They love him. He shows them how to make it better, and he gets more honest and exciting performances out of people than anyone." Natalie Maines of the The Chicks has praised his production methods, saying, "He has the ability and the patience to let music be discovered, not manufactured. Come to think of it, maybe he is a guru." Producer Dr. Dre has stated that Rubin is, "hands down, the dopest producer ever that anyone would ever want to be, ever."
Praise
Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin | Praise
He shows them how to make it better, and he gets more honest and exciting performances out of people than anyone. Yes, Natalie Maines of the The Chicks has praised his production methods, saying, "He has the ability and the patience to let music be discovered, not manufactured. Come to think of it, maybe he is a guru." Yes, his "stripped-down" sound was praised Dan Charnas said that Rubin is fantastic with sound and arrangements, and he's tremendous with artists.
what is into the groove?
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"Into the Groove" is a song
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who sang it?
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American singer Madonna
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who composed it?
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Stephen Bray
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was it ever performed live?
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It was performed during The Virgin Tour in 1985
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how was this tour received by the critics?
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The tour received generally mixed reviews from critics
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can you name a place that this tour covered?
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Tampa and Orlando, Florida
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who performed in it?
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Beastie Boys, DJ Rick Rubin
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was the latter part of any band?
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Rick" Rubin is a DJ and American record producer and former co-president of Columbia Records.
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where was he born?
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In Long Beach, New York
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what criticisms did he have to face?
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Matt Bellamy of Muse criticized Rubin stating that the band would "like to thank Rick Rubin for teaching us how not to produce."
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did he also receive praise?
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In 2010 at the Music Producers Guild (MPG) awards, Matt Bellamy of Muse criticized Rubin while accepting the award for UK single of the year, stating that the band would "like to thank Rick Rubin for teaching us how not to produce." Although he and his bandmates had some positive things to say about Rubin, Slipknot's lead singer Corey Taylor said that he met Rubin only four times during the entire recording process of "" and that Rubin barely came to the studio: "... we were being charged horrendous amounts of money. And for me, if you're going to produce something, you're fucking there.
Rick Rubin | Criticism
They love him. He shows them how to make it better, and he gets more honest and exciting performances out of people than anyone." Natalie Maines of the The Chicks has praised his production methods, saying, "He has the ability and the patience to let music be discovered, not manufactured. Come to think of it, maybe he is a guru." Producer Dr. Dre has stated that Rubin is, "hands down, the dopest producer ever that anyone would ever want to be, ever."
Rick Rubin | Praise
I don't care who you are!" He also added: "The Rick Rubin of today is a ... shadow of the Rick Rubin that he was. He is overrated, he is overpaid, and I will never work with him again".
Rick Rubin | Criticism
Rubin's biggest trademark as a producer has been a "stripped-down" sound, which involves eliminating production elements such as string sections, backup vocals, and reverb, and instead having naked vocals and bare instrumentation. However, by the 2000s, Rubin's style had been known to include such elements, as noted in "The Washington Post": "As the track reaches a crescendo and [Neil] Diamond's portentous baritone soars over a swelling string arrangement, Rubin leans back, as though floored by the emotional power of the song." On the subject of his production methods, Dan Charnas, a music journalist who worked as vice president of A&R and marketing at Rubin's American Recordings label in the 1990s, said, "He's fantastic with sound and arrangements, and he's tremendous with artists.
Rick Rubin | Praise
Jon Hadusek of "Consequence of Sound" said of the production, "Rubin...deserves disparagement for the way he mixed the audio levels, which are crushed by distortion and compression. Otherwise well-recorded songs are blemished, an affliction all too pervasive in the modern music industry". Ben Ratliff of "The New York Times" also disliked the album's mastering, saying, "The new Black Sabbath album was produced by Rick Rubin, who some believe to be a prime offender in the recent history of highly compressed and loudly mastered music — a major cause of ear fatigue..."13" is mastered loudly, too; Mr. Iommi's guitar tone planes outward, leaving very little space, and the drums stay high and present in the mix.
13 (Black Sabbath album) | Critical reception
Since at least 1999, Rubin has been criticized by listeners for contributing to a phenomenon in music known as the loudness war, in which the dynamic range of recorded music is compressed and sometimes clipped in order to increase the general loudness. Albums produced by Rubin that have been criticized for such treatment include:
Rick Rubin | Loudness war
MusicRadar and "Rolling Stone" attribute a quote to the album's mastering engineer Ted Jensen in which he claims that "mixes were already brick-walled before they arrived" for mastering and cite a petition from fans to remix or remaster the album. Metallica and Rubin initially declined to comment, while the band's co-manager Cliff Burnstein stated that complainers were in a minority and that response to the album had otherwise been "overwhelmingly positive". Ulrich later confirmed in an interview with "Blender", that some creative control regarding the album's production had been transferred to Rubin but also stressed his satisfaction with the final product.
Death Magnetic | Compression
In an interview with "Billboard", Shinoda said "We've focused almost exclusively on songwriting, not on sound, not on genre, not on arrangement, on words and melodies. And that is something Rick [Rubin] has always told us to do years past and we never listened because we started always track first. Now we're writing songs and now we're just starting to get into the style of that." While working with Justin Parker in London, Mike also learned a different approach to songwriting: to write without any sound in mind and, instead, write with meaning in mind. Instead of writing tracks piece by piece, the band wouldn't leave a session without having a song.
One More Light | Recording
For Kiedis, "writing "By the Way"... was a whole different experience from "Californication". John was back to himself and brimming with confidence." Prior to recording "By the Way", the Chili Peppers decided that they would again have Rick Rubin produce the album. Rubin had, in the past, granted the Chili Peppers creative freedom on their recording material; this was something they thought essential for the album to be unique, and could only occur with his return.
By the Way | Background
hopefully we should be able to knock that on the head (finishing the album) this spring, I would guess". In March 2016, Hammett said that the band had worked with Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed "Death Magnetic", as producer on the new album. "The title 'producer' itself is a bit ambiguous. It differs from person to person. You can call Rick Rubin a producer, but he's not the [same] type of producer as Bob Rock, who is there for every note. At the same time, Rick Rubin gets stuff done. Greg Fidelman is a different type of producer in that he's with the engineer always looking to try and move the project forward."
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | Background
He said: "We're gonna continue to be a band, but maybe the rock will have to go; maybe the rock has to get a lot harder. But whatever it is, it's not gonna stay where it is." Rubin encouraged a "back to basics" approach and wanted the group to bring finished songs to the studio. This approach conflicted with U2's freeform recording style, by which they improvised material in the studio. The Edge said: "we sort of hadn't really finished the songs. It's typical for us, because it's in the process of recording that we really do our writing." Bassist Adam Clayton said: "once we have a song, we're interested in the atmospherics and the tones and the overdubs and the different stuff you can do with it...
