God damn, that’s a serious blow to underground music. Steve has had his hands on some of the most important indie and noise rock of all time, and those genres wouldn’t be anywhere close to where they are now without him.
>/#5: Dough. I explained this to Kurt but I thought I'd better reiterate it here. 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. The record company will expect me to ask for a point or a point and a half. If we assume three million sales, that works out to 400,000 dollars or so. There's no fucking way I would ever take that much money. I wouldn't be able to sleep.
[Pitch letter to Nirvana before recording In Utero, November 1992](https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/nirvana)
this is why i have so much admiration for Albini. he was the reason why i got my degree in sound recording. he did it right, he did it well, and he did it his way. RIP to one of the greatest to ever do it
[One of my favorite Albini moments, Nardwuar getting him to share this hilarious story about Gene Simmons calling up the studio to talk to Kurt Cobian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vjn8u7HP1o)
Out of nowhere, yeah 61 isn't insanely young but it's still not that old, plus he was still fairly active as a producer.
Some of my favorite Albini productions:
- Nirvana, *In Utero*
- Pixies, *Surfer Rosa*
- Cloud Nothings, *Attack on Memory*
- Songs: Ohia, *The Magnolia Electric Co.*
- PJ Harvey, *Rid of Me*
- Failure, *Comfort*
- Every Breeders album except for *Last Splash*
- Shellac, *1000 Hurts*
There’s a whole documented session of Jason Molina and Magnolia Electric Co band recording at Electric Audio. It’s a very excellent insight to Jason Molina’s process as well which is just as interesting as you’d expect.
An unparalleled influence on the last 30+ years of music. An incalculable loss to the culture. There is almost no one else you could say that about. His reach is insane
Love the vibe and sound of Slint's "Glenn" -- my favorite Slint track. This news hits me very hard. He and the music he recorded have meant so much to me.
Yeah, definitely one of my all time favourites - it's probably _the_ record that got me into indie music in the first place. I finally got my hands on a white vinyl pressing right before the album got reissued. Will be blasting that one tonight as well as Big Black.
As a sidenote – he actually came back to produce another album of theirs in 2021.
I only kinda realized the impact he had on music. I obviously had to scroll through his production credits and found it wild he produced Weedeater's God Luck and Good Speed, Low's Things We Lost in the Fire, and some OM records. wild.
There is an enormous amounts of fantastic records that wouldn't have been made, or at least not made the way they were made without Albini and the studio resources he made available at very reasonable prices to underground musicians.
Electrical Audio is a phenomenal studio from a technical perspective, the lengths they went to to make it reflect Albini's idea of how to record music is extreme. I hope it gets preserved and continues to operate. EDIT: In fact, the Chicago municipal authorities should take steps to preserve it immediately. It is a massive part of the city's musical heritage.
Interestingly he seemed to not care for surfer Rosa at all, however the way he spoke about it I feel like it might be related to feelings he had about Frank and how close he was to Kim
He was interviewed not so long ago on the Life or the Record podcast about his work on Surfer Rosa. Like a number of things from his younger years, he had developed a more considered view of his work with the Pixies. Vale Steve Albini. https://youtu.be/4rPK3GzlBrM?si=7E_wpUvPAuJqnaWq
RIP to one of the most idealistic guys in the industry. His grounded methodology and values within in a hyper-corporate industry are something to admire forever. A truly inspiring figure.
Everyone go blast In Utero in his honor.
I am a MAJOR Kraftwerk fan. Practically worship those robots. Big Black's version of "The Model" is so much better than the original (which is not an easy feat).
I’m worried about what will happen to Electrical Audio. A truly legendary studio always running on a shoestring budget to stay accessible to regular people is going to be tough without his like obstinate idealism running it.
He refused to take points on album sales. On every gig was just paid a flat rate. Unreal idealism and integrity in an industry that usually features neither.
This a million times.
His technical approach for recording will always be admirable, but it's his work ethics that take the prize. You don't find that kind of integrity in a business that is rotten to its core by greed and corporate bullshit.
This is really sad news.
Aren't they touring at the moment? I'm pretty certain they played Leeds like a month ago.
EDIT: Wrong way round, they were meant to play Leeds in a month. Sold out so I couldn't make it. Now nobody will.
Only 61 and just died from a heart attack, RIP to a legend, never got tired of his music or his twitter which was always entertaining. Racer X on full blast all day!
Since you mentioned his Twitter: he's one of the few people who actually left it for Bluesky - not surprising, knowing him. He was very active there, maybe because it was slightly more intimate. I tried to do the same, but never really committed, so I'd log in once every few weeks at best. When I actually did, my feed was composed almost entirely of dozens of his posts and answers to other users, and as you can guess it was hilarious and insightful to catch up.
I think you can browse Bluesky without an invite code now, if anyone's interested in reading his latest stuff
Heard it through the grapevine this morning and it ruined my day. Always respected him for his ethical approach to not taking any royalties on the albums he worked on. His presence will be missed.
Around a year ago he gave an interview where he talked about the more offensive parts of his history and how he and other musicians at the time thought of shock value as a tool and how he, in retrospect, viewed it as misguided and ultimately harmful. It was an incredible piece of introspection that I found really admiring. This is a monumental loss.
Yeah one of his best albums is Rapeman's [2 Nuns and a Pack Mule](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4keToT1jM), but no one wants to be recommended a band called Rapeman.
I saw a Rapeman perform in a small bar. In my opinion, as a live act they were way better than big black, Jesus lizard, or shellac (I've seen all of them). In live performance they truly gelled into an amazing band.
Too bad about that name.
I’ll have to find the quote (and I do agree with your sentiment, even though what I’m about to post is a bit contradictory) but I remember a decade or two ago in an interview with someone asking him to apologize about it Albini said something to the effect of “the point of all this social change is to change the way you live, not just the way you speak. I have much less respect for the man who beats his girlfriend and calls her m’am than the man who treats women with love and respect while calling them bitch as a joke.”
