Before you notice Harry Maslin's production credits on such bubblegum drivel as the Bay City Rollers and Air Supply and click off the page, also note that it was Maslin who helped mastermind David Bowie's brilliant mid-'70s soul period that comprised the Young Americans and Station to Station albums and yielded such FM staples as "Young Americans," "Across the Universe," and "Fame." For that alone, he should be pardoned for his poppier leanings.
Born in Philadelphia, Maslin spent a good deal of the late-'60s doing live sound for the stars of the day at Philly's Electric Factory and then as a manager before eventually getting into production at Manhattan's Regent Sound. After two years, he moved to the Hit Factory and engineered for the AOR stars of the day such as Dionne Warwick, James Taylor, and Carly Simon. It was there that he had the opportunity to work with Bowie. Favoring a funkier, earthier sound, Bowie had been recording with Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia's Sigma sound, but management tangles and a nasty coke habit had forced the album to be temporarily shelved. Wanting to finish by Christmas, Bowie called Maslin, asked him to book some time at the Record Plant, and then asked the young engineer to produce. Though many of the tracks were already in the can, Maslin oversaw the recording of "Fame," with John Lennon on guest vocals, as well as "Across the Universe." Pleased, Bowie asked Maslin to produce his next album, Station to Station. Bunkering down in an L.A. studio, the sessions were fraught with problems as Bowie's coke habit was growing more and more ghastly by the day. Yet, when the album was released, it was a critical and commercial hit with Maslin's esteem and regard in the industry skyrocketing because of it.
Rescued from the engineer slums, Maslin moved to the West Coast and became a full-time producer. It was during this period that he began to work more and more with middle-of-the-road acts such as Eric Carmen, the Bay City Rollers, and, later, Melissa Manchester. He has since opened a studio, Image Recording, and since the mid-'80s has moved out of the producer's seat and into the manager's office. ~ Steve Kurutz