What if Rick Rubin produced the next album?

[Robert G Durant]

Part of Rubin's process is to take his time and have his bands re-write and re-record until he deems their songs perfect, and to leave for long periods to let the band dictate their own pace.

Him and Axl together? It'd never come out.

[wasted]

lol next album has probably already been done in terms of production.

Any big name producer that Axl trusts. Bob Rock might be one to do a cross between Dr Feelgood and the Black Album.

Ross Robinson is my pick for a new new lol album.

[DR DOOM]

I don't think Rick Rubin would work out, I also don't have faith in what he would achieve "if" he did.

I'd go for Bob Ezrin or maybe Michael Beinhorn (and I dunno what's wrong with Mike Clink either), but it's all hypothetical lol new album...given you know who's track record Team Brazil would probably end up with it.

[bacardimayne]

Rubin's process is basically "sit on the couch eating Cheetos, take finished product, remove everything that isn't a guitar, turn volume up to 11, submit"

[stratus]

Here's an idea that won't happen:

GNR minus Axl get in Dave Grohl's studio with Rubin and record the A material left from CD sessions mostly "live to tape", plus a few other ideas (3ish songs). Axl records the missing vocals (if any). GNR gets anyone but Rubin to mix and master the album. There's no way it won't sound amazing.

The problem here is that I don't think Axl wants to pay the bills / make the investment. The record company definitely doesn't either. Axl knows that he is going to get more money out of touring anyway. I'm not saying he's motivated only by money. I think he might just believe that the only way to record and properly release an album would require things that he doesn't want to do. He might not think that 'play what people want to hear' (the hits) over and over again is bad. I can't blame him to think that since they can sell a reasonable amount of tickets in several markets.

[wasted]

Rubin's process is basically "sit on the couch eating Cheetos, take finished product, remove everything that isn't a guitar, turn volume up to 11, submit"

He seems to like to try to get the bands to focus on the essence of their sound. Not too many frills. I think he would work for a self titled record. Or a reunion record where he could get them in a place to write basic to basics old school GNR record. Like with 13 or DM.

I think Dj and Axl should produce it. Keep it in house.

[Young_Gun]

Didn't Andy Wallace work on Chinese Democracy for a while? Skwerl said Gun's owed him money for the work he did lol. Even Roy Thomas Baker(Queen producer) had a go. I saw a documentary where RTB worked with Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist and they recorded everything onto tape(analog). It is a shame things didn't work out. Sean Beaven also had a shot at producing the record, that would have been an interesting sound.

The actual album sounded great in terms of clarity and not being "loud" like Rubin's production, despite the 10 instruments playing at once in some songs lol.

[RichardNixon]

RR has an ear for what works for any given artist. I'd be all for him coming on board.

[Mysteron]

It is not a bad idea

Anything is possible

[themadcaplaughs]

This topic has probably been exhausted repeatedly but I haven't been around the forum long enough to see this come up.

So yeah, Axl worked with roughly 20 billion producers on CD, including Mike Clink and the guy from Queen. He finally settled on Caram Costanzo, who quite frankly is no slouch (He's got a lot of credits with Pearl Jam and STP and I can't complain there).

Nonetheless, all of the producers do not alleviate the fact that Chinese Democracy isn't really that good of an album. It's a thick mess of music that, for the most part, is either inaccessible or just not very good. This all makes me wonder if the producer has anything to do with this problem. If the producer is at fault though, then they can easily be the solution. That being said, I can only wonder what would happen if Rick Rubin, arguably the greatest producer of the past three decades, decided to produce the next GNR album.

I mean, he's obviously got a versatile track record; a slew of critically acclaimed albums spanning a variety of genres. From Slayer to the Avett Brothers to Eminem, he's proven he can make a good record regardless of the artist. He's also proven that he can revive a dying career (Johnny Cash, Iggy Pop, Black Sabbath).

I think he's exactly what GNR needs; someone who can tell Axl no and push the band in a cohesive direction. I would imagine that he'd be able to do an excellent job in returning the band to its hard rock roots. Aside from that, he could easily use the technical proficiency of the new lineup to his advantage and I could even see him working with the unique sound that defined CD so much. It's not a long-shot to say he could make an album full of songs that were of "Better" quality (In both sound and acclaim) at the very least.

I know some audiophiles will complain of how he compresses the music to make it louder. Granted, this is a viable complaint because it's not very easy on the ears, but I don't let it detract from the fact that the man's work is fucking impeccable.

So, what do you think?

Maybe "producer who's managed to get his name on the most things" but not "best producer." For every story you hear of someone who really enjoyed working with him, there are two or three who spoke very disparagingly of him. Right off the bat, I remember Corey Taylor spoke VERY poorly of him in an interview fairly recently, and while Slash's description of him is not nearly as hostile, he seemed to agree Rubin's style is very "hands off."

The common complaint seems to be that Rubin works only in very broad ideas / themes for albums, and does very little actual, in-studio work, with bands leaving that mainly up to his engineers and affiliates. When discussing him, it seems like his plan for Black Sabbath was "sound more like old Black Sabbath" and his plan for Metallica was "sound like old Metallica."

