Why the Loss of Steve Albini is Massive - Artist Appreciation

[@cedricfeschotte835]

Man, I'm still processing this... I've played an Albini-associated thing pretty much every day since he tragically passed two weeks ago. As a late teen I literally lived on the 90s noise rock Albini recorded (Jesus Lizard is an all-time fave) and SHELLAC was a huge inspiration for my own 90s band. I've seen them live three times and was truly hoping for another with this new album/tour upcoming. So the news hit me pretty hard. Steve had such a massive impact. It's awesome Material Objects will be recording at Electric Studio this summer, possibly the best hommage you can give to the man and his passion.

[@seekingathread]

thank you my friend, we can't wait to do it. I think Albini's passing is going to stick with me for a while. He's had a bigger impact than I even realized. Unfortunate I never made time to see Shellac which I really can't explain. But there are many records here for me to enjoy again. See you soon Cedric!

[@louiegolden]

Steve was a real one.

[@buddhull]

The realest one to do it. His recording work was only rivaled by his trajectory of true growth as a dude as well as his ethical support for bands and their art.

[@seekingathread]

Certainly one of the most influential of the era

[@danielbigna5469]

Hi Dom, a fitting tribute to the great Steve Albini. Have been reeling a bit from the news. Albini was just that bit closer to a lot of good music many of us grew up on. His passing is a major loss. I've always thought Shellac was one of the greatest bands of the 90s and beyond. I admire Albini's complete devotion to the punk ethos and seeking to capture his singular perception in raw sound. I'm a total a fan of his work on The Breeders' 'Pod' and it made sense for Albini to work with committed anarcho punk band The Ex, which he did on the worthy 1998 Touch and Go album 'Starters Alternators'. That one bears the touch of Albini's typically hard and tight engineering. Like Albini, The Ex were also totally committed to the alternative cause. I was lucky to see Shellac live back in the mid 1990s when they toured Australia with Fugazi. What a combo that was.

[@seekingathread]

So many great comments about Albini and pointing out bands and recordings he did that I need to explore more. I only have some of the early Ex records and a few more recent ones. I need to check out Starters Alternators. That period for Albini was pretty damn fruitful. Of course Pod is stellar. Albini's loss I think will be resonating for quite some time. Take care Daniel

[@bigstar1000]

I only realised last week that the Magnolia Electric Company was an Albini prod, and I agree, total MASTERPIECE. I was listening to Songs:Ohia and rediscovered their great tribute to SA, Steve Albini’s Blues on Didn’t It Rain ❤ kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4i5lHWXdt5nd5Ysi=T1TkxqC18zEERrTT

[@seekingathread]

Ah good call, I love Didn't it Rain as well. I think Molina worked with Albini almost exclusively. Some great records in that discography.

[@DepthWish]

Fully bummed but glad you made this

[@the-vinyl-dreamscape5084]

Thanks for doing this video, Dom. I’m glad it came from a musician like you who was influenced by Albini. But more than that, a music fan who loves the music Albini was a part of creating.

[@seekingathread]

Appreciate that Shawn. I'm certainly one of many to feel this one deeply. He just seemed like someone who would be around a long time.

[@tokyorecordstyle]

Great tribute! Enjoyed this a lot. First video of yours I’ve watched and happy to be a new subscriber

[@seekingathread]

Nice, thanks for checking in. Subbed your channel as well so will check out some vids.

[@mazzysmusic]

Love this. I've been thinking of Albini, his work, and his entire take and directness on the music business. A total original. I've watched a dozen interviews with him over the past week and loved listening to everything he says. I've been listening to all the albums I own that he recorded and want to showcase them soon. Most of my picks are the moodier or low-keyed artists, with a few exceptions. What a loss!!

[@seekingathread]

Sweet looking forward to it. Unfortunately people of his ilk are rare. I've been listening to many interviews and was has struck me in his generosity with time and willingness to spend time with up and coming musicians. Huge loss indeed

[@therevrockinrollin]

I’m a Shellac over Big Black cat too. Shellac just had a “feel” that I preferred and so excited for this new album. Thanks for this - you do his memory well with this video. Viva Touch and Go.

[@seekingathread]

thank you my friend. Would love to hear your take too, or is that on Insta? I need to check in there. You will love the new record. Lean and mean, even for them.

