Ted Templeman: A Platinum Producer’s Life in Music

At first, I hesitated about reading this book, simply because I’m doing research for a rock star romance series that I’m writing, and my inspiration is with Van Halen, specifically, with Eddie. But then I realized that if I restrict myself to one band in conducting my research, that I’m really limiting the scope of my knowledge on the subject. And I’m so glad that I read this engrossing, in-depth biography. From the first page, I was interested. Ted talks about his namesake, his Uncle, who went off to war and was presumed dead, and his parents decided to name their unborn child after him, as a tribute. Then, some time later, when Uncle Ted returned from the war, he had many stories to share, some that Ted also shares in this book. Ted had a very intriguing upbringing, growing up basically in the woods, subject to hunters, guns, and all sorts of unsafe things, but in a child’s eye, were viewed as adventures. Ted was also exposed to music, with family members that owned a record store, where he later worked. He learned to play just about every instrument imaginable, and he played well enough to start his own band, which lit the flame for his passion in the recording industry. While watching greats like Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and a handful of others record the songs that made history, Ted discovered the way that a recording studio ticks, and he fell in love with making a song sound like its own animal, its own being, and to have its individual personality. As we move on into the politics and how Ted climbed the corporate ladder, starting as a demo tape listener, I found it very interesting to learn the ins and outs of the industry. Soon, Ted found his bearings with artists such as the Doobie Brothers, Van Morrison, Carly Simon, Aerosmith, and of course, Van Halen, to name a few. Ted’s influence on Van Halen was pivotal. For one, he was one of the people who discovered Eddie and the band, and he truly felt that he’d never heard such a high calibre of guitar playing skills. If it weren’t for Ted’s word and passion for the band, they would have never gotten their first recording contract. Also, it’s important to note, that if it hadn’t been for Ted’s ear and serendipitous timing, Eddie’s infamous guitar solo, ‘Eruption’, would never have been discovered or recorded. Ted happened to be walking into the back of the recording studio when Eddie was warming up for a session, and the solo was recorded raw, at that moment, and history was made. After reading Ted’s story, I have a true appreciation for how a song sounds, and the lengths that producers and engineers (whom I never knew existed until I read this book) have to go to, to make a song pop, and to be successful. The nuances of different artists and genres, as well as the industry itself. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an informative, honest, intriguing and unique story about someone’s life and career, or anyone who is interested in what truly happened when the story ended between Van Halen and David Lee Roth and with Ted himself, from Ted’s perspective. A great read. And I learned a lot, too!

Is there a Ted Templeman sound? Well, towards the end of this account, he lets on that it's about his past life as a percussionist/drummer with Harpers Bizarre and the use of timbales, congas and percussion that runs across the outstanding work from the Doobies, Little Feat, Nicolette Larson and others. But his repeated axiom across this work is to 'let the artists be who they are' - instead of stamping his style on them. That kind of approach, worked out with his longtime collaborator Don Landee, is pretty consistent across his recordings and stories. And it's reflected in the style here, which is uhboastful, doesn't go over the top with stories about sex and drugs and weirdness, and keeps a consistent eye and ear on the music and, as importantly, on the physical, sonic and cultural places of the various studios in LA, Berkeley, NYC, and yes, in Eddie Van Halen's rec room. The book is filled with new insights and comments that will reframe your listening (to Pat Simmons' electric finger picking counterpoint to Tom Johnston's rocking powerchords; to the incredibly innovative and sneaky bass playing of Tiran Porter; to Richie Hayward's dual lead/harmony vocals with Lowell George and Ry Cooder's presence everywhere; to David Lee Roth's lyrics and Brad Whitford's rhythm guitar; to how the dual drumming of the Doobies worked; to the versatility of Bill Payne), and substantive comments and tips on studio recording (from mic placement, to how to deal with dead rooms, especially on the recording of drums, and how to keep singers from jumping around too much) to the details of amplifier selection (e.g., getting Clapton off the Les Paul/dual Pignoses, and onto Lowell's favorite strat/Bassman/Bandmaster combo). So the amount of idiosyncratic cool musical, gear, technique commentaries here is richer than producer accounts by John Simon, Glyn Johns and even some of the George Martin/Geoff Emerick lore. Across the stories, you get a sense that Templeman is sticking as close to his remarkable memory as possible, in part because he does toss in the occasional producer's secret boasting accomplishment: where he doubled Little Feat's rhythm section over a drum machine; or the times he did all the background vocals with Mike McDonald or played the drums himself on 'What a Fool Believes' because nobody else seemed to grasp the concept and time signature changes. Finally, without dwelling on the awfulness or lapsing into self-confessional, he does little to disguise when his own substance abuse got in the way, where his judgements were simply bad and 'he let the artists down'. So this book succeeds, in part, because of its straightforward focus on the music and its simple, unpretentious approach. Ted and his coauthor Greg Renouf have done a very straightforward, readable job. Bravo.

