Michael Wagener

Thu

Jan

Decibel Geek - Michael Wagener on SKID ROW

Artist:

Skid Row

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Categories:

Podcasts & Radio

Producer Michael Wagener Looks Back on Slave to the Grind (AUDO)

Famed rock/metal producer Michael Wagener appears on the latest episode of the Decibel Geek podcast to reflect on his experience producing Skid Row’s ‘Slave to the Grind’ for their Albums Unleashed series.

Slave to the Grind, recorded at New River Studios in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and Scream Studios in Studio City, CA, made history on June 11, 1991 when it became the first heavy metal album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 during the Soundscan era. In this discussion, Wagener details the process of making the album including pre-production that took place in New Jersey, where things got off to a promising start:

“Before we went to Florida, we went into a fairly big studio in Jersey and pretty much recorded the whole record. We made a good demo so to speak. The funny thing is, the song ‘Slave to the Grind’ is from that session. It was recorded and mixed in an hour; and that’s what you’re hearing on the record. It was not even remixed. One hour, it was recorded. Everything is live on there.”

The band then headed to Florida to find a suitable studio to record the album. In this conversation, Wagener describes some of the excess that went on while the band was in the Sunshine State:

“That trip is unforgettable man. It was just crazy. We hung out with Saigon Kick and everybody got extremely drunk. It was a cool weekend. It was very quiet in the limo on the way back to the airport. Heads down, you know? I remember one of the guys puking out the window of the limo. And, then, I see the car behind us putting on the wipers (laughs). It’s rock and roll, man.”

Notable of the album, Slave to the Grind presents a heavier, darker tone in music and in lyrics. In this hour-plus audio discussion, Michael Wagener details the process behind that decision and the effect it had on sales:

“That was the plan. Every band at the time would say ‘Oh our next album is way heavier’ but � we did it. We followed that route. Let’s stick to being Skid Row but let’s make it a little tougher, a little harder. We still had the ballads on there. They were maybe not quite as sappy as on the first record but it also didn’t sell as many copies as the first record because the housewives that like the ballads, they’re buying the records, but it’s still an amazing album.”

While the early 90’s were a period of great success for Skid Row, as many know, the ensuing years provided struggle professionally and personally as a split formed in the band with vocalist, Sebastian Bach, being fired in late 1996. Asked about the eventual animosity that would lead to the split, Wagener offers:

“Young kids becoming extremely famous; that goes to your head. All of a sudden you’re invincible and stuff just happens. And if they think they’re invincible, they do things that might not really work in the end. I think some of that was going on. It wasn’t really good for the band; some of the stuff that was said about record companies, executives, and stuff like that. And then Snake and Rachel had to make up for it and go play golf with the guys y’know? And it got to the point that it got so out of hand that they said ‘You know what? Forget it’ It’s not worth it anymore and all that anger and all that animosity and stuff that we have to deal with; it’s not worth it.’ I talked to Rachel 3 or 4 years later (because I did more records with them) and I said ‘Is it ever gonna happen again?’ and he said ‘No. As long as I have a slice of bread on my table, no.’ I think we could have one at least 2 more massive albums with Skid Row but to them their sanity was more important.”

The entire audio interview can be heard at the links below:

Direct Website Link: http://www.dbgeekshow.blogspot.com/2015/01/albums-unleashed-slave-to-grind.html

Direct MP3 Download Link: http://traffic.libsyn.com/dbgeekshow/Albums_Unleashed_-_Slave_to_the_Grin.mp3

To access the Decibel Geek Podcast please visit http://www.decibelgeek.com

Tags:

Skid Row

Michael Wagener

Sebastian Bach

Fri

Jul

MICHAEL WAGENER INTERVIEW - THE DOUBLE STOP PODCAST

Friday, July 4, 2014

Categories:

Podcasts & Radio

This week the Double Stop Podcast interviews Michael Wagener. He tells them all about his early days as an original member of Accept, joining the army, early work as a producer with Dokken, Great White, Accept and Motley Crue, plus later work with Brighton Rock, Ozzy, White Lion, Extreme and Skid Row. He goes into detail about how he got George Lynch's guitar tone in Under Lock and Key, what happened to his original mixes of Ozzy's Ozzmosis album, and the recording of the kazoo solo for Saigon Kick.

http://thedoublestop.com/ep-20-michael-wagener/

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-double-stop/id818189359?mt=2

http://michaelwagener.com/