The BBC describes him as a "CD pioneer":

www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-21983894

It seems that Phil Ramone worked with everyone except The Rolling Stones.

However, one source, www.yamaha.com/artists/philramone.html, lists them among his credits:

"Ramone's unique skills make him invaluable to the artists with whom he works. His impeccable list of credits includes collaborations with such diverse artists as: Tony Bennett, Bono, Ray Charles, Chicago, Natalie Cole, John Coltrane, Bob Dylan, Gloria Estefan, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Elton John, Quincy Jones, BB King, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Liza Minnelli, Sinead O'Connor, Luciano Pavarotti, Peter Paul and Mary, Carly Simon, Paul Simon, Frank Sinatra, Phoebe Snow, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, and Barbara Streisand."

His own website does not: www.philramone.com/

Here is an article published in Sound On Sound from 2005 that focuses on Ramone's career and approach to producing:

www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr05/articles/ramone.htm


Phil Ramone's own studio, The Shire, is based around Yamaha digital desks and DAWs from Steinberg and Digidesign.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-03-31 20:40 by stonehearted.

That's a bummer! His book, Making Records, was an enjoyable read.

From Electronic Musician, a 2007 interview with Phil Ramone. At the end of the interview, he describes a studio microphone technique he employed while working with Mick Jagger.

"On those Sinatra sessions, I went to Ireland, and Bono was gonna sing a duet. And Bono said, “Well, tell me what Sinatra did,” and I set it up, not quite the same, but we put big speakers up in front of him. He jumped around on the couch, performed, and I told him the big secret was just to keep your thumb out of the way. There are certain habits artists take from the stage into the studio because they are more familiar with the stage, with how a PA reacts. So we brought in the PA, and I had the system on for him, but it was just an enhancement of his voice, just a little something for the room, and the track was pumping!

You know, it’s just the exact opposite of what you may learn in a proper recording school, but I know from all of the years spent messing around that you have to try things. And I’ve done that in a situation once with Mick Jagger and the hand-held/PA deal. The hand-held mic was what was going to work for him, we pulled in a PA, cranked the speakers up, and everybody said, “Whoa! The leakage. The leakage!” And I said, “I don’t know about you, but this is what the Rolling Stones do, this is what they have learned to sound like.” It’s not about worrying about leakage, or how much bass is on the floor. It’s about getting them in their element."

From: www.emusician.com/features-interviews/0777/an-evening-with-phil-ramone/139357

Very sad...always dug that back cover photo of Billy Joel's "The Stranger" - with Phil in Yankee pinstripes!

SAD WILL BE MISSED,GOD BLESS

Apparently he was 79. Not 72. I just heard about this and I literally couldn't believe that. Didn't know he was sick. An amazing producer.

It says worked with the Stones, as engineer or what?
Carlitos
Tenerife

Quote
carlitosbaez
It says worked with the Stones, as engineer or what?
Carlitos
Tenerife

I have tried locating sources to determine in which capacity he worked with The Stones, and have been unable to find any, except for the paragraph from yamaha.com. He seems to have worked with Mick Jagger, but he is not listed as producer on any of Mick's solo albums. He describes it in the interview above I posted from Electronic Musician--I was surprised to find my post copied and pasted into the comments section of an article from thejournal.ie:

www.thejournal.ie/phil-ramone-dead-851461-Mar2013/

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Andrew Brennan
20 hours ago #
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He had a simple approach to capturing the artist:

From Electronic Musician, a 2007 interview with Phil Ramone. At the end of the interview, he describes a studio microphone technique he employed while working with Mick Jagger.

“On those Sinatra sessions, I went to Ireland, and Bono was gonna sing a duet. And Bono said, “Well, tell me what Sinatra did,” and I set it up, not quite the same, but we put big speakers up in front of him. He jumped around on the couch, performed, and I told him the big secret was just to keep your thumb out of the way. There are certain habits artists take from the stage into the studio because they are more familiar with the stage, with how a PA reacts. So we brought in the PA, and I had the system on for him, but it was just an enhancement of his voice, just a little something for the room, and the track was pumping!

You know, it’s just the exact opposite of what you may learn in a proper recording school, but I know from all of the years spent messing around that you have to try things. And I’ve done that in a situation once with Mick Jagger and the hand-held/PA deal. The hand-held mic was what was going to work for him, we pulled in a PA, cranked the speakers up, and everybody said, “Whoa! The leakage. The leakage!” And I said, “I don’t know about you, but this is what the Rolling Stones do, this is what they have learned to sound like.” It’s not about worrying about leakage, or how much bass is on the floor. It’s about getting them in their element.”

RIP Phil