Making Records

August 27, 2007
Ramone, with 14 Grammys to his name, is the consummate Establishment producer. His clean professionalism has brought a touch of class to a wealth of baby boomer landmarks, from Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years
to Billy Joel's The Stranger
and Ray Charles's Genius Loves Company
. Over the course of his memoir, Ramone constantly drops these names and more, often veering into a string of anecdotes to illustrate a point. One page about artists' working methods, for example, includes mention of Frank Sinatra; Bob Dylan; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and Barbara Streisand, with little distinction made as to quality or genre. This makes for a readable but repetitive book. The conversational style means that certain artists are brought up again and again, and sometimes the book relies upon long block quotes from musicians that would have benefited from being pared down to their relevant lines (such as one in which Liberty DeVitto of Billy Joel's band talks about changing the rhythm of “Always a Woman to Me”). Amid all of this, there are genuinely interesting stories, and fans of Sinatra, Simon and Dylan should find pleasure in the long in-studio narratives.

September 15, 2007
In an award-winning career spanning six decades, legendary producer Ramone has helped create hit records for some of the music industry's top recording artists, including Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, Sting, and Lenny Kravitz, among many others. In addition to his impeccable musical pedigree, Ramone has also long been at the cutting edge of technical innovation, producing the first pop CD and DVD releasesBilly Joel's "52nd Street" and "Dave Grusin Presents West Side Story", respectively. Told by a consummate pro, this insider's account of the recording process at its highest level is broken into small chapters recounting Ramone's early career in the 1950s, when he recorded jingles and set up his own studio; his work with classic artists, e.g., with Bob Dylan on "Blood on the Tracks"; and his insights on the intricate process of music recording. Ramone and coauthor Granata ("Sessions with Sinatra"; "Wouldn't It Be Nice") offer behind-the-scenes details of his work with top-notch artists, which makes for intriguing reading. Recommended for larger public libraries and all music libraries. Dave Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Washington

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.