In response to the news of legendary producer Steve Albini’s death, fans have been sharing his proposal for producing Nirvana’s iconic album, ‘In Utero.’ Albini passed away from a heart attack at his recording studio, Electronic Audio, with his death being confirmed by the studio’s staff members. Albini had written a four-page proposal to the grunge trio when he agreed to work on ‘In Utero’ with them in which he outlined his philosophies around recording music.
The most striking of Albini’s principles was his belief that “if a record takes more than a week to make, somebody’s fucking up.” Albini also emphasised that he was “only interested in working on records that legitimately reflect the band’s own perception of their music and existence. If [they] commit[ted themselves] to that as a tenet of the recording methodology, then [he would] bust [his] ass for [them].” Albini’s other principles included his belief that the band is the most critical element of an album, the need to “leave room for accidents or chaos,” his dislike for remixing another engineer’s recordings, and his refusal to dictate the sound of a record to his tastes.
Regarding money, Albini refused to take a royalty on any record he recorded, stating that royalties belonged to the band. Instead, he wanted to be paid like a plumber: “I do the job, and you pay me what it’s worth.” Albini has worked on hundreds of records throughout his career, and his approach to recording music has been influential to many.
While speaking to NME in 2020, Albini recalled recording what turned out to be Nirvana’s final album. There wasn’t anything out of the usual about the sessions, apart from them being remarkably famous. Kurt Cobain had been a known admirer of Albini’s music before working with Nirvana, and during the first session, he brought Albini a piece of the guitar he had smashed during one of Albini’s band’s shows.
Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic also spoke to NME in 2020 about working with Albini and the band’s post-Nevermind sound. “Kurt was a fan of Albini,” he said. “I remember being in a tour van in 1989, and Kurt was listening to Pixies. He raised his finger and said, ‘This shall be our snare sound!’ He wanted to do it with Steve for a long time.” Albini’s impact on the music industry was undeniable, and his death has been mourned by many
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