Portal:Record production

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Record Production Portal

Noted audio engineer Roger Nichols at a vintage Neve recording console

P:RECORD

This portal is focused on music production within the era of written records through sound recordings, digital downloads, and beyond. Its scope includes articles that document the considerations and mechanisms used by, and consistent with, the purview of the production element. As an art form, music predates transcription and simultaneously transcends descriptive limitations. As an industry, music has demonstrated consistent viability over time. The record producer conjoins these potential, and serves as a broker to bridge the demand (spawned by their aspirations) with supply and satisfaction. The results are measurable and attributable, derived from effort and skillful application of craft, to a manifestation of the art in its melodic form. (Read more)

The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, represent and supply music creators. Among the many individuals and organizations that operate in the industry are: the songwriters and composers who write songs and musical compositions; the singers, musicians, conductors, and bandleaders who perform the music; the record labels, music publishers, recording studios, music producers, audio engineers, retail and digital music stores, and performance rights organizations who create and sell recorded music and sheet music; and the booking agents, promoters, music venues, road crew, and audio engineers who help organize and sell concerts. (Read more)

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

Featured articles - load new batch

Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

Image 1

Keenan performing with A Perfect Circle in 2018

Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, philanthropist, record producer, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.

Having grown up in Ohio and Michigan, Keenan joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. After his service, he attended the Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He relocated to Los Angeles in 1988 to pursue a career in interior design and set construction, and formed Tool with Adam Jones shortly thereafter. (Full article...)
Image 2
Clarke with a viola in 1919

Rebecca Helferich Clarke (27 August 1886 – 13 October 1979) was a British classical composer and violist. Internationally renowned as a viola virtuoso, she also became one of the first female professional orchestral players in London.

Rebecca Clarke had a German father and an American mother, and spent substantial periods of her life in the United States, where she permanently settled after World War II. She was born in Harrow and studied at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music in London. Stranded in the United States at the outbreak of World War II, she married composer and pianist James Friskin in 1944. Clarke died at her home in New York at the age of 93. (Full article...)
Image 3

Title page of Handel's autograph score

Messiah (HWV 56) is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel. The text was compiled from the King James Bible and the Coverdale Psalter by Charles Jennens. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742 and received its London premiere a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, eventually becoming one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music.

Handel's reputation in England, where he had lived since 1712, had been established through his compositions of Italian opera. He turned to English oratorio in the 1730s in response to changes in public taste; Messiah was his sixth work in this genre. Although its structure resembles that of opera, it is not in dramatic form; there are no impersonations of characters and no direct speech. Instead, Jennens's text is an extended reflection on Jesus as the Messiah called Christ. The text begins in Part I with prophecies by Isaiah and others, and moves to the annunciation to the shepherds, the only "scene" taken from the Gospels. In Part II, Handel concentrates on the Passion of Jesus and ends with the Hallelujah chorus. In Part III, he covers Paul's teachings on the resurrection of the dead and Christ's glorification in heaven. (Full article...)
Image 4

Chou in July 2023

Jay Chou Chieh-lun (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979) is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman. Regarded as one of the most successful and influential singers in the Chinese-speaking world, he is often referred to as the King of Mandopop. Chou's works, which often blend Eastern and Western styles, has been recognized for its impact on fashion and musical trends in the Greater China region.

In 2000, Chou released his debut studio album Jay to runaway success, solidified by his second album Fantasy (2001). Common Jasmine Orange (2004) was recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling physical album in China in the 21st century, having sold over 2.6 million copies. He has won over 15 Golden Melody Awards—the most by any singer in the ceremony's history. He served as a judge on The Voice of China for four seasons from 2016 to 2020. Chou became the first Mandopop artist to top IFPI’s Global Album Sales Chart, with his Greatest Works of Art (2022) being the world’s best-selling record in 2022. (Full article...)
Image 5
The music of Athens, Georgia includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and new wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, The B-52's, and several long-time indie rock groups. Athens hosts the Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music institutions, as well as prominent local music media, such as the college radio station WUOG. Much of the modern Athens music scene relies on students from the large University of Georgia campus in the city. The University sponsors Western classical performances and groups specializing in other styles.

Athens became a center for music in the region during the Civil War and gained further fame in the early twentieth century with the founding of the Morton Theatre, which was a major touring destination for African American performers. The city's local rock music scene can be traced to the 1950s, with live music at Allen's Hamburgers in Normaltown. International attention came in the 1970s when The B–52's began releasing the first of several best-selling recordings. Athens-based rock bands have performed in a wide array of styles, and the city has never had a characteristic style of rock; most of the bands have been united only in their quirky and iconoclastic image. (Full article...)
Image 6
...And Justice for All is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on August 25, 1988, by Elektra Records. It was Metallica's first full length studio (LP) album to feature bassist Jason Newsted, following the death of their previous bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. Burton received posthumous co-writing credit on "To Live Is to Die" as Newsted followed bass lines Burton had recorded prior to his death.

