Which album actually has the worst production?

Helmuth Von Moltke said:
Minority opinion: I quite like DoD production. The remasters do a good job with this and the Blaze albums, making them better than they were.

Another perspective: Steve is widely criticised for the Barnyard production jobs in the 90s. I wonder if recording at home was vital to him not burning out totally after the 80s and being on the road constantly, including being away from home for recording? We don't often reflect on what long tours + recording abroad = for the band.

Steve can obviously be criticised for Nigel Green, however. But then, even Martin Birch struggled to make Barnyard sound good. The odd and awful production jobs of the 90s are a massive reason these four albums are ugly ducklings in the catalogue. Even with inconsistent songwriting issues on all of them, Bruce's exhausted and blown rasp on two of them, and Blaze on the other two, some studio magic could have buttressed the excellent material on all of them.
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I don't find the production of FOTD all that bad to be honest. Agree on the other three 90s albums
 
Azas said:
I agree with Yax on this topic. When I bought the CD and started listening to it, I was enormously disappointed with the album's sound. Back then, I described the sound of Virtual XI as "computer-generated." Couple that with the desperation of songs like "Lightning Strikes Twice," "When Two Worlds Collide," etc., and soon you may want not to "jump into the cockpit," but out of it, so to speak.

Futureal and The Clansman are great, The Angel and the Gambler is good, and the polka section of Don't Look to the Eyes of a Stranger is great, but other than that, Virtual XI is abysmal.
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Yeah ive always said the guitars sound like an old midi file
 
karljant said:
Is this a trick question?

Their debut by far.
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Well, maybe this is true in terms of technicality, I dunno but I like the debut, when taken in context. First album, raw, young, just off the streets yo, it sits fine with me. But then if I take X Factor, that's a professional band with 15yrs studio experience. I find it unfathomable that someone didn't just find the guitar button and slide it up a hair. Seems that simple to me but then I'm no expert. Mayhap Steve got the exact sound he wanted. If so then fair enough.

FOTD is also weird to these ears. A lot of space between the instruments. Too much space, it's lacking meat.

I've not listened to Book of Souls recently but I remember finding it odd too. Like lots of variation between songs. Like they spent a day on some and 20mins on others. Again, maybe that's what they wanted.
 
Cat Milk Supreme said:
Well, maybe this is true in terms of technicality, I dunno but I like the debut, when taken in context. First album, raw, young, just off the streets yo, it sits fine with me. But then if I take X Factor, that's a professional band with 15yrs studio experience. I find it unfathomable that someone didn't just find the guitar button and slide it up a hair. Seems that simple to me but then I'm no expert. Mayhap Steve got the exact sound he wanted. If so then fair enough.

FOTD is also weird to these ears. A lot of space between the instruments. Too much space, it's lacking meat.

I've not listened to Book of Souls recently but I remember finding it odd too. Like lots of variation between songs. Like they spent a day on some and 20mins on others. Again, maybe that's what they wanted.
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I also like their debut. I think the piss poor production really has its charm but hey... it's piss poor nonetheless. I have nothing against TXF's production... it's just a matter of taste if you're not bothered to have guitars at 10 or engage in the loudness wars. It all comes down to personal taste when it comes to what you enjoy more. But objectively and technically (and production is above everything a technical aspect) is if the record sounds like you intended to or not. Now if they wanted the album to sound like that... that's another discussion. But the band already stated they were truly disappointed with how it was semi produced, that it was not given due attention.
 
karljant said:
I also like their debut. I think the piss poor production really has its charm but hey... it's piss poor nonetheless. I have nothing against TXF's production... it's just a matter of taste if you're not bothered to have guitars at 10 or engage in the loudness wars. It all comes down to personal taste when it comes to what you enjoy more. But objectively and technically (and production is above everything a technical aspect) is if the record sounds like you intended to or not. Now if they wanted the album to sound like that... that's another discussion. But the band already stated they were truly disappointed with how it was semi produced, that it was not given due attention.
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Agreed that the debut is poor production so yeah, that fits the OP. I was avoiding the OP and going on taste, I suppose.

I don't personally want guitars at 10 (I'm a rhythm section man) and also don't want any kinda loudness war but I think X Factor is a shade too far the other way. There's a flatness and lack of energy that does the material a disservice, in my opinion. Maybe thats in the performances, probably is but a touch more guitar volume would make for a better sounding album, for me.
 
Gk1 said:
Anything after 1993 sounds bad!
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Not that I agree 100% with you but I can see your point. The twin live albums are a disaster, indeed. I don't mind TXF's production but indeed it sounds a bit tamed (perhaps I don't care too much because the album is also too dense and dark). IMO VXI was better but still sounded too bland. The first four Shirley albums sounded ok to me but absolutely mundane (the great music helps masking it) and both TBOS and SJ have details that make me cringe (like the aforementioned keyboard sound).

But even back in the day there were albums I didn't gel with. Despite being really different Killers, LAD, SIT, SSOASS, NPFTD and FOTD all sound at least great for me (with LAD, Killers and SSOASS sounding pristine). Yet on the other hand, the debut is what it is and personally, despite absolutely loving the albums, I'm not fond of the crystal clear sound on TNOTB, POM and Powerslave.
 
