* En anglais uniquement
Best known for his longtime associations with
the Smiths and
Blur -- arguably the two preeminent British pop bands of their respective eras -- producer
Stephen Street began his career during the early 1980s as an engineer on reggae recordings from artists including
Black Uhuru,
King Sunny Ade and
Linton Kwesi Johnson. He made his first appearance on a
Smiths album engineering 1985's
Meat Is Murder, and by 1987's
Strangeways Here We Come was serving as a full-fledged producer. The group disbanded soon after, but
Street continued collaborating with frontman
Morrissey, not only producing but also co-writing much of the material which comprised the singer's 1988 solo debut
Viva Hate. His partnership with
Morrissey continued on a series of singles later collected on the
Bona Drag compilation, after which
Street moved on to begin working with the fledgling
Blur, helming both their 1991 debut LP
Leisure and its 1993 follow-up
Modern Life Is Rubbish. After producing the
Cranberries' 1994 debut smash
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We, he returned to the
Blur fold for their 1994 breakthrough
Parklife. Work with artists ranging from
the Pretenders to
Sleeper followed, but
Street remained most loyal to
Blur, next producing 1995's
The Great Escape as well as the quartet's 1997 self-titled LP. ~ Jason Ankeny