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Making Records: The Scenes Behind the Music
Sinatra. Streisand. Dylan. Pavarotti. McCartney. Sting. Madonna. What do these musicians have in common besides their super-stardom? They have all worked with legendary music producer Phil Ramone.
For almost five decades, Phil Ramone has been a force in the music industry. He has produced records and collaborated with almost every major talent in the business. There is a craft to making records, and Phil has spent his life mastering it. For the first time ever, he shares the secrets of his trade.
Making Records is a fascinating look "behind the glass" of a recording studio. From Phil's exhilarating early days recording jazz and commercial jingles at A&R, to his first studio, and eventual legendary producer status, Phil allows you to sit in on the sessions that created some of the most memorable music of the 20th century -- including Frank Sinatra's Duets album, Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks , Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years .
In addition to being a ringside seat for contemporary popular music history, Making Records is an unprecedented tutorial on the magic behind what music producers and engineers do. In these pages, Phil offers a rare peek inside the way music is made . . . illuminating the creative thought processes behind some of the most influential sessions in music history.
This is a book about the art that is making records -- the way it began, the way it is now, and everything in between.
For almost five decades, Phil Ramone has been a force in the music industry. He has produced records and collaborated with almost every major talent in the business. There is a craft to making records, and Phil has spent his life mastering it. For the first time ever, he shares the secrets of his trade.
Making Records is a fascinating look "behind the glass" of a recording studio. From Phil's exhilarating early days recording jazz and commercial jingles at A&R, to his first studio, and eventual legendary producer status, Phil allows you to sit in on the sessions that created some of the most memorable music of the 20th century -- including Frank Sinatra's Duets album, Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks , Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years .
In addition to being a ringside seat for contemporary popular music history, Making Records is an unprecedented tutorial on the magic behind what music producers and engineers do. In these pages, Phil offers a rare peek inside the way music is made . . . illuminating the creative thought processes behind some of the most influential sessions in music history.
This is a book about the art that is making records -- the way it began, the way it is now, and everything in between.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 7, 2022
An easy to read memoir that is not too full of gossip or controversy. It's a humbly presented outline of a great career and has all the appropriate name dropping that comes from becoming the in-demand person in your industry. I read it because I'm a huge Billy Joel fan having discovered him in 5th grade. I thought it was cool that the co-author made a confession of that same fandom that could practically have matched mine word for word. This is a great read for all lovers of pop music.
July 20, 2015
It was great to get an insider's view of the recording and engineering fields from the 60s to today. I'm unfamiliar with the work of the artists Phil produced. Getting to know the music of Paul Simon and Billy Joel would make this book more relevant as the writer describes many recordings I've never listened to. It was nice to read a thorough description of the recording process by a 14 time Grammy award winning producer.
I had no idea Barbra Streisand was a big deal on the level with Elvis until I read this book. I've never listened to her music and figured she was just a boring artist for middle-aged women drinking tea. Now I think I'll watch a couple of her old movies.
I had no idea Barbra Streisand was a big deal on the level with Elvis until I read this book. I've never listened to her music and figured she was just a boring artist for middle-aged women drinking tea. Now I think I'll watch a couple of her old movies.
August 17, 2022
3.5 stars. Informative and interesting with a unique perspective and approach. I feel more aware of what record producers and engineers do. I wish I were more of a fan of his principle artists so I could re-listen to some of his catalog. I appreciate having a better understanding of what it means to make quality recordings of music that I love so much. A must read for Billy Joel and Elton John fans, Frank Sinatra, too.
Clearly PR was an innovator, if not a genius, in acoustics and audio recording.
Never Say No to a Rock Star is the perfect complement to this book, written by an engineer who worked with Phil Ramone.
Clearly PR was an innovator, if not a genius, in acoustics and audio recording.
Never Say No to a Rock Star is the perfect complement to this book, written by an engineer who worked with Phil Ramone.
October 22, 2025
This is a great book for everybody who takes recorded music seriously.
Ramone was an engineer and producer for just about everyone - from Leslie Gore to Ray Charles, Gilbero and Getz, Oscar Peterson, broadway musical theatre... etc. etc.. He was also working in the early days of stereo to CDs to Streaming and 5.1. He understand the technology he employs and employed and how to make it work better/well.