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Cat Milk Supreme said:
Agreed that the debut is poor production so yeah, that fits the OP. I was avoiding the OP and going on taste, I suppose.

I don't personally want guitars at 10 (I'm a rhythm section man) and also don't want any kinda loudness war but I think X Factor is a shade too far the other way. There's a flatness and lack of energy that does the material a disservice, in my opinion. Maybe thats in the performances, probably is but a touch more guitar volume would make for a better sounding album, for me.
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Well, tastes differ... and that's fine. Yet, when I asked if it was a trick question is because the question is "which album has the worst production" and not "which album has the production you like the least". If it was the latter my answer wouldn't be the debut album, also.
 
As for the lack of energy I think it is also conveyed by TXF's tunes nature. Some point out SOTC but fact is when performed live with Dickinson it's played way faster than on the album thus increasing dynamics. And let's be honest, I think both Man On The Edge and Judgement Day still sound killer. Personally, like I said before, I don't mind the somewhat flat sound on it since I always thought it somewhat married well with the brooding ambiance of the music.
 
karljant said:
Well, tastes differ... and that's fine.
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Totes, yo.
karljant said:
I'm not fond of the crystal clear sound on TNOTB, POM and Powerslave.
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I've always found POM to have a less crystal clear sound than the other two. The word I've used here before for POM is 'dusty.' Like it's rounder, fatter, or something. Dusty is the best word I can find. The bass and drums sound that way to me. It's probably my favourite Maiden album and I love the sound. Although I think I get what you mean in that I can hear everything clearly, it's just that the rhythm section sounds like it's clearly under an old, heavy blanket or something.

For me, every Maiden album has an absolutely distinct sound and I can instantly think of and feel the vibe if I just imagine the album. Love that about them. And there's no album where I'm put off listening to it due to the production. Only thing that comes close is the snare in AMOLAD. By the time I'm at Greater Good I'm gettin a sore ear from the snare, like it drills in. Although that was a few years ago, mayhap my hearing has degenerated enough so as I don't notice anymore. Time to find out, maybe.

I suppose other bands have this too (distinct sounding albums) but I'm not so familiar with other bands full discography. Like, a lot modern metal releases I hear all kinda sound the same, like they were made in the same factory. I think Priest and Saxon had albums out in close proximity a few years ago and I remember thinking that both sounded exactly the same. I enjoyed both, for the record.
 
karljant said:
I don't mind the somewhat flat sound on it since I always thought it somewhat married well with the brooding ambiance of the music.
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I can totally relate to this. I wouldn't want the bright, shiny Powerslave production on TXF, for example. But I still find it lacking in a disappointing way, at times. Tell you what I love though, the sound in The Unbeliver, when it goes quiet and the bass does a wee fill and Nicko does a top of the cymbal thingy, ride maybe. Something about the way that sounds chimes with me. Probably wouldn't sound as good on any other album.
 
Also, I think it has been mentioned before, but guitar sound on Piece Of Mind is arse. Particulary Adrian's. Worst sounding guitars out of the classic albums.
 
karljant said:
Not that I agree 100% with you but I can see your point. The twin live albums are a disaster, indeed. I don't mind TXF's production but indeed it sounds a bit tamed (perhaps I don't care too much because the album is also too dense and dark). IMO VXI was better but still sounded too bland. The first four Shirley albums sounded ok to me but absolutely mundane (the great music helps masking it) and both TBOS and SJ have details that make me cringe (like the aforementioned keyboard sound).

But even back in the day there were albums I didn't gel with. Despite being really different Killers, LAD, SIT, SSOASS, NPFTD and FOTD all sound at least great for me (with LAD, Killers and SSOASS sounding pristine). Yet on the other hand, the debut is what it is and personally, despite absolutely loving the albums, I'm not fond of the crystal clear sound on TNOTB, POM and Powerslave.
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I am with you! No matter which album one might prefer, all that sticks with me is that—even in the car, with the exact same settings—all the post-Birch albums sound like amateur work!
 
Gk1 said:
all the post-Birch albums sound like amateur work!
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Can you outline what specifically sounds amateur-like with AMOLAD, BNW or even TFF?
Because they are all three mixes you can't really fault from a technical standpoint from where I'm sitting, though it's easy to disagree with the artistic choices, which is essentially taste. They are very competently made, although I certainly prefer Birch's 80s output at the end of the day. They are far from sounding like "amateur work", although obviously not to your taste. That is, I think, a rather important distinction to make.
 
Yax said:
Can you outline what specifically sounds amateur-like with AMOLAD, BNW or even TFF?
Because they are all three mixes you can't really fault from a technical standpoint from where I'm sitting. They are far from sounding like "amateur work", although obviously not to your taste. That is, I think, a rather important distinction to make.
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Amolad is too low and dry! BNW is too compressed and the drums too loud! TFF for the most part consists of out of sync guitars, chopped takes and muddy sound! IMO always! :)
 
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Gk1 said:
Amolad is too low and dry! BNW is too compressed and the drums too loud! TFF for the most part consists of out of sync guitars, chopped takes and muddy sound! IMO always! :)
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Yeah so these are certainly "artistic choices I disagree with" rather than actual faults. So from that standpoint, I can absolutely see where you're coming from even though I disagree.
 
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