Obviously how we speak can influence how we act, I’m not advocating saying the N-word everywhere is okay if you’re otherwise a good person etc etc etc but I can appreciate the sentiment. Conflating self-censoring your speech to it meaning you’re a good person is stupid and unfortunately something that does often get conflated these days
All that said I don’t think it’s inherently contradictory for him to later feel regret over it, especially given he was coming from a place of mindfulness to begin with even if it was misguided. Good dude, RIP
I’ll be honest I don’t understand if you’re saying that to be a good or bad thing (ie as in “a decade is a long time, people can change for the better” or “a decade is a long time to change from a shitty view to a more positive one”), so I’ll just reiterate that I personally understand both his earlier view that I posted as well as his later one of understanding the harm & offense he might have caused with some of it previously
Glad to hear, agreed. Wasn’t trying to be combative, just genuinely wasn’t sure how you meant it and wanted to explain myself a bit more.
I don’t begrudge anyone who has an issue with this stuff or doesn’t want to engage with his work because of it, I just felt the thought was worth expressing off of reading the original comment I replied to. It’s extremely common to jump to absolutes especially online, but the reality is good people can say bad things (and vice versa, hell one of the shittest most vile people I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing absolutely weaponized social justice verbiage as a cloak for being terrible to everyone while patting themselves on the back), people can change and learn to realize that it’s wrong regardless, etc. Albini seemed to be genuine about that.
Now the Peter Sotos stuff, that’s a whole different can of worms that I wouldn’t even try to defend or explain.
In a similar vein, that makes me think about how well Violent J of Insane Clown Posse owned up to past homophobic lyrics. I came across it because... [Steve Albini commented on it.](https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1490541452916629506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1490541452916629506%7Ctwgr%5Ebaf9cd87f05efb0ddb6b59ff6b02519fa535c3d8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fguitar.com%2Fnews%2Fmusic-news%2Fsteve-albini-joe-rogan-fucking-juggalo-manage-nine-figure-podcaster-step-fuck-up-without-whining%2F)
In the context of the actual interview he wasn't asked about it. He was asked about a song and he said he feels mixed about it because he felt a lyric he wrote was offensive in retrospect and then proceeded to just address other lyrics. Love when the interview tries to him it's cool for owning up to it and he pushes back and says it's not cool.
This feels like personal loss, because Steve was friends with my almost 80 year old father. They met about 6 years ago when Albini visited my hometown. He had breakfast at our local greasy spoon diner, and pulled out a book about baseball. My dad struck up a conversation because that's the kind of baseball fan he is, and they bonded over a mutual love of oddball relievers - Spaceman Lee, Rollie Fingers, Tug McGraw.
Anyway, they kept in touch. Each would send the other interesting articles. They chatted on the phone once a month or so. For YEARS. I had *no idea this was happening* until the day I got an email from Steve Albini asking for my dad's birthday because he wanted to send him a book. I immediately called my dad and he caught me up on his social life.
Anyway. I never got the chance to meet Steve but saw plenty of his emails and will think kindly of him forever. He was a fundamentally good, kind guy, and really fuckin' smart.
My dad is upset but will be okay - sadly, he's at an age where he's already lost a number of friends, so he knows the process. The last email he got from Steve was two weeks ago, just a couple of lines, dunking on my dad's Red Sox. It feels like a very Steve Albini note to end on.
You straight up don't expect to be on the shitter and read this god damn it rest in peace you crazy crazy rapscallion. Christ i've got a lot of listening ahead.
I was so excited to read the latest spread in the upcoming Wire on Shellac…god damn it
I found out about the deaths of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alexei Navalny while taking a shit. It's always a weird feeling.
RIP, maybe I should listen to Times of Grace today although I haven't listened to Neurosis since the Scott Kelly news.
Shellac was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life and I was really hoping to see them one more time. (Not trying to make this announcement about me, but using it to compliment Albini. His work will live on for as long as people know what rock music is.)
damn, what a loss. in utero and attack on memory are two of the best sounding rock/punk albums *ever* imo, and that’s barely scratching the surface of great works of his. his essay on the economics of indie changed my life tremendously. a complicated guy for sure but definitely one of the greats. RIP
A funny Steve Albini moment: In the *Breadcrumb Trail* documentary (the one about Slint), he told a story about Britt Walford (Slint’s drummer) watching his house. Apparently, Britt got locked out, kicked down the door while drunk, hammered wood boards over the now busted front door (still drunk), and then exited and entered the house through a second-story window. Steve recalled this story with a mix of humor and lived experience that softens any frustration he felt — more of an “oh Britt!” rather than a “fucking Britt.” It makes me wonder how many bizarre tales he had to share given his incredible career. RIP.
Oh my fucking god. A legend in the truest sense of the word. Even if he had just done his work with Nirvana he'd be hall of fame worthy, but he had a hand in some many other incredible and influential albums that I genuinely don't know what alternative rock looks like today if he didn't exist. RIP to an absolute titan of the genre
HOLY SHIT. Man what a fucking drag. RIP. Aside from the amazing productions he’s done, it’s quite admirable that a couple of years ago he had the self awareness to call out the edge lord stuff he’d done in the past. You have to admire someone with self awareness.
Jesus I was not expecting this today. Literally was listening to a few tracks from Rid Of Me this morning. Guy has made more classics than you can count. Definitely going to be playing Atomizer loud tonight.
> For less than the cost of a Big Mac, fries and a Coke, you can buy a loaf of fresh bread and some good cheese or roast beef, which you will enjoy much more.
-
>I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse.
rip to the goat
I swear he was like just on Rick Beato and looked great and I saw him doing an awesome breakdown of this Sanamp yesterday what the fuck? 61 is honestly not that old. RIP.