No Line on the Horizon | Aborted sessions with Rick Rubin
Rubin's production credit on the back cover reads "REDUCED BY RICK RUBIN", referring to his minimalist production style, which gave the album its stripped-down and gritty sound. This style would serve as one of Rubin's production trademarks and would have a great impact on future hip-hop productions. Rubin's early hip hop production work, before his exit from Def Jam to Los Angeles, helped solidify his legacy as a hip hop pioneer and establish his reputation in the music industry.
LL Cool J | 1985–87: "Radio"
Chad Smith, in a May 17, 2016 radio interview, said the band loved Rick Rubin but wanted to work with someone different this time; that it was important to change producers and be inspired in a different way. Josh Klinghoffer would say in early 2020 after his departure that creative and personal differences between him and Rick Rubin during the recording of "I'm With You" led him to choose another producer for "The Getaway". Smith also said "We Turn Red" was one of his favorite songs and that "Go Robot", a funky song he also loves, might be a single.
The Getaway (Red Hot Chili Peppers album) | Background
His productions were characterized by occasionally fusing rap with heavy rock. Rubin tapped Adam Dubin and Ric Menello to co-direct the music videos for the Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" and "No Sleep till Brooklyn", effectively launching the band's mainstream hip hop careers. It was the idea of Rubin's friend Sue Cummings, an editor at "Spin" magazine, to have Run–D.M.C. and Aerosmith collaborate on a cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way". This 1986 production is often credited with both introducing rap hard rock to mainstream ears and revitalizing Aerosmith's career. In 1986, he worked with Aerosmith again on demos for their forthcoming album, but their collaboration ended early and resulted in only rough studio jams.
Rick Rubin | Def Jam years
We became, maybe, an inspiration to Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, Linkin Park – all these other bands that are doing that now." Run-D.M.C., The Beastie Boys, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers all shared a common producer: Rick Rubin. In many ways, he may be considered the father of Rap Rock.
Rap rock | Early development (1980s)
In October 2011, bassist Robert Trujillo said that the band had returned to the studio to begin writing new material. He said: "The writing process for the new Metallica album has begun. We've been in the studio with Rick Rubin, working on a couple of things, and we're going to be recording during most of next year." In an interview with "Classic Rock" on January 8, 2013, Lars Ulrich said regarding the album, "What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation [of "Death Magnetic"]". He also said, "I love Rick [Rubin]. We all love Rick. We're in touch with Rick constantly.
Hardwired... to Self-Destruct | Background
"Audioslave" received mixed reviews. Some critics lambasted the group's effort as uninspired, and predictable. Pitchfork Media's reviewers Chris Dahlen and Ryan Schreiber praised Cornell's voice, but criticized virtually every other part of the album, calling it "the worst kind of studio rock album, rigorously controlled-- even undercut-- by studio gimmickry." They described Cornell's lyrics as "complete gibberish" and called producer Rick Rubin's work "a synthesized rock-like product that emits no heat." Jon Monks from "Stylus Magazine" had the same opinion. He considered Rubin's production over-polished and wrote that "lacking individuality, distinction and imagination this album is over-produced, overlong and over-indulgent." On the other hand, other critics praised the supergroup's style reminiscent of 1970s heavy metal and compared it to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, saying they add much-needed sound and style to contemporary mainstream rock music, and have the potential to become one of the best rock bands of the 21st century.
Audioslave (album) | Critical
Slayer began writing lyrics for a new album prior to their appearance at the 1999 Ozzfest. However, every three to four months the band was distracted by commitments to Ozzfest, and worldwide "Tattoo the Earth" tour with Slipknot. Guitarist Jeff Hanneman later admitted "that was the last break. Then we got our shit together." The band's longtime producer, Rick Rubin, was too busy to work with Slayer, and felt "burned out"—unable to create intense music. Araya and King had similar feelings about Rubin, and King remarked he "wanted to work with someone into the heavy-music scene, and Rubin's not anymore.
God Hates Us All | Recording
In the same year, Rubin began his long musical partnership with Slayer, producing "Reign in Blood", considered a classic of the heavy metal genre. This was his first work with a metal band.
Rick Rubin | Def Jam years
Pitchfork Media's Stephen M. Deusner criticized Rick Rubin's production, stating ""Ain't No Grave" isn't really Cash's farewell as much as it is Rubin's memorial mixtape". Although cited at the time as the final expected release of recordings from the American sessions (as had "American V" before it), in March 2014, John Carter Cash indicated that "three or four albums worth" of American material may be released. Rock historian, Graeme Thomson, has written of the challenge of posthumous work.
American VI: Ain't No Grave | Critical reception
In a 3.5-mic out of 5 review, "The Source" wrote positively of Rick Rubin's contribution to the album, writing, "The group's fuck-everybody attitude and simple straight-forward music is a perfect match for Rubin..." Andy Kellman of AllMusic also praised Rick Rubin's contribution, writing, "The album is expertly sequenced, and some songs seem to have twice the impact of their original incarnations." Robert Christgau, on the other hand, criticized the album, comparing it negatively to slasher films. Christgau ended the review, writing, "I'm impressed by [its] pungent beats and vernacular. I'm glad they put Reagan in bed with Noriega. I'm sorta touched when one of them thinks to thank the first girl to lick his asshole.
The Geto Boys (album) | Reception
things that Rick was not in the slightest bit interested in. He was interested in getting it from embryonic stage to a song that could be mixed and put on a record." They ultimately decided to shelve the material recorded with Rubin, but expressed interest in revisiting it in the future. Rubin said: "I don't know what their perspective was. I thought we had fun."
No Line on the Horizon | Aborted sessions with Rick Rubin
Rubin also produced two of Joe Strummer's final songs, "Long Shadow", a song Strummer wrote for Cash to record although he never did, and a cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song". Both songs were released on Strummer's final album, "Streetcore", which was released after his death. Rubin also produced a version of "Redemption Song" with Strummer and Cash together, which was featured in Cash's posthumous box set, "Unearthed". Rubin has also produced a number of records with other artists, which were released on labels other than American. Arguably his biggest success as producer came from working with the Red Hot Chili Peppers with whom Rubin produced six studio albums from 1991–2011, starting with the band's fifth release, "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", which launched the band to mainstream success thanks to the hit singles "Give it Away" and "Under the Bridge".