If you like pop music he has anecdotes that will help you understand your favourite artists: Dylan, Billy Joel, Paul Simon etc.. If you want to know about the technology behind the recording he explains that too.
Very readable.
Ramone was an engineer and producer for just about everyone - from Leslie Gore to Ray Charles, Gilbero and Getz, Oscar Peterson, broadway musical theatre... etc. etc.. He was also working in the early days of stereo to CDs to Streaming and 5.1. He understand the technology he employs and employed and how to make it work better/well.
If you like pop music he has anecdotes that will help you understand your favourite artists: Dylan, Billy Joel, Paul Simon etc.. If you want to know about the technology behind the recording he explains that too.
Very readable.
September 26, 2017
Fascinating read.
December 27, 2017
The insights I gained from this book into many of my favorite artists, as well as the people behind all of it, made this book quite a good read.
October 27, 2019
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!! Makes me want to make records now...
August 4, 2020
A fascinating inside view of the recording industry. For a novice, everything was a new learning. Very interesting and a worthwhile read.
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December 19, 2022quick read...Phil worked with a lot of the giants in the industry. Loved his comparisons between Paul Simon and Billy Joel!
April 20, 2023
Closer to 3 1/2 stars. More interesting if you have interest or experience with music production and recording, but not compelling.
October 22, 2007
This was a read-for-hire, but I grew up loving Ramone's production, so I was happy to take it. It's a shame that the book isn't more interesting. It gives the impression that Ramone didn't want to write an in-depth book for studio rats, but also didn't want to tell any off-the-record stories about his clients...so what you end up with is a couple hundred pages of "gee, golly, so-and-so is wonderful" stories. It heats up a little toward the end, but only if you really care about the albums.
December 8, 2007
This book is by a man who has been producing and/or engineering records since the 1950's. He has worked with a lot of well-known musicians (such as Billy Joel, Barbara Streisand, and Frank Sinatra). I thought it was interesting to learn more about how a record is created and some of the different approaches musicians use. There were a few technical things that went over my head, though most of the book was easy to follow.
May 2, 2008
Phil Ramone is one of the greatest people ever. The fact that he makes consistently fantastic albums with some of the best artists on earth is pretty much just icing on the cake. From great stories to some pretty juicy behind the scenes info (all told with the most endearing respect, since most of the artists he worked with are his friends, as well), this book is pretty much required reading for anyone who even vaguely likes music, or is even vaguely interested in the behind the scenes action.
February 8, 2008
Meh... was hoping for a little more from Uncle Phil. Book is generally poorly written, much in the vain of Charles Granata's other Rock chronicle "Wouldn't it Be Nice".
There were some fun stories about recording with Billy Joel and A&R studios, but who knows which ones were true? Phil kind of paints a saintly image of himself, but first hand accounts from people who have worked with him beg to differ...
There were some fun stories about recording with Billy Joel and A&R studios, but who knows which ones were true? Phil kind of paints a saintly image of himself, but first hand accounts from people who have worked with him beg to differ...
November 17, 2013
Phil Ramone really was an interesting guy, who contributed a lot to our popular cultural during is career in the music business. If you read a few biographies of people like him, you come to realize that some of the most amazing people in the music business weren't the performers. They are people like Ramone, who had the ability to bridge the divide between creativity and the technical aspects of music making.
April 30, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I found it an easy read, written in a conversational tone, and extremely interesting. Some of the technical detail was lost on me, but I didn't find it distracting, either. Loved the stories of the artists, as well as the evident passion for his craft.
July 20, 2009
great behind the scenes look of how a great record is made and some amazing stories about great record making in the 60's-80's at Atlantic and legendary places like that.
October 18, 2011
i'm a peter paul and mary groupee, phil ramone was their producer. this was a good book. really liked the lesley gore and "girl from impanema" stories.
July 3, 2015
Fascinating. Engaging. Eye opening.
October 26, 2015
Loved reading about how he really made the music! Also, it's a good read on how to deal with people and find solutions to issues...
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews