Earlier this year, the legendary producer, songwriter, and seven-time GRAMMY-winning musician, announced his return to WMG in a career-spanning licensing deal covering a prolific thirty-five-year period. Lanois’ acclaimed debut album, Acadie, was originally released on Opal/Warner in 1989. In addition to new unreleased works, the deal brought fourteen catalog albums to Warner, including For The Beauty of Wynona (1993), Shine (2003), Rockets (2004) and Flesh And Machine (2014). In February, Lanois marked the return with the release of “Grace,” an evocative reinterpretation of the classic folk hymn “Amazing Grace,” featuring the timeless voice of Aaron Neville. With “Grace,” Lanois created music that feels sonically and emotionally expressive of our present times.
One of the world’s most influential music makers, Lanois emerged onto the global scene in the 1980s, collaborating with Brian Eno on a series of experimental and groundbreaking ambient albums, culminating in 1983’s Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. His work in the early 80s with Eno and musicians such as Harold Budd and Jon Hassell ushered in new vistas of sonic possibility, leveraging the studio-as-instrument and employing pioneering production techniques to create immersive worlds of sound. From here, Lanois applied his questing creative spirit into a remarkable series of collaborations, producing timeless albums and commercial high-points with U2 (The Unforgettable Fire, Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can’t Leave Behind), Peter Gabriel (So, Us), Bob Dylan (Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind), Robbie Robertson (Robbie Robertson), Neville Brothers (Yellow Moon), Emmylou Harris (Wrecking Ball), Willie Nelson (Teatro) and Neil Young (Le Noise) to name a few. The impact of Lanois’ production work has been vast, echoing for decades through the sound of contemporary popular music. Rolling Stone cited Lanois as “the most important producer to emerge in the 80s,” and his studio sound and style have influenced a countless number of artists.
Never idle, Lanois remains ceaselessly creative in-studio, crafting new works and collaborating with artists on yet to be released projects. Recently he joined longtime friend and collaborator Willie Nelson at Willie’s Luck Reunion.
Composed and performed by: Daniel Lanois
Produced by: Daniel Lanois & Wayne Lorenz
Cap Négre
At The Foot of The Skyway Bridge
Inside The Walls of Puebla
Snow Lake
Marionette
Canadian National
The Black Sea
Advent
Warp Sustain
The Crossing
Temple Drums
Steel Mill
Silver Orchestra 2
Early Days
Daniel Lanois – “Steel Mill”
Personnel
Drums - Jermaine Holmes
Bass - Jim Wilson
Piano - Daniel Lanois
Pedal Steel - Daniel Lanois
Dub Orchestration - Daniel Lanois
Listen to 'Steel Mill' below.