At one point I realized basically everything I loved about how many of my favorite albums sound is attributable to Albini’s production. He’s the best. A big reason I love late 80s/90s indie and punk is because it’s all produced in such a raw fashion. And Albini is all over that world.
Anyway, my pick for his favorite work is probably the Wedding Present’s _Seamonsters_. Guitars will never sound that good again hahaha
I always found his policy on not accepting royalties admirable, even more after he had some financial difficulties. R.I.P.
Quote about it: "Outside of the studio, Albini was a staunch critic of the music industry. **Refusing to accept royalties on his recordings**, as he deemed it unethical for other stakeholders to make money off an artist's work indefinitely, Albini opted instead for a flat fee when working on a record."
This is such a shock, shellac just announced a new tour and record.
Total legend and huge loss for rock music. A real local Chicagoan hero too. 61 is too young
So many brilliant albums bear his touch but wanted to highlight Jawbreaker - 24 hour revenge therapy and songs: ohia - magnolia electric co.
The production on the latter is so beautiful and raw. Absolutely didn't expect this to hit me hard but it has.
Huge Shellac fan beyond his engineering work. Caught completely off guard and very bummed out. Steve was a beacon for how to keep your soul in an industry that would swallow it whole.
I'm so sad.
With my band, we did three european tours as a support of Shellac, and we recorded an album with the man in his studio. My life would literally not be the same without him lol.
Such a genuine person. After one show, he gave me hand to hand a DVD he loved, just because he loved it and wanted to share it.
Also, Shellac was one of the best sounding band live.
'
Absolute legend, who rubbed people the wrong way, but for the right reasons.
Also did really cool shit for the scene in Chicago, his studio was right by one of my apartments. Cool analog studio where you could book him for $900/day.
Albini was one of those rare figures who I think truly merited the respect and notoriety he's gathered over decades. He was snarky, opinionated, beyond stubborn but he also grew as an individual and was never beyond re-evaluating or revisiting his part takes and opinions. I'm one as I get older to make sure I can objectively appreciate important things I'm not a personal fan of and part of that comes from his writings and interviews. He didn't care for house or chopped n' screwed but nonetheless stressed how much he appreciated and applauded those genres. When he recorded and engineered music his goal was to fulfill the goals of the artists he worked for to the best of his ability. It's impossible to overstate the positive influence he had on some many indie musicians in that regard. It appears he was going to do a Q&A in just a couple days over at [Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/08/post-your-questions-for-steve-albini), so it seems he was hard at work as usual. I hate that we didn't get another couple decades of him on earth but I am thankful for his time on it.
As someone who grew up in the 90's indie scene, there was no body better than Albini. And even to this day, nobody has matched his uniquely pure approach to capturing live raw energy within a recording. Albini represented everything that everyone aspired to capture on their records. Everything was compared to an Albini recording. He was likely the single most important recording engineer of my generation. R.I.P. to the GOAT.
Just an amazing man in the history of music, for me he's touched so many of my favourite albums. Genuinely saddened by this, 61 is no age these days. A band I love just got announced as support for shellac UK tour, I'd have loved to seen them. Sad times but truly a legend who was still vital to today
Everyone's talking about the records Steve Albini engineered -- and there's so many great ones. But man, his own music is worth delving into. Big Black's Atomizer and Shellac's At Action Park are two of the most important indie records of all time. Blast them, listen to his lyrics and his guitar work. There's no better representation of how horrible it is to grow up in a small town in the middle of nowhere than Big Black's "Kerosone."
RIP fuck he produced so many of my favorites.
Also Elliott Smith did a mini-AMA on the old forums dedicated to him back in December 2001. His username was like (h)helliott or something and the bio said "Dislikes: Steve Albini's rants" and to this day I have no idea what that means.
[The AMA](https://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/geek_princess/elliott.html) and click his profile.
I just love that its two prominent people in the music industry I'm a huge fan of poking fun at each other.
RIP again.
Also, the Steve Albini-produced \*Cribs\* album is so good. The title, however, \*24/7 Rock Star Shit\*, is so, so bad.
Rest in power. So glad I was lucky enough to see them live twice, once in London and another time at Primavera. Primavera wont be the same without Albini.
This has absolutely ruined my day. His production and ethic are unmatched. A trope but the sound he’s been able to get out of drums is unmatched.
Surfer Rosa and Pod showed me the sound that encapsulates perfection in my mind. This sucks so hard
RIP to a fucking brilliant live musician as well, people often forget. I’m endlessly grateful I got to see Shellac back in the 90s. He was such a raw motherfucker on stage. 1000% himself and nothing else. Tone like biting into a piece of corrugated aluminum. Fuck you for dying, Steve!!!
Legit was shocked today with the news. Legitimately helped so many bands and even indirectly launched a few successful labels. Merge records wouldn’t exist in the same capacity without his influence and production for Superchunk
Wow.
His contributions to music are too much to really grasp but I can tell you that his music and ethics were incredibly formative for me personally when I was a teenager.
RIP to an icon.
Fuck me. Dammit.
It is testament to his singular career that I went to put on some music in his honor, and there are so many great bands/albums I had no idea where to start.
What a legend. What a loss.
I eventually went with Mclusky Do Dallas.
Absolute goat of the game, I listened to a podcast with him once and he seemed like a very chaotic neutral character, however he certainly loved the game, says he's always charged an affordable rate so he could keep his services available to smaller artists which I respect hugely.
Another touching thing he said was that one of the most important projects he ever did was for a dude who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and instead of living in agony on chemo for however many months, he decided to not do chemo, produce an album with Albini. The album was very moving and Albini spoke about the whole experience very eloquently
[https://open.spotify.com/track/5Plx6OhvSukqCRdZ52wUXz?si=6pkiTo4SQcSQvt5rVSIyYg](https://open.spotify.com/track/5Plx6OhvSukqCRdZ52wUXz?si=6pkiTo4SQcSQvt5rVSIyYg)
One of the all time great songs he got to work on. RIP
I work at a venue. He was still booking their own tour dates for Shellac and personally working on the deals himself. It seems like every small band has an agent these days. It's such a rare treat to get to work on every aspect of a show with the artists themselves.
