The “timeless” classic rock album Rick Rubin thinks will remain a masterpiece forever
There are few music producers with as legendary a reputation as Rick Rubin. Even his beard is esteemed.
Over the years, the New York-born producer has left his mark on countless prominent artists and music scenes, including the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park, and even Johnny Cash. He’s rubbed shoulders with Paul McCartney, revived Tom Petty, and had run-ins with Black Sabbath.
While he is perhaps best known for co-founding Def Jam Records, the label that revolutionised the world of hip-hop and popularised LL Cool J, Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, to name but a few, Rubin always kept his roots in the abrasive world of rock and heavy metal. He was raised on the Ramones – even suffering the rare fate of being booed off at the CBGB back in his playing days – and before that, The Beatles got him into music in the first place.
From his early days as a young punk in New York City, closely following the blossoming rock scene of the punk and post-punk uprising, Rubin always favoured music that was a little bit harsher. Inevitably, therefore, he carried these early influences over into his production work. Even during his Def Jam years, he made the decision to sign up the label’s only metal outfit, Slayer.
Throughout his career, Rubin has always held a candle for authenticity, minimalism and, above all else, rock and roll. As he put it himself, “I have no technical ability. And I know nothing about music.” But he has positioned that as an advantage when it comes to seeing a song clearly. And rock and roll is all about songs.
A classic rock triumph without peer?
It makes sense, therefore, that the producer is something of a heavy metal obsessive. Aside from working with countless prominent metal acts, in the form of groups like Metallica, Slayer, Wolfsbane and Danzig, Rubin’s record collection is chocked full of groundbreaking metal albums. Seemingly, though, one effort in particular has always risen to the top, providing endless inspiration to Rubin. That record is, of course, Highway to Hell by AC/DC.
Whether or not AC/DC are, indeed, a heavy metal outfit is an argument that has waged on for decades. The band themselves describe themselves only as being a ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ group, but much of their sound, image and performance adheres to the world of metal. Their 1979 record Highway to Hell is a prominent example of this, featuring countless beautifully abrasive riffs and distinctly minimalist production.
Rubin has repeatedly detailed his adoration for the record, once labelling it “a timeless and natural-sounding rock album”. More than just being a great record, though, Highway to Hell has played an undeniable influence on the production style of Rubin. On the album, producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange favoured a stripped-back sound for the group, with Malcolm Young recalling to Mojo, “We were all minimalist. We felt it was the best way to be”.
Within his own career, Rubin has often been noted for stripping a band’s sound down to its bare bones, refusing to adhere to trends of overproduction and grandiose themes. Seemingly, that distinctive style arose largely from the influence of the AC/DC album. It never once overcrowds the mix with notes, and that allows energy to fill the space in between.
“I try to create albums that sound as powerful as Highway to Hell,” he once explained, “Whether it’s working with The Cult or the Red Hot Chili Peppers, I apply the same basic formula: Keep it sparse”.
So, when Rubin got the chance to work with AC/DC on their 1995 Ballbreaker, you would be forgiven for thinking that it was a match made in heaven. Despite his love for the group, the making of the album was, by his own admission, a difficult process. As Rubin himself put it: “We did a million things trying to make it sound good – nothing worked”. But that didn’t change his view on what did work previously. As he boldly proclaimed, “My favourite group post-Beatles was AC/DC, and I think they’re the best rock band in the world, of all time.” Seemingly, given how timeless he thinks Highway to Hell is, they may well hold onto that mantle for quite some time in the mind of rock purists.