Santa Cruz-born Ted Templeman is a rock god. A natural multi-instrumentalist with a distinctive voice, his Bay Area-based “Beatles on the Beach” band, The Tikis, got signed by famous SF DJ Tom Donahue’s Autumn Records label (produced by Sly Stone, there he is again!), which got sold to Warner Brothers, which led to work with legendary producer Lenny Waronker as a member of the hit-making Harpers Bizarre machine, which meant working with Randy Newman, Harry Nilsson, Van Dyke Parks and the Wrecking Crew. Along the way, Ted saw the Beatles backstage at the Cow Palace and Candlestick. Hanging out at “the Bunny” (allusion to the Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny franchise where he would work for 38 years), Ted visited a recording session where Frank Sinatra browbeat a producer, and Ted introduced his girlfriend to Elvis at Western Recorders studio. Ted then discovered and produced the Doobie Brothers, was asked to produce Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey, where he discovered Ronnie Montrose, then produced (at various times) Nancy Sinatra, Todd Rundgren, Little Feat, Captain Beefheart, Nicolette Larsen, Carly Simon, Linda Ronstadt (and hangs with Jerry Brown), Sammy Hagar, Bette Midler and even Joan Jett. Oh, and he signed and produced Van Halen’s many multiplatinum records. Does that check enough boxes for you? I was really looking forward to this book, written with “Van Halen Rising” author Greg Renoff, because Ted Templeman was playing in the burgeoning Bay Area scene in the mid-60s when I was still in junior high. While I don’t recall seeing or hearing the Tikis, Ted’s recalling of the radio stations, the venues, even the streets of Santa Cruz and the Bay Area all evoke my awakening to rock music in that era. And Ted’s telling resonates with a lot of the atmosphere I remember about Santa Cruz — the old Italian fishing, farming and restaurant community, as well as the steep, forested Santa Cruz Mountains hunching over the beach town that became a surfing capital and later a counterculture convergence zone. But Ted’s book is not a perfectly happy tale about growing up in paradise, being musically gifted, and becoming a legendary rock producer. There’s a drunken, violent uncle to be avoided while dad and mom are out playing in bands at various functions. There’s wild animals in the mountains, rattlesnakes and .22-bearing neighbors to be avoided — miles from any help. As a teen he crashes a Corvette and barely survives. Trying to make it in LA, his quick-hop flight to SF is hijacked to Denver and then is shaken by FBI insinuations that he was involved. There is a lost decade or so after he is fired from Warner Bros. and struggles with drug and alcohol addictions. On the other hand, there’s a grampa who owns a piano franchise and a musical instrument and record store in downtown Santa Cruz. An open-minded grampa who plays young Ted all the classical and opera classics, but also the big band and jazz classics, including all the Okeh 78s and other “race” records of Louis Armstrong and Louis Jordan. And there’s Ted’s hip military uncles who always had new cars (and helped him get that Corvette) squiring his barely teen self off to many great jazz concerts of the 50s in the area, including Stan Kenton and his bands. But most of all it was the lady-killing Chet Baker at the Santa Cruz Civic in 1954, whom Ted spent the rest of the decade trying to emulate, learning bop on the trumpet and donning hip threads as a “jazzbo.” There’s a certain well-offness implied during his young life, as in a flight to Hawaii on a prop-jet surfing safari before the Beach Boys were a thing, and also a 1962 UK and European tour in a VW Bus, before the Beatles and Mary Poppins, or even “The Sound of Music” were a thing. Talk about good timing (in every sense of the phrase). But the book doesn’t disappoint on behind-the-scenes flair, is well-written and paced, and is literally stuffed with insider stories, from Van Morrison fighting off a pair of street toughs in the streets of San Francisco to Neil Young and George Harrison in attendance at Warner Bros. A&R staff meetings to all-week sessions at the Van Halen enclave. And Ted tells of working on tons of records, even the Wayne’s World soundtrack. Still, Ted exhibits some humility -- his lost decade after he got fired from the Bunny in 1998 for one -- and displays loyalty and fondness for his many longtime associates and musicians who lived to get their music out as he lived to help them to do just that.

I had been putting off buying this book for years and finally bought it this year. I'm glad I finally did because it is a great read. Ted has some great personal stories that he shares and his perspective on working with the musicians is definitely very cool insider stuff. He lets the reader know that despite all their success he and the musicians are just regular people too with faults/demons of their own. As as somebody who lives in the South Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area (lifelong Bay Area resident) it was really cool to be familiar with all the local venues and cities he talked about.

