Interscope didn't want Lana Del Rey's Ultraviolence to happen

[Xgongiviguess 396]

 

 

Lana Del Rey's new album, Ultraviolence, qualifies as a radical statement from a pop star in 2014 – it's mostly produced by Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, who relies on electric guitar and other live instruments, and none of its eleven tracks sound much like a potential radio hit. And as Auerbach reveals in Rolling Stone's new Del Rey cover story, her major labels (Interscope and the U.K.'s Polydor) were initially resistant to the idea of releasing it.

"There was a lot of bull**** I'm not used to," Auerbach tells senior writer Brian Hiatt. "The label says, 'We're not going to give you the budget to extend this session unless we hear something.' And we send them the rough mix and they ****ing hate it and they hate the way it's mixed. And it's like, 'Thanks, asshole.'… I think Lana put her foot down. Maybe it's normal for her, but it's not normal for me.  Really rubbed me the wrong way.  I got really defensive because I thought it was bull****.

"The story I got told," he continues, "is that they played it for her label person and they said, "We're not putting out this record that you and Dan made unless you meet with the Adele producer. And she said, 'Fine, whatever.' And she was late to the meeting, so while they were waiting, the label guy played what we recorded for the Adele producer and he said, 'This is amazing, I wouldn't do anything to change this.' And here's the kicker: Then all of a sudden, the label guy said, 'Well, yeah, I think it's great, too.'"

Del Rey acknowledges a six-week period this past spring when Ultraviolence was in limbo. "I mean, I think there were people they wanted me to work with," she says. "I don't know who they were. When I said I was ready, they were like, 'Are you sure?'" She laughs. "'Because I feel like you could go further.'"

"I had heard about some back and forth regarding the music," responds Interscope chief John Janick.  "But from the moment I met Lana, I've been of the mindset that she has an instinct that is pretty dead on and as an artist, she is fully formed.  She knows her vision and her audience, and it's up to us to follow her lead on that."

"On this album, in my opinion, you didn't want her to try to do something," adds Janick's predecessor, Jimmy Iovine. "I felt she hit a bull's-eye. Everybody's saying to me, 'We need a single,' calling me from Europe. I said, 'You don't need anything.' It's a very coherent body of work, and thought any other conversation was a distraction."

In any case, the album debuted at Number One in June, selling 182,000 copies – and Auerbach is now a huge fan of his collaborator. "Every criticism that I'd ever heard about her was proven wrong when I was in the studio with her," he says. "From how great the songs were to how confident she is as a musician to her ****ing singing every song live, with a handheld microphone and a seven-piece band. I mean, get the **** out of here, who does that? Nobody does that, there hasn't been a number one pop record that was recorded like that in forty, fifty years."

lmao at how the Adele producer changed the label's mind tho

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-lana-del-rey-fought-to-get-her-radical-ultraviolence-lp-released-20140718

[Yanko 9,860]

not sure if AP OR it was on ggd 

[mucinex 4,260]

not sure if AP OR it was on ggd 

it was ggd. 

[Koala 3]

I didn't want Ultraviolence to happen too...

 

I'm a fan of Lana, not trying to be rude

 

I looove some songs tho

[Slayer 9,227]

Why would they hate it? It's exactly the same sound as her first album. 

[Jester 6,280]

"From how great the songs were to how confident she is as a musician to her ****ing singing every song live, with a handheld microphone and a seven-piece band. I mean, get the **** out of here, who does that?"

 

Stefani G

kthxbei

[HausOfGuy 10]

imo what makes adele's music so great are the lyrics and her vocals, her producer shouldn't be so praised that only his opinion would convince an entire label to release a record. Ultraviolence is ****ing great interscope is a hot mess. I hope gaga leaves that place asap

[Levine 22,653]

 

And we send them the rough mix and they ****ing hate it and they hate the way it's mixed.

 

The album is really bad and it flopped, they were right. 

[inuborg 4,135]

"From how great the songs were to how confident she is as a musician to her ****ing singing every song live, with a handheld microphone and a seven-piece band. I mean, get the **** out of here, who does that?"

 

GAGS

He meant when recording the album…..

[VersaceKing 419]

I think we already know that interscope is Scheiße

[ItsTommyBitch 12,640]

Dont think it was AP, but YAASS at the lana producer

Album is flawless.

Still playing it daily in some form, especially Brooklyn Baby and recently Shades of Cool

 

Mess @ the replies here... Same sound? Flopped?

 

It was a moderate success, with higher opening sales (at least in most places other than the UK) and its going to have some decent longevity... BTD still charting 2 years later anyway  I read somewhere that its already @ ~1m WW, which i can believe, (though it may be shipments) 

 

Anyone who thinks its the same sound hasn't heard Born To Die or even Paradise tbh

[SinAgain 33]

 

"On this album, in my opinion, you didn't want her to try to do something," adds Janick's predecessor, Jimmy Iovine.

Hmm...

[Tommy Monster 804]

Well, they were right... That album was a huge dissapointment for me I grew to like it, but it cost me a lot of energy some of the songs are really a pure really long noise

The album is nowhere near Born to die, that one was just perfection :legend:

[Jester 6,280]

He meant when recording the album…..

She recorded Dope and The Lady Is A Tramp just like that :spin:

[VISION 52]

It just shows her artistic integrity. Interscope only wants radio hits, but this is Lana, come on. Let her do her own thing, people will buy her labums