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Originally Posted by Thinny
I don't agree with much of that to be honest. I don't get why you are putting such a big emphases on the RSO record.
Bob has done everything from Pop to Metal...all listing his recent jobs does is is prove how versitile he is, probably one of the reasons he was what Richie wanted to help fix the RSO album. say whatever you like about that album, it is certainky varied in styles!
I wouldn't take much notice on Wiki either. Shanks' page only lists What About Now from Bon Jovi onhis production discography, none of the others!
Look at Shanks stuff and it's mainly pop artists, mainly solo artists or vocal groups. One of my main problems with Shanks is that he used a very similar sound on a lot of his records. I recognised his production style on a Melissa Etheridge album, before I knew it was him! His most recent jobs are Take That, Boyzone and Babara Steisand. Again the Steisand song has been all over BBC Radio 2 and it definitely has a Shanks sound on it too...
For me, a poor producer is one that imprints his sound on everything he does, rather than bringing out the best of the artists sound, which is what I believe Bob does...
I still see Shanks as a yes man and that's why Jon likes him. He's not going to disagree with Jon and rock the boat. He's got a cushy gig there! And he's not a band guy and he's not a rock guy. But regardless, we all know it's not going to change because Jon is too comfortable with him, his vocal insecurities probably have a lot to do with that. Shanks is never going to be the one to push Jon to try something different, or interesting. I still believe that the right producer could do that, but I guess we will never know....
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My emphasis on the RSO example was people are making it the be-all end-all that if they get a producer like Bob Rock it will produce a well crafted product that will bring the fans back and make everyone happy. My point was in doesn't work that way when you're as big as Jon and Richie, they're going to make the album they want to make and it doesn't matter who is producing. 30+ years in, no producer is going to tell them to re-write a song and everyone's examples of producers doing so are very outdated. IF any producer comes along and pushes them to change then the hardcore fans will accuse them of pandering to modern styles. It's a lose/lose.
Agreed with Shanks's style. The overly compressed sound, the guitar parts. Like I said in a previous post, it's easier to hear the parts he played on WAN knowing what his playing is like. One of Michelle Branch's hits came on and it was very easy to realize it was him playing.