Portal:Record production

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The Record Production Portal

Noted audio engineer Roger Nichols at a vintage Neve recording console

P:RECORD

This portal is focused on music production within the era of written records through sound recordings, digital downloads, and beyond. Its scope includes articles that document the considerations and mechanisms used by, and consistent with, the purview of the production element. As an art form, music predates transcription and simultaneously transcends descriptive limitations. As an industry, music has demonstrated consistent viability over time. The record producer conjoins these potential, and serves as a broker to bridge the demand (spawned by their aspirations) with supply and satisfaction. The results are measurable and attributable, derived from effort and skillful application of craft, to a manifestation of the art in its melodic form. (Read more)

The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, represent and supply music creators. Among the many individuals and organizations that operate in the industry are: the songwriters and composers who write songs and musical compositions; the singers, musicians, conductors, and bandleaders who perform the music; the record labels, music publishers, recording studios, music producers, audio engineers, retail and digital music stores, and performance rights organizations who create and sell recorded music and sheet music; and the booking agents, promoters, music venues, road crew, and audio engineers who help organize and sell concerts. (Read more)

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Featured articles are displayed here, which represent some of the best content on English Wikipedia.

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A publicity photograph for the 1957 film Jailhouse Rock

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), known mononymously as Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Known as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Presley's energized performances and interpretations of songs, and sexually provocative dance moves, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, brought both great success and initial controversy.

Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi; his family relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, when he was 13. His music career began there in 1954, at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on guitar and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who managed him for the rest of his career. Presley's first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the US. Within a year, RCA Victor would sell ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular rock and roll; though his performative style and promotion of the then-marginalized sound of African Americans led to him being widely considered a threat to the moral well-being of white American youth. (Full article...)
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Meshuggah performing at Rock am Ring 2018

Meshuggah (/məˈʃʊɡə/) is a Swedish extreme metal band formed in Umeå in 1987. Since 2004, the band's lineup consists of founding members Jens Kidman (lead vocals) and Fredrik Thordendal (lead guitar), alongside rhythm guitarist Mårten Hagström, drummer Tomas Haake and bassist Dick Lövgren. Since its formation, the band has released nine studio albums, six EPs and eight music videos. Their latest studio album, Immutable, was released in April 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

Meshuggah has become known for their innovative musical style and their complex, polymetered song structures and polyrhythms. They rose to fame as a significant act in extreme underground music, became an influence for modern metal bands, and gained a cult following. The band was labelled as one of the ten most important hard rock and heavy metal bands by Rolling Stone and as the most important band in metal by Alternative Press. In the late 2000s, the band was an inspiration for the djent subgenre. (Full article...)
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Tank Girl is a 1995 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Rachel Talalay and written by Tedi Sarafian. Based on the British comics series created by Jamie Hewlett and Alan Martin, the film stars Lori Petty, Naomi Watts, Ice-T, and Malcolm McDowell. Set in a drought ravaged Australia years after a catastrophic impact event, it follows the antihero Tank Girl (Petty) as she, Jet Girl (Watts), and genetically modified supersoldiers called the Rippers fight Water & Power, an oppressive corporation led by Kesslee (McDowell).

After reading an issue of the Tank Girl comic she had received as a gift, Talalay obtained permission from the comic's publisher Deadline to direct a film adaptation. She selected Catherine Hardwicke to be the production designer, and worked closely with Martin and Hewlett during the making of the film. Tank Girl was filmed primarily in White Sands, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona. The film's critically praised soundtrack was assembled by Courtney Love, and the Rippers' makeup and prosthetics team was headed by Stan Winston. Winston's studio were so enthusiastic about the project they cut their usual prices in half to meet the film's budget. (Full article...)
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"Paranoid Android" is a song by English alternative rock band Radiohead, released as the lead single from their third studio album, OK Computer (1997), on 26 May 1997. The lyrics were written by singer Thom Yorke following an unpleasant experience in a Los Angeles bar. The song is over six minutes long and contains four sections. The name is taken from Marvin the Paranoid Android from the science fiction series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"Paranoid Android" charted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, Radiohead's highest-charting position in the UK to date. It received acclaim, with critics claiming it to be the band's magnum opus, comparing it to the songs "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" by the Beatles and "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. It has appeared regularly on lists of the best songs of all time, including NME's and Rolling Stone's respective 500 Greatest Songs of All Time lists. Its animated music video, directed by Magnus Carlsson, was placed on heavy rotation on MTV, although the network censored portions containing nudity in the US. At the 1998 Brit Awards, the song was nominated for Best British Single. The track has been covered by artists in a variety of genres. It was included in the 2008 Radiohead: The Best Of. (Full article...)
$Image 5 "Today" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics; Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitars. "Today" was released in September 1993 as the second single from the band's second album and major label debut, Siamese Dream. "Today" and its follow-up "Disarm" are credited in AllMusic for popularizing the band and "sen[ding] [Siamese Dream] into the stratosphere". "Today" has been generally well received by critics; a Blender article described it as having "achieved a remarkable status as one of the defining songs of its generation, perfectly mirroring the fractured alienation of American youth in the 1990s". (Full article...)$

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"Today" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins, written by lead vocalist and guitarist Billy Corgan. The song, though seemingly upbeat, contains dark lyrics; Corgan wrote the song about a day in which he was having suicidal thoughts. The contrast between the grim subject matter of the song and the soft instrumental part during the verses, coupled with use of irony in the lyrics, left many listeners unaware of the song's tale of depression and desperation. The song alternates between quiet, dreamy verses and loud choruses with layered, distorted guitars.

