After Elliot Mazer’s death on Sunday, Neil Young accessed his website to honor the engineer-producer behind several of Young’s albums.
Young wrote that he met Mazer in Nashville in January 1971, when he was appearing on The Johnny Cash Show and working on your next album, Harvest. “At that time, seeing how many new unrecorded songs I had, Elliot immediately brought together a studio and a group of musicians so I could record,” he recalled. “James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt were in town doing the Johnny Cash Show the following week and came to do the vocals on the recordings that Elliot made. “
“Elliot brought together the band, Kenny Buttrey, Tim Drummond and Ben Keith, with John Harris at the piano. It was a natural sound and we played effortlessly together, ”he continued. “Elliot made it happen and became Harvest. We made more albums, including our series of releases Harvest, American Stars’ n Bars, Hawks and doves, Everyone is swinging, Old methods, Lucky 13 and the “lost” album recently released House madeas well as the concert film Solo Trans.
“A master at the studio, Elliot was a very good guy,” added Young. “He had a great way with him and I wish we could have done more together. I am happy and grateful that we have achieved what we have achieved. Harvest it’s one of my most recognized recordings and it all happened because of Elliot Mazer. Thank you Elliot. Lots of love, bro. “
In the late 60s and early 70s, Mazer took his love of pop and started working on albums like Big Brother and the Holding Company Cheap emotions and the 1970 Ronstadt LP Silk Bag. “He was a mysterious guy to me,” said Ronstadt Rolling Stone. “But I didn’t know what I was doing at the time; I didn’t know how to sing yet. ”Mazer also produced several albums for Gordon Lightfoot, including 1968 Back here on earth and 1969 Sunday Concert, as well as designed the band’s live album in 1978 The Last Waltz.
Mazer died of a heart attack at his home in San Francisco; he was 79 years old. The family asked that all donations be made to MusiCares.