Rick Rubin | American Recordings years
Rick Rubin had produced their two previous albums. However, the Chili Peppers decided to look for other producers for "Californication", and unsuccessfully approached David Bowie. The Chili Peppers remained with Rubin. Rubin had, in the past, granted the Chili Peppers creative freedom on their recording material; this was something they thought necessary for the album to be unique, and could only occur with his return. Recording took place at Cello Studios in Los Angeles. In early 1999, following the recording process, the band played "Scar Tissue", "Otherside", and "Californication" to their managers, and it was decided that "Scar Tissue" would be the lead single for the album.
Californication (album) | Promotion and release
King was critical of his involvement, and said he cannot recall Rubin's presence in the studio during the recording, and that Rubin's main contribution was in providing suggestions during the final mix. Jamie Thomson of UK's "The Guardian" newspaper was scornful of Rubin's contribution, and observed Slayer "seem unwilling to ditch the nu-metal tendencies that have made much of their recent output so resistible, which suggests Rubin's involvement was considerably less hands-on than in his remarkable redemptions of Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond." As with Slayer's previous two albums, all rhythm guitar tracks on "Christ Illusion" were laid down by King.
Christ Illusion | Recording
Rick Rubin is a producer who holds eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the year which he won with the Dixie Chicks and Adele in 2007 and 2012, respectively. He also won numerous producer of the year awards. This is a list compiling his production discography.
Rick Rubin production discography | Introduction
Rubin's production credit on the back cover reads "REDUCED BY RICK RUBIN", referring to his minimalist production style, which gave the album its stripped-down and gritty sound. This style would serve as one of Rubin's production trademarks and would have a great impact on future hip-hop productions. Rubin's early hip hop production work, before his exit from Def Jam to Los Angeles, helped solidify his legacy as a hip hop pioneer and establish his reputation in the music industry. "Radio"s release coincided with the growing new school scene and subculture, which also marked the beginning of hip-hop's "golden age" and the replacement of old school hip hop.
LL Cool J | Legacy
Rubin's production credit on the back cover reads "REDUCED BY RICK RUBIN", referring to his minimalist production style, which gave the album its stripped-down and gritty sound. This style would serve as one of Rubin's production trademarks and would have a great impact on future hip-hop productions. Rubin's early hip hop production work, before his exit from Def Jam to Los Angeles, helped solidify his legacy as a hip hop pioneer and establish his reputation in the music industry. "Radio"s release coincided with the growing new school scene and subculture, which also marked the beginning of hip-hop's "golden age" and the replacement of old school hip hop.
Radio (LL Cool J album) | Legacy and influence
The album's stripped down production and focus upon spiritual songs gained numerous comparisons to Johnny Cash's American series and Elvis Presley's 1968 comeback. Writing in "American Songwriter", Rick Moore applauded the song selection and stated that "on this excellent collection of songs examining the human condition, Jones confronts the issues of heaven and hell in a way that Cash did for much of his life, especially toward the end of it… [Tom] Jones and [Ethan] Johns have made a real statement in the same way that Rubin, and of course T Bone Burnett, do almost every time they produce an album." Writing in "The New York Times", Stephen Holden states that Jones’ vocal delivery "conveys the contrition of a sinner as he delivers a mixture of traditional spirituals and contemporary gospel songs tautly arranged for a small band.
Praise &amp; Blame | Critical response
The six albums with the Chili Peppers also spawned twelve number one singles on the "Billboard" Alternative Songs chart, a record the band as of 2015 still holds, and various awards including sixteen Grammy Nominations (with six wins) with a Producer of the Year Grammy award for 2006's "Stadium Arcadium", which was also nominated for Album of the Year. The band has sold over 80 million albums worldwide, most of which have been through sales of the Rubin produced albums. Various members of the Chili Peppers have also been used on other projects by Rubin. After 24 years of working with Rubin, the band announced in late 2014 that they would be working with another producer on their eleventh studio album.
Rick Rubin | American Recordings years
Now settled into Warner Bros. Records, the Chili Peppers began looking for a suitable producer. One in particular, Rick Rubin, stood out, as he was more broadminded than people the band had worked with in the past, even though Rubin had turned down the chance to produce their 1987 album "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" due to the drug problems of Kiedis and guitarist Hillel Slovak (who would die of a heroin overdose a year later). Unlike the Peppers' previous producers, Rubin was someone the band felt confident in to ask for guidance and input during times of difficulty. He would often help arrange drum beats, guitar melodies and lyrics.
Blood Sugar Sex Magik | Recording and production
There's no definition of nothing, no vocal, no nothing, just like—static." Music critics have complained about excessive compression. The Rick Rubin produced albums "Californication" and "Death Magnetic" have been criticised for loudness by "The Guardian"; the latter was also criticised by "Audioholics". "Stylus Magazine" said the former suffered from so much digital clipping that "even non-audiophile consumers complained about it". Opponents have called for immediate changes in the music industry regarding the level of loudness. In August 2006, the vice-president of A&R for One Haven Music, a Sony Music company, in an open letter decrying the loudness war, claimed that mastering engineers are being forced against their will or are preemptively making releases louder to get the attention of industry heads.
Loudness war | Criticism
“It’s really one of those cases where they had too many good songs to fit on an album. They have this cohesive thing in the studio – when they get that take, that’s the take that they keep.” “It’s always difficult, but we use a democratic process and the songs with the most votes are usually the backbone of the album,” producer Rick Rubin wrote in an email. “I can just say as is always the case, some of my personal favorites don’t make the cut. I’m sure everyone in the band can tell you the same.” In an interview, Klinghoffer said the band spent time in 2012 and 2013 doing post-session work for some of the b-sides.
I'm with You Sessions | Writing and composition
The album has been criticized for having compromised sound quality, due to an excessively compressed dynamic range, leading to audible distortion. Sean Michaels of "The Guardian" explains that this is "a result of the 'loudness war' – an ongoing industry effort to make recordings as loud as possible". A "Rolling Stone" article states that Rubin was "overseeing mixes in Los Angeles while the band is in Europe, headlining shows" and only communicated with him by conference calls. Fans have noted that these sonic problems are not present in the "Guitar Hero" version of the album, where the tracks are presented separately because of the game mechanics and the tracks were sent to the game publishers before the process was made.