Metallica recorded the album with producer Flemming Rasmussen over four months in early 1988 at One on One Recording Studios in Los Angeles. It features aggressive complexity, fast tempos, and few verse-chorus structures. It contains lyrical themes of political and legal injustices, such as governmental corruption, censorship, and war. The cover, designed by Roger Gorman with illustration by Stephen Gorman and based on a concept by Metallica guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, depicts Lady Justice bound in ropes, being pulled by them to the point of breaking, with dollar bills piled upon and falling off her scales. The album title is derived from the last four words of the American Pledge of Allegiance. Three of its songs were released as singles: "Harvester of Sorrow", "Eye of the Beholder", and "One"; the title track, "...And Justice for All", was released as a promotional single. (Full article...)
Image 7
"What'd I Say" (or "What I Say") is an American rhythm and blues song by Ray Charles, released in 1959. As a single divided into two parts, it was one of the first soul songs. The composition was improvised one evening late in 1958 when Charles, his orchestra, and backup singers had played their entire set list at a show and still had time left; the response from many audiences was so enthusiastic that Charles announced to his producer that he was going to record it.

After his run of R&B hits, this song finally broke Charles into mainstream pop music and itself sparked a new subgenre of R&B titled soul, finally putting together all the elements that Charles had been creating since he recorded "I Got a Woman" in 1954. The gospel and rhumba influences combined with the sexual innuendo in the song made it not only widely popular but very controversial to both white and black audiences. It earned Ray Charles his first gold record and has been one of the most influential songs in R&B and rock and roll history. For the rest of his career, Charles closed every concert with the song. It was added to the National Recording Registry in 2002 and appeared in the 2003 and 2021 versions of Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list: at number 10 in 2003 and at number 80 in 2021. (Full article...)
Image 8
The Dark Side of the Moon is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 1 March 1973 by Harvest Records in the UK and Capitol Records in the US. Developed during live performances before recording began, it was conceived as a concept album that would focus on the pressures faced by the band during their arduous lifestyle, and also deal with the mental health problems of the former band member Syd Barrett, who had departed the group in 1968. New material was recorded in two sessions in 1972 and 1973 at EMI Studios (now Abbey Road Studios) in London.

The record builds on ideas explored in Pink Floyd's earlier recordings and performances, while omitting the extended instrumentals that characterised the band's earlier work. The group employed multitrack recording, tape loops, and analogue synthesisers, including experimentation with the EMS VCS 3 and a Synthi A. The engineer Alan Parsons was responsible for many aspects of the recording, and for the recruitment of the session singer Clare Torry, who appears on "The Great Gig in the Sky". (Full article...)
Image 9
Heaven Upside Down is the tenth studio album by American rock band Marilyn Manson. It was released on October 6, 2017, by Loma Vista Recordings and Caroline International. The record had the working title Say10 and was initially due to be issued on Valentine's Day. However, the release was delayed by numerous events, most notably the death of Marilyn Manson's father, Hugh Warner, who died during production and to whom the album was later dedicated. The record has many of the musicians who performed on the band's previous album, The Pale Emperor (2015), including the producer Tyler Bates and the drummer Gil Sharone. Despite Manson's early implications, long-time bass guitarist Twiggy Ramirez did not participate on the album. He left the group following a sexual assault allegation by a former girlfriend.

"We Know Where You Fucking Live" was released as a single in September, shortly followed by "Kill4Me", which became the band's highest-peaking entry on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart. The music videos for the album had celebrities including Johnny Depp, Courtney Love and Lisa Marie Presley. The single "Tattooed in Reverse" also entered the mainstream rock chart, making Heaven Upside Down the band's first album since Mechanical Animals in 1998 to chart more than one song there. (Full article...)
Image 10
Dream Days at the Hotel Existence is the sixth studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released by Universal Music on 2 June 2007 in Australia, 19 November 2007 in the United Kingdom, and 11 November 2008 in the United States on the Dew Process label. It was released in Australia with a limited edition bonus DVD, titled Powderfinger's First XI, featuring eleven music videos spanning the band's career, from the first single, "Tail" to "Bless My Soul", the band's latest single before the release of the album. A collector's edition, including a CD and DVD, was released on 18 April 2008.

Powderfinger reunited in late 2006, after a three-year hiatus, to write songs for Dream Days at the Hotel Existence, which was recorded in Los Angeles, California, in early 2007 by producer Rob Schnapf. The first single from the album, "Lost and Running" was released on 12 May 2007, and reached number five on the ARIA singles chart. Three further singles were released; "I Don't Remember", "Nobody Sees", and "Who Really Cares (Featuring the Sound of Insanity)", though they failed to equal "Lost and Running"'s chart performance. (Full article...)
Image 11
Aries is the ninth studio album by Mexican recording artist Luis Miguel. It was released by WEA Latina on 22 June 1993. After attaining commercial success in 1991 with his previous album, Romance, Luis Miguel decided to return to a style similar to his earlier work, featuring pop ballads and dance numbers with R&B influences. The record was produced by Miguel, who was assisted by Kiko Cibrian, Rudy Pérez, David Foster, and Juan Luis Guerra.

Three singles were released to promote the album. The first two singles, "Ayer" and "Hasta Que Me Olvides," topped the US Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and the third, "Suave," peaked at number nine. Two other songs were released as promotional singles, "Hasta el Fin" and "Tú y Yo"; both peaked at number four on the Hot Latin Songs chart. To further promote the record, Luis Miguel launched the 1993 Aries Tour to some Latin American countries and the United States. (Full article...)
Image 12
Detail from portrait by Valentin Serov, 1898

Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (18 March 1844 – 21 June 1908) was a Russian composer, a member of the group of composers known as The Five. He was a master of orchestration. His best-known orchestral compositions—Capriccio Espagnol, the Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his fifteen operas. Scheherazade is an example of his frequent use of fairy-tale and folk subjects.