"Today" was released in September 1993 as the second single from the band's second album and major label debut, Siamese Dream. "Today" and its follow-up "Disarm" are credited in AllMusic for popularizing the band and "sen[ding] [Siamese Dream] into the stratosphere". "Today" has been generally well received by critics; a Blender article described it as having "achieved a remarkable status as one of the defining songs of its generation, perfectly mirroring the fractured alienation of American youth in the 1990s". (Full article...)
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Sheet music cover (1897)

"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" is a song written and composed by the American songwriter Paul Dresser in 1897. It is among the best-selling songs of the 19th century, earning over $100,000 from sheet-music revenues. Written and composed by American songwriter Paul Dresser, it was published by the Tin Pan Alley firm of Howley, Haviland and Company in October 1897. The lyrics of the ballad reminisce about life near Dresser's childhood home by the Wabash River in Indiana, United States. The song remained popular for decades, and the Indiana General Assembly adopted it as the official state song on March 14, 1913. The song was the basis for a 1923 film of the same title. Its longtime popularity led to the emergence of several lyrical versions, including an 1898 anti-war song and a Swedish version that was a number-one hit.

The song was composed during a transitory time in musical history when songs first began to be recorded for the phonograph. It was among the earliest pieces of popular music to be recorded. Dresser's inability to control the distribution of phonograph cylinders led him and his company to join other composers to petition the United States Congress to expand federal copyright protections over the new technology. (Full article...)
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Loveless (stylized in lowercase) is the second studio album by the Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine. It was released on 4 November 1991 in the United Kingdom by Creation Records and in the United States by Sire Records. The album was recorded between February 1989 and September 1991, with vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields leading sessions and experimenting with guitar vibrato, nonstandard tunings, digital sampling, and meticulous production methods. The band recorded at nineteen different studios and hired several engineers during the album's prolonged recording, with its final production cost rumoured to have reached £250,000 (equivalent to £560,000 in 2024).

Preceded by the EPs Glider (1990) and Tremolo (1991), Loveless reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and was widely praised by critics for its sonic innovations and Shields' "virtual reinvention of the guitar". However, after its release, Creation owner Alan McGee dropped the band from the label as he found Shields too difficult to work with, a factor alleged to have contributed to the label's eventual bankruptcy. My Bloody Valentine struggled to record a follow-up to the album and broke up in 1997, making Loveless their last full-length release until their eventual reunited effort m b v in 2013. (Full article...)
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Kill 'Em All is the debut studio album by the American heavy metal band Metallica, released on July 25, 1983, through the independent label Megaforce Records. After forming in 1981, Metallica began by playing shows in local clubs in Los Angeles. They recorded several demos to gain attention from club owners and eventually relocated to San Francisco to secure the services of bassist Cliff Burton. The group's No Life 'til Leather demo tape (1982) was noticed by Megaforce label head Jon Zazula, who signed them and provided a budget of $15,000 (equivalent to $48,835.49 in 2024) for recording. The album was recorded in May with producer Paul Curcio at the Music America Studios in Rochester, New York. It was originally intended to be titled Metal Up Your Ass, with cover art featuring a hand clutching a dagger emerging from a toilet bowl. Zazula convinced the band to change the name because distributors feared that releasing an album with such an offensive title and artwork would diminish its chances of commercial success.

Metallica promoted the album on the two-month co-headlining Kill 'Em All for One tour with English heavy metal band Raven in the US. The album also generated two singles: "Whiplash" and "Jump in the Fire". Although the initial shipment was 15,000 copies in the US, the album sold 60,000 copies worldwide by the end of Metallica's Seven Dates of Hell European tour in 1984. The album did not enter the Billboard 200 until 1986, when it peaked at number 155, following Metallica's commercial success with its third studio album, Master of Puppets; the 1988 Elektra reissue peaked at number 120. Kill 'Em All was critically praised at the time of its release and has since been regarded as a groundbreaking album for thrash metal, because of its "precise musicianship, which fused new wave of British heavy metal riffs with hardcore punk tempos". It was also retrospectively placed on a few publications' best album lists. The album's musical approach and lyrics were markedly different from rock's mainstream of the early 1980s and inspired a number of bands who followed in a similar manner. It was certified 3× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1999 for shipping three million copies in the United States. (Full article...)
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Sir Adrian Cedric Boult, CH (/boʊlt/; 8 April 1889 – 22 February 1983) was a British conductor. Brought up in a prosperous mercantile family, he followed musical studies in England and at Leipzig, Germany, with early conducting work in London for the Royal Opera House and Sergei Diaghilev's ballet company. His first prominent post was conductor of the City of Birmingham Orchestra in 1924. When the British Broadcasting Corporation appointed him director of music in 1930, he established the BBC Symphony Orchestra and became its chief conductor. The orchestra set standards of excellence that were rivalled in Britain only by the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO), founded two years later.