The fact is, I just do not see this approach working with Axl. The obvious problem would be that Rick's biggest piece of advice for a Guns N' Roses album ("try to sound like AFD or UYI era GN'R) would probably not be met very well by Axl. Second, the idea Guns N' Roses album you describe, which matches Axl's grandeur with the more "rock n' roll" production of earlier albums, would take a LOT of time to perfect, and I just doubt Rubin would be the type of producer to put in the time.

You know there'd be a video cuz Rubin wants his mug in that shit.

Was he like that before Berzerk? I remember thinking it was really weird that he was suddenly showing his face.

He was in those awful commercials for Jay-Z's album. I don't know anything else off hand. But his stupid bouncing head to Jay-Z's terrible song in that commercial plus his Berzerk appearance plus deciding it was necessary to join Em in live performances of the song, just irked me so much that I imagine he's been ubiquitous. I find him visually annoying, if that makes sense.

Jay-Z ad was even more annoying considering Rubin had no part in the making of that album.

[IRanOutOfIdeas]

Idunno, Rick Rubin or not, I think GNR is desperate need of SOMEONE to give them any sort of focus and direction in terms of getting a new album out.

[Young_Gun]

I think you have to be a big AAA name to have Rubin actively participate in producing a record. Someone like Eminem(Rubin even appeared in the video clip for Beserk) or Metallica would get Rubin's full attention. Look at Rubin's discography, he produced 10 records in 2013 alone and he wasn't even sole producer on some of those records!!

[Chris 55]

Death Magnetic sounds like shit. No thanks.

Is that compressing or just in general? I'll take that over the shit called Load or St. Anger any day.

For me it was the compression. It's sad when a fan remix using stems intended for a videogame outshines the official version

[bran]

fuck no

[wasted]

Didn't Andy Wallace work on Chinese Democracy for a while? Skwerl said Gun's owed him money for the work he did lol. Even Roy Thomas Baker(Queen producer) had a go. I saw a documentary where RTB worked with Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist and they recorded everything onto tape(analog). It is a shame things didn't work out. Sean Beaven also had a shot at producing the record, that would have been an interesting sound.

The actual album sounded great in terms of clarity and not being "loud" like Rubin's production, despite the 10 instruments playing at once in some songs lol.[/]

Tommy seemed to think re-recording the Beavan album wasn't worth it. Wallace mixed it.

I RTB probably gave it a grandiose feeling. Beavan might have had a more Silkworms.

[EvH]

Loved his work on ACDC's Ballbreaker and the MM EP vol. 2.

Edited January 26, 2014 by EvH

[wasted]

Blood Sugar Sex Magic, License to Ill, didn't he do Danzig records?

[wasted]

I think part of the problem for the label for CD is they didn't know what they were trying to do, what kind of record and how it would be received. Now CD is there and it's kind of a gauge. It isn't way out in left field, it isn't too far off GNR. It's like the ballads of UYI but a limitless more aggressive or grand.

So I think any producer they choose they have know what kind of record he will make. Don't let a ni metal producer do it then say too nu metal.

I guess Axl or material need two producers. Some is more grunge industrial, some more Queen. Them Costanzo came in to unify it?

Some one like Rubin who is hands off and days think back to 89. We'll get that sound and some cowbell but keep 2020. That could be a way to do a new record. but is it too nostalgia cop out?

[DieselDaisy]

I cannot see his work ethic fitting in with Axl's. Rubin arrives for a hour at a specified time, says what he likes and does not like, and leaves. Axl hardly ever turns up and when he does, it is in the early hours of the morning. The two of them would keep missing each other haha. Also, Axl would probably resent the fact that Rubin would have another ten bands on the go.

[RussTCB]

fuck no

This. Outside of his work with Eminem and the last Cash recordings, I can't think of much I've liked that he's been involved with for years.

[Tom2112]

Rick working with a competent engineer would be the optimum choice, track record alone is reason to investigate. After that, Nick Raskulinecz (Foo fighters, Rush) might be an interesting choice, as he is also on a winner and he seems to get the results... that last last Rush album was excellent. Could work wonders on a GnR album. The trouble is, working on a Guns album is no easy task. The band will record during he day and Axl will turn up at all hours and stay until he's satisfied, that's a formula for a burnt out producer and engineer... likely making it so that they aren't critically listening. I think Caram should have been more critical on the mixes of CD. you can hear everything and the 'sound' of the album is fantastic but some of the extra flashy bits should probably have been left on the cutting floor.

[Young_Gun]

fuck no

This. Outside of his work with Eminem and the last Cash recordings, I can't think of much I've liked that he's been involved with for years.

You have to be a big name for him to even be remotely active in producing a record. Someone like RHCP, Metallica, Eminem. He has done miracles by bringing back like Metallica, Black Sabbath, Johnny Cash etc. Axl would need him more than he would need Axl lol.

[salx]

I'd rather give a young producer like Joey Sturgis a chance. His done an amazing job with all the new bands coming up.

[IRanOutOfIdeas]

I'd rather give a young producer like Joey Sturgis a chance. His done an amazing job with all the new bands coming up.

I wouldn't let a post-hardcore guy work with Axl. That's a disgrace to the GNR name even in it's current state.

[dalsh327]

Rick Rubin is archaic, especially for what Axl was trying to do with CD. He might as well try to ask Jeff Lynne or Dave Stewart.

Edited January 26, 2014 by dalsh327