The Record Producers: Tony Visconti

‘THE RECORD PRODUCERS: TONY VISCONTI’ EMI is scheduled to release a 17 track compilation in July called ‘The Record Producers: Tony Visconti’ , which looks at his work as producer, mixer, arranger and more. The album will feature two songs from the Sparks catalogue – Looks, Looks, Looks from the Visconti produced Indiscreet, and the Plagiarism version of This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us, which was arranged and conducted by Tony. Track listing:- 01 Héros – David Bowie (French version of Heroes) 02 China Girl – Iggy Pop 03 Metal Guru – T. Rex 04 You Have Killed Me – Morrissey 05 Looks Looks Looks – Sparks 06 Will You – Hazel O’Connor 07 Chains – Mercury Rev 08 Oh Baby – Dib Cochran & The Earwigs 09 The Prettiest Star – David Bowie (original single version) 10 Flowers In The Rain – The Move 11 Sarah – Thin Lizzy 12 Love Is The Law – Seahorses 13 Band On The Run – Wings 14 This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us – Sparks (Plagiarism Album Version) 15 Got To Get You Into My Life – Surprise Sisters 16 Black Country Rock – David Bowie 17 Telegram Sam – T. Rex From the main sleeve notes:- Brothers Ron & Russell Mael were the heart of Sparks and with several hit singles and two hit albums under their belt, approached Visconti to both produce and arrange their 1975 album ‘Indiscreet’. They were looking to expand their sound outside of the conventional rock band format and knew of Tony’s skills as an instrumental arranger. Ron’s latest songs leant themselves to orchestral experimentation and Visconti provided the brothers with marching bands, fiddle hoe-downs, big band jazz and chamber orchestras to fit the mood of each song. and accompanying the track This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us:- In the same year that Visconti produced the Seahorses, (a new band looking for its first hit), he was back working with a duo he’d first met over 20 years earlier. The original 1974 classic single (kept off No. 1 by Rubettes ‘Sugar Baby Love’) was produced by Muff Winwood. When, in 1997, the Mael brothers revisited their song repertoire for the album ‘Plagiarism’, they contacted their old friend Visconti to provide a number of arrangements to give an unusual twist to a greatest hits compilation. Alongside ‘Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth’,‘Something For The Girl With Everything’ and others, Visconti arranged and conducted this string orchestral version. It includes a verse not heard on the groundbreaking original single – “Choosing, the girl is choosing……”