[@2WheelsGood]

when i was a teenager in the 90's, me and my friends hung out with this older guy (24 ish) that skateboarded with us. he had gone off to art school, got on drugs and went to jail, and had to move back to his home town and live with his parents. that said, he had Shellac Terraform, Rapeman, Tortoise TNT, Faith No More Angel Dust etc. truly monumental for my musical discovery and path. great tribute Dom. i'm a Shellac dude myself and that Terraform album art is 10/10. "copper, you'll never be gold"

[@tomlotti240]

"A fire so big and pretty, you could cry"

[@seekingathread]

Those are massive selections there from the older kid. Funny that story is always the same for kids pre-internet. I was certainly one of those. My older siblings weren't into music in that way so I had to get it from the older guys at my first job when I was 15-16. Needed those people! Glad you dug this though, I'll be thinking about Steve and his contributions for a while.

[@markspooner1224]

Nice talk about Steve Albini, it was quite a shock to hear of his passing.

[@seekingathread]

I am still in shock about it Mark.

[@TheVinylRecordMission]

My cousin Phil Guerrero was in a band called Distortion Felix back in the late 90s. They recorded their album at Steve’s studio in Chicago and opened for his band Shellac a few times. The music will miss him.

[@seekingathread]

I do not know Distortion Felix but will check it. Not uncommon for me to say that with bands Steve worked with. Of course there were seemingly hundreds.

[@jonathonkiner7415]

It's crazy but Steve Albini's death, I can't stop thinking about it, and it's got me rethinking my whole direction in life. Like the best years were when I was recording or making music and I miss that. That feels like home to me. I don't know what I'm doing anymore.

[@seekingathread]

Interesting. I have to say the same for me really, thinking about Albini a lot and the time we all invest in the things we love. I think its normal to question things such as your day to day activities, depending on your age.

[@Russell.S]

a big loss. i don’t have many records he engineered, but I like what he did on The Wedding Present Seamonsters record (many fans disagree!). Cheers!

[@seekingathread]

Yes a great one Russell, a lot of fans of that Wedding Present lp. Don't have it here myself.

[@fluidpower43]

I listened to an interview with Albini several years ago and he said that album he was most proud of was by a band called Teeth and the name of the album was The Strain The main artist was dying of cancer and the album was about that experience. It is straight up grunge how Cobain intended and I own it on LP and love it.

[@seekingathread]

Wow, interesting. Do not know that at all, will have a look and check it out. Thanks for that.

[@Shawn_at_UNDERGROUND_TAPES]

Don Cab was one of the best live things i ever saw. My fav Albini recordings are Jesus Lizard- GOAT and the lesser known Distorted Pony from LA Punishment Room is one of the best percussion heavy 90s noise rock records, i try to pimp it at every opportunity

[@seekingathread]

Didn't mention JL but should've. Those are classic Albini recordings. I vaguely know that Distorted Pony. Will look into that one again. Thanks Shawn

[@diamond_marimba]

got to see shellac in a small club in Chicago 20 years ago, legend

[@seekingathread]

jelly of that. For some reason I didn't put in the time to see them.

[@soundofminder]

A moving tribute, Dom. Quite a loss indeed.

[@seekingathread]

Thanks This, will be thinking about him and his work for a while

[@marcusen_bender]

Great tribute! My fav is also Terraform. Nice to see similar taste on this, it is not the rule… specially with the first track. People lost they patience on it but I think it has a spiritual and mantric sound effect on the listener (apart from the tension, mystery and audiophile effect) I love it. I am waiting to receive the new record but streaming it I see it includes a lot of tracks they were playing on tour. I had the honour and pleasure of seeing them live more than 5 times and they always sounded spectacular. They were the band with the most attendance at Primavera Sound, one of the festivals in my city and my best sounding experiences was in a small concert hall they did apart from the festival. They were so kind with the audience and full of jokes. Real professionals. Take care. Cheers! 🍺

[@seekingathread]

From what I understand, Shellac really liked playing that Primavera festival. Sounds like they were treated very well there. Unfortunate I didn't take the time to see them. Good point about A1 on Terraform. The repetition does create a kind of cyclical, mesmerizing effect as it goes on longer and longer. Part of the magic of that track. I will be trying to feature Alibin's work on an ongoing basis. This is a major loss for sure.

[@marcusen_bender]

@@seekingathread ah yes, they were veeeery important for the festival I think 14 times out of 22 or so… A1+A2 on Terraform are my fav…Long long track with a very short follow-up with overwhelming punch. I love A2 that has a very interesting structure for me…

[@DPM-5]

Few months after recording In Utero, when his phone must have been red hot, Albini decided to record the debut album of a totally unknown French band called Sloy, on the strength of demos he was sent. He did the whole album, called Plug, in 6 days for 150 bucks per day. Sloy was the best French band in the 90s despite their lack of popularity, and it didn't escape Albini

[@seekingathread]

That's just a testament to what he talked about. In it for the right reasons. That's a tough one to get Sloy. Good call there!