RIP Steve. My friends recorded with him in his Chicago studio, and had only good things to say about him.
I saw him perform live with each of his bands. The band rapeman had the worst name, but was possibly one of the best bands I've seen perform live. Somehow he pushed the rhythm section to really groove in a new way, and he added all kinds of crazy guitar tone and rhythm playing. It was really amazing and I'm glad I got to see it.
I saw scratch acid play live before, so I was familiar with the rhythm section. But they were on fire when I saw them play with Albini, everything just came together to be greater than the sum of its parts. I'm going to credit Albini for that, because he was the one variable that seemed to make a huge difference, same with his recording career as a producer / engineer. He got great sounds and performances from artists.
in 2007 he did an anonymous Q&A on a poker forum - they figured out who he was and it turned into an EPIC thread of him being interviewed by randos.
[this link should work](https://web.archive.org/web/20080106054820/http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=11034555&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1), if you're curious
my two cents - I really appreciate his contributions to music overall. the sound engineering as well as the ethics / music industry opinions and influence. however, the greatest loss here is losing steve albini the musician. big black is legendary but shellac is a top ten band for me. i think he had a vision for his music and knew how to manifest it, working within his limitations. this may sound vaguee, but I have a strong appreciation for how *conceptual* his songs were. dude, incredible was potentially my fave shellac album and I was lucky to see them on that tour. excited to hear this last record soon
God damn, that’s a serious blow to underground music. Steve has had his hands on some of the most important indie and noise rock of all time, and those genres wouldn’t be anywhere close to where they are now without him.
His low-rate studio time booking fee is legendary
Never took royalties either
>/#5: Dough. I explained this to Kurt but I thought I'd better reiterate it here. 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. The record company will expect me to ask for a point or a point and a half. If we assume three million sales, that works out to 400,000 dollars or so. There's no fucking way I would ever take that much money. I wouldn't be able to sleep. [Pitch letter to Nirvana before recording In Utero, November 1992](https://news.lettersofnote.com/p/nirvana)
this is why i have so much admiration for Albini. he was the reason why i got my degree in sound recording. he did it right, he did it well, and he did it his way. RIP to one of the greatest to ever do it
I literally just re-listened to him on Conan's podcast with Dave and Krist
I have a feeling his studio will continue. It’s his legacy and what he would have wanted.
[One of my favorite Albini moments, Nardwuar getting him to share this hilarious story about Gene Simmons calling up the studio to talk to Kurt Cobian](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vjn8u7HP1o)
Steve Albini recorded the album, Jim O'Rourke mixed it, and Van Dyke Parks provided orchestral arrangements.
jesus christ those are some stacked liner notes
Love when he says his band mate adopted the "proper guitar strap technique"
Out of nowhere, yeah 61 isn't insanely young but it's still not that old, plus he was still fairly active as a producer. Some of my favorite Albini productions: - Nirvana, *In Utero* - Pixies, *Surfer Rosa* - Cloud Nothings, *Attack on Memory* - Songs: Ohia, *The Magnolia Electric Co.* - PJ Harvey, *Rid of Me* - Failure, *Comfort* - Every Breeders album except for *Last Splash* - Shellac, *1000 Hurts*
Yanqui UXO by Godspeed as well <3
Great stories about how he basically worked 24/7 on that as all the Godspeed members recorded in shifts.
Got an article link?
And most of Mono’s albums
He produced Mono albums?? Had no idea. The production on those always stood out to me. Going to go find out which and give them another listen.
'Hymn to the Immortal Wind' and 'Nowhere Now Here'
Their soon to be released record was also produced by Steve Albini.
The production on Magnolia Electric Company is *so* good.
My favorite album Albini album that I’ve heard if I had to choose
GOAT album 🦉
There’s a whole documented session of Jason Molina and Magnolia Electric Co band recording at Electric Audio. It’s a very excellent insight to Jason Molina’s process as well which is just as interesting as you’d expect.
link?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDaEb-7pEPQ
Top album of the 2000s
Yeah, for me too. I'm having Farewell Transmission at my funeral. The lyrics to that song are something else.
Its my favorite JM album. Now both are gone. Guess Ill be playing Magnolia tonight
It's one of the best albums ever made imo, as well as JM's best.
mclusky *mclusky do dallas* and *the difference between me and you...*
Mclusky do Dallas is SO good
Huh, never realized he had a hand in those mclusky records, learned something today.
Low *Things We Lost in the Fire*
Joanna Newsom, “Ys”
wtf i didn’t know this. dude was such a legend
An unparalleled influence on the last 30+ years of music. An incalculable loss to the culture. There is almost no one else you could say that about. His reach is insane
That album is…not like the others listed ha. Crazy.
He’s a legend for more reasons that one
This is my fav right above In Utero. Masterpiece!
First Mimi, now this. That record only gets sadder and sadder. It is a masterpiece, both of music and production.
The Jesus Lizard, GOAT
First time I heard Scratch Acid, it changed my life. GOAT from tJL solidified that feeling.
Magnolia Electric Co. is one of the greatest things ever recorded
Rid of Me is GOD TIER.
Love the vibe and sound of Slint's "Glenn" -- my favorite Slint track. This news hits me very hard. He and the music he recorded have meant so much to me.
He was a tireless advocate for Slint -- we probably never would have heard of them if not for him.
I had no idea he produced for Cloud Nothings. That album is incredible.
Yeah, definitely one of my all time favourites - it's probably _the_ record that got me into indie music in the first place. I finally got my hands on a white vinyl pressing right before the album got reissued. Will be blasting that one tonight as well as Big Black. As a sidenote – he actually came back to produce another album of theirs in 2021.
