Max Norman shared his opinions on how today’s artists and producers can harm their own works
Producers from other decades are almost unanimous in criticizing the way music is recorded nowadays. With Max Normanis no different.
The British professional has a series of notable works in hard rock and heavy metal. He spearheaded recordings of albums by Ozzy Osbourne (his first three solo studio albums), Megadeth, Lynch Mob, Ian Hunter (Mott the Hoople), Savatageamong other prominent names in heavy music.
In a podcast interview Talk Louder (via Ultimate Guitar), Norman highlights that the big problem with music nowadays is that “there is no space at all” in the sound. The reflection was made after he talked about one of his current projects, with a Swedish artist whose name was not revealed.
“I’m recording a pop album with a Swedish artist. It’s interesting, because I think today’s pop songs need something that no one has ever heard before. Like a specific sound. If you listen to an Abba album, there’s always something that makes you think: ‘what the f##k is that sound?’ It’s like an addictive sonic thing.”
Then, the producer declared that he was being inspired by names like the now deceased Frank Zappaexperimental music idol, and Trevor Hornformer member of Yes who produced the album 90125 (1983) — at this time, the progressive rock group took a turn towards pop, but in a unique way. He said:
“I’m starting to think a little more like Trevor Horndoing crazier things, in the style Zappa. A little more like Yes, ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’. Those addictive things. Because I like space in music. I think that, nowadays, a lot of music doesn’t have any space. I miss the space. I like having a little space.”
Max Norman and labels
Still in your reflection, Max Norman criticized the fans’ initiative to label artists. For him, fitting an album into just one musical style, as if the genre were a “little box”, is a big mistake.
“When you’re recording a song, you’re just trying to make it the best it can be. You’re not trying so hard to make a hit song. If you try to second guess things by saying, ‘oh no, it has to sound like this because this is current,’ you usually fail. You have to take the song and interpret it, let the song open up and allow it to dictate how it sounds. And not think about ‘boxes’: ‘this is country’, ‘this is black metal’.”
Finally, the producer stated that the best artists are precisely those who do not fit into just one genre.
“People have all these little boxes. And the really good bands aren’t in any of them. They have their own box.”
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