Forced to leave the BBC in 1950 on reaching retirement age, Boult became principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra had declined from its peak of the 1930s, but under his guidance its fortunes were revived. He retired as its chief conductor in 1957, and later accepted the post of president. Although in the latter part of his career he worked with several other orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and his former orchestra, the BBC Symphony, it was the LPO with which he was primarily associated, conducting it in concerts and recordings until 1978, in what was widely called his "Indian summer". (Full article...)
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Supernature is the third studio album by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp, released on 17 August 2005 by Mute Records. The album received generally favourable reviews, with most critics complimenting its blend of pop and electronic music. It debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 52,976 copies, and has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Supernature has sold one million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single, "Ooh La La", reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the duo's highest-peaking single to date. The album spawned three further singles: "Number 1", "Ride a White Horse" and "Fly Me Away". In North America, where "Number 1" was promoted as the first single, the album was released on 7 March 2006 and reached number 138 on the charts. Supernature was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album in 2007. (Full article...)
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"The World Is Not Enough" is the theme song for the 1999 James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, performed by American rock band Garbage. The song was written by composer David Arnold (who also scored the film) and lyricist Don Black, previously responsible for four other Bond songs, and was produced by Garbage and Arnold. "The World Is Not Enough" was composed in the style of the series' title songs, in contrast with the post-modern production and genre-hopping of Garbage's first two albums. The group recorded most of "The World Is Not Enough" while touring Europe in support of their album Version 2.0, telephoning Arnold as he recorded the orchestral backing in London before travelling to England. Garbage later finished recording and mixing the song at Armoury Studios in Canada. The lyrics reflect the film's plot (told from the viewpoint of antagonist Elektra King), with themes of world domination and seduction.

The song and its accompanying soundtrack were released internationally by Radioactive Records when the film premiered worldwide at the end of November 1999. "The World Is Not Enough" was praised by reviewers; it reached the top 40 of ten singles charts and the top 10 of four. It was included on the James Bond compilation The Best of Bond... James Bond and Garbage's greatest hits album, Absolute Garbage. (Full article...)
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Chou in July 2023

Chou Chieh-lun (traditional Chinese: 周杰倫; simplified Chinese: 周杰伦; pinyin: Zhōu Jiélún; born 18 January 1979), better known by the stage name Jay Chou is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter, actor, director, and businessman.

In 2000, Chou released his debut studio album, Jay (2000), to runaway success, solidified by his second album, Fantasy (2001), which combined Western and East Asian music styles. He has since established himself as one of the most successful singers in the Chinese-speaking world, holding 15 Golden Melody Awards—the most by any singer—and earning the title King of Mandopop. In 2022, he became the first Mandopop artist to top IFPI’s Global Album Sales Chart, with his 15th studio album, Greatest Works of Art (2022), being the world’s best-selling record in 2022. (Full article...)

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... that to promote the Buffalo Club, Rising Tide Records sent packages of plastic buffalo to music industry executives in Nashville?
... that when Divine's song "Lately" topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1998, it became the first number-one single for the performers, the songwriters, the producers, and the record labels?
... that one critic interpreted a SZA song as being about her fears about the growing influence of AI in the music industry?
... that according to Billboard magazine, Laufey created a blueprint for jazz music in the modern music industry and helped push it back into the mainstream?
... that until the release of the documentary Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-Pop, sexual abuse claims involving record producer Johnny Kitagawa went widely unreported in Japanese media?

Born this day

Birthdays in Music: October 31

Tom Paxton, American folk singer-songwriter, turns 87.
Russ Ballard, Brit guitarist with Argent and The Roulettes, turns 77.
Tony Bowers, Brit bassist with Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias, The Durutti Column, Pink Military, and Simply Red, turns 68.
Kate Campbell, American americana singer and guitarist, turns 63.
Mikkey Dee, (born Michael Delaouglou) Swedish drummer with Motörhead, turns 61.
Johnny Marr, Brit guitarist and songwriter with The Smiths, turns 61.
Colm O'Ciosoig, Irish drummer with My Bloody Valentine, turns 60.
Annabella Lwin, Burmese vocalist of Bow Wow Wow fame, turns 59.
Adam Horovitz, (a.k.a. King Ad-Rock) of Beastie Boys fame, turns 58.
Vanilla Ice, (born Robert Van Winkle) American pop rapper, turns 57.
Al Mackenzie, Irish producer for D:Ream, turns 56.
Alistair McErlaine, Scottish guitarist for Texas, turns 56.
Malin Berggren, Swedish vocalist with Ace Of Base, turns 54.
Rogers Stevens, American guitarist with Blind Melon, turns 54.
Séverine Ferrer, French singer, turns 47.
Frank Iero, American guitarist with My Chemical Romance, turns 43.
Selina Ren, Taiwanese mandopop singer with S.H.E, turns 43.
Monica Irimia, Romanian vocalist of Cheeky Girls fame, turns 42.