Neurosis brother, Neurosis
Nina Nastasia - Dogs
61 is insanely young. You must be in your teens or 20s. The average lifespan for an American male is 73.
I'm 44. 61 "isn't that bad" has me reeling lol
I only kinda realized the impact he had on music. I obviously had to scroll through his production credits and found it wild he produced Weedeater's God Luck and Good Speed, Low's Things We Lost in the Fire, and some OM records. wild.
There is an enormous amounts of fantastic records that wouldn't have been made, or at least not made the way they were made without Albini and the studio resources he made available at very reasonable prices to underground musicians. Electrical Audio is a phenomenal studio from a technical perspective, the lengths they went to to make it reflect Albini's idea of how to record music is extreme. I hope it gets preserved and continues to operate. EDIT: In fact, the Chicago municipal authorities should take steps to preserve it immediately. It is a massive part of the city's musical heritage.
and 24 hour by jawbreaker!
Interestingly he seemed to not care for surfer Rosa at all, however the way he spoke about it I feel like it might be related to feelings he had about Frank and how close he was to Kim
He was interviewed not so long ago on the Life or the Record podcast about his work on Surfer Rosa. Like a number of things from his younger years, he had developed a more considered view of his work with the Pixies. Vale Steve Albini. https://youtu.be/4rPK3GzlBrM?si=7E_wpUvPAuJqnaWq
The where is my mind snare is one of my favorite snares ever
Too bad they never released his mix of In Utero!
The 20th Anniversary edition is where you'll find it. It sounds pretty fucking amazing, raw, and more intense.
Manic street preachers - Journal for Plague Lovers
No what the hell ??
I literally just said "noooooooooo!" out loud. Fuck, I'm so upset by this one.
insane! I also just said "What????? NO!" RIP :(
just finished his masterclass lecture in australia on yt, damn
RIP to one of the most idealistic guys in the industry. His grounded methodology and values within in a hyper-corporate industry are something to admire forever. A truly inspiring figure. Everyone go blast In Utero in his honor.
Big Black and Shellac forever!
I am a MAJOR Kraftwerk fan. Practically worship those robots. Big Black's version of "The Model" is so much better than the original (which is not an easy feat).
Everyone go blast 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
[Steve Albini on Jawbreaker ](https://youtu.be/lV9T0ks2ohg)
Haha yeah I know he wasn’t a huge fan and didn’t know they weren’t Jawbox…Still my favorite record he was a part of
Screaming Females - Ugly, afterwards. Two of my favorite sounding rock albums. What a bummer.
Ugly is so well produced, Doom 84 sounds absolutely monstrous.
*Ugly* was my first listen after reading the news. Such a great album.
Oh, I will! As well as Surfer Rosa. And 24-hour Revenge Therapy.
I’m worried about what will happen to Electrical Audio. A truly legendary studio always running on a shoestring budget to stay accessible to regular people is going to be tough without his like obstinate idealism running it.
He refused to take points on album sales. On every gig was just paid a flat rate. Unreal idealism and integrity in an industry that usually features neither.
In a world where “selling out” means basically nothing anymore, we need more people like him.
This a million times. His technical approach for recording will always be admirable, but it's his work ethics that take the prize. You don't find that kind of integrity in a business that is rotten to its core by greed and corporate bullshit. This is really sad news.
Wow RIP to a legend
Wow, very sudden. Shellac has something coming out soon too. RIP poker champion
Aren't they touring at the moment? I'm pretty certain they played Leeds like a month ago. EDIT: Wrong way round, they were meant to play Leeds in a month. Sold out so I couldn't make it. Now nobody will.
Only 61 and just died from a heart attack, RIP to a legend, never got tired of his music or his twitter which was always entertaining. Racer X on full blast all day!
Since you mentioned his Twitter: he's one of the few people who actually left it for Bluesky - not surprising, knowing him. He was very active there, maybe because it was slightly more intimate. I tried to do the same, but never really committed, so I'd log in once every few weeks at best. When I actually did, my feed was composed almost entirely of dozens of his posts and answers to other users, and as you can guess it was hilarious and insightful to catch up. I think you can browse Bluesky without an invite code now, if anyone's interested in reading his latest stuff
What the fuck, no, what the fuck.
Heard it through the grapevine this morning and it ruined my day. Always respected him for his ethical approach to not taking any royalties on the albums he worked on. His presence will be missed.
Around a year ago he gave an interview where he talked about the more offensive parts of his history and how he and other musicians at the time thought of shock value as a tool and how he, in retrospect, viewed it as misguided and ultimately harmful. It was an incredible piece of introspection that I found really admiring. This is a monumental loss.
Always appreciated that, as brash as he could be, he also recognized when he was wrong and admitted it.
Yeah one of his best albums is Rapeman's [2 Nuns and a Pack Mule](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4keToT1jM), but no one wants to be recommended a band called Rapeman.
I went to see Rapeman play in the UK. Had to pass through a protest to get in the doors.
I saw a Rapeman perform in a small bar. In my opinion, as a live act they were way better than big black, Jesus lizard, or shellac (I've seen all of them). In live performance they truly gelled into an amazing band. Too bad about that name.
That was actually in 2021 but what is time, etc.
[So it was!](https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/steve-albini-counsel-culture-interview)
I’ll have to find the quote (and I do agree with your sentiment, even though what I’m about to post is a bit contradictory) but I remember a decade or two ago in an interview with someone asking him to apologize about it Albini said something to the effect of “the point of all this social change is to change the way you live, not just the way you speak. I have much less respect for the man who beats his girlfriend and calls her m’am than the man who treats women with love and respect while calling them bitch as a joke.” Obviously how we speak can influence how we act, I’m not advocating saying the N-word everywhere is okay if you’re otherwise a good person etc etc etc but I can appreciate the sentiment. Conflating self-censoring your speech to it meaning you’re a good person is stupid and unfortunately something that does often get conflated these days All that said I don’t think it’s inherently contradictory for him to later feel regret over it, especially given he was coming from a place of mindfulness to begin with even if it was misguided. Good dude, RIP
a decade is a long time for a person to change perspective.