I was 16 years old in 1973, just started playing bass in a local band up in Michigan, when the first Montrose album came out - it was like, OMG, what is this?! Certainly one of the best debut albums of all time, and so influential over all of these years. My introduction to Ted Templeman, and Donn Landee. Sure, if you're a die-hard VH or Doobie fan, you'll absolutely love the stories behind the albums and scenes, but I especially enjoyed reading about his early days with Van Morrision - that was new, refreshing and most captivating. I also had no idea that he was such a prolific musician - very interesting read about his early band days as a drummer and singer. Now i have just a couple of minor quibbles, certainly not enough to knock my rating down, but I wish Ted would've talked more about Montrose the band, and Ronnie Montrose himself. I believe there were 5-6 pages devoted to this band, and I was disappointed with this, because even though it may not have been a long lasting band with Mr. Hagar, you can't deny the legendary status of this iconic album, for me, probably even more influential than the debut VH1 album. Man, I remember the first time I cranked up Rock Candy, I'm pretty sure I destroyed my cheap Radio Shack speakers with that opening kick bass drum! What a production on that album. Speaking of VH1, that has to be one of the best, sonically produced albums of all time - no denying that - a perfect, powerful mix. Second, the ending seemed just a bit rushed and unfinished. Mr. T really started to talk about his downward spiral with substance abuse issues with about 8 pages left in the book. That was sad to read, sort of a downer near the end of this book for me, I could've used another final chapter, sort of a closure/final thoughts/"what am I up to now" type of finish. I would love to know what Ted thinks of today's music, production techniques, etc. But hey, these are JMO's - again, not enough to knock the ratings. It was a fascinating read, and it's making me re-listen to all of his works, especially with Don Landee. Hell, I had Nicolette Larson playing on Spotify one day this past weekend. Totally forgot how good she was. Yeah, get this book, you won't be disappointed, especially if you grew up in this era!

Intended or not, Templeman comes across as a new next-door neighbor who introduces himself and over a beer begins telling fascinating stories. In a conversational and warm style, each tale told is interesting and insightful. Just the facts, no ego. Your reaction is that you are glad you recently restocked your beer supply. This book takes us into the recording studio and gives us several different perspectives. Templeman was a performer, spectator, engineer, and artist A&R man, all of which led to a longtime goal of record producer. If you are a music fan, it is a worthwhile peek into all that it takes to get a record or disc in your hands. If you like rock history, there are tales of Harpers Bizarre. If you are Doobie Brothers or Van Halen, this is a must read about their recordings. But all of this comes after the book opens with a narration about the uncle whose name Templeman carries. An uncle who was aboard the USS HOUSTON when it was sunk by the Japanese. Reported missing while spending the rest of WWII as a prisoner of war, his name is passed on with no knowledge if he is alive or dead. Again, just the facts, no ego. One of the more interesting and readable books by a record producer. After reading this book, we know Templeman likes to pass credit around to those have worked with him. So a nod to his "literary engineer," Greg Renoff.

Incredible book! – just full of facts about much of the soundtracks of my life. This is the guy that gave us Van Halen , the Doobie Brothers and many others. Really gives a great insider view of what record producer has to do make great records. Sounds like one cool dude as well. This is one of those books where I’m actually sad when I finish it-highly recommend it.!🎸

I never liked to see "Produced by Ted Templeman" on an album. Not because I didn't like his style, but because we had such completely divergent tastes in music. "Produced by Ted Templeman" meant I was going to hate it, whatever "it" might be, even though I might grudgingly admit the production values were impressive. I literally own *one* "Produced by Ted Templeman" record in my extensive collection - Nicolette Larson's first, and more because of her than because of him. But I collect record producer memoirs, so here I am. And much to my surprise, this book is far more engaging than I expected. He does in this book what most other producers don't do: gives PLENTY of tricks of the trade; gives PLENTY of credit to others who deserve it; and freely, wryly admits his mistakes. It's a very engaging and readable memoir. So even if you hate almost every band he ever produced, and hated the whole WB house hippie/So. Cal soft rock thing, if you're a production wonk, you need to read this book. The sumb__h even had me streaming bits of old DOOBIE BROTHERS tracks to hear what he was illustrating, which shouldn't be theoretically possible without an AK-47 aimed at my head. So, more grudging respect for a really good read from a really good producer with really unforgivable taste in music! :-)

Todo perfecto

If your want a Van Halen book you need. Also get Van Halen Rising. Greg Renof takes you back to our youth. Cudos Greg!!!

Ted made more great music than anyone in the peak of the classic rock era. In the book he explains how. I strongly suggest that you have a set of headphones and a music search app, listen to the tracks and read how they were produced, the amazing quality of his sonic recording, unique for each artist. Well written and very educational.

Husband like it, so a success in my books.

面白く読めました 英語のレベルも高くありません キンドルの辞書機能を数回使いましたが 紙の本で辞書なしでもOKでしょう ニコレット・ラーソンっていましたね ヒット曲は元彼のニール・ヤングの曲だったのか ３曲目はギターがエディーVH PRIMEで聴けたので確認したら へ～～～～でした