#Michael Beinhorn

[thisnoise]

I will not be drowned by your thoughtless scheming.

[c-40]

A-T-3 069 Herbie Hancock - Rockit

In a chat with Greg Wilson he was saying electro-funk split UK jazz-funk scene. There were purists who didn't like the new synth records or hip hop (although synths and the rhythm-box had made appearances in jazz-funk fusion for over a decade, and Last Poets, Gil Scott Heron etc) but when a leading light like Herbie Hancock made Rockit they paid attention (a few years later there would be a similar split on the northern soul scene when some djs introduced early house records into their sets, that one didn't get resolved). Other folk who are watching closely are Jan Hammer and Harold Faltermeyer

I loved this record from the get go, I must have been 9-years-old and this was my music. In 1984 Kelloggs' Rice Krispies gave Rockit away as a free 7" single (with Wham on the other side) and that's how I got to own this record

This is another record that there's been a lot written about. Rockit came out of a session at Herbie Hancock's studio with Material, this session came about after the records Material had worked on with Celluloid released in 1982 and are posted here A-T-2 388, A-T-2 164, A-T-2 103

That last link above is to Grandmaster D.St http://www.oldschoolhiphop.com/artists/deejays/grandmixerdst.htm who is prominent on Rockit. Herbie Hancock performs Rockit at the 1984 Grammys where he is awarded Best R&B Instrumental or something like that, the US's racial separation in music is depressing. For many people this is the first time that are seeing someone scratching on TV and it's D.St and he's scratching "Fresh" from the first of the links in the above paragraph. This is supposedly the first time the "Fresh" scratch is heard by a large audience and the rest its history. Contrary to some histories Rockit isn't the first hit record to feature scratching, that'd be The World Famous Supreme Team on Malcom McLaren's (Trevor Horn and Anne Dudley's) Buffalo Gals the year before (A-T-2 102) which was a worldwide hit, going top 10 in many countries. Anyway, check out Herbie and D.St (and Jim Whiting) in their Grammys performance here, do you think the dancers look like Leatherface with those make on?

Who is Jim Whiting?

Jim Whiting is a British artist who makes animatronic objects. The ones you see in the Grammys performance are the work of Jim Whiting

Whiting's animatronic creations are also prominently featured in the video for Rockit which was made by Godley & Creme (former members of the rock band 10cc who did a ton of videos around this time and also the hit singles Cry and Under Your Thumb which I used to sing as "under you bum"). What makes me smile is the video begins with a very normal English street and set is made of second hand furniture, a far cry from California in the USA and the glamorous life. Godley & Creme have said a requirement of the job was to "keep Herbie Hancock's appearances in it to a minimum because MTV didn't like to show black artists" they did this by putting the focus on Whiting's creations

The video wins 5 MTV awards at the first MTV Awards show and is notable for getting the music of a third black artist on MTV rotation, after MJ and Prince

"In America, most people heard this song on MTV, since it wasn't a big radio hit. Herbie Hancock wasn't on the radar of program directors outside of jazz formats, and the song was too unusual for most Top 40 stations"

The Tube from The Hacienda, perhaps in preparation for the Grammys performance

[jt1674]

[hourback]

Michael Beinhorn: Producing Soundgarden, RHCP, Korn, Soul Asylum...

[cassowariess]

The song nearly overwhelmed Michael Beinhorn. One week before he’d first heard the demo, the record producer attended the open-casket funeral of a close relative, and from the opening verse, the lyrics transported him back to a place of mourning. Each time he heard it, the feeling became more visceral than the last.

'Boiling heat, summer stench ’Neath the black the sky looks dead Call my name through the cream And I’ll hear you scream again'

Naturally, Beinhorn began to wonder what the hell the anthem’s author was thinking about when he wrote it. So he asked him. Soundgarden lead singer Chris Cornell’s response was simple: “Well, they’re just some words.”