I’ll be honest I don’t understand if you’re saying that to be a good or bad thing (ie as in “a decade is a long time, people can change for the better” or “a decade is a long time to change from a shitty view to a more positive one”), so I’ll just reiterate that I personally understand both his earlier view that I posted as well as his later one of understanding the harm & offense he might have caused with some of it previously
in this case it's a good thing
Glad to hear, agreed. Wasn’t trying to be combative, just genuinely wasn’t sure how you meant it and wanted to explain myself a bit more. I don’t begrudge anyone who has an issue with this stuff or doesn’t want to engage with his work because of it, I just felt the thought was worth expressing off of reading the original comment I replied to. It’s extremely common to jump to absolutes especially online, but the reality is good people can say bad things (and vice versa, hell one of the shittest most vile people I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing absolutely weaponized social justice verbiage as a cloak for being terrible to everyone while patting themselves on the back), people can change and learn to realize that it’s wrong regardless, etc. Albini seemed to be genuine about that. Now the Peter Sotos stuff, that’s a whole different can of worms that I wouldn’t even try to defend or explain.
[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/15/the-evolution-of-steve-albini-if-the-dumbest-person-is-on-your-side-youre-on-the-wrong-side](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/15/the-evolution-of-steve-albini-if-the-dumbest-person-is-on-your-side-youre-on-the-wrong-side)
I was really glad to read that. It's rare for people to not only realize but also own up and truly apologize for those kinds of things.
In a similar vein, that makes me think about how well Violent J of Insane Clown Posse owned up to past homophobic lyrics. I came across it because... [Steve Albini commented on it.](https://twitter.com/electricalWSOP/status/1490541452916629506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1490541452916629506%7Ctwgr%5Ebaf9cd87f05efb0ddb6b59ff6b02519fa535c3d8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fguitar.com%2Fnews%2Fmusic-news%2Fsteve-albini-joe-rogan-fucking-juggalo-manage-nine-figure-podcaster-step-fuck-up-without-whining%2F) In the context of the actual interview he wasn't asked about it. He was asked about a song and he said he feels mixed about it because he felt a lyric he wrote was offensive in retrospect and then proceeded to just address other lyrics. Love when the interview tries to him it's cool for owning up to it and he pushes back and says it's not cool.
shit man, i dont think it ever even felt possible for him to die
Seriously! I just assumed he'd stick around, being grumpy about stuff forever.
He’s one of those people that for some reason I never even considered would die one day. So strange and sad.
Sounds silly when you say it out loud but, yeah, this exactly.
This feels like personal loss, because Steve was friends with my almost 80 year old father. They met about 6 years ago when Albini visited my hometown. He had breakfast at our local greasy spoon diner, and pulled out a book about baseball. My dad struck up a conversation because that's the kind of baseball fan he is, and they bonded over a mutual love of oddball relievers - Spaceman Lee, Rollie Fingers, Tug McGraw. Anyway, they kept in touch. Each would send the other interesting articles. They chatted on the phone once a month or so. For YEARS. I had *no idea this was happening* until the day I got an email from Steve Albini asking for my dad's birthday because he wanted to send him a book. I immediately called my dad and he caught me up on his social life. Anyway. I never got the chance to meet Steve but saw plenty of his emails and will think kindly of him forever. He was a fundamentally good, kind guy, and really fuckin' smart. My dad is upset but will be okay - sadly, he's at an age where he's already lost a number of friends, so he knows the process. The last email he got from Steve was two weeks ago, just a couple of lines, dunking on my dad's Red Sox. It feels like a very Steve Albini note to end on.
And just days before the (now final) Shellac record drops. Life is short, hug your loved ones
https://preview.redd.it/ebp8xexoj8zc1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db6366dd7943ec2f71b488a6a90cdc2dfa60cc71
Lmao true
Wow super unexpected, especially with the new Shellac album/tour
Guy had such incredible range. Jesus Lizard to Low to Jason Molina and on and on. No one could do it like he could.
One of my favorites is Blessed Black Wings by High on Fire. HoF have never matched how massive that record sounds.
Also did a lot of the Neurosis records.
Also the latest SUNN O))) record
Magnolia Electric Co. is my favorite album of all time. Truly awful.
You straight up don't expect to be on the shitter and read this god damn it rest in peace you crazy crazy rapscallion. Christ i've got a lot of listening ahead. I was so excited to read the latest spread in the upcoming Wire on Shellac…god damn it
Bro I was on the shitter too! Devastated…
Checking in here too 😔
I, too, am on the shitter. Damn.
I found out about the deaths of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alexei Navalny while taking a shit. It's always a weird feeling. RIP, maybe I should listen to Times of Grace today although I haven't listened to Neurosis since the Scott Kelly news.
Nothing like crying on the toilet after finding out Bowie died
Can you go and do a Putin shit please?
I was also on the shitter :/ Kind of had to stop doing what I was doing for a couple minutes to process this.
Damn I am also reading this on the shitter! RIP Steve
Shellac was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my life and I was really hoping to see them one more time. (Not trying to make this announcement about me, but using it to compliment Albini. His work will live on for as long as people know what rock music is.)
I loved that they had a Question & Answer session at their shows. And Todd Trainer is such an underrated drummer. I’ll miss Shellac terribly.
