Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker has paid tribute to Steve Albini following the legendary producer’s death – see what Cocker had to say below.
Yesterday (May 8), it was revealed that Steve Albini, who was known for recording and producing classic albums such as Nirvana‘s ‘In Utero’ and Pixies‘ ‘Surfer Rosa’ among others, had died at the age of 61 due to a heart attack.
Now, Cocker – who worked with Albini on his solo album ‘Further Complications’ in 2009 – has taken to social media to share a tribute to the late record producer, engineer and musician.
He wrote on Instagram to accompany a photo he had taken of Albini’s Electrical Audio studio: “This is not a very interesting photograph – but very interesting things happened within these walls. This is a photo of the building that contains Electrical Audio: the recording studio established by Steve Albini in Chicago.”
“I took this photo during January 2009 when we were recording the ‘Further Complications’ album there. Working with Steve Albini was an education in many ways: the technical aspects of recording sound, for sure – but also lessons in how to live & work at making music without being destroyed by the Music Business.”
Cocker continued: “He was a unique individual. My thoughts are with those close to him. Listen to the music he was involved in & read what he wrote about it. It’s worth it.”
Cocker and Albini had met in 2008 at the Pitchfork Music Festival, and soon began discussing ideas together. In January the following year, Cocker began recording ‘Further Complications’ at Albini’s studio, and the album was released in May 2009.
Besides Cocker’s ‘Further Complications’, Albini was known for recording and producing major albums such as Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’, Pixies’ ‘Surfer Rosa’, PJ Harvey’s ‘Rid of Me’, Manic Street Preachers‘ ‘Journal For Plague Lovers’ and more.
As a musician, Albini fronted the likes of underground bands such as Shellac, Big Black and Flour. Shellac recently announced ‘To All Trains’, their first album in 10 years which is set for release next week (May 17) and were preparing to embark on a tour.
Following the news of Albini’s death, Pixies, Benefits and more have paid tribute to the late producer – you can read them here.
Most recently, Nirvana’s social media accounts have shared the four-paged letter Albini had sent them, proposing that he wanted to produce ‘In Utero’, and outlined his approach to recording music.
Speaking to NME last year, Albini shared that being forever associated with Nirvana due to his work on their 1993 final album ‘In Utero‘ was no albatross. “It’s totally normal, it’s perfectly reasonable,” the producer and audio engineer told NME. “If you had never heard of me before and someone is trying to introduce me to you, they are going to name the famous records that I worked on – and ‘In Utero’ is the most famous.”
Last year, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic spoke to NME and recalled working with the producer and how the band landed on the post-‘Nevermind’ sound of the record. “Kurt was a fan of Albini,” he said. “I remember being in a tour van in 1989 and Kurt was listening to Pixies. He raised his finger and said, ‘This shall be our snare sound!’ He wanted to do it with Steve for a long time.”
Perry Farrell has released another public apology following an on-stage confrontation involving his bandmate Dave Navarro.
The Jane's Addiction frontman was involved in a physical altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro last year during a live performance, an incident that prompted the band to cancel their reunion tour and eventually led to their split.
“I'd like to address what happened on stage last year,” Perry, 66, said in a statement shared across both his personal Instagram account and Jane's Addiction’s official page. “I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.”
He went on to admit that he did not meet fan expectations and described himself as deeply remorseful toward everyone impacted by the incident.
“Jane's Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons, and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” he shared.
“My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Jane's Addiction also issued its own statement regarding the altercation, which ultimately led to the group’s remaining members filing a lawsuit against Perry alleging assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote, signaling that the group would not move forward with Perry. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
