fairly recent -- of some of his soul classics. UPDATE: What the heck, here's Solomon with The Rolling Stones:

Oh, wow. I just saw the news. What a great, great loss. The world of soul will never be the same. He will be greatly missed.

Wow! Just saw this. He gave us classics like "Cry to Me," "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love," and "If You Need Me," recorded by the Rolling Stones and The Pretty Things! RIP.

The world got a whole lot less soulful this morning:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/2789320,solomon-burke-dies-airport-101010.article


In a world full of manufactured "soul", he was the real deal.  He leaves behind 21 children, so at least he propagated the soul gene to full effect!

Safe journey Brother Solomon.

Im kinda the same never really got into the rollins side of them, but to be fair i haven't given it much of a chance!

i love metal too

I agree :)

Joe Schmo said:

The Sex Pistols was my first introduction to punk back in those days (Never MInd the Bullocks). There still one of my all time favorites!

bruillants, énervés, mais des pionniers tout de même les premières crêtes et les pogos c'est eux non ? moi je m'en met une petite dose quand j'ai envie de tout casser :)Bon c'est sur ils ne sont plus ce qu'ils étaient mais tout de même j'aimais leur côté extrème.

Chris Damned said:

Exploited ! Le genre de truc qui me filait la honte d'être mis dans le même tonneau punk à l'époque...
Les punks à chiens viennent de là...
Franchement mauvais, voir nul.

The Sex Pistols was my first introduction to punk back in those days (Never MInd the Bullocks). There still one of my all time favorites!

Ramones first
Dictators go Girl Crazy
1st Generation X lp
1st Clash Lp
1st Modern Lovers Lp
Horses Patti Smith
Vibrators Pure Mania
Television Marquee Moon
Buzzcocks Singles goin Steady
Jam all Mod Cons
undertones 1st lp
StrAnglers 1st lp
incredibly Shrinking Dickees

Singles Going Steady is one of those rare comps that really deserves to be considered like an actual planned LP. It's not just a mish-mash of greatest hits or odds and ends, it's a brilliantly curated collection that adds to any fan's understanding and enjoyment of a great band. The Kinks Kronikles is another one like that.

Nocount said:

Buzzcocks - Singles Going Steady - I know, i know, Not really an album. So what. It sure felt like one when I got my gready mitts on it some 30 years ago.

So , so hard to choose. I'll toss the first names that come offa the top of my head:

Clash - Give 'Em Enough Rope (Or The Clash, or London Calling)
The Blasters awe-inspiring first LP
Squeeze - Argybargy
Never Mind the Bollocks, of course
Heartbreakers LAMF
Television - Marquee Moon
any of the first 3 Ramones LPs
Stiff Little Fingers - Inflammable Material
Bad Brains s/t
....hell, I could do this all day. What an era!

Here's a pic from that early line-up with Steve & Jeff, back in '98. I've seen them many times over the years and they always put on a good show, though I too liked that "Mink Rabbit or Rat' line-up the best. Rachel can be prickly, but f' it, she can sing. Rocket 455 were amazing live!

Rocket 455 was a great band! I think I still have their album on Get Hip.

Brian T. Kirchner said:

They were at their best when the band was led by Steve Shaw(Fondas) and Jeff Meier(Rocket 455).

They were at their best when the band was led by Steve Shaw(Fondas) and Jeff Meier(Rocket 455).

Slovenly is one of my favorite labels. I mean, they really haven't put out anything I wouldn't want to own.