[@jamieaylward8578]

Hey Dom! Hearing this news is extremely sad. He was and will always be a legend 100 percent. I have a friend from Ohio that I do frequent album listens with over apple shareplay and I definitely want to pay tribute to Steve tonight by playing some Shelak. If I know wfmu they will absolutely have plenty of great tributes to him. take care good sir Jamie

[@seekingathread]

Hey Jamie. Yes true there. WFMU and its many DJs should have plenty of tributes to him. He is and was a legend.

[@6AM_YT]

I've recorded a video about my Steve Ablini record collection and my experiences listening to his music, but in light of some stuff I've seen that he had written, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm thinking about scrapping that and doing a new video on why, after over thirty years of being a fan of his, I'm going to sell my records and try my best to disregard him entirely.

[@seekingathread]

Curious what you read that wasn't already in the public. He's been clear that he regrets a lot of things he had done and said in the past. Plus, I think it's important to look at the work and the output and all that was great about that. Rather than the human themselves.

[@VinylRundown]

Because he said he doesn’t like Steely Dan or Def Leppard?? 😳

[@6AM_YT]

@@seekingathread Google "Steve Albini Child". It was in the public, as it was published, I just never saw it.

[@6AM_YT]

@@VinylRundown No, I agree with those sentiments.

[@diamond_marimba]

he must have slow rolled you on a set over set hand at the horseshoe casino

[@thirdcoast5755]

I would have been curious to hear how he would have recorded some of the free jazz greats who were working in Chicago in the 1990s and early 2000s.

[@seekingathread]

Interesting juxtaposition there. I don't know how much of that kind of thing he did. His partner Greg Norman I know has done some jazz.

[@Localbandography]

Got to see Shellac in Barcelona at Primavera Sound in 2014. He loved playing in that City which Jordi the owner of BCore told me about and they would even play a second smaller set in town when there.

[@seekingathread]

Definitely a shortcoming that I never saw Steve in the flesh. He talked about his love of Primavera in the last interview he did in fact. Said he would always play the festival as long as they could.

[@Localbandography]

@@seekingathreadBands played from Noon to 5AM for four days plus a showcase on Monday at The Apolo. Insanity in the best possible terms.

[@jonathonkiner7415]

I think 1000 Hurts is their best but maybe that's just me. The best part is I saw them live in Detroit twice in the early 2000s. Even got one of Todd's broken drumsticks.

[@dukeplow]

I was watching the Bruins game last Friday and they played the end part of Watch Song during a break. Somebody there is a real music fan.

[@seekingathread]

And that is a deep cut at that! Love to hear that

[@dukeplow]

@@seekingathread one of my favorites

[@OldIndieRocker]

Thanks Dom for this. From what I understand Albini did own up to a lot of his immature behavior, etc when he was young. My wife saw Shellac in the early 90s in Chicago. It's hard not to feel like with his passing marks an end of an era of sorts.

[@seekingathread]

That's very true, certainly feels that way for me too. He would / should / could be on the mount rushmore of independent rock.

[@Universityofvinyl]

Dom - check out Conan O’Brien’s pod from last November with Steve, Grohl, and Chris N. - In Utero 30th anniversary convo. Really good…

[@seekingathread]

Yes Tim, watched all of that when it came out. Will rewatch it even, super great and informative.

[@Localbandography]

I do have that Slint 10” which is great.

[@merlinthemagus]

Steve Albini said that he didn’t want to be a traditional producer, imposing his vision over a band like a Spector or Rubin. He was a technician, he was a craftsman in the best sense of the word. He didn’t want to rip a band off which as you know is exceedingly rare in the record industry. He was a good guy. RIP Steve Albini.

[@seekingathread]

Well said. He was a tireless worker too. Day in day out just doing the work and inspiring everyone he worked with

[@JGYokohama1]

Bedhead should have been bigger. I do need New Year stuff...

[@seekingathread]

equally as good in my opinion

[@JGYokohama1]

@@seekingathread I've streamed it... Def very good. I just have the Bedhead box set.

[@marcusen_bender]

Btw, anyone knows what happened on Spotify? After his death the band has been included on the platform…

[@seekingathread]

I thought they were never on Spotify. So you're saying now they are?

[@marcusen_bender]

@@seekingathread Initially they were there but after the challenge of Neil Young to Spotify over Joe Rogan’s polemics, Shellac also ended up removing his material. It strikes me that a few days after his death it has been re-enabled. there was nothing. 0.

[@Pamela-vs2zg]

Mono (of japan)

[@seekingathread]

definitely! great band!