We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
By John BaccigaluppiPhotos by Cynthia Connolly
If you haven't yet, check out Larry's review in this issue for some insight into the recently published book, The Inner Ear of Don Zientara. I hope you know who Don is. As Ted Nicely says in the book,...
I ran the end rant about "Lies" I hear in the studio from musicians. I asked for "Lies" that engineers tell people, but only got these two. But they're pretty good! Please take with a sense of humor, according to Arthur, but there may be some truths...
Eric Liljestrand remembers his friend and working partner Hal Willner
Hal and I spent countless hours, days, weeks, months in dark rooms all over creating some of the most original albums and film scores the world will ever hear. A solid third of...
From Kitchen Op Magazine's letters section:
I just wanted to write in to chime in on the debate about home cooking. As a professional chef, with many years of time invested in learning my craft and thousands of dollars...
Interviews, Stories, and the Truth
by Larry Crane
In Tape Op issue #53 I interviewed Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, authors of the then-recently released book, Recording The Beatles. One of the topics we discussed was interviewing...
A band I work with is two weeks away from their release date. They've worked tirelessly to prepare for this release, hired an excellent publicist, shot videos, toured....they've done it all right and without fatigue. That record is the most...
In issue #62, Josh Boughey reviewed the Monome 40h, a minimalist button-and-light interface which can be used to run musical applications. It's absolutely captivating in its simplicity; I'm writing this as an outsider, but as far as I can tell, the...
I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that we have finally published Phill Brown's book. In issue #12 Larry Crane and Chris Eckman interviewed Phill Brown, a producer/engineer with credits like Mott the Hoople, David Bowie, Sly Stone, Led...
Dear Tape Op reader:Some folks might not know how inextricably connected Tape Op editor Larry Crane's recording studios have been to the history of Tape Op Magazine. His first home studio, Laundry Rules, was in a Portland basement at 33rd and...