Steve Albini’s two favourite soul songs
Ten days after Steve Albini passed away, his band Shellac released their album To All Trains. Unlike records such as Blackstar and You Want It Darker, it doesn’t acknowledge death much, and when it does, it’s in almost a jovial way. Lines like, “If there’s a heaven, I hope they’re having fun, cos if there’s a hell, I’m gonna know everyone,” are the epitome of the theme of the record, as it’s very dark and humorous throughout.
Meanwhile, some of the other songs on the album are a lot grittier, tapping into that raw punk sound that Albini became so synonymous with. If there was ever a producer and a musician who was capable of catching the two extremes within music, it was Albini. One of the most famous albums that he worked on was Nirvana’s In Utero, their follow-up to Nevermind, which Kurt Cobain said had “Both of the extremes.”
Albini was always upfront about making music. He knew what he liked and didn’t bend in the face of pressure. When Nirvana initially showed interest in working with him, he wrote a letter saying he would only work with them if they made the album in a few days and left things raw and personal.
“I think the very best thing you could do at this point is exactly what you are talking about doing,” he said, “Bang a record out in a couple of days, with high quality but minimal ‘production’ and no interference from the front office bulletheads.”
He was also blunt, almost brutal, telling the band that if they decide to make the record any other way, it’s likely the album will flop. “If, instead, you might find yourselves in the position of being temporarily indulged by the record company,” he said. “Only to have them yank the chain at some point (hassling you to rework songs / sequences / production, calling-in hired guns to ‘sweeten’ your record, turning the whole thing over to some remix jockey, whatever…) then you’re in for a bummer, and I want no part of it.”
To have this kind of confidence when talking about music, something completely subjective, you need to be confident in what you like. This means listening far and wide, appreciating all genres of music and all different types of production. This criterion is perfectly reflected in Albini’s favourite songs, which, despite his affiliation with punk, dance around various genres that, on their surface, don’t seem connected at all.
One genre that he seems particularly drawn to is soul. When listing some of his favourite soul songs, he wasted no time paying homage to musical legends that inspired him. Two pieces in particular that he said were his absolute favourites were ‘Who is he and What is he to You?’ by Bill Withers and ‘Superstition’ by Stevie Wonder.
Also on Albini’s list of favourite songs were heavy tracks, punk, rock and pop, all of which formed his musical mind and gave him a clear vision of what music he wanted to make. Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder were masters in melody, but they frequently released live music that was laced with the infectious energy that their gigs had. This, without question, played a part in Albini learning how to capture that live feeling on a record, which can be heard throughout his discography.
