Radioshow Disc: THE PRODUCERS Jimmy Iovine LP

Side 1 contains tracks from Lennon,
Springsteen and Patti Smith.

Radioshow LPs (and CDs) are also my target of collecting although I am not so enthusiastic as in collecting official rare records. Certain particular radioshow discs carry rare songs that are otherwise unavailable through regular releases (one of the good examples is the KING BISCUIT FLOWER HOUR program releases). So, the main reason to collect these discs is to obtain such tracks as live versions of officially released studio tracks or unreleased songs. However, even if nothing special in terms of featured tracks, these radioshows are enjoyable to me because listening to these records often gives an opportunity to feel a familiar song in fresh and different ways.

Top of the three-page info sheet

Here what I introduce is an example of such radioshow discs titled "THE PRODUCERS" which, according to the lead by DJ, is a series of the radio program spotlighting the most famous record producers in music history. This particular single LP features Jimmy Iovine, the recording engineer of such classic albums like BORN TO RUN and DARKNESS, and culls one song from each LP (Thunder Road and Prove It All Night). Also included are nine songs performed by other artists for whom he has worked mainly as producer or engineer such as John Lennon, Patti Smith, Tom Petty, Dire Straits, and Stevie Nicks. Broadcasted in Canada probably sometime in 1980s (no air date indicated on the accompanying 3-page information sheet).

Each side has various excerpts of interviews with Iovine that are scattered in between songs. The last half on Side 1 is devoted to his relationship with Springsteen where you can hear his talk about how he got to join the recording session of BORN TO RUN, introducing Thunder Road as the very first song he has heard as the album engineer. Before and after Prove It All Night, he also reminisces about those hard-working days engineering DARKNESS in the day time and producing Patti Smith's LP in the night, which has yielded her version of a Top 20 hit in 1978, Because The Night (last track on Side 1).

This vinyl LP seems to be fairly rare (at least I have never seen any other copy except my own) and remains one of my favorite radioshow releases.