Interview with Ian Little, Music Producer
Interview with Ian Little
Ian interviewed by Kirk Harrington and Tracey Elena, Duran Duran Worldwide
Interview edited by Kirk Harrington
From Ian's website, re: his new book Baptism by Fire
"For the majority of you, the time I spent working and living with Duran Duran is of most interest. I reveal what they were like both as individuals and collectively as a band. I spent time alone with Simon in Sri Lanka first of all and then during the creation of Is There Something I Should Know? I became close to the other four members as well. In the book I don’t just recount stories of moving from one enclave to another, but also share my understanding of each of these remarkable five people. I became familiar with their personal qualities and interests, and at various times became really close to each of them as individuals.
As music lovers you will also find plenty of insights into the various ways bands and musicians go about writing songs and recording them. As a Producer I’ve been in the privileged position of seeing inspiration strike these creative spirits; and I was present to act as a facilitator, to record and curate their ideas."
Ian is a music producer from the UK, who has worked with several artists and bands such as Duran Duran, Sparks, Roxy Music, and Belouis Some. Recent work includes doing a remix for Subpop's Clipping...to be released soon.
Kirk: Hi Ian. Thank you so much for being willing to interview with my group, Duran Duran Worldwide. We have been committed for many years to raise awareness of Duran Duran, and how they have been influential in the music industry and popular media. And let me say that it is an honor for me personally to get to interview you as Seven and the Ragged Tiger was the album that got me originally hooked on the band, particularly the song "The Reflex."
There's really a maturity and depth in Seven and the Ragged Tiger that is not on other albums that is carried forward in later works. My other favorite songs on this album are “Union of the Snake” and “Tiger Tiger.” The sounds and melodies on the album to me are serious and mysterious at the same time...and they explore a side of Duran Duran that goes beyond the more pop sounds of their prior albums. Can you tell I just LOVE this album?
Tracey: Hello Ian. Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed by DDWW. I’m always fascinated by the behind-the-scenes masterminds who help shape the music we love and enjoy. The commercial hits burned Seven and The Ragged Tiger into my young mind, but the unreleased tracks such as “Shadows on Your Side,” “Of Crime and Passion,” and “The Seventh Stranger” have dark undertones that connect with me on a deeper level.
When you were invited to work with Duran Duran on “Is Something I Should Know,” what were your first impressions of the band?
Ian: I’d spent six weeks in Sri Lanka with Simon; but only met the rest of the guys once; they invited me to go backstage after their Hammersmith Odeon gig, so I knew more about Simon than the rest, but I didn’t know any of them well. The first shock was that they had no demos; they had no songs written waiting to record, which was normal! All there was Andy had a Beatle’s - like phrase, so everyone gravitated around that and came up with their own parts. There was plenty of banter, throwing ideas and suggestions for parts, sounds around. There was great chemistry between them with no signs of any egos, and it was only on rare occasions that I might have to take an executive decision to keep things moving, nothing major. They knew what they were doing and knew they’d set the bar high after Rio and the standards we needed to achieve.
Tracey: For those who have never worked directly with Duran Duran (as you have), and produced an album with them, what was your creative process specifically for Seven and the Ragged Tiger?
Ian: Boy, that’s a tricky question to answer, at least without writing a book! As a producer, my first job is to understand the artist’s vision, and how they want the song to sound at the end. Then with them, go about figuring out how we’re going to use their talent to achieve that. It's hard enough with a singer-songwriter, but X 5! You might have to use different approaches to coax the best out of each artist. They naturally want their very best performance on the finished album or single. Then having managed to do that, which is hard enough with a solo writer, you need to repeat the process with each band member. Each required unique treatment to extract the very best out of them. To use a familiar phrase: "The total was greater than the sum of its parts"...that difference was the result of the chemistry between them, how they interacted.
Kirk: Do you have any positive or inspiring Duran Duran stories that occurred during the production of the album?
Ian: I think that looking at the creation of Seven & The Ragged Tiger overall, probably, the most inspiring and positive thing is the fact that, having already missed two deadlines from EMI, we actually managed to make the third deadline and finish the album in time for a Christmas 1983 release. On completing everything, Alex Sadkin and I went straight from the studio to catch a flight from Sydney to London. A week earlier, Alex and I worked in two studios at EMI 301, recording the final parts in one and mixing finished tracks in another.
