I know, I know, I’m a total Ethan Johns fanboy. So what? I mean, we could validate the obsession today by mentioning his pair of Grammy nominations for producer and engineer of the year, but that is all diminished, IMO, by news that the Johns-produced Paolo Nutini album, Sunny Side Up, is still pwning the UK album charts almost 8 months following its release last summer.
NME reports that Sunny Side Up is currently the number one album in the UK after remaining in the Top 10 for 20 of its first 35 weeks and snagging the top spot on numerous occasions.
Though I’ll admit that this record really isn’t my thing (“10/10” featuring ?uestlove was kind of a letdown, but “Coming Up Easy” is pretty cool, etc.), it’s great to hear that an all analog, non-Pro Tools record has proven itself to have more legs than a few “studio magic” albums I’ll leave nameless for now.
Here’s hoping that Laura Marling’s upcoming Johns-produced album will keep the analog “straight to tape” streak alive.