Rimsky-Korsakov believed in developing a nationalistic style of classical music, as did his fellow composer Mily Balakirev and the critic Vladimir Stasov. This style employed Russian folk song and lore along with exotic harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements in a practice known as musical orientalism, and eschewed traditional Western compositional methods. Rimsky-Korsakov appreciated Western musical techniques after he became a professor of musical composition, harmony, and orchestration at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in 1871. He undertook a rigorous three-year program of self-education and became a master of Western methods, incorporating them alongside the influences of Mikhail Glinka and fellow members of The Five. Rimsky-Korsakov's techniques of composition and orchestration were further enriched by his exposure to the works of Richard Wagner. (Full article...)

More featured articles

Did you know (auto-generated) - load new batch

... that to promote the Buffalo Club, Rising Tide Records sent packages of plastic buffalo to music industry executives in Nashville?
... that according to Billboard magazine, Laufey created a blueprint for jazz music in the modern music industry and helped push it back into the mainstream?
... that Light Vessel 95 is now a recording studio?
... that one critic interpreted a SZA song as being about her fears about the growing influence of AI in the music industry?
... that when Divine's song "Lately" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, it became the first number-one single for the performers, the songwriters, the producers, and the record labels?
... that until the release of the documentary Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop, sexual abuse claims involving record producer Johnny Kitagawa went widely unreported in Japanese media?

Born this day

Birthdays in Music: January 10

Sherill Milnes, American baritone vocalist, turns 90.
Rod Stewart, British singer and songwriter, turns 80.
Martin Turner, Brit guitarist with Wishbone Ash, turns 80.
Neal Smith, American drummer for Alice Cooper, turns 79.
Bob Lang, Brit bassist with The Mindbenders, turns 79.
Aynsley Dunbar, Brit drummer for Journey and Whitesnake, turns 79.
Mischa Maisky, Latvian cellist, turns 77.
Cyril Neville, American vocalist and percussionist with The Neville Brothers, turns 77.
Donald Fagen, American keyboardist and vocalist of Steely Dan fame, turns 77.
Scott Thurston, American songwriter and session musician (keyboardist), turns 73.
Pat Benatar, (born Patricia Andrzejewski) American Grammy Award-winning singer, turns 72.
Mike Stern, American jazz guitarist, turns 71.
Michael Schenker, German guitarist with Scorpions and UFO, turns 70.
Shawn Colvin, American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, turns 67.
Curt Kirkwood, American guitarist for Meat Puppets, turns 66.
Brad Roberts, Canadian guitarist and lead vocalist with Crash Test Dummies, turns 61.
Nathan Moore, American vocalist for Brother Beyond, turns 60.
Joey Santiago, American guitarist for The Pixies, turns 60.
Aerle Taree, American poet with Arrested Development, turns 52.
Matt Roberts, American guitarist with 3 Doors Down, turns 47.
Brent Smith, American vocalist with Shinedown, turns 47.
Chris Smith, American rapper of Kris Kross fame, turns 46.
Kaitlyn Maher, American singer and former America's Got Talent contestant, turns 21.

Teresa Graves (Record production, 1948 –October 10, 2002), American actress and singer, would have turned 77 this year.
Frank Sinatra, Jr. (Record production, 1944–March 16, 2016), American singer and conductor, would have turned 81 this year.
Jim Croce (Record production, 1942 –September 20, 1973), (born James Joseph Croce) American singer-songwriter, would have turned 83 this year.
Waymon Reed (Record production, 1940 –November 25, 1983), American trumpeter, would have turned 85 this year.
Scott McKenzie (Record production, 1939 –August 18, 2012), American singer, would have turned 86 this year.
Sal Mineo (Record production, 1939 –February 12, 1976), American actor and singer, would have turned 86 this year.
Ronnie Hawkins (Record production, 1935 –May 29, 2022), American singer for The Hawks, would have turned 90 this year.
Eddy Clearwater (Record production, 1935 –June 01, 2018), (a.k.a. Guitar Eddy; born Eddy Harrington) American blues guitarist and vocalist, would have turned 90 this year.
Lyle Ritz (Record production, 1930 –March 03, 2017), American jazz ukulele player, would have turned 95 this year.
Johnnie Ray (Record production, 1927 –February 24, 1990), (born John Alvin Ray) American singer, songwriter, and pianist, would have turned 98 this year.
Gisele MacKenzie (Record production, 1927 –September 05, 2003), Canadian pop music singer, would have turned 98 this year.
Allen Eager (Record production, 1927 –April 13, 2003), American tenor saxophonist, would have turned 98 this year.
Willie Dennis (Record production, 1926 –July 08, 1965), (born Will DeBerardinis) American trombonist, would have turned 99 this year.
Max Roach (Record production, 1924 –August 15, 2007), American drummer, would have turned 101 this year.
Aaron Bridgers (Record production, 1918 –March 11, 2003), American pianist, would have turned 107 this year.
Jerry Wexler (Record production, 1917 –August 15, 2008), American record producer and vice president at Warner Brothers records, would have turned 108 this year.
Buddy Johnson (Record production, 1915 –February 09, 1977), American bandleader and pianist, would have turned 110 this year.
Haywood Henry (Record production, 1913 –September 15, 1994), (born Frank Haywood Henry) American baritone saxophonist, would have turned 112 this year.
Arthur Johnston (Record production, 1898 –May 01, 1954), American film score composer, would have turned 127 this year.

