Fans have been re-sharing Steve Albini‘s proposal for producing Nirvana‘s landmark album ‘In Utero‘ following the news of his death.
It was reported via Pitchfork today (May 8) that Albini died of a heart attack in his recording studio, Electronic Audio. His death was confirmed by the studio’s staff members.
Albini wrote a four-page proposal to the grunge trio when he agreed to work on ‘In Utero’ with them in which he explained his philosophies around recording music. Most notably, he declared that “if a record takes more than a week to make, somebody’s fucking up”.
“I think the very best thing you could do at this point is exactly what you are talking about doing: bang a record out in a couple of days, with high quality but minimal ‘production’ and no interference from the front office bulletheads,” he wrote. “If that is indeed what you want to do, I would love to be involved.
“If, instead, you might find yourselves in the position of being temporarily indulged by the record company, only to have them yank the chain at some point (hassling you to rework songs/sequences/production, calling-in hired guns to ‘sweeten’ your record, turning the whole thing over to some remix jockey, whatever…) then you’re in for a bummer and I want no part of it.”
He continued: “I’m only interested in working on records that legitimately reflect the band’s own perception of their music and existence. If you will commit yourselves to that as a tenet of the recording methodology, then I will bust my ass for you. I’ll work circles around you. I’ll rap your head with a ratchet…
Steve Albini's four-page proposal to produce Nirvana's In Utero: "If a record takes more than a week to make, somebody's fucking up." pic.twitter.com/UY9xv67Fc3
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) May 8, 2024
“I have worked on hundreds of records (some great, some good, some horrible, a lot in the courtyard), and I have seen a direct correlation between the quality of the end result and the mood of the band throughout the process. If the record takes a long time, and everyone gets bummed and scrutinizes every step, then the recordings bear little resemblance to the live band, and the end result is seldom flattering. Making punk records is definitely a case where more ‘work’ does not imply a better end result. Clearly you have learned this yourselves and appreciate the logic.”
Albini went on to outline his principles, which include his belief that “the band [is] the most important thing”, the need to “leave room for accidents or chaos”, why he didn’t like remixing another engineer’s recordings and why he wouldn’t dictate the sound of a record to his tastes. He also wrote that it didn’t matter where an album was recorded as much as how it is recorded.
He also spoke about money, writing: “I do not want and will not take a royalty on any record I record. No points. Period. I think paying a royalty to a producer or engineer is ethically indefensible. The band write the songs. The band play the music. It’s the band’s fans who buy the records. The band is responsible for whether it’s a great record or a horrible record. Royalties belong to the band.
“I would like to be paid like a plumber: I do the job and you pay me what it’s worth.”
His final line was: “If a record takes more than a week to make, somebody’s fucking up.”
Albini spoke to NME last year about his life and career. On the subject of recording what turned out to be Nirvana’s final album, he said: “There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about the sessions. I mean, apart from them being extremely famous. I had to do everything I could to keep it under wraps to make sure that we didn’t get overrun by fans and the added nonsense. That was the only thing that was weird about it.”
Kurt Cobain had been a known admirer of Albini’s music before he worked with Nirvana, having been in attendance when his band Big Black played their last ever show in 1987. During the first session, he brought with him a piece of the guitar Albini had smashed during the gig.
Last year, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic spoke to NME and recalled working with the producer and how the band landed on the post-‘Nevermind’ sound of the record. “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.”
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