That’s the contradictory beauty of “Black Hole Sun.” Soundgarden’s biggest, most enduring hit is deeply affecting. It’s also an inscrutable mishmash of clever phrases. The band’s late frontman never claimed it was anything but the latter. “Chris didn’t really like to have to do exposition on his lyrics,” lead guitarist Kim Thayil said in a recent interview.

The song is iridescent. Depending on your perspective, the colors change. It can be unsettling, uplifting, soothing, even scary. Or all of those at once. It’s a five-minute-and-18-second psychedelic journey—bifurcated and then ripped in half by a Thayil solo—that hardly resembles anything else in the Seattle band’s catalog.

“The best music has periods of tension and release,” Beinhorn said. “And ‘Black Hole Sun’ is … almost all tension. But it keeps dragging you along with it.”

That incongruity helped make it a mid-concert fan favorite. “There was just something about the sound of that song,” said former MTV VJ and programmer Matt Pinfield, who over the last three decades has grown close to the members of Soundgarden. “Even if it went on for six minutes you never felt like it was that long. It just had this incredible build.” Thayil saw it as the group’s “Dream On” or “Stairway to Heaven.” In other words, he said, “one where they hold up their lighters.” But sonically, “Black Hole Sun” didn’t exactly seem like a radio-friendly unit shifter. It blared, like a church organ on acid.

A quarter-century since its release, and two years after Cornell’s death, it remains as bizarrely evocative as ever. “‘Black Hole Sun,’” Beinhorn said. “You hear the words and you see it in your mind. It doesn’t matter who you are. You know what it looks like.”

[ourmindonmusicpodcast]

Michael Beinhorn: A Visionary Producer

[chrisryanspeaks]

Cuco Announces 4U North American Tour

Cuco announces the 4U Tour, which begins this September. The 24-show North American tour will take Cuco to some of his biggest venues yet, including the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Terminal 5 in NY, and the legendary Greek Theatre in his hometown of Los Angeles. The tour marks Cuco’s first dates since headlining a stage at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Festival last year. Artist presale tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time, and general tickets go on sale Friday, June 21st at 10 a.m.local time. Tickets are available here. In the first week of his tour, Cuco will perform at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, coinciding with Mexican Independence Day. The show will be a vibrant celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, marking both the significance of Independence Day and a major milestone in Cuco’s career as he performs in his hometown. Additionally, comedian René Vaca and DJ Wyldeflower (KCRW) will open the evening, and The Mariachi Rams (the official Mariachi band of the LA Rams) will be joining Cuco on stage to perform a few special songs. 2023 saw the release of Cuco's most recent Hitchhiker EP, which was recorded at Big Bad Studios in his hometown of Los Angeles and boasts production credits from Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Hole, Red Hot Chili Peppers). The EP followed his sophomore album, Fantasy Gateway, which Pitchfork described as having "newfound shine" andmarked the opening of a fresh chapter. Upcoming Tour Dates 9/12 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 9/13 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom 9/14 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl 9/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre 9/18 - San Diego, CA @ The Sound 9/20 - San Jose, CA @ Plaza De César Chávez 9/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell @ The Complex 9/23 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 9/26 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion 9/27 - Houston, TX @ The Lawn @ White Oak Music Hall 9/28 - Dallas, TX @ The Factory 9/30 - McAllen, TX @ McAllen Convention Center Exhibit Hall 10/1 - San Antonio, TX @ Boeing Center @ Tech Port 10/2 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater 10/4 - Nashville TN @ Brooklyn Bowl 10/5 - St. Louis, MO @ The Factory @ The District 10/6 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre 10/9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 10/11 - New York City, NY @ Terminal 5 10/12 - Washington, DC @ Anthem 10/15 - Charlotte, NC @ The Filmore 10/16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern 10/17 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater 10/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Viva PHX Read the full article

[audiofuzz]

