Martin Rushent, R.I.P.
Martin Rushent, the British music producer who worked with the likes of the Stranglers, XTC, and the Buzzcocks, passed away on Saturday. Rushent's watershed moment likely came when he produced the Human League's Dare, which spawned the still-pretty-inescapable "Don't You Want Me" (above); this 2010 interview about the genesis of that track is a pretty great read (apparently Human League lead singer Phil Oakey's silky voice sounded especially great when recorded in the bathroom; "you get a sort of live, boxy resonance" in the loo thanks to all that tile, Rushent noted). Friend of SOTC Ned Raggett has collected YouTube clips of Rushent's other production credits, including the Go-Go's "Turn To You" (he produced their album Talk Show, which also includes the sterling "Head Over Heels") and Altered Images' "Happy Birthday." Rushent was 63.
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