Rick Rubin = Best Producer Ever?
 

Just look at this guy's credits. Huge range of music, some milestone albums in recent rock history, and unbelievable ability to connect the bands to their music in the best way:

(albums in bold=albums I own)

* Radio - LL Cool J (1985)
* Licensed to Ill - Beastie Boys (1986)
* Raising Hell - Run-D.M.C. (1986)
* Reign in Blood - Slayer (1986)
* Electric - The Cult (1987)
* Danzig - Danzig (1988)
* Tougher Than Leather - Run-D.M.C. (1988)
* South of Heaven - Slayer (1988)
* Masters of Reality - Masters of Reality (1988)
* Andrew Dice Clay - Andrew Dice Clay (1989)
* Trouble - Trouble (1990)
* Danzig II: Lucifuge - Danzig (1990)
* Seasons in the Abyss - Slayer (1990)
* Nobody Said It Was Easy - The Four Horsemen (1991)
* Manic Frustration - Trouble (1991)
* Decade of Aggression - Slayer (1991)
* Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)
* Danzig III: How the Gods Kill - Danzig (1992)
* Thrall: Demonsweatlive - Danzig (1993)
* 21st Century Jesus - Messiah (1993)
* Danzig 4 - Danzig (1994)
* American Recordings - Johnny Cash (1994)
* Divine Intervention - Slayer (1994)
* Wildflowers - Tom Petty (1994)
* One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1995)
* Ballbreaker - AC/DC (1995)
* God Lives Underwater - God Lives Underwater (1995)
* Empty - God Lives Underwater (1995)
* Unchained - Johnny Cash (1996)
* Undisputed Attitude - Slayer (1996)
* Diabolus in Musica - Slayer (1998)
* System of a Down - System of a Down (1998)
* Chef Aid - South Park (1998)
* Californication - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)
* American III: Solitary Man - Johnny Cash (2000)
* Paloalto - Paloalto (2000)
* Renegades - Rage Against The Machine (2000)
* Amethyst Rock Star - Saul Williams (2001)
* Toxicity - System of a Down (2001)
* American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (2002)
* By The Way - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2002)
* Audioslave - Audioslave (2002)
* Steal This Album! - System of a Down (2002)
* Results May Vary - Limp Bizkit (with Terry Date and Jordan Schur)
* Unearthed - Johnny Cash (2003)
* De-Loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta (2003) (with Omar Rodriguez-Lopez)
* The Black Album - Jay-Z (2003) ("99 Problems")
* Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium - Rage Against the Machine (2003)
* Heroes and Villains - Paloalto (2003)
* Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses) - Slipknot (2004)
* Armed Love - The (International) Noise Conspiracy (2004)
* Crunk Juice - Lil' Jon and the East Side Boyz (2004) ("Stop Fuckin' Wit Me")
* Make Believe - Weezer (2005)
* Out of Exile - Audioslave (2005)
* Mezmerize - System of a Down (2005)
* Hypnotize - System of a Down (2005)
* Fijación Oral 1 - Shakira (2005)
* Oral Fixation 2 - Shakira (2005)
* 12 Songs - Neil Diamond (2005)
* Stadium Arcadium - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2006)
* Untitled - Justin Timberlake (2006)
* Untitled - Linkin Park (2006)
* Untitled - Slayer (ending 2006)
* Untitled - Metallica (2006/2007)
* Untitled - Kid Rock (2006/2007)
* Taking the Long Way - Dixie Chicks (2006)
* American V - Johnny Cash (2006)
* Untitled - System of a Down (possibly 2007)

I am super psyched that he's doing a Metallica album (fuck you Bob Rock) and his work with Johnny Cash and SOAD is unbelievable.

I think Tom Petty's Wildflowers is the best underrated album of the bunch. But that's just me.

I just think anyone who has Slayer, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash and Run DMC on his resume is pretty rare

Yeah, Rubins has some good stuff going on. The mojo's workin for him there.

As for the Metallica album... well, I suppose if anyone can help them to begin atoning for that St. Anger debacle, it'd be him.

Seriously now. I don't care how big a Metallica fan you are, St. Anger was still utter crap.

I think it's pretty well recognized that Mr. Rubin is the best in the biz.



First post!

Has anyone heard "12 Songs" by Neil Diamond? The fact thar Rick produced it has me intrigued beyond words...

He's done some good ones, sure... but he's done some BAD ones too.

My personal favorite producer, not necessarily the best though, is Steve Albini

It all depends on the era..... the 60's were George Martin, Shel Talmy the 70's and 80's had Phil Ramone, the 90's had Bob Rock, today has Rubins and Mutt Lange.

I think production can help but overall it's the band's talent.

you're comparing Rubin to Bob Rock?

The 90's had Butch Vig.

Butch Vig had Nirvana, L7, and Sonic Youth.

He didn't have the lineup that Rubin had, but you can't find a more influential producer as far as the effect he had on the sound of rock music.

For rock Rubin has an impressive portfolio, but for Pop I have to say Neptune’s are doing a great job on everything they touch. But they are no where near the amount of albums that Rubin has produced. I also like what Danger Mouse, a/k/a Brian Burton is doing. He may end up the the best in the biz for pop.

Yeah Rubin has always amazed me with his range and diversity. I just personally can't imagine how one person could be that talented at what he does.

Wow, I just came off as a Rubin freak, and I'm not, I just have a whole lot of respect for the guy.

Good looking out, Derwood.

The best thing about a producer is when you don't realize they are producing. If the band has talent then a good producer simply coaxes as much of that talent out as possible given time and budget constraints.

Rubin is really, really good at taking a performer and making them sound more like that performer than would have been possible by just the performer themselves. Does that make sense?

I have worked with two semi-major producers in my life. Both with my current band. They both came to practices and gigs and offered ideas for tightening the songs. They both were very good at communicating their ideas with us. One of them "blew up" before we could get in the studio. I still see him around town but we run in majorly different circles now.

The key to a good producer for a rock band is their ability to set the ego aside. To be totally enamored of the project. George Martin still gushes about the Beatles to this day. In the last interview I saw him in he was still in awe of the talent he saw in them. Daniel Lanois can come across as an arrogant prick, but when he is discussing the records he produced he is almost reverant. (I just saw a short little interview with him from the Peter Gabriel "Us" days). I've never really seen an in-depth interview with Rubin but I'll bet it's pretty much the same.

Every generation has it's influential producers (and musicians). The REAL question is: who's going to be the next one? I for one am hoping it's the guy who produced my band's most recent record ...

I agree that people like the Neptunes, Dangermouse, Timbaland, etc. are good at what they do, but until the Neptunes produce a metal record or Dangermouse produces a country album, none will have the diversity of Rubin. Go back and look at his resume again. It's unreal. What he did with Johnny Cash along is amazing.

As for the comparison to Bob Rock, I really, really disagree. Rock is good at only one thing, and that's dumbing down inventive rock bands so that they have neat and tidy 4 minute songs for KROQ.

Best: George Martin is still the standard by which I measure others, and all fall short.

Most diverse: Rick Rubin would have to be WAY up there. That's quite an impressive list in the starter note to this thread.

George Martin was certainly ground breaking and made the Beatles what they were, but did he produce anyone else?

George Martin did produce other bands. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Martin ...

I don't think he's really the best producer. Really, really good ... yes. I think that because he's associated with the Beatles that people tend to put him on a pedastal. Again, I'm not knocking the guy ... there's no doubt that he is brilliant and we wouldn't have a lot of the music we have today if it weren't for him working with the Beatles.