Mickie most biography

But he had spent his studio time in South Africa learning the ropes of record production, and he watched for the chance to get into that end of the music business. He made them a unique offer: he would pay them royalties if they let him produce their records. For that arrangement to pay off for either of them, he needed to make a deal with a record company, which he was able to do, thanks to his connections in the industry.

But clocking in at over four minutes, the song defied conventional wisdom about hit singles, which had a standard length of three minutes at the time. Most persisted, though, and the label relented. Most turned to a solution that would become one of the keys to his hit making: tirelessly searching the song writing factories for potential hits.

Even as these songs made their way up the charts, Eric Burdon of the Animals decried them in public as being too pop, and the Animals split with Most when their contract expired in By this time Most had found other acts who were more willing to perform the songs that he had been snatching up from songwriters in the States. Unlike his discovery of the Animals, this time Most had the songs first and then looked for the act that would make the right vehicle for them.

He liked what he saw in Noone, but before agreeing to produce the band, he requested that two members of the group be changed. With his reputation as a hit-maker established, Most began to expand his stable of talent, taking over production duties for some acts who had already established themselves. One such group, the Yard-birds, became known for starting a trio of innovative and influential guitarists — Eric Clapton , Jeff Beck , and Page — on the road to stardom.

Most produced the band through the period that saw Page briefly in the line-up with Beck before the latter moved on to his solo career. Having started out in the folk-rock mode as a more gentle version of Bob Dylan , he had reached a lull in his career. Their collaboration would continue to be lucrative throughout the rest of the s. At the same time, Most kept active in the pop mainstream, also producing for Lulu, who had several hits in the United Kingdom in the late s.

By now Most had earned widespread recognition for his talents. In , critic Nik Cohn wrote in his book Rock from the Beginning,. He rarely misses. He also knew what market he wanted to corner. Throughout the s, Most remained an active figure in the British music industry, appearing as a regular panelist on the British talent-scouting television show New Faces.

In the late s, though, the music environment in Britain underwent a significant change with the rise of punk. The entire punk culture stood in rebellion against the kind of music that Most had produced. Though less active, he never left the recording business entirely. One such group, the Yardbirds, became known for starting a trio of innovative and influential guitarists--Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Page--on the road to stardom.

Most produced the band through the period that saw Page briefly in the line-up with Beck before the latter moved on to his solo career. While Most recorded songs that showed off the inventiveness and skills of the Yardbirds' guitarists, he usually consigned those songs to the B-sides of the singles, putting more generally accessible tunes on the A-sides.

He did the same for Beck after he became a solo act, and although Beck scored some hits in Britain under Most's production, some of the B-sides contained material that became part of rock and roll legend, such as "Beck's Bolero," which featured Beck, Page, and Jones playing with the s most prominent session pianist, Nicky Hopkins, and Who drummer Keith Moon.

Although Most tried to pick the most accessible songs for his artists to release as singles, his approach wasn't formulaic. His work with Donovan revealed Most's flexibility. When the two joined forces, Donovan's reputation had taken a beating. Having started out in the folk-rock mode as a more gentle version of Bob Dylan, he had reached a lull in his career.

In the studio with Most, he proceeded to turn out a string of folksy yet psychedelic hits, most notably "Sunshine Superman" and "Mellow Yellow" in Their collaboration would continue to be lucrative throughout the rest of the s. At the same time, Most kept active in the pop mainstream, also producing for Lulu, who had several hits in the United Kingdom in the late s.

By now Most had earned widespread recognition for his talents. In , critic Nik Cohn wrote in his book Rock from the Beginning ,"In the whole of pop, he's the only man I can think of who has unnatural powers, who really knows what will hit and what won't. He rarely misses. He also knew what market he wanted to corner. He told Buskin, "I decided that, as all of the major companies were now leaning towards dumping singles and signing artists with the album concept in mind, I would take care of the singles market myself.

RAK developed a reputation for producing bubblegum pop, most notably written and produced by Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman, who had been Most's rivals for the catchy pop market in Britain. Their singles "Emma" in and "You Sexy Thing" in became international hits, and the latter experienced a resurgence in when it appeared on the soundtrack of the movie The Full Monty.

Throughout the s, Most remained an active figure in the British music industry, appearing as a regular panelist on the British talent-scouting television show New Faces. In the late s, though, the music environment in Britain underwent a significant change with the rise of punk. The entire punk culture stood in rebellion against the kind of music that Most had produced.

Though less active, he never left the recording business entirely. He continued to buy songs for RAK music publishing, remaining on the lookout for the tune that could break out and become the next big hit. He even went back behind the board a couple of times in the s, but the public and press paid little notice to the acts that he produced.

Still, 35 years after he first entered record production, Most remained certain of what makes pop music work. In he told Nigel Hunter of Billboard , "Music is very important to young people because it's their language and a good way of communicating. Changed his name while playing in the Most Brothers, late s; moved to South Africa, ; had eleven number one hits in South Africa with Mickie Most and His Playboys, ; returned to England and signed production deal with the Animals, ; produced the Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" and the Nashville Teens' "Tobacco Road," both of which went to number one on the charts in the U.

Jeff Beck Truth , Epic, Beck-Ola , Epic, Donovan Sunshine Superman , Epic, , remastered and reissued, Mellow Yellow , Epic, His down-to-earth handling of the band, his business acumen and knack for selecting hit singles, established Most as one of the most successful producers in Britain and kept him in demand throughout the s and s. Loudermilk song " Tobacco Road ".

Additionally in the s, Most signed and produced artists such as singer-guitarist Terry Reid , [ 7 ] and all-girl rock band The She Trinity. By , after commercial and critical failure of The Yardbirds album Little Games , he decided to steer clear of rock groups. The Yardbirds objected to his insistence that every song be cut to three minutes and that albums were an afterthought following the singles.

His focused approach also led to a split with Donovan in late Despite these setbacks, Most set up his own production office at Oxford Street, sharing it with his business partner Peter Grant. It was through Most's association that Grant was asked to manage The Yardbirds. In , Most approached Suzi Quatro for a recording contract after seeing her on stage at a Detroit dance hall with the band Cradle which also had Quatro's sisters Arlene, Patti, and Nancy as members , while on a production assignment in Chicago.

He also produced "We Vibrate", the first 45 by punk band The Vibrators. In , Most discovered Kim Wilde , who was doing backing vocals for her father Marty Wilde at a Luton recording session. After hearing her, Most signed Wilde who immediately scored a hit with the single " Kids in America " which reached number 2 in the UK, and number 25 on the US Billboard chart.

In the s, Most was a panellist on the ITV talent show New Faces and, along with fellow record producer Tony Hatch , became known for his harsh comments on the acts performing on the show.

Mickie most biography

He was a producer of Revolver , a TV programme devoted to punk rock which was at odds with his 'studio factory' approach to pop music. Most was one of the first producers to own the rights to his own records and RAK Studios , which opened in in St John's Wood, remains active. On 30 May , Most died at home aged 64 from possibly peritoneal mesothelioma , a complication of asbestosis.

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