Bob Belden (Record production, 1956 –May 20, 2015), American tenor saxophonist and composer , would have turned 68 this year.
Bernard Edwards (Record production, 1952 –April 18, 1996), Brit bassist with Chic, would have turned 72 this year.
Doug Bennett (Record production, 1951 –October 16, 2004), Canadian lead vocalist for Doug & the Slugs, would have turned 73 this year.
Kinky Friedman (Record production, 1944 –June 27, 2024), American singer and songwriter, would have turned 80 this year.
Sherman Ferguson (Record production, 1944 –January 22, 2006), American drummer, would have turned 80 this year.
Eric Griffiths (Record production, 1940 –January 29, 2005), Welsh bassist for The Quarrymen, would have turned 84 this year.
John Guerin (Record production, 1939 –January 05, 2004), Hawaiian drummer, would have turned 85 this year.
Ray Crane (1930 – 1994), Brit trumpeter, would have turned 94.
Booker Ervin (1930 – 1970), American tenor saxophonist, would have turned 94.
Jimmy Savile (Record production, 1926 –October 29, 2011), British DJ, would have turned 98 this year.
Tommy Watt (Record production, 1925 –May 20, 2006), Scottish arranger, bandleader, composer, and pianist, would have turned 99 this year.
Bob Graettinger (Record production, 1923 –March 12, 1957), Canadian arranger and composer, would have turned 101 this year.
Illinois Jacquet (Record production, 1922 –July 22, 2004), American tenor saxophonist, would have turned 102 this year.
Ted Nash (Record production, 1922 –May 12, 2011), American tenor saxophonist, would have turned 102 this year.
Toshiyuki Miyama (Record production, 1921–May 16, 2016), Japanese bandleader and clarinettist, would have turned 103 this year.
Chris Griffin (Record production, 1915 –June 18, 2005), American trumpeter, would have turned 109 this year.
Dale Evans (Record production, 1912 –February 07, 2001), American singer and actress, would have turned 112 this year.
Chappy (Record production, 1905 –March 28, 1973), (born Jacob Chapell) Hungarian bandleader and drummer, would have turned 119 this year.
Julia Lee (Record production, 1902 –December 08, 1958), American blues singer, would have turned 122 this year.
Ethel Waters (Record production, 1896 –September 01, 1977), American vocalist, would have turned 128 this year.
Philippe de Vitry (Record production, 1291 –June 09, 1361), French composer, would have turned 733 this year.

List of musical events • Anniversaries • More birthdays...

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These are all Good articles, which meet a core set of high editorial standards.

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Having Fun with Elvis on Stage is a 1974 spoken word concert album by American singer and musician Elvis Presley consisting entirely of dialogue and banter, mostly jokes, by Presley between songs during his live concerts, with the songs themselves removed from the recordings. The album was created as a ploy by Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker to release a Presley album through his own label, Boxcar Records, without using content that contractually belonged to RCA Records, so that Parker could earn 100% of the profits. Having Fun with Elvis on Stage was first exclusively sold at Presley's summer 1974 Las Vegas concerts, but RCA later claimed rights to the recording and began to package and distribute it.

Having Fun with Elvis on Stage has been considered Presley's worst album; many critics felt that the compilation of banter was incoherent and lacked context with the removal of the songs. In their 1991 book, Jimmy Guterman and Owen O'Donnell named Having Fun with Elvis on Stage the worst rock-and-roll album of all time, noting its lack of actual "rock and roll." Though Presley apparently had no love for the album, RCA chose to reissue it shortly after his death in 1977. (Full article...)
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Vuelve (transl. Come Back) is the fourth studio album by Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin. Sony Discos and Columbia Records released it on February 12, 1998. Martin worked with producers KC Porter, Robi Draco Rosa, and Desmond Child to create the album. Following the worldwide success of the song "María" from his previous album, A Medio Vivir (transl. Half Alive) (1995), Martin returned to the studio and began recording material while on tour. Vuelve is a Latin record with Latin dance numbers and pop ballads. "María" caught the attention of FIFA, who asked Martin to write an anthem for the 1998 FIFA World Cup being held in France. Martin subsequently recorded "La Copa de la Vida", composed by Porter, Rosa, and Desmond Child for the World Cup.

Critics' reviews of the album were generally positive; they praised its uptempo tracks and its production, though some criticized it for containing too many ballads. Martin received several accolades, including the Best Latin Pop Performance at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. Vuelve debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at number forty on the Billboard 200. Martin's performance of "La Copa de la Vida" on the Grammy Awards show was credited for boosting the album's sales. Certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), it sold more than 888,000 copies in the United States, standing as the 10th best-selling Latin album in the country. Vuelve reached number one in Norway, Portugal, and Spain, as well as the top 10 in seven other countries, including Australia and Italy. As of 2008, the album had sold over six million copies worldwide. (Full article...)
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Wide Awake in Europe is a live EP by rock band U2. The release was created by the organizers of Record Store Day to bring customers into independent record shops for holiday shopping. A limited number of 5,000 EPs were produced, and were released on Black Friday in 2010, mostly to record shops in North America. The EP features three live tracks on a 12-inch vinyl record, taken from three different concerts during the U2 360° Tour in 2009 and 2010. The EP comprises the songs "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight", "Moment of Surrender", and "Mercy", the latter a previously unreleased track that was debuted on tour. (Full article...)
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The Blackest Beautiful is the third studio album by American rock band Letlive. It was released by Epitaph Records on July 9, 2013. Recorded between June 2012 and January 2013, the album used four drum sessions, and went through ten recording engineers before settling on Stephen George. The drums were recorded with session musician Christopher Crandall, in the absence of the band having a permanent drummer at the time. The album incorporated a variety of music styles based on its members, including punk rock, funk, and soul; it was mastered and mixed to have a "more human" and "organic" sound.