Death Magnetic | Compression
Thom Jurek, a staff writer for AllMusic, gave the album a rating of three out of five stars. Jurek gave notice to the album's sound quality, telling readers that it does not "capture the sheer overblown intensity of the unit in a concert setting," but that it comes closer than one may imagine. Jurek also gave note to how Rick Rubin made the two-discs sound like it were recorded at one gig, writing "Producer Rick Rubin stays out of the way; his production seems to be in terms of shaping the live sound to make it sound like this is all one gig." "Entertainment Weekly"s David Browne said that it was an "accurate aural snapshots of what it's like to be part of a crowd craning to see the action on a stage that seems two miles away." Browne also said that "they're perfect examples of the sad current state of the once-proud live rock album." Robert Christgau gave the album a star ("Honorable Mention is a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like."), saying, "praise the Lord—I can hardly understand a word they're singing ("Hell Awaits")." Joel McIver, author of "The Bloody Reign of Slayer" said that it was regarded as one of the best live albums released by a heavy metal band.
Decade of Aggression | Reception
In May 2007, Rubin was named co-head of Columbia Records. Rubin co-produced Linkin Park's 2007 album "Minutes to Midnight" with Mike Shinoda. Rubin and Shinoda have since co-produced the band's 2010 album, "A Thousand Suns", and their June 2012 release, "Living Things". In 2007, Rubin won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his work with the Dixie Chicks, Michael Kranz, Red Hot Chili Peppers, U2, Green Day, and Johnny Cash released in 2006. Rubin won the award again in 2009, for production work for Metallica, Neil Diamond, Ours, Jakob Dylan, and Weezer in 2008. In 2012 Rubin won the Grammy for Album of the Year for his role as a producer on Adele's album "21".
Rick Rubin | Columbia years
Now that we're comfortable with Rick and his incredible engineer, Greg Fidelman, who worked with Slayer, actually, on this last recordit's my heroit's a great team. And it's only gonna better; I really believe that. So I'm super-excited." In June 2011, Rubin said Metallica had begun writing its new album.
Metallica | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, "Lulu" and "Beyond Magnetic" (2009–2011)
He presented the demos to his bandmates, which received positive reception from the rest of the band, and to Rubin, who was also positive towards the demos, though describing them to Shinoda as more "poppy" than he expected. However, Shinoda, after listening to the demos again after the end of the tour, felt a strong negativity towards his material, especially after Rubin's statements. In a Warner Music interview, Shinoda stated that "I don't even believe in this music. This is a mistake; I don't like what I'm making. I kind of went backwards into the process and scrapped all of it and started new stuff." Following "A Thousand Suns" and "Living Things", albums which were created with leaving behind a sound that was "not new and not cool anymore" in mind, the band's sixth studio album was approached as a return to the band's early sound, with the electronic sounds of their previous two studio albums being dropped in favor of the band's traditional rock instrumentation.
The Hunting Party (album) | Background
All throughout, the band is experimenting with disparaging sounds, and the only thing that ties them together is Rick Rubin and Jacknife Lee's glossy production." Despite this, Canino still rates the song highly, "The bulk of the middle portion is really pretty okay, so we'll concede this one as a success." Similarly, Ira Robbins and Pete Crigler of TrouserPress.com said, "Despite that success, rap is not an advisable direction for Weezer." Alan Shulman of No Ripcord commented that the song did not have much lasting appeal: "The novelty begins to wear after the 4th or 5th listen," and Leah Greenblatt of "Entertainment Weekly" labelled the song a "Bombastic mini-rock opera" but also said the "remedial rhymes" marred an "otherwise intriguing musical experiment."
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) | Critical reception
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer and former co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, he is the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings and also established American Recordings. With the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Geto Boys, and Run-DMC, Rubin helped popularize hip hop music. In 2007, MTV called him "the most important producer of the last 20 years", and the same year, Rubin appeared on "Time"'s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Rick Rubin | Introduction
I wanted somebody who knows what's hot, knows what's selling, knows the new techniques, and will keep me on my toes." Rubin recommended two producers, although the first producer was not going to work out personality-wise according to Hanneman. The band gave second candidate, Matt Hyde, a trial on the song "Bloodline", which appeared in the movie "Dracula 2000". The band was pleased with Hyde's work on "Bloodline" and hired him to produce the entire album. "God Hates Us All" was to be recorded in a Hollywood studio; however, the band relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia due to the availability of cheaper studio time.
God Hates Us All | Recording
West made several last-minute alterations to "Yeezus", enlisting the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Rick Rubin, as an executive producer for additional recording mere days before its release; changes included re-recording whole songs and rewriting entire verses. The rough cut West played Rubin ran nearly three and a half hours long. West's orders to Rubin were to take the music in a "stripped-down minimal direction", often removing elements already recorded. In a September 2013 interview with radio DJ Zane Lowe, West said of Rubin that "he's not a producer, he's a reducer".
Yeezus | Recording and production
Record producer Rick Rubin described the song's structure as "A traditional blues, twisted through a trippy, psychedelic filter. They [Led Zeppelin] played with such precision, doing these odd arrangements that sound like loose jams but are really choreographed."
It's Nobody's Fault but Mine | Lyrics and composition
The album was announced on 22 July 2013. Kieran Hebden hinted that the release of the album would be low-key, stating on Twitter that there would be "no pre order, no youtube trailers, no itunes stream, no spotify, no amazon deal, no charts, no bit coin deal, no last minute rick rubin [referring to Rubin's enlistment by Kanye West to perform last-minute alterations to his recently released album "Yeezus"]."
Beautiful Rewind | Release
Feeling discontent over the record's production process, Root said, "it felt a little bit rushed. And it felt like we were trying to do things just to appease a schedule, which I didn't really like." Root was particularly disappointed with the record's producer, Dave Fortman, and said, "Dave Fortman really helped me appreciate Rick Rubin as a producer. [Fortman] wasn't able to get nine people together on the same page and, to me, that's the most important thing in making a Slipknot record." Conversely, Jordison said, "It's finally the record that I've wanted Slipknot to sound like." He went on to compliment Fortman's ear for tone, and considered "All Hope Is Gone" to be the band's best album.
All Hope Is Gone | Recording
At the same time I was writing new songs. Dave got very excited about that. We all did. We ended up recording demos for 35 songs." After deliberating over whether to self-produce the album or choose a producer from a list that included Rick Rubin and Pat Leonard, Roth suggested John Shanks. Shanks liked the first three songs, and agreed to produce the album, working alongside Wolfgang to pick the demos that would be developed into the album's tracks. While all of Van Halen's albums since "1984" had been produced inside 5150, Roth persuaded the band to work at Henson Recording Studios—where he had been recording for more than a decade.