List of musical events • Anniversaries • More birthdays...

Selected albums - load new batch

These are all Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

Image 1
Lana Del Rey is the second extended play by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 10, 2012, in the United States and Canada through Interscope Records. After the release of the EP Kill Kill (2008) and her debut studio album Lana Del Ray (2010) via 5 Points Records, an independent label, the EP was released in anticipation of Del Rey's major-label debut album Born to Die (2012). The tracks are influenced by several genres, including indie pop, hip hop, and alternative music. The lyrics and melody were written primarily by Del Rey, Justin Parker and Emile Haynie. Production of the album was led by Emile Haynie, who also co-wrote "Blue Jeans". The EP is Del Rey's second eponymous record after Lana Del Ray (2010).

Music videos accompanied each single, which were produced by Del Rey herself and uploaded to YouTube. Although the video for "Video Games" that Del Rey filmed with her webcam was not intended as a single at the time, it garnered enough online buzz to be noticed by Stranger Records, leading to Del Rey signing a joint record deal with Interscope and Polydor Records. (Full article...)
Image 2
Vespertine is the fourth studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was first released on 18 August 2001 in Japan by One Little Indian Records and in the United States by Elektra Entertainment. Björk aspired to create an album with minimal and intricate electronic music to evoke an intimate and domestic feeling, in contrast with the louder styles of her previous studio album Homogenic (1997). She enlisted producers such as Opiate, Console and the duo Matmos, and has also worked with harpist Zeena Parkins. Production on the album began whilst filming her role in Dancer in the Dark.

Björk composed arrangements with thin-sounding instruments, including the harp, the celesta, clavichord, strings and custom music boxes. Assisted by Matmos, Björk created "microbeats" from various commonplace sounds, such as that of shuffling cards and ice being cracked. Lyrically, the album drew inspiration from Björk's new relationship with Matthew Barney, exploring themes related to sex, intimacy, eroticism, and love. Other lyrical sources include the poetry of E. E. Cummings and British playwright Sarah Kane's Crave. Three singles were released from Vespertine: "Hidden Place", "Pagan Poetry", and "Cocoon". The music videos of the latter two were banned on MTV for their depictions of sexuality. Björk embarked on the Vespertine world tour with Parkins, Matmos, and a choir of Inuit women, where they performed at theatres and small venues in favor of acoustics. (Full article...)
Image 3
Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American military science fiction action film that is the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, serving as a sequel to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003). It is directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the only Terminator film to date not to feature Arnold Schwarzenegger, though his likeness briefly appears digitally. Instead, it stars Christian Bale and Sam Worthington with Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Michael Ironside, and Helena Bonham Carter in supporting roles. In a departure from the previous installments, Salvation is a post-apocalyptic film set in the year 2018. It focuses on the war between Skynet's machine network and humanity, as the remnants of the world's militaries have united to form the Resistance to fight against Skynet. Bale portrays John Connor, a Resistance fighter and central character, while Worthington portrays cyborg Marcus Wright. Yelchin plays a young Kyle Reese, a character first introduced in The Terminator (1984), and the film depicts the origins of the T-800 Terminator.

After troubled pre-production, with the Halcyon Company acquiring the rights from Andrew G. Vajna and Mario Kassar, and with several writers working on the screenplay, filming began in May 2008 in New Mexico, and ran for 77 days. (Full article...)
Image 4
King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime is the fifth studio album by American rock band Faith No More, released on March 13, 1995, by Slash and Reprise Records. It was their first album recorded without longtime guitarist Jim Martin. The album showcased a variety of musical genres, with Rolling Stone calling the result a "genre shuffle". King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime spawned three singles: "Digging the Grave", "Ricochet" and "Evidence".

Following Martin's departure, Trey Spruance was brought on to perform on the album, having also been in Mr. Bungle with singer Mike Patton. Production of the album was further marred by the band suffering a car accident, and the absence of keyboard player Roddy Bottum, who was affected by the deaths of both his father and Kurt Cobain; Courtney Love, Cobain's wife and a former Faith No More vocalist, remains his close friend. Spruance was replaced on the supporting tour by the band's former roadie Dean Menta. However, Spruance played live with Faith No More for the first time in November 2011, playing the entire album during a show in Chile. (Full article...)
Image 5
Meet the Woo 2 (alternatively titled Meet the Woo, Vol. 2) is the second mixtape by American rapper Pop Smoke. Released by Victor Victor Worldwide and Republic Records on February 7, 2020, it is the second installment in the Meet the Woo mixtape series, following Meet the Woo (2019). The deluxe edition of the mixtape, released on February 12, 2020, features three new tracks, including a remix of "Dior" featuring American rapper Gunna. On February 19, 2020, less than two weeks after the release of the standard edition of Meet the Woo 2, Pop Smoke was shot and killed at age 20 during a home invasion. Guest appearances on the mixtape include Quavo, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, Lil Tjay, Nav, Gunna, and PnB Rock.

