Classic rock albums often take a lot of time and patience to produce. At least the popular ones do. And yet, the following rushed and maybe even “sloppy” classic rock albums ended up being amazing pieces of work, all without the traditional long-winded process of recording an album. Let’s take a look at these stellar records, shall we?
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‘Heroes’ by David Bowie (1977)
It’s wild to think that David Bowie and Brian Eno put this masterpiece together in the span of just a few weeks in West Berlin. They also threw in a lot of experimental recording techniques that one would expect would take a while to really nail. They made it look easy.
Heroes wasn’t rushed in the sense that Bowie wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Rather, the creative flow between him and Eno was just so good. Sometimes, urgency is the best thing for a creative mind.
‘Blonde On Blonde’ by Bob Dylan (1966)
This one’s an interesting entry. Blonde of Blonde’s early sessions took place in New York for months. However, those sessions only yielded one song that would make it to the official album. In February and March, Dylan opted to work with Al Kooper and Robbie Robertson at CBS Studios in Nashville for another shot. In just a few short days (rumored to be just two recording blocks that spanned a few days each), the rest of the album was put together. And the result was a masterpiece of a double album, with somewhat sloppy stream-of-consciousness poetry that ended up being absolutely brilliant.
‘Quadrophenia’ by The Who (1973)
Quadrophenia by The Who wasn’t sloppy or rushed in the traditional sense. Rather, the whole of the recording process was a nightmare. Relationships between the band members and their manager deteriorated beyond repair. The sessions for the album were also delayed, as different members were working on solo albums and films. In fact, because they could not record the album in time, they had to use a mobile studio to get the project done. The process of touring in promotion of the album was also a nightmare, complete with backing tape problems and technical issues.
And despite the problems involved, Quadrophenia became one of the greatest classic rock albums of all time. It’s a hard rock masterpiece with an art rock edge that young listeners still gravitate towards today. Maybe all of the relationship drama and rush to get it recorded ended up playing in the band’s favor creatively.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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