Although the album was not expected to sell well because it was streamed for free prior to release, it still debuted in the United States at number 74 on the Billboard 200 and number six on the Hard Rock Albums chart, with nearly five thousand copies sold. The band toured the United Kingdom and Ireland to support the album, and joined other bands on tours across the United States. Critics welcomed the album, praising its crisp production and forward-thinking sound within post-hardcore, with Metacritic giving an aggregate rating of "universal acclaim". (Full article...)
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Spirit of the American Range is a classical music album by the Oregon Symphony under the artistic direction of Carlos Kalmar, released by the Dutch record label Pentatone on February 10, 2015. The album was recorded at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon in April 2013 and January 2014. It contains works by three American 20th-century composers: Walter Piston's ballet suite from The Incredible Flutist, George Antheil's "A Jazz Symphony", and Aaron Copland's Symphony No. 3. The recording was the third by the orchestra under Kalmar's leadership, following the highly successful Music for a Time of War (2011) and This England (2012). Spirit of the American Range received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Orchestral Performance, and its producer, Blanton Alspaugh, was nominated for Producer of the Year, Classical. (Full article...)
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Halfway to Sanity is the 10th studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, and their last album to feature drummer Richie Ramone. It was produced by Daniel Rey and released on September 15, 1987, by Sire Records. Recording sessions began that April at Intergalactic Studios in New York City, with the band recording instruments before vocals in order to learn songs more quickly. It fared well on charts outside the United States, but peaked at No. 172 on the Billboard 200.

The band members disagreed on many things during the album's production, and producer Rey described them as impatient. The band toured the world following the album's release, but certain show dates were cancelled after Richie left the band due to financial conflicts with Johnny. The band hired Blondie drummer Clem Burke (who took the pseudonym "Elvis Ramone") for two shows, until Marky Ramone returned. (Full article...)
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Confessions on a Dance Floor is the tenth studio album by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on November 9, 2005, by Warner Bros. Records. A complete departure from her previous studio album American Life (2003), the album includes influences of 1970s disco and 1980s electropop, as well as 2000s club music. Initially, she began working with Mirwais Ahmadzaï for the album but later felt that their collaboration was not going in the direction she desired. Madonna took her collaboration with Stuart Price who was overseeing her documentary I'm Going to Tell You a Secret. The album was mainly recorded at Price's home-studio where Madonna spent most of her time during the recordings.

Musically, the record is structured like a DJ's set. The songs are sequenced and blended so that they are played continuously without any gaps. The title arrived from the fact that the album tracklisting consists of light-hearted and happy songs in the beginning, and progresses to much darker melodies and lyrics describing personal feelings and commitments. Songs on the album sample and reference the music of other dance-oriented artists like ABBA, Donna Summer, Pet Shop Boys, the Bee Gees and Depeche Mode, as well as Madonna's 1980s output. (Full article...)
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Ungodly Hour is the second studio album by American duo Chloe x Halle. It was released on June 12, 2020, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia. Originally scheduled for release on June 5, the album's release was delayed as a gesture of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the global protests following the murder of George Floyd. The album was supported by the singles "Do It", "Catch Up", and "Forgive Me", the former of which became their most successful song to date. A reissue of the album "Chrome Edition" was released on February 26, 2021.

Upon its release, Ungodly Hour received widespread acclaim from music critics, with many praising the album's cohesiveness and complimenting the duo's vocal delivery, artistic growth and maturity. It also featured on various year-end lists and received a nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, along with nominations for Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Wonder What She Thinks of Me", and Best R&B Song for "Do It". The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart with 24,000 album-equivalent units, marking the duo's highest-charting album. (Full article...)
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Youthanasia is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Megadeth, released on November 1, 1994, through Capitol Records. It is stylistically similar to their previous album, Countdown to Extinction (1992). The title is a play on words, implying that society is euthanizing its youth. The cover art features an elderly woman hanging babies by their feet on a seemingly endless clothes line, a direct reference to a line in the title track.

Youthanasia received positive reviews upon its release. It was commercially successful, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, and in 1995 was certified platinum for shipping one million copies in the United States. A remixed and remastered edition featuring several bonus tracks and detailed liner notes was reissued on July 27, 2004. (Full article...)
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Death of a Pop Star is a 2010 album by hip hop artists David Banner and 9th Wonder, released on Banner's independent record label, Big Face Entertainment, in conjunction with eOne Music. It is the only collaborative work done together by the two artists and the 9th Wonder's fifteenth collaborative album. The album's title derives from the artists' belief that contemporary black music was declining due to a perceived prioritization of style over substance, and the increasing popularity of music downloads, which they felt was reducing a new artist's chance of reaching the iconic status of previous artists.

Originally conceived as a mixtape, Death of a Pop Star was recorded from 2009 to 2010 at Bright Lady Studios in Raleigh, North Carolina and Premier Studios in New York City. The hip hop production was mainly handled by 9th Wonder with assistance from David Banner, THX, Warryn Campbell and E. Jones on various tracks. The album includes guest appearances from rappers Ludacris and Big Remo; and singers Erykah Badu, Anthony Hamilton, Marsha Ambrosius, Heather Victoria and Lisa Ivey. (Full article...)
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A + No Poder (English: "To the Max") is the fourteenth studio album by Mexican recording artist Alejandra Guzmán. It was released on September 11, 2015, by Sony Music Latin. After the success of her previous live album, Primera Fila (2013) and its promotional tour, Guzmán recorded the album with original songs, composed and produced by her and Argentinian musician José Luis Pagán.