Meet the Woo 2 is a hip hop, electronic, and drill record. The mixtape received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who praised its energy and Pop Smoke's vocals. Although Meet the Woo 2's lead single "Christopher Walking" did not chart, the mixtape's second single, "Shake the Room" featuring Quavo did, peaking at number 93 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 76 on the UK Singles Chart. Many bonus tracks and non-singles charted after Pop Smoke's death. "Dior" became the rapper's first solo and posthumous Billboard Hot 100 hit, peaking at number 22. "War" featuring Lil Tjay and "Element" both charted on the Canadian Hot 100, peaking at numbers 100 and 90, respectively. (Full article...)
Image 6
What to Do When You Are Dead is the second studio album by American rock band Armor for Sleep. Following the completion of two songs written from the perspective of being dead, vocalist/guitarist Ben Jorgensen created a whole story from this viewpoint. What to Do When You Are Dead is a concept album, with each song telling the story of the protagonist's suicide as well as his journey through the afterlife. Recording took place between August and October 2004 with producer Machine. A rough mix of "Car Underwater" was made available in November, followed by two US tours in February 2005. What to Do When You Are Dead was released on February 22 through independent label Equal Vision Records.

Following a couple of US tours in April and May 2005, "Car Underwater" was released as a radio single. The group performed on the Warped Tour, before touring across the US in September and November. Later in November, a music video was released for "The Truth About Heaven", followed by a UK tour in December. In early 2006, the group went on a three-month headlining US tour, before appearing on Warped Tour again. What to Do When You Are Dead received mixed-to-favourable reviews and went on to sell over 200,000 copies. It peaked at number 101 on the Billboard 200 and reached the top 10 on two other Billboard charts. To celebrate the album's 10th anniversary, the group played a series of shows in late 2015. (Full article...)
Image 7
Tin Machine II is the second and final studio album by the Anglo-American rock group Tin Machine, released on 2 September 1991 through Victory Music. The band, composed of David Bowie, Reeves Gabrels on guitar and brothers Tony Fox and Hunt Sales on bass and drums, respectively, recorded it in Sydney, Australia in late 1989 at the conclusion of the Tin Machine Tour. After Bowie completed his solo Sound+Vision Tour in late 1990, recording resumed in Los Angeles, California until March 1991. The production was handled by Tin Machine and Tim Palmer, who produced their debut studio album (1989), with additional production by Hugh Padgham on "One Shot". While the album musically retains a hard rock sound, the songs are more melodic compared to its predecessor, with lyrics focusing on love.

The cover artwork features four Greek Kouroi and was controversial in the US due to the statues' genitalia. Tin Machine II received mostly mixed reviews from music critics, with many highlighting individual tracks but considering the project as a whole mediocre. Some recognised it as an improvement over Tin Machine. Supported by three singles, the album peaked at number 23 in the UK and number 126 in the US. The band's accompanying It's My Life Tour received mixed reviews; a live album from the tour, Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby, was released in 1992. At the tour's completion, Tin Machine disbanded and Bowie resumed his solo career, releasing his eighteenth studio album, Black Tie White Noise (1993). Gabrels remained Bowie's collaborator for the rest of the 1990s. Bowie's biographers have given Tin Machine II mixed reactions, with most recognising it as inconsistent in quality and panning two tracks sung by Hunt Sales. The album was reissued for the first time in 2020 on both vinyl and CD. (Full article...)
Image 8
Big Apple Rappin' (subtitled: The Early Days of Hip-Hop Culture in New York City 1979–1982) is a 2006 compilation album released on Soul Jazz Records. The album is a compilation of the early days of New York hip hop by Johan Kugelberg, who had collected early hip hop material, specifically records flyers and fanzines and other memorabilia with the idea to donate them to an academic institution. The music Kugelberg gathered for the compilation surrounded hip hop music released around the period "Rapper's Delight" became a hit song. The music is predominantly hip hop with a disco backing tracks which Kugelberg described as "the first great records." Along with the music, photography and flyers were compiled from the era, as well as interviews with DJs and rappers such as Grandmaster Caz and Glen Adams.

Reviews of the album complimented the in-depth research and compiling of the compilation album, with some critics noting the dated or repetitive nature of the music and long length of the individual tracks as drawbacks. Jon Dolan of Spin gave the album a five-star rating and later included it in the magazines best reissues of 2006 list in 2007. Along with Kugelberg's collected records, a copy of the album is included in Cornell University's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. (Full article...)
Image 9
Tomahawk is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Tomahawk. Recorded after a meeting between vocalist Mike Patton and guitarist Duane Denison, the album features members of Faith No More, The Jesus Lizard, Helmet and Melvins. The band toured with Tool in support of the record.

Released on October 30, 2001, through Patton's record label Ipecac Recordings, Tomahawk has received positive attention from critics, with most appraisals drawing attention to the versatility of Patton's vocals. The album charted in both Australia and the United States, reaching a peak of number 20 in the Billboard Independent Albums countdown. (Full article...)
Image 10
Vitalogy is the third studio album by the American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994, on Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded Vitalogy while touring behind its previous album Vs. (1993). The album's sound is more diverse than previous releases and consists of aggressive rock songs, ballads and other styles, making it Pearl Jam's most experimental album at that period. Considered a departure from the grunge sound of the band's first two albums, the record focuses more on punk rock and hardcore styles in its production.

