Brendan O'Brien

So some nights, he'd head off by himself, drive into nearby San Francisco, and just sleep in his truck overnight, just to stay connected to his past and his original motivations to overcome it.

Producing the new album was Brendan O'Brien, who had mixed their debut album, but who had since graduated to the role of producer.

Producing the debut album by Stone Temple Pilots, O'Brien's goal from the outset was to capture on tape the kind of savage energy that Pearl Jam had become known for live.

He had them record together in the studio as one unit.

So that's been, but it's definitely rotating.

I mean, there's times where I'll throw, I can throw on a Miracle album and go, man, I love the production on that, getting to work with Brendan O'Brien.

I can pull up the time album and go, man, that was something really special.

We first got to go record in Southern tracks and first time we had Scotty playing on a record.

There's a loneliness to it.

And I believe, was it Brendan who said this Pearl Jam song? You know, and far be it from me.

He's a smart man.

To question the great Brendan O'Brien.

Gosh, I don't know.

I don't want to say it loses something when the whole band gets behind it.

Just don't think it belongs on lightning bolts.

Right.

This one's done very well.

Brendan O'Brien did the remaster as well, if I believe.

Yeah, Brendan

O'Brien.

...

when we, uh, kinda tapped our producer for this record, Brendan O'Brien.

Um, so the- we wrote the whole thing kinda out in nature together, and then tapped Brendan O'Brien and ended up recording the final, uh, recordings you hear on the record in Los Angeles-

Mm

... uh, at a studio with him.

Mm-hmm.

It sounds live.

Um, but that was really, like, when we started talking to Brendan O'Brien, who is a legendary producer who has accomplished that feat with multiple artists, where it feels like a live, raw performance.

So Ed says thank you to everyone and shouts out the Murder City Devils who opened and drank beer with Ed.

And he says Brendan O'Brien is in attendance.

Some of you real fans who have the bootlegs know that the demos sound like shit, so you know demos have something to do with it.

And another guy we learned from along the way was a guy named Young Neil, so we're gonna play one of his songs to end the night.

Terry Date produced the track with the band.

Brendan O'Brien handled the mix.

Scott Borland is Wes's brother.

He contributes some keyboards.

I will say I'm the Ocean's Good, Tom.

Looking into the thing, I mean, I think I have a pretty good explanation for why it sounds the way it does, which is it's a Brendan O'Brien record.

I didn't know that until – looking at this.

Okay, what does that mean? I don't know who Brendan O'Brien is.

Brendan O'Brien is like the hit maker of the 1990s.

So let me read you some Brendan O'Brien records.

So Vitology is one of them.

He did the Black Crowes Shake Your Money Maker.

Famously, it was recorded not in a studio, but in a, a, a mansion that was rented by, uh, rock super producer Rick Rubin, who serves as the main producer of this album.

Uh, and it was in fact, a little side note here, interesting to learn that, uh, another notable rock producer, Brendan O'Brien, also contributed as well.

So I mean, with two heavy hitters on this album, you know you got something special with Rick Rubin and Brendan O'Brien contributing to the, the record itself.

But, uh, but anyways, at the behest of Rick Rubin, they rented a historic mansion in Laurel Canyon here in LA, uh, known simply as The Mansion, and apparently, uh, uh, famous m- uh, m- magician, Harry Houdini, uh, had lived in this mansion before.

So I guess it had, like, an eerie vibe to it.

Uh, and again, that's another example of something like this happening because of their location being in a mansion rather than a traditional recording studio.

So I thought that was kinda fascinating, kinda cool.

And one other fact I wanted to bring up about this particular song, it features contributions from, uh, mega rock producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked on this album, along with Rick Rubin.