Making Of

“What’s Going On” is one of Marvin Gaye’s best-known tracks, but it also represented a major turning point in his career and a breakthrough for socially conscious music in the mainstream, and that’s just the opening track of an album that still tops Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 55 years after its release. Across a nearly seamless 35-minute masterpiece, Gaye pours out his feelings about war, police brutality, racism, ecological destruction, and spirituality on top of surprisingly laid-back grooves, sumptuous strings, and reverb-soaked percussion.  Continue reading →

Released on April 23, 1976, the Ramones’ self-titled first album remains a cornerstone of punk rock and continues to inspire generation after generation. It introduced the Baby Boomers to a whole new genre of music, paved the way for Gen X to invent post-punk, saw a revival among Millennials thanks to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, and has somehow managed to remain relevant via placements in The Simpsons, the Minions franchise, and even a Pfizer commercial as recently as 2025. Does anyone else’s back suddenly hurt?  Continue reading →

In this age of double screening and playlists designed for passive listening (Lofi Beats To Study To, anyone?), it’s hard to imagine people ever sitting down and deep-listening to an entire album, not to mention one where the opening track is a 20-minute conceptual piece featuring seven distinct movements. But that is exactly what rock music fans did in 1976...

“Where do we go from here?” sings Thom Yorke in the first line of “The Bends,” the title track on Radiohead’s second album. That was the question on everyone’s mind after the Oxfordshire indie five-piece suddenly rocketed to stardom thanks to the breakout success of 1993’s Pablo Honey and the lead single “Creep.” Fresh from an exhausting North American tour (“Physically I'm completely fucked and mentally I've had enough,” said Yorke at the time), Radiohead found themselves under immense pressure from their record label, critics, and fans to deliver a sophomore album packed with hits. Even the title they chose reflects that feeling of pressure, referencing the painful decompression sickness divers experience when surfacing too quickly to adjust to the rapid pressure change. Continue reading →

When Bruce Springsteen stepped into the studio to record his third album in January 1974, he had a head full of ideas and a lot to prove. Although East Coast audiences and critics praised his previous records (Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle), poor sales caused co-producer Jim Cretecos to quit and Columbia Records to begin tightening the purse strings as they shifted their attentions toward more profitable artists like Billy Joel. Continue reading →

There were a lot of great moments at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards. One thing you may have missed amongst all of the excitement; Peter Gabriel's album i/o took home two of the most coveted awards (for audio nerds, at least): Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) and Best Immersive Audio Album.  Continue reading →

Nearly 60 years ago, in January 1967, the release of The Doors’ first album marked a major inflection point between rock ‘n roll and psychedelia. Recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound Recorders with producer Paul Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick, the album more or less captures The Doors’ live sound with the polish of a professional studio. But on top of that solid foundation is a layer of psychedelic mystique thanks to Morrison’s sultry vocals and darkly poetic lyrics, extended instrumental sections by the band, a few unusual song structures, and a generous helping of reverb.  Continue reading →

Four decades ago this month, U2 released an album that marked a turning point for their sound as well as their creative approach. Compared to the band's first three post-punk-leaning records (Boy, October, and War), The Unforgettable Fire shakes things up in almost every way.  Continue reading →

Released in the summer of 1979, Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures was the result of both madness and illness, of pain and catharsis. Recorded in just two days, Unknown Pleasures is widely considered as marking the end of the raucous era of British punk, and the ushering in of the era of post-punk. Employing experimental sound design techniques that would be considered far-flung even by today’s standards, producer Martin Hannett’s icy, liminal production style combined with the raw adolescent energy of Curtis, Sumner, Hook, and Morris catapulted the coarse and unfledged punk band into textural rock icons, at the forefront of a new genre they didn’t even know they created. Continue reading to learn more about the making of Joy Division's landmark album, Unknown Pleasures, including what it was like working in the studio, how the band crafted their signature sound, and the lasting impact it had on the world. Continue reading →

In the 1970s, Stevie Wonder was smack in the middle of his most critically acclaimed series of albums. Starting with 1972’s Music of My Mind and ending with Songs in the Key of Life in 1976, this “classic period”—as it has come to be known—produced many of Stevie’s biggest hits, including “Superstition,” “Higher Ground,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Sir Duke,” and...