I’m still shocked at the passing of Martin Phillips of The Chills. He made a number of songs and albums that truly inspired me and many others. Please check out the interview I did with him in 1997, and listen to his song “Pink Frost” if you’ve never heard his music. You’ll find the beauty and sadness of this song quite fitting. It’s one of many great songs from a great writer. -Larry Crane
Tape Op is a bi-monthly magazine devoted to the art of record making.
With hindsight, you could look at Wilco’s A Ghost is Born as a transitional album. Much has been written about their previous LP, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, and a documentary film, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, chronicles how during the making...
I just finished reading your article, "My Unwritten (Until Now) "Rules" in the studio," Tape Op #85. Let me offer up a few words of wisdom on your well-written points.
- Don't play music by other artists: In 1978 I was working with a...
A Guided Tour of High Vis’ Guided Tour at Holy Mountain Studios.
By Sam Retzer
Engineer Stanley Gravett is retreating down the stairs to Holy Mountain Studio after being ‘bullied’ upstairs at the Crypt of the Wizard record...
Joe McGinty has Carousel Studio in New York. Here his pal Amy Hobby gathered 20 young ladies to knock out a great version of Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" on film featuring Joe's INSAME collection of vintage keyboards. This film is the best...
It's no secret that we are serious Pink Floyd fans here at Tape Op. We have interviewed Floyd drummer Nick Mason, producer/engineers John Wood, Bob Ezrin, Alan Parsons, John Leckie, Youth, and Joe Boyd, and, of course, the band's...
The Smart Studios Story
Wendy Schneider, director
At this point, Butch Vig [Tape Op #11] and Smart Studios are the stuff of legend. From the album that destroyed music’s status quo (Nirvana’s Nevermind), to Smashing Pumpkin's Gish...
We interviewed Loma in Tape Op issue #148 and spoke with members Dan Duszynski, Emily Cross, and Jonathan Meiburg about their recording process. Emily also did the cover art for that issue, and Jonathan is also a member of Shearwater and a Tape...
I recently found myself diving back into the Little Feat catalog, and came across a documentary on the band's founder, guitarist, and frontman Lowell George, called Feats First - The Life & Music of Lowell George. Music docs, especially on the...