Tribute To Ted Templeman Vols.1 & 2

 

Tribute To Ted Templeman Vols.1 & 2

The idea for this compilation came as a result of reading Ted’s excellent autobiography; Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life In Music (co-authored by Greg Renoff).

Templeman got his start as the singing drummer in the sunshine pop band Harper’s Bizarre, who had a hit with Paul Simon’s The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy).  Ted was taken under the wing of their producer, Lenny Waronker, who shepherded him from rock star, to record producer, and eventually Vice-President of Warner Bros. Records.

The artists he was instrumental in the success of is impressive; Van Morrison, Montrose, Van Halen, The Doobie Brothers, & Little Feat.  Along the way he also produced albums for Aerosmith, Captain Beefheart, Bette Midler, Joan Jett,  Nicolette Larson, Eric Clapton, & (Jokonky mainstays) Cheap Trick.  

KISS' Gene Simmons had paid for VAN HALEN to record demos & shopped them around without success.  Gene couldn’t believe that he couldn’t get them a deal and released them from their agreement.  Their manager Marshall Berle (Milton Berle’s nephew) told Ted Templeman about them.  Ted brought Warner’s CEO Mo Ostin to see the band, signed them, & Ted recorded their first album (in two weeks).  

He produced Van Halen’s first six albums & went along with David Lee Roth when he split from the group.  He wasn’t against Sammy Hagar talking over VH’s vocals, but maintained that it wouldn’t be Van Halen without DLR (& he may have coined the phrase Van Hagar).  The two worked together until Diamond Dave decided against having Templeman produce his Eat ‘Em & Smile album at the last minute—after Ted had turned down helming Aerosmith’s Permanent Vacation to be available to do it.

Van Halen's Ain’t Talking ‘Bout Love is Ted’s favorite of all the tracks he produced.  Ted always worked with (and gave credit to) engineer Donn Landee & said Donn had the idea for Eddie to double his guitar solo with an electric sitar on the track.  The two were usually of the same mind.  When Eddie was playing something he used to warm up—that we now know as the face-melting guitar solo in Eruption—Ted suggested he roll tape, & Donn already had it rolling.

Not that Ted's instincts were infallible.  When Eddie Van Halen first played him the instrumental tracks for the #1 hit Jump, Templeman was underwhelmed.  Even after David Lee Roth wrote the lyrics Ted felt it was a mistake.  Something that Templeman didn’t put in the book was that almost all the backgrounds on the Van Halen albums he produced were sung by Michael Anthony, Ted, & Eddie.  Ted would double Eddie because his voice just wasn’t strong enough.

An earmark of Templeman’s production style was to intermingle members of the bands he recorded--having members of The Doobies & Little Feat back other artists.  Michael McDonald working with Carly Simon, or Eddie Van Halen playing with Nicolette Larson, for instance.  McDonald says working with Templeman “was one of the great experiences of my musical life.  [Templeman], Russ [Titelman] and Lenny [Waronker], to me, were three of the greatest producers that any of us will have ever known."

During the recording of VH's 1984, David Lee Roth asked Templeman to reach out to McDonald when he was struggling to find a melody and lyrics for one of my favorite VH songs; I’ll Wait.  (Until I started reading about its recording online, I didn’t know that it was so divisive among VH-fans…. people either love it or hate it!)  McDonald came through, and the first pressing didn’t credit him as a co-writer, which he had to push to get straightened out, adding ten toes to the tally of those Diamond Dave has stepped on.

So visit the comment section to nab my selections of the most memorable tracks that Ted Templeman & his engineer Donn Landee worked their magic on.  And if your curiosity is whetted by the tracks, I highly recommend Ted’s book!

https://www.alibris.com/Ted-Templeman-A-Platinum-Producers-Life-in-Music-Templeman-Ted/book/47659495?