After its release, A + No Poder received favorable reviews from music critics, with one expressing appreciation for the balance between ballads and rock songs. The record peaked at number twelve on the US Billboard Latin Pop Albums and number six in Mexico. To promote the album, three singles were released: "Adiós" featuring reggaeton performer Farruko, which peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Latin Pop Songs chart, "Qué Ironía" and "Esta Noche". (Full article...)
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African Giant is the fourth studio album by Nigerian singer Burna Boy. The album was released on July 26, 2019, by Spaceship Entertainment, Bad Habit, Atlantic Records and Warner Music. The album is a mixture of Afrobeats, Afrobeat, dancehall, pop and hip hop. It was produced primarily by Kel-P, along with production from Benjamz, Dre Skull and Skrillex, among others. The album features guest appearances from Jorja Smith, Jeremih, Damian Marley, Zlatan Ibile, Angelique Kidjo, Serani, M.anifest, YG and Future. It was supported by eight singles, including "On the Low", which won Viewers' Choice at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, "Killin Dem", which won Song of the Year at the 2020 Soundcity MVP Awards Festival, among other awards; and "Anybody", which Burna Boy performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who called it cohesive and praised Burna Boy for not diluting his sound. It was included in the year-end lists issued by several publications, including Billboard, Complex and Pitchfork. African Giant won Album of the Year at the 2019 All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for Best World Music Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. It was supported by the African Giant Returns tour, which commenced in Toronto in August 2019. (Full article...)

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General images - load new batch

The following are images from various record production-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Danny Knicely records with Furnace Mountain Band in Virginia (2012) (from Recording studio)
Image 2Scully 280 eight-track recorder at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (from Multitrack recording)
Image 3The Siemens Studio for Electronic Music c. 1956. (from Recording studio)
Image 4The TASCAM 85 16B analog tape multitrack recorder can record 16 tracks of audio on 1-inch (2.54cm) magnetic tape. Professional analog units of 24 tracks on 2-inch tape were common, with specialty tape heads providing 16 or even 8 tracks on the same tape width, for greater fidelity. (from Multitrack recording)
Image 5Korg D888 eight-track digital recorder (from Multitrack recording)
Image 6Allen & Heath GS3000 analog mixing console in a home studio (from Recording studio)
Image 7The studio at Ridge Radio in Caterham, England (from Recording studio)
Image 8Digital audio interface for the Pro Tools computer-based hard disk multitrack recording system. Digital audio quality is measured in data resolution per channel. (from Multitrack recording)
Image 9Engineers and producers watch a trumpet player from a window in the control room during a recording session. (from Recording studio)
Image 10Mixing desk with twenty inputs and eight outputs (from Multitrack recording)
Image 11An audio production facility at An-Najah National University (from Recording studio)
Image 12The TEAC 2340, a popular early (1973) home multitrack recorder, four tracks on ¼ inch tape (from Multitrack recording)
Image 13Hip hop producer and rapper RZA in a music studio with two collaborators. Pictured in the foreground is a synthesizer keyboard and a number of vinyl records; both of these items are key tools that producers and DJs use to create hip hop beats. (from Hip hop production)
Image 14Donna Summer wearing headphones during a recording session in 1977 (from Recording studio)
Image 15A selection of instruments at a music studio, including a grand piano (from Recording studio)
Image 16Control room at the Tec de Monterrey, Mexico City Campus (from Recording studio)
Image 17Neve VR60, a multitrack mixing console. Above the console are a range of studio monitor speakers. (from Recording studio)
Image 18A Mexican son jarocho singer recording tracks at the Tec de Monterrey studios (from Recording studio)

Featured lists - load new batch

Featured lists have been determined by the Wikipedia community to be the best lists on English Wikipedia.

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Conway Twitty reached number one for the first time in 1968. He would go on to achieve a record-breaking 40 chart-toppers.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1968, 24 different singles topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.

At the start of the year the number-one single was "For Loving You" by Bill Anderson and Jan Howard, its third week in the top spot. It remained at number one until the issue dated January 20, when it was replaced by Merle Haggard's single "Sing Me Back Home". Haggard spent the highest number of weeks at number one in 1968, topping the chart for a total of eight weeks with "Sing Me Back Home", "The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde" and "Mama Tried". He was one of three artists to take three different singles to number one during the year, the most by any act. Sonny James reached number one with "A World of Our Own", "Heaven Says Hello" and "Born To Be With You", and Tammy Wynette topped the chart with "Take Me to Your World", "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "Stand by Your Man". The longest run at number one by a single was the five weeks which Henson Cargill spent in the top spot with "Skip a Rope" in February and March. Two of 1968's country number ones also topped Billboard's all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100. Bobby Goldsboro's single "Honey" had already had a run atop the Hot 100 when it reached number one on the country chart in May. Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA" topped the Hot 100 in September and reached the peak position on the country chart the following week. Although it did not achieve the same level of crossover success, Wynette's November chart-topper "Stand by Your Man" has come to be regarded as one of the greatest country songs of all time. In 2003 it topped a poll of critics, journalists and industry insiders to find the top song of the genre, and in 2010 the song was added by the Library of Congress to the National Recording Registry, which selects recordings annually that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". (Full article...)
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Smiley (pictured) and Carla's Dreams both had eight songs listed as the most-broadcast on radio and television during the 2010s, more than any other act.

