By way of tribute to Bob Johnston, whose death was confirmed over the weekend, we thought we’d post John Robinson’s substantial interview from Uncut issue 202. Here, the producer looks back on his groundbreaking work with Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen among others... ---------- Such ...
HOW TO BUY BOB JOHNSTON…
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL
Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme
COLUMBIA, 1965
For all his professed leaving well alone, Paul Simon’s songs were here treated to some evocative reverb, delicate harpsichord and the occasional bongo. A harmonious relationship.
JOHNNY CASH
Live at Folsom Prison
COLUMBIA, 1969
“Hello, I’m Johnny Cash…” Cash’s gnomic opening remark was apparently Johnston’s idea – no big build up, straight to the heart of the matter. Whatever: Johnston’s fixing (“the governor of Folsom was the first to answer…”) gave Cash his (first) career rebirth.
BOB DYLAN
Blonde On Blonde
COLUMBIA, 1966
Johnston as producer, pitch-maker and personnel manager. Recorded with minimal rehearsal, Dylan calls the tune, suggests the mood – Johnston calls the players, and rolls tape. Result? That “thin, that wild mercury sound…”
JOHNNY CASH
The Holy Land
COLUMBIA 1969
Cash and wife June travel to retrace the steps of Jesus. Sensibly, Johnston doesn’t go with them. Instead, on their return, he splices together their documentary audio pieces along with Cash’s (mainly Nashville-taped) religious songs.
How Long Does It Take To Record A Masterpiece?
BLONDE ON BLONDE
CHARLIE McCOY: “Johnston said, ‘Tonight he wants to do a song with a salvation army sound – we need a trumpet and trombone.’ I said, ‘does the trumpet need to be good?’ He said, ‘No!’ I kept track: it took 40 hours to cut Blonde On Blonde.”
JOHN WESLEY HARDING
CHARLIE McCOY: We did John Wesley Harding in nine and a half hours. It was basically just the three of us. Me, Dylan and Kenny Buttrey – I was playing the bass now. Dylan had all the songs and knew his part, it was, “Let’s do this…”
NASHVILLE SKYLINE
CHARLIE DANIELS: “Bob Johnston said, “I’ve got another guitar player coming in.” And Bob Dylan said. “I don’t want another guitar player, I want Charlie.” I think he had booked 15 sessions for Nashville Skyline; we used eight or nine. It went like clockwork: Bob would play, I would fall in, we’d turn the machine on and record it.”
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