Katy Perry, The Ramones, and TLC: The Producer's Take with Max Rauch

Producer Max Rauch said one of these artists ruined his week. Can you guess which?

I love coming across a song and sending it to my friend Max Rauch to see what he thinks about it. I know he often assumes I’m doing this to annoy him, making him suffer through a terrible song just to see what witty remark he’ll come up with. While that is the case sometimes, the main reason is because Rauch has an incredible ear. One of the finest producers in New Jersey, Rauch knows how to cut to the heart of a song with only a few words.

These conversations have inspired a new series here at Can’t Get Much Higher. I’m calling it “The Take.” This will see musical luminaries weigh in on three unrelated recordings. The goal is to give readers insight into how professionals listen to music. Along the way, I hope you find a few songs that you like and a few takes that make you irate. In the inaugural edition of this series, Rauch will weigh in on "Unpretty" by TLC, "My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" by the Ramones, and "Never Really Over" by Katy Perry. Take it away, Max!

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“Unpretty” by TLC

This song is burned into my brain because my older sister had the CD and played it in the family station wagon until it scratched and skipped. The melody and chord progression remind me of “MMMBop”by Hanson, another song from the same era that my sister drove us all crazy with.

I’m kind of surprised with how much guitar is featured on this song. (The solo is exceptionally cheesy and the electric guitar tone is very questionable 😂 ). The chorus however is very strong melodically, and the lyrical message is nice. Good backing vocals too! I enjoy this a lot more than I remember. Solid track that works really well in spite of some odd stylistic choices.

“My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg)" by the Ramones