A Different Kind of Truth | Background
Their first record released was LL Cool J's "I Need a Beat". Rubin went on to find more hip-hop acts outside The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Harlem including rappers from Queens, Staten Island, and Long Island, which eventually led to Def Jam's signing of Public Enemy. Rubin was instrumental in pointing the members of the Beastie Boys away from their punk roots and into rap, resulting in the exit of Kate Schellenbach from the group. 1985's "Rock Hard"/"Party's Gettin' Rough"/"Beastie Groove" EP by the Beastie Boys came out on the success of Rubin's production work with breakthrough act Run-DMC, of which previous recordings were produced by Russell Simmons and Orange Krush's musician Larry Smith.
Rick Rubin | Def Jam years
By contrast, BBC Music's Natalie Shaw disapproved of Rick Ross' verse, saying that it consists of "tasteless mentions of Trayvon Martin".
Lemme See | Critical reception
In retrospect, some critics and music writers have given more praise to producer Rick Rubin's contributions to "Radio", as well as note the importance of his production on the album. Yahoo! Music's Frank Meyer said that the album was "one of the earliest records, along with "Run-DMC", to combine the vocal approach of rap with the musical arrangements and riffing of rock 'n' roll. 'I Can't Live Without My Radio' is a hip-hop classic and this album set the standard for East Coast rap for a long time."
Radio (LL Cool J album) | Release and reception
I wanted to re-invent them in a way that really represents what they mean to me now ... '. Chapman further was inspired by Rick Rubin took on producing material with Johnny Cash. Chapman said that "He [Rubin] took those great songs you couldn't imagine ever redoing, everything from the Beatles 'In My Life' to Roberta Flack's 'The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face' [sic] and he even did a cover of Nine Inch Nails' 'Hurt.' They became almost like new songs... The emotion and what you could really feel in them was inspiring the way I wanted to record these songs".
Re-creation (album) | Background
Rubin's criticism articles appeared in "Modern Fiction Studies", "Hudson Review", "Journal of Asian Studies".
David Rubin (author) | Criticism
He was something unique that shaped our sound then, but now I think it's also something fresh and exciting to have a new, incredible musical mind working with us now. We are still the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but we also have to adapt and welcome new opportunities. After all, that is how we've survived all these years." Producer Rick Rubin commented on Klinghoffer's addition to the band, stating, "Josh is fantastic. He played with John Frusciante for many, many years and he actually toured with the Chili Peppers before, so he's sort of part of the extended family. He's stylistically very close to John but has a completely different trip.
I'm with You (album) | Writing and composition
Rubin left Columbia in 2012, and revived the American Recordings imprint through a deal with Republic Records. The first albums released under this new deal were ZZ Top's "La Futura" and The Avett Brothers' "The Carpenter". Rubin attempted to record a cover album with Crosby, Stills & Nash in 2012, but the brief sessions were ultimately unsuccessful. Graham Nash went on to describe the sessions as "irritable" and "not a great experience".
Rick Rubin | Post-Columbia
Anger". In February 2006, Metallica chose producer Rick Rubin to produce their next album, ending the band's long-time relationship with Rock. At Metallica's 30th Anniversary Concert on December 10, 2011, Rock joined Metallica onstage, and performed bass alongside Trujillo on the songs "Dirty Window" and "Frantic".
Bob Rock | Metallica
Rubinstein stayed in America 239 days, giving 215 concerts—sometimes two and three a day in as many cities. Rubinstein wrote of his American experience, May Heaven preserve us from such slavery! Under these conditions there is no chance for art—one simply grows into an automaton, performing mechanical work; no dignity remains to the artist; he is lost... The receipts and the success were invariably gratifying, but it was all so tedious that I began to despise myself and my art. So profound was my dissatisfaction that when several years later I was asked to repeat my American tour, I refused pointblank...
Anton Rubinstein | The American tour
Having befriended Zulu Nation's DJ Jazzy Jay, Rubin began to learn about hip hop production. By 1983, the two had produced ""It's Yours"" for rapper T La Rock, and released it on their independent label, Def Jam Records. Producer Arthur Baker helped to distribute the record worldwide on Baker's Streetwise Records in 1984. Jazzy Jay introduced Rubin to concert promoter/artist manager Russell Simmons in the Negril club, and Rubin explained he needed help getting Def Jam off the ground. Simmons and Rubin edged out Jazzy Jay and the official Def Jam record label was founded while Rubin was attending New York University in 1984.
Rick Rubin | Def Jam years
98% of them showed so much love and gave beautiful reactions to the album; I did not even hear the criticism. Also, negative criticism should surely exist. I appreciate your feedback and criticism, please keep up reacting!"
Sinan Akçıl | Criticism
Slayer's label American Recordings was at the time negotiating a switch of record distributors from Columbia Records to Warner Bros. Records, meaning the recording would have been temporarily shelved until the issue became resolved. For this reason the group did not finish a record at that time, as the distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records was not finalized until late July 2005. Slayer wished for "Reign in Blood" producer Rick Rubin to produce the album, and expected him to do so after Rubin expressed an initial interest. Rubin was busy, however, which caused a further delay to recording. While "Christ Illusion"s recording was finally underway Rubin lent production to Metallica's "Death Magnetic", an action later described by King as a "slap in the fucking face." Josh Abraham produced the album instead, and was praised by Blabbermouth's Don Kaye "for capturing much more of the spark than has been apparent on the last few records." Despite missing an opportunity to produce "Christ Illusion", Rubin contributed in an "executive production" capacity.
Christ Illusion | Recording
Chamber Music paired Wu Tang MCs like Raekwon, Ghostface, RZA, and Inspectah Deck with Kool G Rap, Sadat X, Cormega, AZ, Masta Ace and M.O.P.. Rubin's voice is heard on the final track of the album.
Noah Rubin (music executive) | Music
"Sitting and talking and playing music… that was when we got to build up a friendship," Rubin recalled. "My fondest memories are just of hanging out and hearing his stories. He didn't speak much but, if you drew him out, he seemed to know everything. He was shy and quiet but a wise, wise man."
American Recordings (album) | Background
Following the success of "Cooky Puss", the band began to incorporate rap into their sets. They hired a DJ for their live shows, New York University student Rick Rubin, who began producing records soon thereafter. "I met Mike first," Rubin recalled. "I thought he was an arrogant asshole. Through spending time with the Beasties I grew to see that they had this great sense of humour. It wasn't that they were assholes, and even if it was, they were funny with it." Rubin formed Def Jam Recordings with fellow NYU student Russell Simmons, and approached the band about producing them for his new label.