The album was first released on vinyl, followed by a release on CD and cassette two weeks later on December 6, 1994. The LP sold 34,000 copies in its first week of release, and until Jack White's 2014 album Lazaretto it held the record for most vinyl sales in one week since SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991. Upon its CD release, Vitalogy became the second-fastest selling album in history, behind only the band's previous release Vs., selling 877,000 copies in its first week and quickly going multi-platinum. The album received critical acclaim and has been certified 5× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of at least five million copies in the United States. The album was included on Rolling Stone's 2003 and 2012 "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" lists at number 485, but was dropped from the 2020 edition. It is Pearl Jam's second and last album to feature drummer Dave Abbruzzese, who was fired from the band before recording was finished. He was initially replaced by session drummers and later officially replaced by former Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Jack Irons, who completed the recording of the album. (Full article...)
Image 11
Man Overboard is the second studio album by the American rock band Man Overboard. After the release of their debut album Real Talk (2010), guitarist Wayne Wildrick left the group, resulting in several line-up changes. In December 2010, the group had signed to independent label Rise Records, and aimed to release another album by fall of next year. Following Wildrick's return to the band in April 2011, the group began demoing songs for their next album the following month. With New Found Glory guitarist Steve Klein standing in as producer, the group recorded their second album at Cannon Found Soundation Studios in New Jersey in June. Following this, the band went on a European tour with Polar Bear Club. After the album was announced in August 2011, "Dead End Dreams" was made available for streaming later that month, followed by "Spunn" in mid-September.

Man Overboard was released on September 27, 2011, and received favorable reviews. Reviewers noted comparisons to Blink-182 and Green Day. The album reached number 181 on the Billboard 200 and debuted within the top 40 on three other Billboard charts. Following a support slot for New Found Glory, the band closed the year with a headlining US tour, and a support tour for The Early November in December. A music video was released for "Somethings Weird" in January, and later that month, the band went on a headlining UK tour. Another US tour took place in February and March. During this tour, it was announced that drummer Mike Hrycenko had left the group and was replaced by Joe Talarico. Following this, the band embarked on a tour of Europe and Russia in March and April. A music video for "Dead End Dreams" was released on June 5. The band then went on the Warped Tour throughout the summer. Two more tours of the US and one of the UK followed between September and December 2012. (Full article...)
Image 12
The Movie Album is the thirtieth studio album by American singer Barbra Streisand, released on October 14, 2003, by Columbia Records. Overall, her sixtieth release with her record label, it was executively produced by Streisand and her manager, Jay Landers. A concept album, it contains twelve songs from the singer's favorite films ranging in release from 1935 to 1988. While curating the album, Streisand was inspired by her marriage to actor James Brolin to record songs about love and relationships. To better fit her needs, songwriting duo Alan and Marilyn Bergman were commissioned to add lyrics to several of the songs Streisand had chosen to record.

Individual songs on the parent album were produced by Streisand, Robbie Buchanan, and Johnny Mandel. The record contains orchestral pop compositions accompanied by a 75-piece film orchestra, recorded on set at various studio locations in California during June and July 2003. Simultaneously with the release of The Movie Album, Columbia Records distributed a sampler extended play (EP) version of the album titled Selections from the Movie Album. A deluxe edition with audio commentary and music videos for her covers of "Wild Is the Wind" and "I'm in the Mood for Love" was released exclusively in the United States. Streisand also performed live on The Oprah Winfrey Show, marking her first televised performance in forty years. (Full article...)

More selected albums

General images - load new batch

The following are images from various record production-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Donna Summer wearing headphones during a recording session in 1977 (from Recording studio)
Image 2Digital audio interface for the Pro Tools computer-based hard disk multitrack recording system. Digital audio quality is measured in data resolution per channel. (from Multitrack recording)
Image 3Mixing desk with twenty inputs and eight outputs (from Multitrack recording)
Image 4Hip hop producer and rapper RZA in a music studio with two collaborators. Pictured in the foreground is a synthesizer keyboard and a number of vinyl records; both of these items are key tools that producers and DJs use to create hip hop beats. (from Hip-hop production)
Image 5Scully 280 eight-track recorder at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (from Multitrack recording)
Image 6The Siemens Studio for Electronic Music c. 1956. (from Recording studio)
Image 7The studio at Ridge Radio in Caterham, England (from Recording studio)
Image 8Korg D888 eight-track digital recorder (from Multitrack recording)
Image 9Control room at the Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus (from Recording studio)
Image 10Neve VR60, a multitrack mixing console. Above the console are a range of studio monitor speakers. (from Recording studio)
Image 11A selection of instruments at a music studio, including a grand piano (from Recording studio)
Image 12The TASCAM 85 16B analog tape multitrack recorder can record 16 tracks of audio on 1-inch (2.54cm) magnetic tape. Professional analog units of 24 tracks on 2-inch tape were common, with specialty tape heads providing 8, or even 16 tracks on the same tape width (8 tracks for greater fidelity). (from Multitrack recording)
Image 13Engineers and producers watch a trumpet player from a window in the control room during a recording session. (from Recording studio)
Image 14The TEAC 2340, a popular early (1973) home multitrack recorder, four tracks on ¼ inch tape (from Multitrack recording)
Image 15Home studio setup (from Recording studio)
Image 16Danny Knicely records with Furnace Mountain Band in Virginia (2012) (from Recording studio)

Featured lists - load new batch

Featured lists have been determined by the Wikipedia community to be the best lists on English Wikipedia.

Image 1
Bobby Bare had his only number one single in 1974.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1974, 41 different singles topped the chart, which at the time was published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.

