Shel's answers to my queries

>Date: Mon, 15 Jul 1996 15:16:18 -0700
>From: (Shel Talmy)
>To: garyg@inforamp.net
>Subject: My answers
>
>Hi Gary and Who list members,
>
>Here are the answers to the questions you posed.  I think they're
>about as complete as I can make them.
>
>
>
><1: How did you come to work with the Who? What had you done in
>the biz before producing them?>
>
>I think the answer to this question requires some background, so
>bear with me.  I'd been in London for a couple of years by the
>time The Who came around, having thought originally that I'd be
>in the UK for 3 or 4 months so I could see England and the
>continent, and then return to L.A. where a 4-record deal as a
>producer awaited me.
>
>On my arrival in London, I was only an engineer with pretentions
>and I felt that this production deal was going to get me out of
>engineering and exclusively into production.
>
>As I arrived in London with very little money, my intention was
>to work for 3 to 4 weeks if I could, paying for the trip and
>leaving me a bit over, and with that in mind, I brought demos
>with me that my friend Nick Venet at Capitol had done, and with
>his permission, told Decca, the first company I visited, that I'd
>produced them.  The two I chose to play were Lou Rawles and the
>Beachboys BTW.
>
>Well they said, "Great, you start next week", and gave me a newly
>signed band consisting of 3 Irish harmonica players renamed the
>Bachelors.  On reflection, I now think they were testing my
>veracity, as I had to teach them how to sing, where to sing and
>who should be doing the singing!
>
>In any event, the first record I did with them Charmaine, was a
>huge hit and I decided to stay in England, which I did for the
>next 17 years.
>
>In the next couple of years I produced a lot of records including
>Chad and Jeremy, The Creation and The Kinks, plus I had Manfred
>Mann with Paul Jones as the lead singer and Georgie Fame turned
>down on me by Decca, prompting me to look for "greener pastures".
>
>This sort of brings us up to where I was sought out by Kit
>Lambert and The Who, as I'd done "You Really Got Me" and
>followups.  Lambert went through a girl he knew who was working
>part time for me, and she informed me that the reason "I" was
>chosen was because it was felt I could provide the sort of
>direction and sound the band wanted.
>
>I went to see them rehearsing at a church hall and loved what I
>heard from the get-go, as to this point in time, the vast
>majority of British bands were very "polite" in the way they
>played, and nobody could accuse The Who of that!  I also saw them
>at the Marquee on Wardour Street where they had a residency and
>signed them immediately to my production company, Orbit Music.
>I'm pointing this out, because at this early stage of my career,
>I didn't have a whole lot of money to throw around, and made the
>decision to risk it on this band.
>
>
><2: Have you ever seen the Who play live,
>i.e., outside the studio environment? If so, when, and how would you rate
>them as a live act?>
>
>As stated above, yes, and many times.  I thought they were as
>good live as any act playing gigs.  They appeared to enjoy
>getting audiences "at it" and very few have done it better.
>
>
><3: Do you feel their live sound was ever captured
>properly on record and what do you think of Live at Leeds, especially the
>re-issue, as a live document?>
>
>As I interpret your question, do I think the excitement they
>generated "live" was captured on tape.  In a word, yes!  I went
>out of my way to record what I'd heard live including feedback
>and Keith's unique style, and in my opinion, accomplished it.
>And that is without making excuses for the "primitive" equipment
>available at the time.
>
>Re "Live at Leeds", it's pretty good and I'd like to think I
>could have done it better--but admit that's my ego talking.
>
><4: What do you think of the Who's recording
>career after you stopped working with them? What is their finest studio
>album in your view? Their finest single? When you worked with them, did you
>foresee that this band would become one of the most famous rock bands in
>history?>
>
>Let me answer this in reverse.  Nobody thought that The Who or
>anybody for that matter would last longer than 5 years.  And that
>I "stopped working with them", is a euphonism for being told by
>Lambert and his lawyers that my services would no longer be
>required, despite the facts that I'd only ever produced hits,
>that I financed it myself and that I had a contract for further
>recordings.
>
>My "retirement" wasn't voluntary and I regret having to sue for
>my rights, which I won hands down by the way, and I regret not
>producing "Tommy", which I feel would have been a much better
>recording had I done it, and I won't even apologize for my "ego"
>showing this time!
>
>I'm of course delighted their career went on for decades, after
>all I still collect royalties.  I hope they continue for another
>25 years.
>
>Finally, my favorite single is still "my Generation".
>
><5: Pete Townshend's use of the power chord, i.e., playing single,
>double and triple strums very loud with distortion, has been enormously
>influential on post-60's rock. From your perspective, where did he get this
>effect from? Did Dave Davies innovate first in this regard in your view? Do
>you feel that the way you produced the early Who and Kinks contributed to
>this (now classic) sound?>
>
>I think it's fair for me to say that I contributed to both
>Townshend's and Dave Davies guitar sounds.  I play guitar and
>so have a special feeling for it, and spent many hours trying out
>mike techniques as an engineer, and more time on what to do with
>the sounds after they were on tape and about to be mixed.
>
>I don't think Townshend and Davies are really comparable as they
>played different types of guitars with different characteristics
>and had entirely different playing techniques.  Davies is more of
>a classic lead guitarist than Townshend, who probably was the
>best "rhythm" lead guitarist of all time.
>
>As to whether I'm "responsible" for getting these sounds, that's
>a judgment that you'll have to make.  All I can do for comparison
>is direct you to Kinks and Who recordings before I produced them.
>
><6: The Who were famous for being incredibly loud
>as an ensemble. When you first met them, were they playing very loud?  Did
>this cause any particular problems in the studio?>
>
>Ah, an easy question for a change!  I had no problems in the
>studio with loudness.  Properly miked, it's easier and better
>quality than a decibel challenged band.
>
><7: Do you have any opinion
>on Pete Townshend's solo career?>
>
>Nope.
>
><8: Are you planning to take in any of the
>upcoming shows at Madison Square Garden?>
>
>Nope.
>
><9: What are your current activities
>in the record business?>
>
>I got out of the business voluntarily for a few years, as what
>passed for music and I weren't on the same wave length, and have
>now returned to it full time as I'm pleased to say, "music is
>back"!
>
>I just had a CD release on Elektra/Sire of "Nancy Boy", which has
>Donovan Jr., yes son of "that" Donovan as the lead singer, and
>co-writer with Jason Nesmith, son of Mike of the Monkeys who is
>the lead guitarist.  They're one of the best bands I've ever
>worked with, and think with moderate breaks, will make it big.
>Other projects are lined up starting in September.
>
><10: Keith Moon, the Who's great, innovative drummer,
>died in the late 70's. What are your memories of Keith Moon? Did his ability
>as a drummer strike you as special and exciting when you first heard
>him?
>
>This is a very easy question.  Moonie was the best rock drummer
>I've ever heard, was in a category by himself and has never had
>serious competition for the #1 slot--in my opinion of course.
>Okay, okay I can hear you saying, what about so and so.  I still
>think Keith was numero uno, and the guy in the band with whom I
>was most friendly.  It was a great loss he died so young.
>
>
>
>
Shel, re: On behalf of the list I wish to thank Shel Talmy most sincerely
for taking the time to answer the questions I put to him. His answers have
shed valuable light on a key era of the Who's history....Gary M.