Beastie Boys | 1984–1987: Def Jam years and "Licensed to Ill"
Unlike associate Rick Ross, who keeps letting you know that he’s the “boss,” Joe just wants to entertain you." Jesal Padania of "RapReviews" felt that Joe copied the formula from "Me, Myself & I" for the album, criticizing the production for being mediocre at best and not allowing him to make good use of them, saying that "In other words, can I really recommend you purchasing this album? Not really - and I would class myself as a Fat Joe fan. I will recommend that you purchase a few of the songs from iTunes, but that is the best I can do."
The Elephant in the Room (album) | Critical reception
His manner with them was a combination of raw, sometimes violent criticism and good humor. Hofmann wrote of one such lesson: Once I played a Liszt rhapsody pretty badly. After a little of it, Rubinstein said, "The way you play this piece would be all right for Auntie or Mamma." Then rising and coming toward me, he said, "Now let us see how" we "play such things." [...]I began again, but I had not played more than a few measures when Rubinstein said loudly, "Have you begun?" "Yes, Master, I certainly have." "Oh," said Rubinstein vaguely, "I didn't notice." [...]Rubinstein did not so much instruct me.
Anton Rubinstein | Rubinstein's repartee
The album took five months to record. Production started at the Record Plant Studios in New York City, but the band became dissatisfied with the sound there and moved to Los Angeles' Ocean Way Studios. Getting the right drum sound at the Record Plant had proved impossible, with Rubin even isolating the drums in a tent in the studio and lining the walls and ceiling with material to soak up the extra sound the room generated. Although the band was immediately satisfied with the Ocean Way Studios, Rubin and Malcolm Young clashed over the album's direction, with Rubin demanding as many as 50 retakes on some songs, and rumours persist that Rubin was often absent from the studio and left the band to their own devices while he reportedly saw to the recording of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "One Hot Minute" album at the same time.
Ballbreaker | Recording
He told rock music producer Rick Rubin that his motivation for creating the album was to get it finished, thus Rubin responded that Reznor might not do so until he makes music that is allowed to be heard. Reznor realized that he was in the most fortunate situation he imagined when the album was recorded with a normal budget, "cool" equipment, and a studio to work at. Released on March 8, 1994 to instant success, "The Downward Spiral" debuted at number two on the US "Billboard" 200, selling nearly 119,000 copies in its first week. On October 28, 1998, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album quadruple platinum, and by December 2011, it had sold 3.7 million copies in the United States.
The Downward Spiral | Release and reception
He added, "the material is consistently strong, if not all-out amazing" and praised the guitar work of Shaun Glass and Adam Zadel as well as the "throaty delivery" of Ryan McCombs for dropping its blatant Layne Staley inspiration. In a brief review, Bill Ribas of NY Rock praised Clive Davis' choice for J Records' first heavy metal band and compared McCombs' voice to "a cross between Rob Zombie and an angry Eddie Vedder."
Scars (Soil album) | Critical response
Frederick Jay Rubin was born in Long Beach, New York and grew up in Lido Beach, New York. His father, Michael (Mickey), was a shoe wholesaler and his mother Linda a housewife. He is of Jewish descent. While a student at Long Beach High School he befriended the school's audiovisual department director Steve Freeman who gave him a few lessons in guitar playing and songwriting. He then played in a band with childhood friends, performing at garage and school shows for town friends until a teacher helped him create a punk band called The Pricks. Their biggest claim to fame was being thrown off the stage at CBGB after two songs for brawling with the heckling audience, who were friends of the band instructed to instigate a confrontation so as to get the show shut down and create a buzz.
Rick Rubin | Early life
Throughout the band's career, their songs have been criticised as simplistic, monotonous, deliberately lowbrow, and sexist. David Marchese from "Vulture" wrote that, "regardless of the lyricist, whether it was Scott (who was capable of real wit and color), Johnson, or the Young brothers, there's a deep strain of misogyny in the band's output that veers from feeling terribly dated to straight-up reprehensible." According to Christgau in 1988, "the brutal truth is that sexism has never kept a great rock-and-roller down—from Muddy to Lemmy, lots of dynamite music has objectified women in objectionable ways. But rotely is not among those ways", in regards to AC/DC.
AC/DC | Criticism
In an interview with "Rolling Stone", Zimmerman said he was dissatisfied with the album because "it's not written from start to finish; it's over a year's worth of work that doesn't correlate".
/2016Album/ | Background
Rubin praised the album's production quality and lyrical concept, and stated ""Hip Hop" is unsparing in its diagnosis of rap's ills, but ultimately, it's hopeful. It contains a smart, tight, cohesive analysis of where rap went astray, but also the seeds of the genre's rebirth and renewal." Despite perceiving its sound and musical quality as weaknesses, "Los Angeles Times" writer Soren Baker gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote "Nas demonstrates why he remains one of rap's most revered artists, as his defense of hip-hop culture is impassioned and informed, if not fully realized". Sean Fennessey of "Vibe" called the album "disorienting and sometimes brilliant" and complimented its "bold, startling production and a renewed lyrical vigor".
Hip Hop Is Dead | Critical reception
The reviewers were disappointed with the quality of the music clips. John Hoogerwaard of "Trouw" called them "simple imitation", and Reed felt that because none were sourced from their artists, they weren't initially recognizable. Ramsey stated that the clips reminded him of low-quality muzak versions of songs.
Buzz!: The Music Quiz | Critical response
In his autobiography, Cash wrote about his frustration with Columbia Records in the 1970s and 1980s, due in part to creative disagreements, such as recording his vocals separately from the backing musicians. Cash's successful collaboration with Rick Rubin was in part due to Rubin seeking a minimalist sound for his songs. "Tennessee Stud" and "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" were recorded live at the Viper Room, a Sunset Strip, Los Angeles nightclub owned at the time by Johnny Depp. "The Beast in Me" was written and originally recorded by Cash's former stepson-in-law Nick Lowe. Rubin commissioned new songs from several musicians, two of which ended up on "American Recordings".
American Recordings (album) | Recording and production
When the successful Mother's Milk tour was over, the Red Hot Chili Peppers severed ties with EMI and signed with Warner Bros. Records. Rick Rubin, who had rejected an opportunity to produce "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan", agreed to produce their next album. Flea had largely used the principal slap bass technique on the band's preceding four albums, and decided to downplay this style in favor of more conventional, melodic bass lines. To record the album, Rubin suggested they use a mansion that once belonged to magician Harry Houdini. Flea felt it was "a creatively fertile situation", and decided to bring his daughter Clara with him.