Tracey: Talk about how working with Duran Duran infused your own creativity and your music pursuits?
Ian: Their ability to just rock up with nothing and come out with a chart-topping single is good enough to be going on! Obviously, it was the first AAA mega-budget album I’d been involved with, it really was overwhelming and afterward, I was busy but it was all a bit of a whirlwind!!
Tracey: Focusing strictly on music, what are the projects that have made you the proudest?
Ian: To be totally honest, apart from my own album released less than a year after starting working in Gallery Studio, and I was only a production assistant, my credit on Roxy Music’s Avalon is my proudest achievement. The Duran Duran album was commercially a much “bigger” album, and I am so grateful to have had the chance to work with them, but it has to be Roxy; they were my "Duran Duran." I grew up listening to their albums, so to end up working with them would be like you being in the studio with Duran; I guess?!
Tracey: As a producer, what do you think are the elements and techniques that make an album great? How has technology changed how you make music throughout the past decades?
Ian: Passion, intensity, integrity...used to perform great songs sympathetically produced. Oh, that and good old fashioned talent. There are different steps, from making sure the structure of the song works, getting the dynamics good to where the sound palette has enough interest. There are three stages to producing a track to extract the best results. First, you need to make sure the song itself is right. That means looking at the structure. Normally, you’d have something like: Intro: verse 1, chorus: verse 2 : chorus 2: a break/solo: then either a 3rd verse and outro based on the chorus, or go straight to outro from M8 (break/solo). Once that structure works, you look at the dynamics, the highs and lows during the length of the song, and finally, make sure you have really impactful sounds. Finally, once the parts and the other elements are right, you have to mix everything to sound like a finished product.
The evolution of technology has had a fundamental effect on how tracks are produced now, having almost limitless tracks recorded onto a computer, having previously been restricted from 4 to 24 tracks, recorded on magmatic tape. Many other digital inventions like software synths and effects (FXs) have changed the options at a producer’s disposal.
Tracey: Do you have any advice for someone wanting to work behind the scenes in the music industry as you have done?
Ian: Manage your expectations and only do something you are totally passionate about. To be successful at anything, including music...you’re going to have to work your butt off, give the impossible 110% and make huge sacrifices. And you just can’t do that to make money doing something you’re NOT passionate about. And I can promise you, because I know from experience, money does not give you long-term contentment or peace. The novelty of “Shopping” lasts 3 to 6 months max, and I could go on!
Kirk: Please tell us about another collaboration with an artist either before or after Duran Duran that is especially meaningful to you?
Ian: I was asked to go to LA to produce an album for Sparks. Sparks were big in the 1970s and had an on/off career ever since. I liked the idea, the money was decent, and I love LA.
Also, they were signed to the legendary Giorgio Moroder (who produced a couple of tracks on Duran Duran’s latest release). Being signed to Moroder would mean working at his studio and getting to meet the great man himself! Funny story - they sent me a tape (Cassette!) with 25+ demos on it. I arrive in LA, we go for coffee, and you guessed it, the 12 I loved they hated and the 10 they wanted to do - left me to choose 2!! - I thought that sucked!! Great start to the project! But I had a great time, met the legend himself...the godfather of disco (who endorsed my book can you believe it?!).
Kirk: Why do you think Duran Duran fans or other music aficionados might enjoy reading your new book, Baptism by Fire?
Ian: HA HA HA! Because, it’s the best book in the world!! Seriously, I’ve had some interesting feedback from fans. All positive so far. Happily, one said he’d never read another book that made him feel like he was in the studio. Others have said it’s a good read and anything from an interesting to amazing story! There’s a review in Record Collector.
You must understand it’s hard for me to write about it because I tried to make it as good as I could for the fans. I promised the band’s manager that I wouldn’t write anything about things I consider private, and I stayed true to that. At the same time I tell it how it is in how I found them. I liked them; a lot at times.
Tracey: Thank you for chatting with me and Kirk. It was such a pleasure to have this opportunity. To purchase Ian's book Baptism By Fire, visit www.ian-little.com.
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