The Pop Corporation

Way back in the summer of 1962, Chicago born Shel Talmy decided he wanted to have a trip to Britain. He intended staying for five weeks. What happened when he found himself there, was that he’d change the course of pop forever. A friend asked him if he could help with the production of some bands, and eventually, Talmy’s sound was the bedrock for a slew of gigantic, evergreen hits.

Talmy was an intuitive producer – being a conduit for how the musicians saw themselves. He didn’t want to impose his tastes on groups per se, but rather, spot what was great about them, and enhance it.

In an interview, Talmy said: “There are two categories of producers. Let me explain. First, one produces an artist the way ‘they’ want to hear to them, without a whole lot of regard to what the artist is really like, or how they see themselves. I’d like to think that I’m in the other category. I liked the artists that I produced – a lot, or else I wouldn’t produce them, and what I wanted to do was enhance what they do already. I just wanted to make it better, more polished, put the best frame around it I could.”

Aged 87, Talmy has passed away, leaving behind an incredible body of work – and we’re going to look at some of the best.

In a pre-prepared statement, it said: “Hi to all, and many thanks to all of you who have been reading my rock stories for all this time, it has been greatly appreciated. Please note, that if you’re reading this now, this is my final vignette, as I am no longer residing on this plane of existence, and have “moved on”, to wherever that may be.”

“I’d like to think there is something beyond where I was to where I am now, assuming that the millions of suppositions as to what is next, are accurate. I’d like to think that I’m thoroughly enjoying my new “residence”, and that the countless rumours that there is a big working “studio in the sky” are true, and that we are, dare I say, making heavenly music!”

“I look forward to meeting some of you in the future who are reading this, but LOL, don’t hurry to get here, I’m not going anywhere!”

Let us look at some of his hits, his curios, and generally pivotal, brilliant productions where he made the groups really sing. Talmy’s name on a record is a sign on quality, so while he’s had a great and long life, let us pay tribute to him by playing these songs as loudly as we can!

THE KINKS ‘DEAD END STREET’

While Talmy would do more famous work with The Kinks (more on that later), one of the most startling works was on ‘Dead End Street’. While the ’60s swung, Ray Davies desperate tale of the down-and-outs of post war England needed someone who understood the brief. Talmy’s dense production, complete with funeral horn part made for one of the defining 45s of the period. Moody, inventive, brutally honest – Talmy’s desk work matched the tone of Davies’ song to perfection.

THE CREATION ‘HOW DOES IT FEEL TO FEEL?’

Talmy’s work with The Creation showed his more experimental chops, allowing the band to play freely in the studio, utilising super compressed guitar, big drums, playing guitar solos with violin bows, baroque orchestras and mega heavy distortion. With the group, Talmy effectively invented Freakbeat – the gateway between mod pop and psychedelic rock. On ‘How Does It Feel To Feel’, Shel paved the way for one of the heaviest songs of the ’60s.

THE WHO ‘MY GENERATION’

One of the defining songs of anyone’s teenage years was, in part, masterminded by Shel Talmy’s superbly raucous job on The Who’s ‘My Generation’. With a combined love of American R&B, the song was loud, brash and immediate. However, it was on Talmy’s insistence that the accidental stutter from Roger Daltrey be kept in the song. Talmy’s work with the group would also provide ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere’ and ‘The Kids Are Alright’.

PENTANGLE ‘TRAVELLIN’ SONG’

Talmy wasn’t solely about R&B stompers – he was at the controls for one of the most influential psychedelic folk records ever recorded. The assembled members of Pentangle wanted to mix R&B with jazz, classical and the blues with their folk, and Shel was just the man for the job. Talmy recorded the group’s first three albums, which included their signature song ‘Light Flight’. On ‘Travellin’ Song’, you can hear everything coming together perfectly and arguably, was Pentangle’s best work.

MANFRED MANN ‘SEMI DETACHED SUBURBAN MR JAMES’

Talmy turned Manfred Mann from a decent beat group around, and pointed them toward their more progressive tendencies and that can be heard on the psychedelic pop of the dripping-in-sarcasm ‘Semi Detached Suburban Mr James’, which sticks a thumb in the eye of middle England, squares and the rest. With trademark tuff-as-old-boots beat, Talmy cracked the mellotron to make for one of the most unusual 45s of the period. It was Manfred Mann, possibly via Shel’s encouragement, who introduced The Beatles to the joys of the mellotron, which of course, would featured prominently on ‘Strawberry Fields (Forever)’.

THE KINKS ‘YOU REALLY GOT ME’

While Talmy was at the desk for ‘Waterloo Sunset’, it is ‘You Really Got Me’ that is his signature song. Perhaps the first punk single, and aped by scores of garage rock musicians Stateside, ‘You Really Got Me’ was a loutish shot in the arm that the pop charts was crying out for. Anyone who has heard the song is still reeling from it, and Shel Talmy was right there, harnessing the wild boys from London.

DAVID BOWIE ‘YOU’VE GOT A HABIT OF LEAVING’

Young David Jones was transforming into David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust, but first, he was determined to be some kind of answer to Keith Relf from The Yardbirds, aping his look, taking his voice off and making R&B records for the London beat scene. Talmy took a gig with the young Bowie for a handful of singles, and soon enough, Bowie would find his feet and transform rock music.

AMEN CORNER ‘(IF PARADISE IS) HALF AS NICE’

Not content with boisterous R&B, Shel could turn his hand to plaintive pop hits. Originally an Italian song, the group and Talmy recorded the song as their debut for the brilliant Immediate Records, and it went to number one for two weeks in February ’69.

GOLDIE & THE GINGERBREADS ‘THAT’S WHY I LOVE YOU’

A hidden gem in the Talmy production backcat, Goldie & The Gingerbreads were the first all-female rock group signed to a major label, anywhere in the world! The toured with the great and good of England’s live music scene, and Talmy produced a bunch of songs for them before work visa issues sent them back to the USA.

THE EASYBEATS ‘FRIDAY ON MY MIND’

Aussie group The Easybeats saw the group addressing the doldrums of the working week, with the song having the verses in a minor key – “Monday morning feels so bad” – releasing into major key joy with the chorus of “Cos I’ll have Friday on my mind!”. Talmy’s perfect production job guaranteed that this working class anthem would be a worldwide hit!

THE ROCKIN’ VICKERS ‘DANDY’

Blackpool’s Rockin’ Vickers are perhaps best known for launching the career of Lemmy, pre Hawkwind and Motorhead, and Talmy got them to do a cover of The Kinks’ ‘Dandy’, a witty ditty about the local heartthrob which is cut with Ray Davies unique mix of admiration and disgust.