Flea (musician) | Mainstream success and side projects (1989–1998)
Anger" "part two". On May 20, 2006, Kirk Hammett revealed that the band had fifteen songs written and were writing on average two to three songs per week. Hetfield also praised producer Rick Rubin for his production style in giving the band their own freedom and keeping the pressure at a minimum, despite the sessions becoming sometimes briefly unfocused. On May 27, Metallica updated their website with a video featuring information regarding the album.
Death Magnetic | Writing
Returning home to Queens in late 1985 after their extensive touring, they soon put themselves on lockdown at Chung King studios in Manhattan for three months. In place of producer Smith, a cocky new maverick was brought in: Rick Rubin. Even though Rubin's and Russell's names were on the production marquee, the two non-group members oversaw and added to the music on Raising Hell more than create it. "Rick and Russell got production credit, but we [the group members] really did everything", DMC states. "We did that album in like three months. It was so quick because every rhyme was written on the road and had been practiced and polished.
Raising Hell (album) | Background
David Rubinson (born August 7, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American recording engineer and music producer, who was particularly involved in music production from the 1960s to the 1980s. He produced such diverse acts as Moby Grape, Herbie Hancock, the Pointer Sisters, Santana, and Taj Mahal. Rubinson also founded The Automatt Recording Studios and was the music producer for the film "Apocalypse Now".
David Rubinson | Introduction
In a "Kerrang!" review/interview of the band, and the album, vocalist Chester Bennington had this to say about the song, "We knew this was going to be a single from the very beginning, so we worked really hard on making sure it had great lyrics. I'm singing 'Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself' during it because it's supposed to feel like an apology letter, as though I'm moving on but I want people to remember the good things and not the bad things. A lot of the song is about humility." Mike Shinoda has also stated that Rick Rubin (producer for "Minutes to Midnight") was the first to have said "This sounds like a massive single".
Leave Out All the Rest | Background
The album was produced by Rick Rubin; in the same studio in which the band recorded "Californication", and at Shangri La. The album's recording sessions took place from September 2010 to March 2011. According to Rubin, the band recorded enough material to release a second double album, following "Stadium Arcadium" (2006), but ultimately decided not to. Rubin notes, "it was painful not to share all of the material that we had, but we felt it would be too much. We really wanted it to be 12 songs but it ended up being 14 just because nobody could agree on which 12." Regarding the band's decision to work with Rubin once again, Chad Smith stated, "We have a great working relationship with him.
I'm with You (album) | Recording and production
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Dave Rubin | Political commentary
"Playboy" accused McCartney of "substituting facility for any real substance", and compared it to "watching someone juggle five guitars: It's fairly impressive, but you keep wondering why he bothers." Robert Christgau, writing in "The Village Voice", called it "a bad record, a classic form/content mismatch", and felt that McCartney succumbed to "conspicuous consumption" by overworking himself and obscenely producing a style of music meant to be soft and whimsical. Writing four years later, Roy Carr and Tony Tyler from "NME" suggested that "it would be naive to have expected the McCartneys to produce anything other than a mediocre record ...
Ram (album) | Critical reception
And you won't hear me use that very often, but he was really a genius. It's like, we put that stuff up, and we didn't have to EQ it because whether you like the sound of it or not, sonically, it was really brilliant."
Jonathan David Brown | Production
The duo began working with Rick Rubin in Malibu during April 2014. On 17 April, Julia tweeted from her Twitter account, "Up at the studio in Malibu. Recording with me brethren and the man of wonder Rick for the new album." Rubin helped reunite the duo and co-produced the album. The producer said of the experience: "This album is extraordinary; Angus and Julia are truly unique musicians. They are authentic and pure people who do things from the heart. I've never worked with anyone like them before." The album has been said to contain "blended harmonies [...] and more experimental guitar textures".
Angus &amp; Julia Stone | 2014: Self-titled album
All tracks produced by Rick Rubin, except "I Need a Beat", produced by Rubin and Jazzy Jay.
Radio (LL Cool J album) | Track listing
Rick Rubin produced "The Greatest Man That Ever Lived" with the band between April 2007 and February 2008. In the liner notes of the deluxe edition of "The Red Album", Cuomo stated that the song did not originally have the subtitle "Variations on a Shaker Hymn", but when guitarist Brian Bell's mother came into the studio to see them, she mentioned that the melody from the song sounded similar to a Shaker hymn that the choir sang in her church. Cuomo wrote that he realised that people might notice the resemblance: "I knew people were going to come at us after and say 'Hey, you guys ripped off that hymn.' So I put the credit in there off the bat." As a result, the band looked up the hymn and indeed the melody was so similar to Joseph Brackett's "Simple Gifts" that they credited the hymn with the subtitle.
The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) | Recording and inspiration
Halliwell described the work with Nowels as a "daunting experience", and explained: "I had never met anyone who was even more pushy about getting things done in the studio than I was but Rick was really driven and worked me very hard. The working day would start at ten and continue until he was satisfied, even if that was one or two in the morning. His songwriting method was simple. He sat me down on a stool in his studio and just told me to sing. He would use the words and melodies I came up with to help me build a song.
Scream If You Wanna Go Faster | Background
He died jumping from the Mesa Street overpass onto Interstate-10 in El Paso during afternoon rush-hour traffic. (Venegas' death was also referenced in the At the Drive-In song "Embroglio" from their album "Acrobatic Tenement".) In an interview with "The Aquarian Weekly" in 2008, Cedric Bixler-Zavala said about working with Rubin, "Rick really over-simplified some of the parts that we thought were unique, and just made them very digestible. He's got this thing about representing the common man's ears—I'd rather jab the common man's ears. If we don't, we'll never get to a place where future music exists." The Mars Volta had no official bassist during the recording session, but Flea (of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) played bass on nine of the album's ten songs, with Justin Meldal-Johnsen playing double bass on "Televators." Flea's bandmate John Frusciante also contributed additional guitar, synthesizer and backing vocals to "Cicatriz ESP".
The Mars Volta | "De-Loused in the Comatorium" (2003–2004)
After Rubin approved of all eight, the group planned two four-song EPs, the first of which was originally scheduled to be released in May 2018. In September 2018 it was announced that the EPs would take the form of a full-length album. Former bassist D'arcy Wretzky claims Iha and Rubin's involvement in the album was limited, saying "He [Iha] was only involved in the one Rick Rubin song. Billy’s got a lot of nerve going out there saying Rick recorded the whole album. He only had a week to record one song."
Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. | Background and recording
Yorke responded: "We write pop songs ... there was no intention of it being 'art'. It's a reflection of all the disparate things we were listening to when we recorded it." He was nevertheless pleased that listeners identified the album's influences: "What really blew my head off was the fact that people got all the things, all the textures and the sounds and the atmospheres we were trying to create."
