Deep Dive: Daniel Lanois, FOR THE BEAUTY OF WYNONA
25 years ago this week, Daniel Lanois released his sophomore effort as a solo artist, earning critical acclaim and firmly establishing him as far more than just a producer turned musician.
After working with Canadian artists like Martha and the Muffins and The Parachute Club in the early ‘80s, the Quebec-born Lanois found his profile shooting sky high in 1984 after he produced U2’s THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE, and it only got higher as he subsequently worked with Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, and The Neville Brothers. By 1989, he was in a position to release an album of his own: ACADIE. With his production responsibilities, however, it would take him another four years to find the time to complete a second album.
“During ACHTUNG BABY, on Sundays I would write songs for my own record,” Lanois told Offbeat. “The U2 record and Peter Gabriel (US) record were happening at the same time. I was sort of going back and forth between the two countries (Germany and England). It seems to be inevitable that that is going to happen to me, because I drift around so much. And it’s not such a bad thing, getting influences from wherever you might happen to be. The constant is yourself and, as the environment changes, that sort of casts other colors onto the songs. It sounds like it would be difficult to be bopping from one thing to the next, but for me it’s all music. Creatively, there’s a connection. The nice thing about going off to do something else for awhile is it provides change, even though it’s still work. A musical change is refreshing for the mind—it’s like a holiday for the brain.”
Warner Brothers gave it their all in terms of trying to sell mainstream audiences on FOR THE BEAUTY OF WYNONA, releasing “Lotta Love to Give,” “Brother L.A.,” and the title track as singles. Granted, some of them were promo singles sent straight to radio, but the point is that they pused these songs and tried to raise their profile to the point where stations would play them. In the end, however, the album failed to shift mass units, leaving it with the reputation of a cult classic.
Still, as long as you’re delivering a classic album, you’re clearly doing something right, which just serves to confirm that Lanois is as gifted with making his own material as he is with producing the work of others.
