Steve Albini Was an Icon of Punk-Rock Purity--but He Also Showed How You Could Evolve

There's a quote by the legendary producer Steve Albini, whose death, of a heart attack at age 61, was announced earlier Wednesday, that's been rattling around in my head for so many decades that it's been paraphrased beyond recognition, or at least the reach of search engines. It goes, vaguely, like this: There is nothing better than the sound of a drum kit in an empty room. As a producer, Albini, who recorded albums by Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Pixies, the Breeders, and hundreds of others, was renowned as an icon of punk-rock purity, one who approached the process of making albums and the business of selling them with the same uncompromising approach. When Nirvana was overwhelmed by the runaway success of their major-label debut, Nevermind, they turned to Albini for the follow-up, In Utero, hoping that his abrasive approach would help reduce their fan base to a more manageable level. Instead of jumping at the chance to work with the hottest band in the world, Albini responded with a lengthy letter outlining the circumstances under which he would, and would not, make an album with them.