Steve Albini RIP

I’m truly saddened to report the death of Steve Albini. Shellac had been preparing to tour their first album in a decade To All Trains, which is scheduled for release next week. Steve Albini was 61 years old.

Steve had been a good friend for decades since the mid eighties when I first heard from him and then met him on the first Big Black tour of the UK. Shortly after I took my band to Chicago and recorded our third album in his cellar. Steve was a great host and hilariously acidic but a true sweetheart. In recent years he mellowed but was never a pushover and stayed true to his beliefs as this interview I conducted with him recently underlines.

Big Black were the same – they excavated the dark heart of America musically and lyrically reflecting it back with a series of brutal and brilliant albums before imploding.

Steve became the world’s greatest sound recordist working with countless bands invading famously Nirvana, Page and Plant and many others. His trademark skill made bands explode live in your head and he captured the sonic imperfections making for the greatest sound recordings ever especially on his own band Shellac whose series of albums is perhaps rock music at its peak.

Shellac captured every nuance and every combination of rock at its rhythmic best and the sound of those record is the best of any band ever sonically and intellectually exploring every possibility of rock.

Apart from his massive contribution musically Steve was a truly great person, a brilliant host and someone who stayed true to his punk rock principles. He was deeply intelligent and a loyal friend and I will miss his presence and his deep wisdom and compassion. He was a fellow traveller in a fucked up world and a brilliant spirit.