Since July 2009, Israeli broadcast monitoring service Media Forest has been publishing four rankings which list the top ten most-broadcast Romanian and foreign songs on Romanian radio stations and television channels separately on a weekly basis. The charts consider data from eight radio stations—Digi FM, Europa FM, Kiss FM, Magic FM, Pro FM, Radio ZU, Radio România Actualități and Virgin Radio Romania—and five television channels—1 Music Channel, Kiss TV, MTV Romania, UTV Romania and ZU TV. Chart placings are based on the number of times tracks are broadcast, determined by acoustic fingerprinting.

Media Forest also releases year-end charts in regards to the radio airplay, listing the most-broadcast songs of Romanian origin of the respective year, weighted by the official audience numbers provided by Asociația pentru Radio Audiență (Romanian Association for Audience Numbers). During the 2010s, around 200 singles each were listed by Media Forest as the most-broadcast tracks on radio and television respectively. The first were "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas (radio) and "Chica Bomb" by Dan Balan (television). (Full article...)
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Keith Urban had his first number one in 2001.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 2001, 22 different songs topped the chart, then published under the title Hot Country Singles & Tracks, in 52 issues of the magazine, based on weekly airplay data from country music radio stations compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

Singer Tim McGraw's song "My Next Thirty Years" was at number one at the start of the year, having been at the top since the issue dated December 16, 2000, and remained at number one until the issue dated January 20, when it was replaced by "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans. McGraw also topped the chart with "Grown Men Don't Cry" in June and "Angry All the Time" in November. Toby Keith also achieved three number ones in 2001, "You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This" in March, "I'm Just Talkin' About Tonight" in September and "I Wanna Talk About Me" in November–December, and had the most weeks at number one of any act during the year, with nine. Four acts each topped the charts with two songs, groups Lonestar and Brooks & Dunn and solo artists Jamie O'Neal and Alan Jackson, the latter of whom ended the year at the top of the chart with "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)". Jackson's song, written in response to the September 11 attacks and premiered at the 2001 Country Music Association Awards, reached the top spot after just six weeks on the chart, the fastest such rise for four years. It would remain at number one until the chart dated February 2 of the following year. The longest run at number one during 2001 was six weeks, achieved by two songs, "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" by Brooks & Dunn and "I'm Already There" by Lonestar. "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" was ranked number one on Billboard's year-end chart of the most popular country songs, and is the longest-running of the duo's twenty number ones. (Full article...)
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The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate. Awards in several categories are distributed annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position."

The award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was first presented to Al Green and Lyle Lovett at the 37th Grammy Awards (1995) for the song "Funny How Time Slips Away". According to the category description guide for the 52nd Grammy Awards, the award was presented to artists that performed "newly recorded collaborative pop performances" that "do not normally perform together." (Full article...)
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Husband and wife duo Thompson Square topped the chart for the first time.

Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 2011, 34 different songs topped the chart in 52 issues of the magazine, based on weekly airplay data from country music radio stations compiled by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.

In the issue dated January 1, Reba McEntire (credited for this release simply as Reba), moved to number one with "Turn On the Radio", replacing "Why Wait" by Rascal Flatts, which had held the top spot since the issue of Billboard dated December 18, 2010. It was the 25th number-one country single of McEntire's career, tying the record for the highest number of chart-toppers by a female artist held by Dolly Parton. Blake Shelton spent the most weeks in the top spot in 2011, with eight, and his song "Honey Bee" had the longest run at the top by an individual song, spending four weeks in the top spot. Shelton was one of two acts to reach the top spot with three different songs, the other being Zac Brown Band. Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Chris Young each had two number ones. Paisley's two chart-toppers were both collaborations, one with Carrie Underwood and one with the band Alabama. Their appearance on the song "Old Alabama" gave the namesake band their first number one for 18 years. Sara Evans gained her first number one single since 2005 with "A Little Bit Stronger", and was the only female solo artist to have a multi-week number one single during the year. (Full article...)
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Hank Snow had lengthy runs at the top of all three charts with "I'm Movin' On".

In 1950, Billboard magazine published three charts covering the best-performing country music songs in the United States: Most-Played Juke Box (Country & Western) Records, Best-Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records and Country & Western Records Most Played By Folk Disk Jockeys. The juke box chart was compiled based on a "weekly survey among a selected group of jukebox operators whose locations require country and western records", the best sellers chart based on a "survey among a selected group of retail stores, the majority of whose customers purchase country and western records", and the jockeys chart based on a "weekly survey among a select list of over 400 disk jockeys specializing in country and western tunes". All three charts are considered part of the lineage of the current Hot Country Songs chart, which was first published in 1958.

In the first issue of Billboard of 1950, Christmas songs were at number one on two charts, with "Blue Christmas" by Ernest Tubb in the top spot on the juke box chart and Gene Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" atop the jockeys chart. The number one on the best sellers chart was "Slipping Around" by Margaret Whiting and Jimmy Wakely, which had held the top spot since the previous October. The longest-running number one of 1950 on all three charts was "I'm Movin' On" by Canadian singer Hank Snow, which spent 14 weeks in the top spot on the juke box chart, 18 on the best sellers listing, and 17 on the jockeys chart. The song would spend three further weeks at number one on the best sellers chart in 1951, tying the record set in 1948 by Eddy Arnold's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" for the highest number of weeks spent at number one on any one of Billboard's country singles charts. Red Foley spent the highest total number of weeks at number one on both the juke box and best sellers charts in 1950, topping each for 19 weeks. He also had the highest number of individual chart-toppers on each of the two listings, with four and three respectively. On the jockeys chart, Hank Williams was the only artist with more than one number one hit, and he also spent the most weeks at number one, totalling 19 weeks in the top spot with his three chart-toppers. (Full article...)
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Hot Country Songs is a chart that ranks the top-performing country music songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. In 1975, 43 different singles topped the chart, at the time published under the title Hot Country Singles, in 52 issues of the magazine. Chart placings were based on playlists submitted by country music radio stations and sales reports submitted by stores.

