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The unexpected way Jeff Lynne landed his first producing job: “That’s how I became a producer”
Jeff Lynne’s first official producing job came after he taught himself recording techniques at home rather than through formal studio training. The ELO founder said that experimenting with a Bang & Olufsen tape recorder gave him the confidence to offer to produce the Idle Race’s second album, beginning a career that later included work with major artists.
Lynne had joined the Idle Race when it made its 1968 album, which was handled by two Advision engineers working part-time as producers. At home, he repeatedly bounced instruments and harmonies between the recorder’s two tracks, creating up to around 20 layered parts but also accumulating tape hiss; he said this process taught him how arrangements and recording worked. When the band was invited to make another album, he volunteered to produce it, and received his first official production credit.
In short
- Home recording experiments led to Lynne’s first production credit.
- He produced the Idle Race’s second album.
- Tape bouncing taught him early studio techniques.
Explained simply
Jeff Lynne is an English musician who founded Electric Light Orchestra, known as ELO. Before that, he played in the Birmingham band the Idle Race, which released its first album in 1968.
Making a record involves arranging performances and capturing them in the studio. Lynne had no formal studio training, but practised at home with a two-track tape recorder, layering instruments and harmonies by copying recordings between tracks. This gave him experience with the process and led to his first official producing credit on the Idle Race’s second album.