The Who - Who's Next (1971)

The Record Player

Send us a Text Message.

Legendary producer Tom Werman joins Jeff and Matt to talk about one of his favorite albums, Who's Next, by the Who.
Tom is one of the best kind of people you can hope to meet in the music industry, because not only is he very talented as a producer, but he also is a music fan at heart. That's something that comes through again and again as you're reading his new memoir, Turn It Up: My Time Making Hit Records In The Glory Days Of Rock Music (Featuring Mötley Crüe, Poison, Twisted Sister, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, And More).
Yes, that's a very long title, but the good news is that if you needed a refresher course about Tom Werman and his life's work, you just got it! One of the great things about Turn It Up is that you get the stories about Werman's experience working with the mentioned artists (and more), but you also really get an inside look at what a producer does -- and how they do it. It's a valuable fly on the wall perspective on a number of levels, but Tom is able to explain the very technical job he did -- without getting overly technical in the way he illustrates that process.
As it happens, the roots of the book began with a column that Tom wrote, The Producers, which ran at Jeff's website, Popdose. It's an interesting prequel that Jeff and Tom talk about as the interview begins. Tom has long been one of our favorite people when we think back to all of the albums we own that have his name in the liner notes, so it was a real joy to get a chance to dig in with Tom and discuss his career.
P.S. Are you reading Jeff's words at Jefitoblog yet? Goodness gracious, get on over there and become part of the discussion!
P.S.S. Here's a link to the Who's Next / Lifehouse box set that Matt mentions during the conversation with Tom. It's essential if you're a fan of the album.