[RIP] Legendary Chicago Musician and Producer Steve Albini

[hepcat]

Screw it, I'm giving him his own thread because I consider him to be one of the greats.

Steve Albini was part of the incredibly influential Big Black back in the 80s. He then went on to other groups and he eventually started producing albums for others, including Nirvana's final studio album, In Utero. He also worked with The Pixies and other great bands.

This one hits hard, as I used to joke that I moved to Chicago because of Steve Albini. I did get a chance to see him live a few times here in the city, but I wish I'd attended more of his shows.



RIP to one of the greats. Taken from us at the young age of 61.

I'm pulling my Shellac CD out of storage tonight and toasting his passing.

[Alefroth]

Indeed. He was incredibly influential.

[LordMortis]

Such and influential figure on my listening tastes. The albums he was behind in my collection...

[Skinypupy]

Damn, that one hurts. Albini was directly involved in much of the music of my formative years. Dude was a legend.

[hepcat]

I always loved how he strapped his guitar around his waist instead of slinging it over his shoulder.

edit: damn, I didn't realize in his later years he became a champion poker player!

This is the second time Albini has won a World Series of Poker tournament, following his 2018 gold bracelet for beating 310 players in Seven Card Stud to the tune of $105,629. Back then, he was wearing a Cocaine Piss T-shirt during the big win. This time around, Albini dressed up for the occasion in a Jack O’ Nuts shirt, tweeting that the Athens noise-rock musicians “bring me luck.”

[ImLawBoy]

I've followed him for a while on Twitter and then over to Bluesky. He usually had interesting takes on a variety of topics - including notably about his hatred of Steely Dan. He was just ranting about R&P self edited yesterday on Bluesky.

[Jeff V]

including notably about his hatred of Steely Dan.

This is baffling since Steely Dan created one of the best-engineered recordings of all time. Jealousy, perhaps? Still, dude was my age and it always sucks when someone of note and of your age group dies.

[ImLawBoy]

Unless you have a moral objection to Twitter, read the thread.

[hepcat]

including notably about his hatred of Steely Dan.

This is baffling since Steely Dan created one of the best-engineered recordings of all time.

Yeah, but you think Toto was too hard and that we should all get off your lawn.

[Jeff V]

Yeah, but you think Toto was too hard and that we should all get off your lawn.

Hey, they created one of the two greatest songs dedicated to Rosanne Arquette, and I had a thing for her 50 years ago.

[hepcat]

I've decided it would be easier to name women you DIDN'T have a thing for when you were like...well....ever.

[Jeff V]

I've decided it would be easier to name women you DIDN'T have a thing for when you were like...well....ever.

The other Rosanne -- Barr, and Marilyn Manson -- wait, what you mean she's not a woman?

[Z-Corn]

I always loved how he strapped his guitar around his waist instead of slinging it over his shoulder.

I swear I knew as a fact that he patented a waist guitar strap. I don't see current evidence of that. Either way, ergonomics.

I had friends who recorded with him. Nothing came of it, it wasn't a commercial project. They just wanted the experience of the whole thing...


I only saw Shellac once, for the Greyhound album tour. It was a Class Reunion that pulled all the old heads out of the woodwork.

[A nonny mouse]

Wow. Super surprising. He definitely deserves his own thread.

A friend of mine recorded with him a while back - he actually helped Albini build the amp he used with Shellac.

My brother would fill in stories of the "feud" between Albini and Sonic Youth (song "Kim Gordon's panties" )

Super talented. Atomizer and Songs about F . . . were on constant play for us. I even liked Two Nuns and a pack mule by Rapeman (hated the band name though).

I saw Shellac when they opened for The Stooges in Chicago - just before Ron Ashton died. THAT was a great freaking show.

R.I.P. indeed.

[hepcat]

He later talked about regretting the name Rapeman. He thought he was being controversial to make a point, but eventually realized he was doing the opposite of what he intended. Same with quite a few of his songs. He was able to understand and admit when he was wrong.

…although he felt he was rarely wrong.

[LawBeefaroni]

His studio is a neighborhood institution and I have a few friends that worked with him there.

Loved a ton of albums he worked on but knew him mostly for his charitable work.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-i-ha ... _b_8614568

Nineteen years ago, my wife Heather Whinna stopped by the post office on the way home. She found bins there full of letters addressed to Santa Claus, left out by the post office for people to read and answer. Curious, she read a few of the letters and couldn't believe what she saw.
By Steve Albini, Contributor

Inspirational.

Mon Dec 19, 2022 7:13 pm

Friend of mine is doing a fundraiser down the street. Live music and improv. Steve Albini is serving dinner later.

https://www.24hourmarathon.org/


Edit: Jeff Tweedy was great!

[Max Peck]

Whoops... Need more coffee.

[Isgrimnur]

Wrong RIP thread.

[LawBeefaroni]

As World Mourns Steve Albini, His Chicago Neighbors Remember The Kind, Generous Icon Next Door

“He was legendary for music, but you should also know that in our neighborhood the kids knew his house as the best house for candy on Halloween,” said Albini’s neighbor, novelist James Kennedy.

And this is an amazing read:

[Jeff V]

WXRT played the Albini mix of All Apologies yesterday...and man was it different. I'm glad these mixes still exist...the final album production is slicker, but it was pretty cool hearing Groel's drums front and center as well as a more pronounced cello at the end of the song. I can see why the record company didn't like it, but was nice to hear something different in a song I've probably heard a 1000 times.

[disarm]

That letter to the members of Nirvana is pretty cool...seems like it pretty well sums up the guy's approach to recording music that he stuck with to the end, no matter how famous he became.