Martin Rushent RIP

June 7, 2011 10:27 AM

Influential record producer Martin Rushent has passed away. He was 63. Rushent is best known for his work with the Buzzcocks, the Human League, and the Stranglers, though he worked with everyone from Altered Images to Yes. A sampling of his music follows the jump.

Please note that these are in no particular order and in no way reflect my personal taste:

Buzzcocks:
Moving Away From the Pulsebeat
What Do I Get?
Autonomy
Ever Fallen in Love
Paradise
Money
Harmony in My Head
Promises
Lipstick

Pete Shelly:
Homosapien
Telephone Operator

the Stranglers:
Hanging Around
Goodbye Toulouse
Dead Ringer
Bring on the Nubiles
School Mam
Toiler on the Sea
Outside Tokyo
In the Shadows
Threatened

JJ Burnel:
Euroman
Do the European
Euromess
Pretty Face
Crabs

The Human League:
Darkness
Do or Die
Don't You Want Me
You Remind Me Of Gold

The League Unlimited Orchestra:
Love and Dancing
Things that Dreams Are Made Of
Do or Die

Altered Images:
Happy Birthday
I Could Be Happy
Pinky Blue
See Those Eyes

Hazel O'Conner:
Molotov cocktail
D-Days

Shirley Bassey:
Never, Never, Never (engineered by Rushent)

The Members
Radio

Generation X:
Ready, Steady, Go

Compost:
Take Off Your Body
Bwaata

Go-Go's:
Head Over Heels

Leisure Process:
Anxiety

The Pipettes:
Our Love Was Saved By Spacemen


Rushent in the studio with some band called Then Jerico.

posted by item (25 comments total)

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This is a collection of some amazing songs, esp "Ready, Steady, Go", and "Ever Fallen in Love" which are both classics.
posted by josher71 at 10:29 AM on June 7, 2011

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:29 AM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

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(nice obit post)
posted by Lutoslawski at 10:36 AM on June 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

Thanks for the excellent post. Those 1977-1979 Buzzcocks singles are some of the best music of that period by any measure. And the other music, from the Human League to Altered Images, pretty much defined my listening experience during the early 1980s (well, the part that wasn't listening to "urban contemporary" radio, anyway). RIP.
posted by blucevalo at 10:46 AM on June 7, 2011

Good lord, so many songs I love all from the same guy.

And by me "Ready, Steady, Go" is the stand-out among stand-outs, and that I'm listening to right now.

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posted by benito.strauss at 10:51 AM on June 7, 2011

Look, nevermind the Buzzcocks....

Always wanted to say that in context...
posted by inturnaround at 10:55 AM on June 7, 2011

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posted by Meatafoecure at 10:58 AM on June 7, 2011

Wow. That is an impressive list of work, even if not complete. The Buzzcocks/Shelley and Altered Images tracks have always been some of my favorites.

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posted by eyeballkid at 11:03 AM on June 7, 2011 [2 favorites]

Nevermind the Sex Pistols, Martin worked with the Buzzcocks.

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posted by BigHeartedGuy at 11:03 AM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

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posted by Iridic at 11:08 AM on June 7, 2011

Wow...a lot of those Buzzcocks/Gen X/Stranglers tracks were frequent listening for me as a teenager. I think they still hold up pretty well after all these years.
posted by malocchio at 11:11 AM on June 7, 2011

A significant part of the soundtrack of my youth, for sure.

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posted by immlass at 11:25 AM on June 7, 2011

Fond memories of Rushent-munged Altered Images 12" remixes ...
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posted by scruss at 12:11 PM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

Nevermind the Sex Pistols, Martin worked with the Buzzcocks.

Sure, but I assumed that "Look, nevermind the Buzzcocks...." was a reference to the TV show.
posted by juiceCake at 12:34 PM on June 7, 2011

I had no idea until this FPP, but I think Martin Rushent was responsible for one of my favorite semi-guilty pleasures - The Stranglers.

Rushent was totally right. Rattus Norvegicus and No More Heroes are easily The Stranglers best two albums.

God speed, Mr. Rushent.
posted by Xoebe at 12:36 PM on June 7, 2011

Great producer who did the job right during the best musical period of my life. There are a ridiculous amount of Martin Rushent records in my collection. Sad to hear this.
posted by Decani at 12:44 PM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

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posted by Pruitt-Igoe at 1:25 PM on June 7, 2011

What Decani said. All three sentences, spot on.

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posted by bakerina at 1:33 PM on June 7, 2011

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posted by Webbster at 1:35 PM on June 7, 2011

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posted by Kinbote at 2:28 PM on June 7, 2011

Sad news. I've been listening to a lot of Buzzcocks and Pete Shelley lately.

(Though I though Rushent only produced the track "I Could be Happy", while Steve Severin produced the rest of AI's album?.. I kind of prefer them before all that, but obviously they were more successful with "I Could be Happy" than "Dead Pop Stars", though I still think the latter is a better song. )

Anyway, quite a talent. I have listened with great pleasure to many things he produced.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:05 PM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

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posted by HandfulOfDust at 3:28 PM on June 7, 2011

The producer for my life: That evil drum sound on those Joy Division tracks, mythologized in the movie 24 Hour Party People.

(& nice to hear people remembering Altered Images, and all of the other tracks referenced).
posted by ovvl at 6:35 PM on June 7, 2011

ovvl, that'd be the other dead Martin: Martin Hannett.
posted by jdfan at 7:23 PM on June 7, 2011 [1 favorite]

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posted by antihostile at 6:21 AM on June 8, 2011