Who doesn’t love getting a little weird with their creativity? These bands certainly didn’t mind getting quite experimental with how they recorded a few noteworthy tracks. Let’s dive into four times that famous rock bands got a little weird and experimental with their songs!
1. “Crawl Away” by Tool
Audio engineer and producer Sylvia Massy has never been afraid of getting weird with her mixes. She has worked with a wide range of artists through the years, from Johnny Cash to Slayer. However, she’s best known for her work with alternative metal outfit Tool.
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While recording Maynard James Keenan’s vocals for “Crawl Away”, Massy was notably unsatisfied with Keenan’s scream takes. So, she made him leave the studio and jog around the block a few times. When he returned, he was exhausted and (understandably) pissed off. But the resulting vocal track was perfect. Sometimes, you have to just bully a band’s lead singer to get a good take.
2. “She’s Lost Control” by Joy Division
Martin Hannet was obsessed with recording things exactly the way he wanted. His obsession with auditory perfection was not fun for others to experience. While recording “She’s Lost Control” with Joy Division, Hannet allegedly made the band’s drummer, Stephen Morris, put his drum kit together on the roof of the studio in order to get the best acoustics possibly. It was definitely annoying, but the resulting song sounds incredible.
3. “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson was a master of recording. He would often record tracks in various pieces from different sessions. In fact, many of The Beach Boys’ songs had a number of different recordings from each session that Wilson would splice together to make the perfect track.
It was a weird approach, but it worked out beautifully. He used this technique for “Good Vibrations”, but he also added some bizarre instruments to that particular track. Many confuse the iconic wail in “Good Vibrations” for a theramin, when it is actually a unique instrument called the tannemin. Basically, it’s a synth with similar capabilities as the trombone. And the choice to use it was a smart one.
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4. “Once In A Lifetime” by Talking Heads
Talking Heads was one of those rock bands that weren’t afraid to get seriously experimental with their songs. The same could be said for legendary musician Brian Eno. He worked with Talking Heads extensively, particularly on the song “Once In A Lifetime”. Eno had each member of the famed band record their parts separately for the song. The subsequent blind overdubs were mixed beautifully, resulting in a song that flows well but still has an odd, disjointed vibe to it.
Photo by Steven Ferdman
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