At the start of the year, the number one song on the chart was "If We Make It Through December" by Merle Haggard, the song's third week in the top spot. Charlie Rich had the most number ones of 1974, taking five different songs to the top spot, followed by Dolly Parton, who had three solo chart-toppers and one in collaboration with her long-time mentor Porter Wagoner. Wagoner and Parton had charted with a number of duets since 1967, but "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" was their only number one as a duo. In 1973, Parton had taken the decision to end her working relationship with Wagoner, which served as the inspiration for the song "I Will Always Love You", one of her three solo number ones of 1974. In 1982 she re-recorded the song and it once again went to number one, making her the first artist to top the country chart with two different recordings of the same song. Wagoner and Parton's chart-topper was one of two male-female duets to reach number one in 1974, the other being Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn's "As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone". Twitty and Lynn had a run of success with duet recordings in the early 1970s alongside their ongoing solo careers. (Full article...)
Image 2
The Grammy Award for Best Music Film is an annual accolade for performers, directors, and producers of quality videos or musical programs. It is presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 when it was called the Gramophone Awards. (Full article...)
Image 3
Robin Gibb reached number one on the Top Pops chart in 1969 with his song "Saved by the Bell", but the song did not top the BMRB chart and is therefore not regarded as an official UK number one.

Top Pops is a former British weekly pop music newspaper. It was founded as a monthly publication by Woodrow Wyatt in May 1967, becoming fortnightly in November 1967. On 25 May 1968, editor Colin Bostock-Smith began compiling a singles sales chart using a telephone sample of approximately twelve W H Smith & Son stores – the first single to reach number one on the Top Pops chart was "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett & The Union Gap. The charts and paper were published weekly with effect from 22 June 1968. On 20 September 1969 the paper was rebranded Top Pops & Music Now, and subsequently became Music Now from 21 March 1970 – at this point the chart was sampling between 30 and 40 stores. From 27 February 1971 the chart was no longer published and in May 1971 the newspaper ceased publication. During the publication of the chart, 55 different singles reached number one. The only one to be knocked off number one and then regain the top spot was "Mony Mony" by Tommy James and the Shondells. The final chart-topper was "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison.

From the advent of charts in the UK until 1969 several magazines and newspapers published their own charts, and there was no one "official" singles chart. In February 1969, however, Record Retailer and the BBC jointly commissioned the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) to compile an official chart. The Record Retailer chart is now considered by the Official Charts Company, the current compilers of the UK Singles Chart, to be the canonical source for number-one singles for the earlier part of the 1960s. Charts compiled by Top Pops had fifteen number-one singles that did not reach the top spot in the Record Retailer chart; in comparison, a total of nine Top Pops number-ones did not top the rival New Musical Express chart. Seven Top Pops number ones did not top either of the other publications' charts. Edwin Hawkins Singers' "Oh Happy Day", Robin Gibb's "Saved by the Bell", Bee Gees' "Don't Forget to Remember", and The Tremeloes' "(Call Me) Number One" all peaked at number two in both charts, Herman's Hermits' "My Sentimental Friend" and Don Fardon's "Indian Reservation" placed with one number two and one number three in each chart, and Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour" reached fourth and third spot in the two charts. Fardon's "Indian Reservation," however, also made number one on the Melody Maker chart, so if that publication's number ones are factored in, Top Pops / Music Now's unique number ones total the six from 1969. (Full article...)
Image 4
Toby Keith, one of the most successful country artists of the 1990s and 2000s, had his first number one in 1993.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1993, 33 different songs topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles & Tracks, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on weekly airplay data from country music radio stations compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

The number one song at the start of the year was "Don't Let Our Love Start Slippin' Away" by Vince Gill. It remained in the top spot until the chart dated January 16, when it was replaced by "Somewhere Other Than the Night" by Garth Brooks. Brooks also topped the chart with three other songs during the year, "That Summer", "Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)" and "American Honky-Tonk Bar Association", giving him the most number ones of an artist in 1993. The total of five weeks which the songs spent at number one was the highest total by any act during the year. Tracy Lawrence and Vince Gill each had three number ones during the year, Gill's total including "The Heart Won't Lie", a duet with Reba McEntire. The longest unbroken run at the top was the four weeks which Alan Jackson spent at number one with "Chattahoochee". (Full article...)
Image 5
Katy Perry (pictured)'s "I Kissed a Girl" topped the chart for nine consecutive weeks, tying Madonna's "4 Minutes" for the joint-longest-running number-one single of the year.

The Canadian Hot 100 is a chart that ranks the best-performing singles of Canada. Published by Billboard magazine, its data are similar to Billboard's U.S.-based Hot 100 in that it compiles Nielsen SoundScan based collectively on each single's weekly physical and digital sales, as well as airplay. Canada's airplay chart is compiled with information collected from monitoring more than 100 stations that represent rock, country, adult contemporary and contemporary hit radio genres. The online version of the chart features the Canadian flag next to tracks that qualify as Canadian content.

In 2008, 11 singles topped the chart. Although 12 singles claimed the top spot in 52 issues of the magazine, Timbaland's "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic began its peak position in late 2007, and is thus excluded. Katy Perry and Lady Gaga each earned two number-one singles as a lead artist. Two number-one singles tied for the longest-running chart-topping single of 2008, for nine weeks: Madonna's "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl", although the former had a non-consecutive run. Other chart-topping singles from 2008 include Flo Rida's "Low" featuring T-Pain, which stayed at number one for eight straight weeks. Rihanna's "Take a Bow" is noted for its jump from seventieth to first place on the Canadian Hot 100, which was the largest upward movement to number one at the time. (Full article...)
Image 6
George Jones had a six-week run at number one with "She Thinks I Still Care".

