Stephen Street
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Stephen Street is a music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s and Blur in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs. As a producer, Street has served more as a musician than as an engineer, thereby significantly influencing the sound of the groups he has worked with.
Production
Stephen Street began his career in music in the early 1980s at Islands Records' Fallout Shelter Studio. He worked as an engineer for reggae artists including Black Uhuru, King Sunny Ade, and Linton Kwesi Johnson.The Smiths and Morrissey
He began working with The Smiths in the mid-80s and was listed as an engineer on the Smiths' albums Meat Is Murder and their breakthrough The Queen Is Dead. Street was credited as a producer on the Smiths' final album, Strangeways, Here We Come.
After the Smiths broke up, Street was contacted by lead singer Morrissey Morrissey informed him that he had been recruited as producer and co songwriter for his forthcoming album the result being his debut album, Viva Hate which reached #1 and spawned two top-ten hits in the United Kingdom. Street was credited as producer, songwriter, guitarist, and bass guitarist on the album. Street went on to co-write and produce two more top ten singles for Morrissey which appeared on Bona Drag before the singer ended their association.
Blur
After hearing Blur's first single, "She's So High", Street contacted their manager. Soon after he was called in and produced their establishing hit, "There's No Other Way", although he did not produce the album as a whole. Street went on to produce Blur's second album, Modern Life Is Rubbish.Stephen Street was a key force behind Blur's involvement in the Britpop movement. He produced one of the earliest and most influential creative works in Britpop, Blur's 1994 album Parklife. The album became Blur's best-selling ever and included the massive hit "Girls & Boys". Street later produced the #1 hit "Country House" and Blur's follow-up album The Great Escape, the song that won "The Battle of Britpop" for Blur by outselling rival band Oasis's single "Roll with It" from (What's the Story) Morning Glory in a Battle of the Bands that received massive coverage by the mainstream British media. After the Britpop movement waned, Street produced Blur's overdue chart-topping eponymous album, Blur, a work consisting of American lo-fi indie rock that showed that the band could continue evolving. This album included the #1 hit "Beetlebum" as well as the extremely popular surprise hit "Song 2".
During his time working with Blur, Street also produced albums for The Cranberries and The Pretenders.
The Cranberries
In 1992, Street started working with the Irish band The Cranberries on their debut album "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?". The album turned out to be a huge success in America (singles Dreams and Linger), and is one of the 5 albums to completely drop out of the British charts only to return at number 1. In 1994, they released their "No Need To Argue" album, also produced by Street. This became their best selling album (over 16 million copies worldwide). After this album, lead singer of the band, Dolores O'Riordan, was stressed and burned out, and she wanted to do a more hardcore album. They supposedly had some differences, but after two albums not produced by Street (To The Faithful Departed produced by Bruce Fairbrain and Bury The Hatchet produced by Benedict Fenner) they worked with him yet again on their 2001 album "Wake Up And Smell The Coffee" and the two extra tracks that were recorded for their 2002 Best of Album "Stars": "Stars" and "New New York".
Graham Coxon
After Graham Coxon left Blur following a scuffle with chief artist Damon Albarn, he and Street aligned and went to produce Coxon's most successful album up to date — Happiness in Magazines (May 2004). It featured the incredible talent and unique musicianship of the former guitarist and driving force of Blur, combined with Street's masterful production, which made the record Coxon's highest charting ever. Street's work with Coxon continues, with his second collaboration with Street, Love Travels at Illegal Speeds, being released in March 2006.Ooberman
Street produced The Magic Treehouse, the debut album from Ooberman.Kaiser Chiefs
Street produced Employment, the debut album by Kaiser Chiefs. Coincidently, like 15 years before when he heard Blur's "She's so High", he was in the same way involved with Kaiser Chiefs. Street heard one of their early demos and contacted the band with a view to producing them. As they were heavily influenced by, and fans of, his recordings with Blur they agreed. At one point Street brought former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon into the studio to rev his moped for a sound effect. This can be heard on the track "Saturday Night".
Influence
It would be difficult to overstate Street's effect on the sound of the bands he has worked with. As he became increasingly prominent on the Smiths' studio albums, their sound evolved from a dull, leaden production (as epitomized by their Street-less eponymous debut) to a smooth, polished, cohesive, almost orchestral sound (the Street produced Strangeways, Here We Come). Additionally, in his solo career, Morrissey achieved greater success working with Street than with any other producer.
Street transformed Blur from a tentative, obscure London outfit into international rock stars. He produced their most important songs ("There's No Other Way", "Girls & Boys", "Country House", "Beetlebum", and "Song 2") and their most popular albums, Parklife, The Great Escape and Blur.
References
Stephen Street is sometimes referenced by the artists he works with in their songs.
- In the song "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" from Strangeways, Here We Come, Morrissey's final words are, "OK Stephen? Do that again?"
- The Blur song "Death of a Party" from Blur is, according to some, a reply to the Smiths song "Death of a Disco Dancer". Both songs were produced by Street.
External links
- [All Music Guide]
- [Record Producer]
- [Sound on Sound - Classic Tracks: The Smiths 'The Queen Is Dead'] An interview with Street, detailing the technical details behind the making of 'The Queen Is Dead' album.
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