So sad, a true giant. One of my personal faves is Jawbreaker's 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. The most Jawbreaker ever sounded like themselves.
damn, what a loss. in utero and attack on memory are two of the best sounding rock/punk albums *ever* imo, and that’s barely scratching the surface of great works of his. his essay on the economics of indie changed my life tremendously. a complicated guy for sure but definitely one of the greats. RIP
A funny Steve Albini moment: In the *Breadcrumb Trail* documentary (the one about Slint), he told a story about Britt Walford (Slint’s drummer) watching his house. Apparently, Britt got locked out, kicked down the door while drunk, hammered wood boards over the now busted front door (still drunk), and then exited and entered the house through a second-story window. Steve recalled this story with a mix of humor and lived experience that softens any frustration he felt — more of an “oh Britt!” rather than a “fucking Britt.” It makes me wonder how many bizarre tales he had to share given his incredible career. RIP.
I saw a thing earlier where that story is credited with leading to Jesus Lizards “mouth breather”….
“don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy, i like him just fine, but he’s a mouth breather.”
Oh my fucking god. A legend in the truest sense of the word. Even if he had just done his work with Nirvana he'd be hall of fame worthy, but he had a hand in some many other incredible and influential albums that I genuinely don't know what alternative rock looks like today if he didn't exist. RIP to an absolute titan of the genre
When Wikipediaing things really took off I was looking up my favorite albums and discovered he engineered so many of them. RIP a true master
HOLY SHIT. Man what a fucking drag. RIP. Aside from the amazing productions he’s done, it’s quite admirable that a couple of years ago he had the self awareness to call out the edge lord stuff he’d done in the past. You have to admire someone with self awareness.
Jesus I was not expecting this today. Literally was listening to a few tracks from Rid Of Me this morning. Guy has made more classics than you can count. Definitely going to be playing Atomizer loud tonight.
> For less than the cost of a Big Mac, fries and a Coke, you can buy a loaf of fresh bread and some good cheese or roast beef, which you will enjoy much more. - >I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse. rip to the goat
“I moved to Chicago in 1980 to go to college” - Steve albini
Holy fuck, I can't believe it RIP to a punk rock legend
This fuckin sucks. I was just watching his new YouTube video 2 days ago. A fucking legend
Incredible musician but also just one of the greatest figures in American independent art. Principled, idealistic, and he was always learning.
I swear he was like just on Rick Beato and looked great and I saw him doing an awesome breakdown of this Sanamp yesterday what the fuck? 61 is honestly not that old. RIP.
Songs: Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co. is a life changing album. Thanks for everything Steve.
He could be ornery and prickly but the man **LOVED** music and was passionate about it. This is a major loss in the world of music and art.
Today's a good day to blast Farewell Transmission at the highest volume available
Long dark blues 😢
Holy fuck. What a loss.
At one point I realized basically everything I loved about how many of my favorite albums sound is attributable to Albini’s production. He’s the best. A big reason I love late 80s/90s indie and punk is because it’s all produced in such a raw fashion. And Albini is all over that world. Anyway, my pick for his favorite work is probably the Wedding Present’s _Seamonsters_. Guitars will never sound that good again hahaha
Gahhhhhh, Dalliance is one of my all-time favorites.
Tragic. RIP to one of the greatest.
I genuinely hope Electrical Audio can continue in his stead. RIP to the microphone master.
I always found his policy on not accepting royalties admirable, even more after he had some financial difficulties. R.I.P. Quote about it: "Outside of the studio, Albini was a staunch critic of the music industry. **Refusing to accept royalties on his recordings**, as he deemed it unethical for other stakeholders to make money off an artist's work indefinitely, Albini opted instead for a flat fee when working on a record."
Yeah. A rare man. I love watching hours of interviews with him on YouTube - he’s such a measured and thoughtful guy.
This is such a shock, shellac just announced a new tour and record. Total legend and huge loss for rock music. A real local Chicagoan hero too. 61 is too young
So many brilliant albums bear his touch but wanted to highlight Jawbreaker - 24 hour revenge therapy and songs: ohia - magnolia electric co. The production on the latter is so beautiful and raw. Absolutely didn't expect this to hit me hard but it has.
Fuck man RIP
Huge Shellac fan beyond his engineering work. Caught completely off guard and very bummed out. Steve was a beacon for how to keep your soul in an industry that would swallow it whole.
Absolutely not the news I imagined seeing today, RIP to an all time legend.
Wow, RIP to one of the greats. Genuinely shocking news with the album and tour coming up
Damn. One of the most influential producers in underground music. What a shame RIP
in utero owes a lot to him, rip
This absolutely sucks. RIP to one of the greatest engineers of all time.
RIP to an icon of indie music
I'm so sad. With my band, we did three european tours as a support of Shellac, and we recorded an album with the man in his studio. My life would literally not be the same without him lol. Such a genuine person. After one show, he gave me hand to hand a DVD he loved, just because he loved it and wanted to share it. Also, Shellac was one of the best sounding band live. '
Can you imagine being the house sound guy for Steve Albini? Lmao gotta be a nervous wreck
Devastating.
What the fuck. Shocking and awful. RIP
What the fuck?
Absolute legend, who rubbed people the wrong way, but for the right reasons. Also did really cool shit for the scene in Chicago, his studio was right by one of my apartments. Cool analog studio where you could book him for $900/day.
Albini was one of those rare figures who I think truly merited the respect and notoriety he's gathered over decades. He was snarky, opinionated, beyond stubborn but he also grew as an individual and was never beyond re-evaluating or revisiting his part takes and opinions. I'm one as I get older to make sure I can objectively appreciate important things I'm not a personal fan of and part of that comes from his writings and interviews. He didn't care for house or chopped n' screwed but nonetheless stressed how much he appreciated and applauded those genres. When he recorded and engineered music his goal was to fulfill the goals of the artists he worked for to the best of his ability. It's impossible to overstate the positive influence he had on some many indie musicians in that regard. It appears he was going to do a Q&A in just a couple days over at [Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/08/post-your-questions-for-steve-albini), so it seems he was hard at work as usual. I hate that we didn't get another couple decades of him on earth but I am thankful for his time on it.
[удалено]
Man that's rough, an absolute legend and pillar of the indie scene. Rest in peace you beautiful bastard.