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1962, 11 different singles topped the chart in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores. The chart was published under the title Hot C&W Sides through the October 27 issue and Hot Country Singles thereafter, a title it would retain until 1990.

In the issue of Billboard dated January 6, the number one song was "Walk On By" by Leroy Van Dyke, in its eleventh week in the top spot. The single remained atop the chart through the issue dated March 3 for a final total of nineteen weeks at number one. This figure set a record for the most weeks at number one on the Hot Country chart which would stand for more than 50 years until Florida Georgia Line spent 24 weeks at number one between December 2012 and August 2013 with the song "Cruise". Claude King tied Van Dyke for the most weeks spent at number one in the calendar year of 1962, with an unbroken run of nine weeks in the peak position with the song "Wolverton Mountain". Marty Robbins had an eight-week run at the top with "Devil Woman". (Full article...)
Image 7
Johnny Cash reached number one in 1976 with the song "One Piece at a Time", about an assembly line worker who constructs his own car using stolen parts from a variety of different models. After the song became successful, an auto shop built the car described in the lyrics. Cash is pictured in the driving seat of the car.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1976, 37 different singles topped the chart, which at the time was published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine. Chart placings were based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.

At the start of the year the song at the top of the chart was "Convoy" by C. W. McCall, its third week at number one. The song remained in the top spot until the issue of Billboard dated January 31, 1976, when it was replaced by "This Time I've Hurt Her More than She Loves Me" by Conway Twitty. "Convoy" also topped the magazine's all-genres singles chart, the Hot 100. It was one of three 1976 country number ones to capitalize on the prevailing fad for citizens band radio (CB), along with "The White Knight" by Cledus Maggard & the Citizen's Band and "Teddy Bear" by Red Sovine. CB also featured, to a lesser extent, in the song "One Piece at a Time", which was the final chart-topper for Country Music Hall of Famer and icon of the genre Johnny Cash. (Full article...)
Image 8
"Sweet Home Chicago" performed at the White House with Barack Obama joining B.B. King on the chorus

Blues standards are blues songs that have attained a high level of recognition due to having been widely performed and recorded. They represent the best known and most interpreted blues songs that are seen as standing the test of time. Blues standards come from different eras and styles, such as ragtime-vaudeville, Delta and other early acoustic styles, and urban blues from Chicago and the West Coast.

Many blues songs were developed in American folk music traditions and individual songwriters are sometimes unidentified. Blues historian Gerard Herzhaft noted:Compounding the problem is that, in the earlier days, many blues songs were not copyrighted. Later, the rights were claimed by those who recorded a subsequent version or were managers or record company owners. (Full article...)
Image 9
Pee Wee King ended the year at number one on all three charts.

In 1951 Billboard magazine published three charts covering the best-performing country music songs in the United States: Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records, Best-Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records and Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys. The juke box chart was compiled based on a "weekly survey among a selected group of jukebox operators whose locations require country and western records", the best sellers chart based on a "survey among a selected group of retail stores, the majority of whose customers purchase country and western records", and the jockeys chart based on a "weekly survey among a select list of over 400 disk jockeys specializing in country and western tunes". The juke box chart would be discontinued in 1957 and the other two charts merged in 1958 to form a multimetric chart, which has been published weekly since that date and since 2005 has been entitled Hot Country Songs.

In the first issue of Billboard of 1951, each chart had a different number one, although two were by the same artist. Lefty Frizzell was atop both the juke box and jockeys charts, with "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time" and "I Love You a Thousand Ways" respectively, while the best sellers chart was headed by Hank Snow with "The Golden Rocket". During the year, each of the three charts had a song spend more than ten consecutive weeks at number one: Frizzell had an unbroken run of eleven weeks in the top spot of the best sellers chart with "Always Late (with Your Kisses)" and had a similar run at number one on the jockeys chart with "I Want to Be with You Always". The longest run at number one on any of the charts, however, was the fourteen consecutive weeks which Tennessee Ernie spent atop the juke box chart with "Shotgun Boogie". Frizzell reached number one for the first time in late 1950 and achieved five chart-toppers within 18 months, but soon afterwards his chart performance began to decline, his career suffering in part due to issues in his personal life. He was the only artist with four number-one country songs in 1951; Snow and Eddy Arnold each had three. Hank Williams had two number ones on the jockeys chart, but none on either of the other two charts. (Full article...)
Image 10
Marc Anthony had the most number one songs of 1996 with five.

Tropical Airplay is a chart that ranks the top-performing songs (regardless of genre or language) on tropical radio stations in the United States, published by Billboard magazine based on weekly airplay data compiled by Nielsen's Broadcast Data Systems. It is a subchart of Hot Latin Songs, which lists the best-performing Spanish-language songs in the country. In 1996, 20 songs topped the chart, in 52 issues of the magazine.

The first number one of the year was "Nadie Como Ella" by Marc Anthony, which had been in the top spot since the issue dated December 23, 1995, and spent a total of three weeks at this position. Marc Anthony was also the artist with most number ones in 1996 with five songs. Víctor Manuelle and Jerry Rivera achieved their first chart-toppers in 1996 and each had two number ones in the year. "Loco de Amor" by Rivera held this position for seven weeks and tied with Frankie Ruiz's song "Ironía" for the longest run at number one. The latter song was named the best-performing track of the year on the Tropical Airplay chart and won the Billboard Latin Music Award for "Tropical/Salsa Hot Latin Track of the Year" in 1997. (Full article...)