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2. Sonic Youth – Dirty (1992)

In the wake of Nevermind, Vig was the most respected producer on the planet. As his phone rang off the hook, he hit the Magic Shop in New York city to tame the rough edges of mid-period Sonic Youth.

Butch Vig says:

"It's important to understand how a drummer plays – do they hit the cymbals loud, or do they play the fills louder than the groove? Steve Shelley is amazing in the way he fits into the symphonic sound that Sonic Youth make. Often, he'll play drums more as a pulse than a clearly defined part. He glues it all together."

"Dirty was recorded on an old radio broadcast console, and cut in a smaller room," Butch Vig

"Dirty was recorded on an old radio broadcast console, and cut in a smaller room, where we tracked a lot of things live with the band playing in a circle round Steve's kit. Again, a simple set-up."

"Over the years, I've found that the fewer mics you use, the better the sound is going to be."

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