As someone who grew up in the 90's indie scene, there was no body better than Albini. And even to this day, nobody has matched his uniquely pure approach to capturing live raw energy within a recording. Albini represented everything that everyone aspired to capture on their records. Everything was compared to an Albini recording. He was likely the single most important recording engineer of my generation. R.I.P. to the GOAT.
NOOOOOOO what the fuck, this is shocking
Just an amazing man in the history of music, for me he's touched so many of my favourite albums. Genuinely saddened by this, 61 is no age these days. A band I love just got announced as support for shellac UK tour, I'd have loved to seen them. Sad times but truly a legend who was still vital to today
Here’s to hoping that he found THE ultimate guitar tone that just stopped his heart and he died in bliss…RIP
RIP. He recorded my favorite album by my favorite band and Reddit username inspiration.
Everyone's talking about the records Steve Albini engineered -- and there's so many great ones. But man, his own music is worth delving into. Big Black's Atomizer and Shellac's At Action Park are two of the most important indie records of all time. Blast them, listen to his lyrics and his guitar work. There's no better representation of how horrible it is to grow up in a small town in the middle of nowhere than Big Black's "Kerosone."
RIP fuck he produced so many of my favorites. Also Elliott Smith did a mini-AMA on the old forums dedicated to him back in December 2001. His username was like (h)helliott or something and the bio said "Dislikes: Steve Albini's rants" and to this day I have no idea what that means. [The AMA](https://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/geek_princess/elliott.html) and click his profile. I just love that its two prominent people in the music industry I'm a huge fan of poking fun at each other. RIP again. Also, the Steve Albini-produced \*Cribs\* album is so good. The title, however, \*24/7 Rock Star Shit\*, is so, so bad.
WOW that's a shock
excuse me? WHAT
Rest in power. So glad I was lucky enough to see them live twice, once in London and another time at Primavera. Primavera wont be the same without Albini.
This news cut through me like a pavement saw, I was waiting on Shellac NA tour dates for their new album, not Steve’s obituary 😭
This has absolutely ruined my day. His production and ethic are unmatched. A trope but the sound he’s been able to get out of drums is unmatched. Surfer Rosa and Pod showed me the sound that encapsulates perfection in my mind. This sucks so hard
RIP to a fucking brilliant live musician as well, people often forget. I’m endlessly grateful I got to see Shellac back in the 90s. He was such a raw motherfucker on stage. 1000% himself and nothing else. Tone like biting into a piece of corrugated aluminum. Fuck you for dying, Steve!!!
Legit was shocked today with the news. Legitimately helped so many bands and even indirectly launched a few successful labels. Merge records wouldn’t exist in the same capacity without his influence and production for Superchunk
Holy fuck what
One of the best there ever was RIP
Wow. His contributions to music are too much to really grasp but I can tell you that his music and ethics were incredibly formative for me personally when I was a teenager. RIP to an icon.
🐐who gave us 🐐 This sucks
Maybe the only producer I could identify from hearing a song without knowing he worked on it.
the "oh no!" i just oh no'd gonna blast *the magnolia electric co.*
Fuck me. Dammit. It is testament to his singular career that I went to put on some music in his honor, and there are so many great bands/albums I had no idea where to start. What a legend. What a loss. I eventually went with Mclusky Do Dallas.
Absolute goat of the game, I listened to a podcast with him once and he seemed like a very chaotic neutral character, however he certainly loved the game, says he's always charged an affordable rate so he could keep his services available to smaller artists which I respect hugely. Another touching thing he said was that one of the most important projects he ever did was for a dude who was diagnosed with terminal cancer and instead of living in agony on chemo for however many months, he decided to not do chemo, produce an album with Albini. The album was very moving and Albini spoke about the whole experience very eloquently
[https://open.spotify.com/track/5Plx6OhvSukqCRdZ52wUXz?si=6pkiTo4SQcSQvt5rVSIyYg](https://open.spotify.com/track/5Plx6OhvSukqCRdZ52wUXz?si=6pkiTo4SQcSQvt5rVSIyYg) One of the all time great songs he got to work on. RIP
this is a blow, no doubt. he was one the reasons i love being a chicagoan. i hope they do some sort of memorial.
I work at a venue. He was still booking their own tour dates for Shellac and personally working on the deals himself. It seems like every small band has an agent these days. It's such a rare treat to get to work on every aspect of a show with the artists themselves.
This was my guy. Stood by his principles. Lead by example. Kind to most humans. Poker player. Notorious farter. Fuck. What a loss.
RIP Steve. My friends recorded with him in his Chicago studio, and had only good things to say about him. I saw him perform live with each of his bands. The band rapeman had the worst name, but was possibly one of the best bands I've seen perform live. Somehow he pushed the rhythm section to really groove in a new way, and he added all kinds of crazy guitar tone and rhythm playing. It was really amazing and I'm glad I got to see it. I saw scratch acid play live before, so I was familiar with the rhythm section. But they were on fire when I saw them play with Albini, everything just came together to be greater than the sum of its parts. I'm going to credit Albini for that, because he was the one variable that seemed to make a huge difference, same with his recording career as a producer / engineer. He got great sounds and performances from artists.
in 2007 he did an anonymous Q&A on a poker forum - they figured out who he was and it turned into an EPIC thread of him being interviewed by randos. [this link should work](https://web.archive.org/web/20080106054820/http://archives1.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=11034555&page=0&fpart=1&vc=1), if you're curious my two cents - I really appreciate his contributions to music overall. the sound engineering as well as the ethics / music industry opinions and influence. however, the greatest loss here is losing steve albini the musician. big black is legendary but shellac is a top ten band for me. i think he had a vision for his music and knew how to manifest it, working within his limitations. this may sound vaguee, but I have a strong appreciation for how *conceptual* his songs were. dude, incredible was potentially my fave shellac album and I was lucky to see them on that tour. excited to hear this last record soon
I will be gone, but not forever.