Getting the Mix Just Right

I grew up with the name Tom Werman. I don’t recall if I saw it first on a Dokken cassette or maybe it was Motley Crue, but the prolific producer was as real to the ten-year-old me as any of the musicians on those tracks. So I was excited to read his new memoir Turn It Up: My Time Making Hit Records in the Glory Days of Rock Music (Featuring Motley Crue, Poison, Twisted Sister, Jeff Beck, Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick, and More). Keyword heavy, SEO maximized title aside, the book is a fun, quick read about someone who shaped the music that I loved.

Werman started as a label executive and moved into production. Along the way, he helped introduce REO Speedwagon, Boston, Cheap Trick, and Ted Nugent to the world. In the studio, he produced the likes of the folks mentioned in the book title, as well as Molly Hatchet, Krokus, Lita Ford, and others. In total, Werman worked on twenty-three gold or platinum selling albums.

Perhaps the strongest part of Turn It Up is Werman’s explication of songs (what makes them good, what makes them bad), the recording process, producing, and mixing. Werman interestingly points to songs that he did not work on as examples of artistic choices. For example, he identifies a Foo Fighters song that he would have handled different, to put a different spin on Dave Grohl’s vocals. Werman acknowledges that his alternative take might have been better, or it might have been worse. So much of art is, obviously, subjective.

Werman’s tales of backstage with the musicians are fun, but light. If you’re a fan of these bands, you probably know most of the excess. The bookshelf is full of those tales of decadence. If sordid details are what you’re after, turn to one of those other titles.

But if you’re interested in an honest recount of the era, Tom Werman’s Turn It Up more than succeeds. He is refreshingly honest about his career after trends shifted away and it’s nice to learn about his current career as the proprietor of a bed-and-breakfast.