When it comes to making a great record, how much is down to the production, and how much depends on the songs themselves?

There is a school of thought that insists that the song is everything, and the best records have stripped-down, simple arrangements shorn of unnecessary ornamentation or instrumentation. But I feel that approach only really works if you’ve got truly great songs to start with. If you’re not Bob Dylan, the right sort of production and some imaginative arrangements are what makes great records out of good songs.

I won’t deny that it’s possible to spoil a good song by overcomplicating things (I own too many later-period Dream Theater releases to be able to say otherwise), and likewise you’ll never have a good record unless you’ve got something worthwhile to start with. As the saying goes, there is no point trying to polish a turd.

There’s a more fundamental question of where you draw the dividing line between songwriting and arrangement anyway. Is the song just the vocal melody and the basic chord progression?

Over to you…