Cuco Announces 4U North American Tour

Cuco announces the 4U Tour, which begins this September. The 24-show North American tour will take Cuco to some of his biggest venues yet, including the Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Terminal 5 in NY, and the legendary Greek Theatre in his hometown of Los Angeles. The tour marks Cuco’s first dates since headlining a stage at Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw Festival last year. Artist presale tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. local time, and general tickets go on sale Friday, June 21st at 10 a.m.local time. Tickets are available here. In the first week of his tour, Cuco will perform at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, coinciding with Mexican Independence Day. The show will be a vibrant celebration of Mexican culture and heritage, marking both the significance of Independence Day and a major milestone in Cuco’s career as he performs in his hometown. Additionally, comedian René Vaca and DJ Wyldeflower (KCRW) will open the evening, and The Mariachi Rams (the official Mariachi band of the LA Rams) will be joining Cuco on stage to perform a few special songs. 2023 saw the release of Cuco's most recent Hitchhiker EP, which was recorded at Big Bad Studios in his hometown of Los Angeles and boasts production credits from Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Hole, Red Hot Chili Peppers). The EP followed his sophomore album, Fantasy Gateway, which Pitchfork described as having "newfound shine" andmarked the opening of a fresh chapter. Upcoming Tour Dates 9/12 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox 9/13 - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom 9/14 - Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl 9/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre 9/18 - San Diego, CA @ The Sound 9/20 - San Jose, CA @ Plaza De César Chávez 9/21 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Rockwell @ The Complex 9/23 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre 9/26 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Criterion 9/27 - Houston, TX @ The Lawn @ White Oak Music Hall 9/28 - Dallas, TX @ The Factory 9/30 - McAllen, TX @ McAllen Convention Center Exhibit Hall 10/1 - San Antonio, TX @ Boeing Center @ Tech Port 10/2 - New Orleans, LA @ Joy Theater 10/4 - Nashville TN @ Brooklyn Bowl 10/5 - St. Louis, MO @ The Factory @ The District 10/6 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre 10/9 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 10/11 - New York City, NY @ Terminal 5 10/12 - Washington, DC @ Anthem 10/15 - Charlotte, NC @ The Filmore 10/16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern 10/17 - Orlando, FL @ The Beacham Theater 10/19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Viva PHX Read the full article

[cyarskj52]

Superunknown is the fourth studio album by American rock band Soundgarden, released on March 8, 1994, through A&M Records. Produced by Michael Beinhorn and the band themselves, Soundgarden began work on the album after touring in support of its previous album, Badmotorfinger (1991). Superunknown retained the heaviness of the band's earlier releases while displaying a more diverse range of influences.

Superunknown was a critical and commercial success and became the band's breakthrough album. It debuted at number one on the Billboard200, selling 310,000 copies in its opening week. The album also topped the Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand charts. Five singles were released from the album: "The Day I Tried to Live", "My Wave", "Fell on Black Days", "Spoonman", and "Black Hole Sun", the latter two of which won Grammy Awards and helped Soundgarden reach mainstream popularity. In 1995, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. It has been certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. Superunknown has been listed by several publications as one of the best albums of the 1990s and a quintessential grunge album. In April 2019, it was ranked No. 9 on Rolling Stone's "50 Greatest Grunge Albums" list.

favorite song from the album?

[radiomax]

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 10pm ET: Feature LP: Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis (1995)

Ozzmosis is the seventh studio album by English heavy metal vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Recorded in Paris and New York with producer Michael Beinhorn, it was released on October 23, 1995 by Epic Records. The album reached number 22 on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200. “Perry Mason”, “See You on the Other Side” and “I Just Want You” were released as singles. After the…

[odk-2]

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun (1994) Chris Cornell from: "Superunknown" (LP) "Black Hole Sun" / "Like Suicide" (acoustic) / "Kickstand" (live) (single)

Grunge | Alternative Rock | Pacific Northwest Rock and Roll

Tumblr (left click = play | right = "save as") (320kbps)

Personnel: Chris Cornell: Lead Vocals / Rhythm Guitar Kim Thayil: Lead Guitar Ben Shepherd: Bass Matt Cameron: Drums / Percussion

Produced by Michael Beinhorn

Recorded: @ Bad Animals Studio Seattle, Washington USA between July–September 1993

Album Released: on March 8, 1994 Single Released: May 13, 1994

A&M Records

[metalsongoftheday]