OK Computer | Accolades
lent a spontaneous resonance and warmth that has rarely been achieved by subsequent synthesizer technology." Producer David Rubinson commented:The ring modulator and the volt-control oscillators and voltage control filters – they didn't come in a set, like they did in a Moog. You had to build each one – which they did – and actually hard-wire them together. It was an eight-track album. So all that synthesized stuff was painstakingly layered in, sound by sound, one oscillator at a time. Now you may get a bank of oscillators and you can run six, eight, twelve of them in a row, and make all kinds of wonderful waves, shapes, and it can be very complicated.
The United States of America (band) | Critical response
He would eventually instead form another Californian alternative rock band called Paloalto, who released two albums through Rick Rubin's American Recordings in the early 2000s.
The Din Pedals | Major label years and break up (1997–1998)
2" is a noted improvement from its predecessor. Aside from Rick Ross’ innate ability to choose great production and guest features, the project features Ross’ vision for his Maybach Music Group squad: a diverse collection of individuals whose differences are complementary. If the crew can manage to keep from occasionally lapsing into predictability, it’ll be a force to be reckoned with for quite some time."
Self Made Vol. 2 | Critical reception
Martinez's "heart was no longer in the band", but he did not quit, so Kiedis and Flea fired him in April 1986. Irons rejoined the band, to their surprise; it marked the first time all four founding members were together since 1983. During the recording and subsequent tour of "Freaky Styley", Kiedis and Slovak were dealing with debilitating heroin addictions. Due to his addiction, Kiedis "didn't have the same drive or desire to come up with ideas or lyrics" and appeared at rehearsal "literally asleep". For their third album, the Chili Peppers attempted to hire Rick Rubin to produce, but he declined due to the band's increasing drug problems.
Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1985–1988: Building a following, drug abuse, and Slovak's death
The film was a hit in cinemas and was further proof of hip hop's continued mainstream visibility. Returning to the studio in 1986, the group teamed with producer Rick Rubin for their third album. Rubin had just produced LL Cool J's debut album "Radio". They later released their third album, titled "Raising Hell", which became the group's most successful album and one of the best-selling rap albums of all-time. The album was certified double-platinum and peaked at number three on the charts. They were almost done with the album, but Rubin thought that it needed an element that would appeal to rock fans as well.
Run-DMC | "King of Rock", "Raising Hell" and mainstream success
I didn't like my voice, the way it sounded. I was insecure, but nobody told me not to." Tyler added that producer Adrian Barber was "good for his time" but it was like "being with a retarded child in there, and I'm not sure if it was because he was so high, or because we all were." In his autobiography "Rocks", Joe Perry is more critical of Barber: Bassist Tom Hamilton later confessed, "The album was done so fast I barely remember anything but overdubbing some tracks and running to the bathroom for a hit of blow". Perry reflected, "We were uptight, afraid to make mistakes...
Aerosmith (album) | Recording
"You Ruin Me" received mixed reviews from critics who praised the recording for its raw honesty, but criticised DNA Songs "generic" production of the song. Cameron Adams of the "Herald Sun" opined that "the raw, palpable honesty in 'You Ruin Me' reminds you the Origliasso twins have that rare ability to connect." A reviewer from "mX" called the song "immaculate". They suggested that the rest of "The Veronicas" should have been in the same vein as this "You Ruin Me", along with other album tracks "Line of Fire" and "Let Me Out". In his review of "You Ruin Me" James d'Apice of TheMusic described it as "a clumsy, melodramatic Enrique Iglesias tribute." "The Vine's" Tim Byron gave a lengthy review of the recording, and criticised DNA Songs production saying, "'You Ruin Me' sounds little like the radio-friendly plastic blandness of DNA Songs' previous chart toppers." Concluding his critique he said "...
You Ruin Me | Critical response
However, Rubin invited the band to Cello Studios in Los Angeles to work on an album. It was there that the album featuring 11 tracks was self-produced by Crahan and Darner, with Rubin as executive producer. On October 7, 2003, "To My Surprise" was released through Roadrunner Records. An animated music video for the track "In The Mood" was produced by BoingBoing, which was premiered on MTV's Extreme show on December 1. Also, the track "Get It To Go" was featured on the soundtrack for the video game "MVP Baseball 2004". To My Surprise did not tour in 2003 to promote the album because Crahan was working with Slipknot on their .
To My Surprise (album) | History
"Blood Sugar Sex Magik" was well received by critics, who praised the Chili Peppers for not overpowering the listener with heavy metal guitar riffs as their previous album had. "Rolling Stone"'s Tom Moon credited Rick Rubin for the change in style; Rubin "[gave] the Chilis' dynamic". He went on to praise the overall sound, which "displayed a growing curiosity about studio texture and nuance". Steve Huey of AllMusic said the album was "The Red Hot Chili Peppers' best album ... John Frusciante's guitar is less overpoweringly noisy, leaving room for differing textures and clearer lines, while the band overall is more focused and less indulgent." He considered "Blood Sugar" to be "varying ...
Blood Sugar Sex Magik | Critical reception
During the production of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1991 album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik", producer Rick Rubin regularly visited singer Anthony Kiedis to review his new material. He found a poem titled "Under the Bridge" in Kiedis's notebook and took an interest in the poignant lyrics. Rubin suggested that Kiedis show it to the rest of the band: "I thought it was beautiful. I said, 'We've got to do this.'" Kiedis was reluctant, as he felt the poem was too emotional and did not fit the Chili Peppers' style. After singing the poem to guitarist John Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith, they "got up and walked over to their instruments and started finding the beat and guitar chords to match it".
Under the Bridge | Writing
"Frontman Karl Sanders says anger and rejection were parts of this album, and it shows. 'The concept is that all of us who play and listen to metal are the people that the gods hate. So [the new album] is a unified rejection of the gods - any god, every god,' Sanders says. 'Not any one in particular, but all of 'em.' If the album is meant to be a rejection of gods then it’s certain to unify metalheads in praise."
Those Whom the Gods Detest | Critical reception
In June 2002, band members Shawn Crahan, Brandon Darner and Stevan Robinson began working on an album together. Drummer Crahan told MTV that working on this album "made [him] find [his] voice" and that with his other band Slipknot he had been "hurting for a long time for a musical voice". In an interview with Launch, he said that writing the track "The World's Too Small" was his "most magical musical experience" because "[he] was giving more than on just one or two simple ideas." In 2003 Crahan sent producer Rick Rubin two songs that he and Darner had written, primarily to receive an opinion on the songs.
To My Surprise (album) | History