Questions for Phil Ramone?

Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Billy Joel's The Stranger. Ray Charles' Genius Loves Company. Paul Simon's The Rhythm of the Saints. Music legend Phil Ramone produced all of those albums. He's like Zelig (or at least Forrest Gump) in the way he's been involved with pop-cultural history. Heck, Ramone even worked the sound during Marilyn Monroe's "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" moment. Can you imagine?

Anyway, I'm interviewing Ramone in anticipation of the Feb. 10 Grammy Awards (he's won 14 of those suckers).

So...who has QUESTIONS FOR PHIL RAMONE?

Comments

[bassnote]

Was there a falling out between him and Julian Lennon?

Who is the most arrogant, or difficult, artist he has ever worked with? (My money's on Paul Simon.)

What album does he wish he had never been associated with?

[ClayFan]

Questions for Phil Ramone:
Has it been hard to deal with the fact that your brother, Joey, is more famous than you?
Do you listen to Clay Aiken?

[DC]

Sean~ I had heard years ago that Ramone re-worked "Just the Way You Are" for Billy Joel and it ended up sounding much different than what Joel intended. Can he shed a little light on that?

How's the facial hair coming? (That's for you, not Phil Ramone)

DC

[Jeff in Cuba]

I get the sense that now that everyone has access to powerful sound-editing tools, the traditonal "producer" is becoming an endangered species. Does he hear any music these days that makes him think, "Wow, I could have really done something with that track!"

[jane]

Got nothing -- yet -- in the way of questions (although I still listen to The Stranger from start to finish with great regularity), but wanted to give you props on the Zelig reference. Reminds me that it's probably past due for my personal semi-regular Woody Allen film festival.

[DG]

Ramone has been great at sculpting cohesive albums like The Nylon Curtain and The Stranger. I'm curious to know how he feels as a producer (rather than a studio technician) in regards to the digital music boom. Does the digital medium make his job as a producer any more difficult in terms of creating a cohesive album in a realm where individual songs get so much focus?

Incidentally, his book, Making Records: Scenes Behind the Glass is really good. Not too technical (for people who don't understand studio talk) and it's quite amusing and insightful.

[Sherrie]

Bassnote, I had a very similar question in mind, mine was "who is more difficult to work with, Paul Simon or Billy Joel?" (Though I'm sure Sean would phrase it in a less offensive way...or maybe not.)

[Former Producer Dave]

Sean, I'd be curious to know his stance on the "Loudness Wars" going on now with new releases as well as older remastered titles. I know, it's a geek question but that's just me!! ;)