Merle Haggard had the most number ones in 1975, taking four different singles to the top spot. The four singles spent a total of five weeks at number one, tying Haggard with Freddy Fender for the highest number of weeks spent atop the chart by a single artist in 1975. When Fender reached number one with "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" in the issue of Billboard dated March 15, he achieved the feat of topping the Hot Country chart with his first hit. The Tex-Mex-influenced song went on to be a crossover success, topping Billboard's all-genre singles chart, the Hot 100, in May. Five other singles released in 1975 reached number one on both charts: "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" by B.J. Thomas, "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell, both "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" and "I'm Sorry" by John Denver, and "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. "Rhinestone Cowboy" spent three non-consecutive weeks atop the country listing, the only song to spend more than two weeks in the top spot. (Full article...)
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Moldovan group Carla's Dreams (member pictured in 2018) was the most-successful act on the Airplay 100 in the 2010s with nine number-one singles.

The Airplay 100 was the national music chart of Romania until its cancellation upon its 28 November 2021 issue. It was compiled weekly by broadcast monitoring service Media Forest, and measured the airplay of songs on radio stations and television channels throughout the country. Since its launch on 26 February 2012, the Airplay 100 had been broadcast on-air each Sunday as a radio show on Kiss FM hosted by Cristi Nitzu. The chart replaced the Romanian Top 100, which was also based on airplay data and had a similar compilation, in 2012.

During the 2010s and early 2020s, 118 singles have reached the number-one position, the first being "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" in 2012 by Brazilian singer Michel Teló. "Astronaut in the Ocean" (2019) by Australian rapper Masked Wolf has spent 13 weeks at the summit, longer than any other song. Multiple artists reached number one with several singles in a calendar year, most notably Moldovan musical project Carla's Dreams with four in 2016—"Te rog", "Sub pielea mea", "Acele" and "Imperfect". The most successful act was Carla's Dreams with nine number ones, followed by Romanian recording artist Smiley with four. (Full article...)
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The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. In the 1970s, it was compiled weekly by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the British record industry with a one-week break each Christmas. Prior to 1969 many music papers compiled their own sales charts but, on 15 February 1969, the BMRB was commissioned in a joint venture by the BBC and Record Retailer to compile the chart. BMRB compiled the first chart from postal returns of sales logs from 250 record shops. The sampling cost approximately £52,000 and shops were randomly chosen and submitted figures for sales taken up to the close of trade on Saturday. The data was compiled on Monday and given to the BBC on Tuesday to be announced on Johnnie Walker's afternoon show and later published in Record Retailer (rebranded Music Week in 1972). However, the BMRB often struggled to have the full sample of sales figures returned by post. The 1971 postal strike meant that data had to be collected by telephone but this was deemed inadequate for a national chart, and by 1973 the BMRB was using motorcycle couriers to collect sales figures.

In terms of number-one singles, ABBA were the most successful group of the decade having seven singles reach the top spot. The longest duration of a single at number-one was nine weeks and this was achieved on three occasions: "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen in 1975; "Mull of Kintyre" / "Girls' School" by Wings in 1977 and "You're the One That I Want" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in 1978. Thirteen records were released that sold over one-million copies within the decade and "Mull of Kintyre" also became the first ever single to sell over two-million copies. In doing so it became the best-ever selling single beating the benchmark set by The Beatles' song "She Loves You" in 1963. "Mull of Kintyre" was also the biggest selling song of the decade and was not surpassed in physical sales until 1984 when Band Aid released "Do They Know It's Christmas?". (Full article...)
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Madonna had six number ones during the 1980s.

The UK Singles Chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was compiled weekly by the British Market Research Bureau (BMRB) on behalf of the British record industry with a two-week break each Christmas. The BMRB used motorcycle couriers to collect the sales figures taken up to the close of trade on Saturday. This data was compiled on Monday and given to the BBC on Tuesday to be announced on BBC Radio 1 at lunchtime and later published in Music Week. On 4 January 1983, the chart was taken over by Gallup who expanded the chart from the Top 75 to the Top 100 and began the introduction of computerised tills which automated the data collection process. The chart was based entirely on sales of physical singles from retail outlets and announced on Tuesday until October 1987, when the Top 40 was revealed each Sunday, due to the new automated process.

During the 1980s there were a total of 191 singles which took the UK chart number 1 spot. In terms of number-one singles, Madonna was the most successful single act of the decade, as six of her singles reached the top spot. George Michael had significant involvement with eight number-one singles; with two number-one singles as a solo artist, four as a member of pop duo Wham!, one as a duet with Aretha Franklin and one as a member of charity supergroup Band Aid. The longest duration of a single at number one was nine weeks, achieved by Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "Two Tribes" in 1984. (Full article...)