> Obviously, we all love Jim as a songwriter, but I'm
> curious to what you guys think of him as a producer.
>
> I always loved his productions. Despite only contributing
> with two songs, I think he managed to get Bonnie's "Faster
> Than..."-album to sound not like he had written every
> single song on it, but at least give every song a unique
> touch. I love "Take Me Back", and I'm also very impressed
> with the reggae-touch on "It's A Jungle" and how he
> actually managed to make "Straight From The Heart" to not
> sound like a karaoke-cover.
>
> Another great example is "My Little Red Book". I find most
> versions of this song hideous and awful, but he really
> pulled it off thanks to mainly the percussion and Ellen
> Foley as vocalist.
I think that Jim's abilities as a Producer is the element that differentiates his works from others most of all. His melodies stand on pedestals in his productions, instead of getting lost in them, and the production depths are in tune with and enhancing to the dramatic-musical effect he wants to portray. He taught me, through his works, that producing isn't only the ability to have the hands on the control console, but to have the ability to communicate the vision, to mold it, and to fight for it. Even if he never did the actual work of the named producer, his input was key. When he developed his skills as a full-on producer, it only made that work easier, because he was able to do the work, instead of sell the work to the other. I do believe that so much more is "produced" by Jim, than is credited. Any shlock could take a divine melody and turn it into trash. Jim takes his ordinary melodies and turns them into divinity.
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