Friday, May 6: Ozzy Osbourne, “Tomorrow”

The surprise blockbuster success of No More Tears gave Ozzy Osbourne runway to take his time in crafting a follow-up, and Ozzmosis unfortunately proved to be a case study in overthinking and spending too much money.  To be sure, the end result was destined to be flawed from the outset, given the decision to work with mainstream song doctors in an attempt at replicating the radio success of No More Tears’ singles, but nixing Michael Wagener’s original recording and bringing in Michael Beinhorn to make the album more “grunge”- with an aborted band project with Steve Vai in between- turned the final product into unfocused mud.  It was a lose/lose proposition: the mere presence of Jim Vallance as a co-writer gave “I Just Want You” an air of desperation, and even otherwise solid tracks like “Perry Mason” and “Tomorrow” were nearly lost in the muck of Beinhorn’s fuzzy production.  The latter track was written by Ozzy, Zakk Wylde, Duane Baron and John Purdell, so it was something of a reunion of the No More Tears team, though its lumbering pace and sludgy guitars were more 1995.  It was one of the more intense numbers on Ozzmosis, with Ozzy sounding especially frazzled (the Ozzman’s vocals were always a point of contention, but it felt like Beinhorn was deliberately trying to make him look bad) while still somehow retaining his singular charisma, and Zakk more or less charting the course for Black Label Society.  The lyrics tried too hard to recreate the eerie aesthetic of “No More Tears”, but Ozzy sold them well, and if nothing else the production highlighted Geezer Butler’s timeless bass throb.  In several ways “Tomorrow” reflected everything that was wrong with Ozzmosis, despite being one of its better numbers.

[c-40]

A-T-3 056 Daevid Allen - Are You Ready

Are You Ready is based on tape loops from the 1979 New York Gong sessions that produced the album About Time and a few tracks on 1982's Divided Alien Playbax 80 (A-T-2 074). Are You Ready is one of two tracks that have their origin in these sessions and appear on the Alien in New York EP. What's special about these sessions and New York Gong is that it would see musicians Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell, Fred Maher, Kramer, and Cliff Cultreri emerge as Material

I've featured a lot of Bill Laswell and Material already (A-T-2 388, A-T-2 164, A-T-2 103, A-T-2 074), and 1983 was to be a very productive year for them

I bought my copy of the Alien in New York EP from Gramby Market in Toxteth, Liverpool. There's a guy who must be around my age that has had a stall there for as long as the market has been going. He sells anarchist/alternative publications, Alternative Tentacles pins, second hand Charles Bukowski novels, Jazz LPs and zippo lighters... the kind of thing you'd see a lot of in the 1980s and 1990s, places that sold this kind of 'contraband' would be be a magnet for moody teenagers such as myself (in Brum it was the Oasis market or there were stalls like this in the rag alley)

RIP Lee Whitlock

[fuckyeahcourtneylove]

A fax from Linda Adams (Artist Manager) to Courtney, October 1997.

Michel Beinhorn (Celebrity Skin producer) needed a heads up that Billy Corgan would be visiting the studio. It’s suggested that Courtney talk to Michael about it to avoid ‘awkwardness’.

Hole started the CS sessions at Conway Studios in LA in April 1997. Initially, the band wanted to bring Billy on as executive producer however, Corgan didn’t actually participate in the first sessions for the album and Michael was hired as the lead producer in his place.

Linda goes on to mention that all the men who walk in her door drool at Courtney’s US Mag cover. Rightfully so...

Note Courtney has scrawled Jim Barber’s name inn the bottom left. She’d go on to date him (who she dubbed Gollum) after breaking up w Edward Norton in 1999. Jim was A&R at Geffen in 1997. 

[mandyatthedisco]

One day while bathing in the sea

My talking dolphin spoke to me

He spoke to me in symphony

From freedom's peace beneath the sea

He looked to me eyes full of love

Said yes we live behind the sun

[youngtough]

The first music video I remember, from watching MTV at my babysitter’s back in 1984.