On November 21, 2023, Jawbone Press will publish Turn It Up! My Time Making Hit Records In The Glory Days Of Rock Music by Tom Werman.
Growing up in the Boston suburbs, Tom Werman was deeply affected by pop music from a young age. He long dreamed of a career in music—first as Elvis, then as the next George Harrison—but it almost didn’t turn out that way. Dutifully following the path his parents had laid out for him, he obtained an MBA from an Ivy League university and took a plum job in an industry he came to despise. Then, in 1970, a chance letter sent to CBS Records boss Clive Davis led to a new opportunity—and a place in rock’n’roll history.
As an A&R man at Epic Records, Werman helped introduce the world to REO Speedwagon, Boston, Ted Nugent, and Cheap Trick; he also discovered KISS, Rush, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, but his record label passed on all of them. Then, as an independent producer, he oversaw landmark albums by Mötley Crüe (Shout At The Devil), Twisted Sister (Stay Hungry), Jeff Beck (Live With Jan Hammer), Poison (Open Up And Say … Ahh!), and many more. All in all, his record-making résumé includes 23 gold or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than 52 million copies.
After bearing witness to several sea changes in the music industry, Werman retired from producing in 2001 and reinvented himself as an award-winning innkeeper in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts. And that might have been that, until an overly critical review led to a fortnightly column on a music website and now this book—an honest and engaging insider account on how some of the best-loved albums of the 1970s and '80s came to be. A must for anyone interested in the glory days of rock and metal, Turn It Up! offers valuable insights into the recording process, the recording studio, the role of the producer, and the production values that are essential to the creation of a hit record.
"As the producer of some of Cheap Trick’s biggest albums, including Dream Police and Heaven Tonight, Tom helped take our songs from black-and-white to dazzling full color, just as he has with so many other bands over the years. Now he gives us a peek behind the curtain at how some of the greatest albums in rock and metal were made." – Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick
"In late 1987 or early ’88, an interviewer asked, Who’s producing your next album? Our bassist, Bobby Dall, answered, We’ve decided to work with Tom Producer! Everyone laughed until we realized that was like calling someone Joe Pro or Captain Obvious. But when you’re dealing with Tom Werman, you are dealing with Tom Producer—the quintessential platinum record producer for rock bands." – Rikki Rockett, Poison
"Through all the craziness that came with working with Mötley Crüe in the '80s, there was one thing I could rely on, and that was for Tom and the band to keep the music coming. Tom’s memoir takes you on a journey to the heart of the music industry—passion, triumph, and unforgettable melodies. Highly recommended." – Doc McGhee, manager of Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, and KISS
"As someone who worked with Tom during the '70s and '80s, Turn It Up! resonates with me, bringing back memories of the highs and lows of the music industry. A must-read for anyone inspired by the power and magic of rock’n’roll music." – Tom Whalley, former head of A&R at Capitol Records and president of Warner Bros Records
