Former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboard player Benmont Tench has given us another insight into Rick Rubin’s sometimes idiosyncratic studio demands, recalling the time he worked on Johnny Cash’s American IV: The Man Comes Around, which Rubin produced.
Speaking to VultureTench began by saying that Rubin’s philosophy is that “he doesn’t want anything to get in the way of the song,” and this credo came into sharp focus when he was recording his piano parts for Cash’s version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
“It was hard for me to find myself on song because of its simplicity,” remembers Tench. “Rick said, ‘Have a pass on the piano.’ I did my thing. And he said, ‘That’s great. It’s just what I want, but you’re playing too many notes. You need to simplify.’ I simplified. ‘That’s great, but it’s still too much.’ I simplified again. ‘That’s great, but it’s still too much.’ In one spot, I played one note. And he said, ‘That’s great. Do that, but play less and it’ll be perfect.’”
Now, you may have worked out the issue with Rubin’s request here. Tench certainly had, and he was happy to raise it.
“I said, ‘Rick, I’m playing one note, how the hell do I play less?’ He said, ‘I know you can do it.’”
Pep talk concluded, Tench goes on to say that he finally nailed it: “Somehow, I played the note, and I was able to make it quieter. I played so little that I could barely hear myself.”
Sounds frustrating, but Tench suggests that he saw satisfying Rubin as a challenge, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. “Boy, was it fun,” he recalls. “It was like breaking out a puzzle.”
That said, Tench also admits that not everything Rubin suggested went to plan: take the time that he came up with the idea of Johnny Cash singing a rearranged version of Robert Palmer’s Addicted To Love in the stripped-back style that he and Rubin were working in at the time.
“I remember thinking, ‘This is ridiculous,’ says Tench. “We gave it a good shot, and he was very sincere about singing it – he sang it well. But it was what you would expect if you know the song: ‘Might as well face it, you’re addicted to love.’ Johnny finally said, ‘This isn’t working.’ Nobody was bummed or embarrassed. We tried it, but it didn’t work, so let’s try something else.”
