I really enjoyed this episode of "The First Time," a video series that Rolling Stone has been doing where they ask musicians a series of "first time" questions.
In this one, they ask Todd about his first instrument (a Korean-made acoustic guitar that retailed for $25 ), his first performance (Ricky Nelson's "Lonesome Town" at an elementary school talent show), and his first synth (an EMS)
One of the cool stories he tells was about producing Grand Funk Railroad's We're An American Band album. The title single was the first thing they recorded, on the first day. The recording studio had a mastering lab and they immediately made a master and sent it to the plant to press radio copies. There wasn't even a B-side, so the record was sent to DJs one-sided. They immediately started playing it and by the end of the week, the song was in the top 25. By the time they'd finished recording the album, , the song was in the top 5, and soon after that, it went to #1.
Image: Screengrab
