(Previously unpublished)
There was never any question as to just how talented the guys in echolyn were. The bigger question was how their music would translate to a recorded medium. To get that answer, we did a tremendous amount of pre-production, far more rehearsal then what I'd normally do for the average record. And while the actual arrangements of the songs evolved only slightly through that process, the sharpening and honing of the band's performances got us to a place that I felt served the music far more capably. In listening back over 20 years later, I'm glad we took that time - it seems to have paid great dividends.
One of the real challenges we faced were technological limitations - each part, especially keyboards, held so much 'glue' - we didn't want to leave out anything because of track count limits, etc. So keeping track of everything we recorded was in itself a full time job - to this day, I don't think the band was ever aware of how much 'library work' went on behind the scenes.
I was introduced initially to the band by Michael Caplan - he was their A & R person at Sony and a friend of mine. My & Michael's connection was our mutual love of progressive rock music. Michael and I are still friends today, and count amongst our friends and business associates Derek Shulman, former lead singer of Gentle Giant. As a matter of fact, Derek's company was the point of insertion for a record label I ran in the early 2000's. Michael reached out and pitched the idea of working with echolyn essentially like this: we might not ever sell a single record, but at least we get to make a great prog album. Historically speaking, progressive rock had pretty much shot-its-load by the early to mid 90's - it was a very unpopular style of music at that particular moment. So, of course, we had to do it regardless.
I recall meeting with the band and Michael in their rehearsal barn in PA. It was very homespun, but very honest and very real. The barn was on Brett's parent's property, the brother of the guitarist was the de facto manager as well as the designer of the album cover, etc. This was a long way from many of the albums I had produced in NY and LA, and still very early in echolyn's career. But again, there was an integrity and authenticity to their approach and their skills that won me over quickly. And I think they felt the same. Remarkably, I'm still in close contact with most of the band - we even briefly entertained the notion of working together a bit on their newest release.
Beyond the obvious skills that each of the band members brought to the game was their ability to enjoy the work. And while it was a very intense project, most of the time we were enjoying each other's company. We were blessed to have a very similar sense of humor - I don't recall any other record where I laughed quite as much as I did with these guys.
In the early stages of pre-production, I was impressed at the fluidity of Paul's drumming - he was (and is) a master timekeeper, but his ability to navigate around a click track and "own" the beat is exceptional. I had a sense of wanting to get the band to move with Paul, as opposed to 5 guys just doing their own thing. Our being able to have the time to microscope the feel of each of the songs before we went into the recording phase set a great vibe for when we actually recorded. Paul was the backbone of ATW, his contribution was immeasurable. I remember once we went to actually tracking, Paul and I staring at each other thru the control room glass with silly grins on our faces when he nailed a take.
Once we were in the studio, the daunting task of recording everything we planned reared its ugly head. This, at a time when the cost of recording was far more astronomical then it is today. Everything took longer then we had planned, not because of proficiency - but rather I was a perfectionist, the band were perfectionists, and the music demanded perfection. A very dangerous combination. The tracking process was, for me, the most fun, because of the instant gratification of hearing, in its most raw form, the beginnings of our project. While the focus was to get drum tracks, much of what was recorded in that early phase of the project made it to the final album. The only one that gave us some trouble was "Wormwood," which, along with "The Cheese Stands Alone," are my favorites on the album. We cut basics for the project in a little over a week, then settled into bass fixes, keyboards and guitars.
Tom was a very talented bass player, with very difficult parts. Initially, his writing chops exceeded his ability to play the very parts he wrote - while it was challenging, his bass playing is some of my favorite stuff on the record.
Chris was a joy to work with. While he had great feel, his encyclopedic knowledge of keyboards and music in general were an incredible asset to the project. And his ability to execute was unquestionable. I remember him playing "Wiblet" early on, convinced that he was ad-libbing his piano parts - there was no way anyone could play that tune identically more then once. Of course, I was wrong. Again, keep in mind that there was no auto-tune, no programming, no time-shifting, no pitch correction and no quantization used on the project - hard to believe in the current climate of technology-invasive production.
Brett and I became fast friends during the making of ATW, a friendship with endures to this day. He is, without exception, one of my favorite guitarists I've had the priviledge of working with. Certain people have an undescribable, inate ability to simply feel what's right or wrong in a song, or a part, etc. He truly was my second ear in the production of the record and has gone on to be a very talented engineer, mixer and producer himself - no surprise to me at all. He was very adept at getting his parts done, a consummate pro.
Although Ray & I didn't connect on a personal level quite as much as I might have liked, creatively his dedication and command of his voice were a delight to work with. We certainly connected musically, but I think our backgrounds were far too dissimilar - that said, I have nothing but respect for what he was able to accomplish on ATW. That creative tension likely was responsible for a higher level of performance on both our parts.
Speaking of vocals, about halfway thru ATW, Brett got some kind of laryngitis throat thing. We were somewhat panicked, as the project was running behind schedule and beginning to show signs of being over budget. I remember us going to a couple of local Nashville ENT's before settling onto a doctor at the Vanderbilt Throat Clinic, who much to our amazement, had worked with a host of high profile superstar vocalists in the same tight spot as we were. They prescribed some kind of aloe throat lotion (Brett can fill you in more on this), along with rest. Brett did an amazing job of staying focused and the vocals for the project were the highlight of the album.
In spite of the meticulous planning and long pre-production, there were curveballs. I think we burnt out our original tracking engineer - he was a very talented guy, but the complexity and challenging nature of the project ultimately was outside his comfort level. Thankfully, we were able to bring in Jeff Balding to finish out the project. He did a masterful job mixing, has a pedigree about 5 miles wide (google him) and he and I continue to work together creatively - he is currently working with me on 3 recording projects and a video project. For me, ATW was the beginning of a 20+ year relationship with one of the best engineer/mixers I have known.
At the end of the project, with some reluctance, we went our separate ways, though I did ask Brett and Paul to play as sidemen on another record I was producing. While being proud of the album, ATW was not particularly well received by Sony - again, not totally unexpected given my & Michael Caplan's initial conversations. But, when we were done, I was so enthusiastic about the outcome that I was still shocked at the label's reaction. I think my shock was nothing in comparison to the disappointment the guys felt. Collectively, we birthed this child and the band was being shunned. Immediately post ATW, there grew a lot of logistical tension within the band. It was very sad to see this happen, but again not totally unexpected. Sony and Caplan had lead the band to believe that there would be significant support upon release - this never materialized.
Aside from helping to create this project, my greatest satisfaction is that despite the label's lack of support, this record found a home with fans all over the world. And, amazingly enough, over 20 years later, these tracks are still resonating with a fan base that continues to grow, with a band who's newest work far exceeds what we were able to accomplish. I am proud to have been a part of As The World.
Glenn Rosenstein, http://www.glennr.com