How Daniel Lanois made those adventurous records with Dylan, U2 and Willie Nelson

About this episode

The episode features a rich conversation with Daniel Lanois about his unique approach to music production and his collaborations with iconic artists.

Daniel Lanois built a studio in his basement in Quebec and began producing local acts when a teenager. Through work with Brian Eno, he went on to record U2, Bob Dylan, Arcade Fire, Emmylou Harris and scores of others with a method that’s unique, cinematic and utterly extraordinary, a brand of sonic architecture that creates settings to accommodate the songs, often in exotic and stimulating places. And he's made nine albums of his own, the latest the magical instrumental suite ‘Belladonna Nocturne’ – “hear this and you may never go home again”. This rich and fascinating conversation includes …   … how the place you record affects the way you think   ... producing Dylan and Willie Nelson in an abandoned Mexican cinema   … why the first record he bought was Wipe Out by the Surfaris   … the process of “printing sound” and his Music Minus One theory   … “Songs are doorways to another dimension”   … Eno’s working method: “he walked round the studio for 45 minutes ringing bells to map out the length of the album”   … drawing song sketches to stop everyone having to crowd round a laptop   … making the Unforgettable Fire with U2, “expanding Slane…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mark Ellen, David Hepworth, Alex Gold

Guest: Daniel Lanois

Topics covered

• music production
• recording techniques
• artist collaborations
• sonic architecture
• creative processes

Keywords

• Daniel Lanois
• music production
• U2
• Bob Dylan
• recording techniques
• Belladonna Nocturne
• sonic architecture
• creative processes

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Belladonna Nocturne, Wipe Out, Unforgettable Fire

Places: Quebec, Mexico, Slane Castle, Somewhere Down the Crazy River

More episodes of Word In Your Ear

• Dave Balfe remembers the Teardrops, Blur and a very big house in the country · June 12, 2026 · 52 min
• Star Ratings - do we love/hate/need them? Five-star debate here! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ · June 11, 2026 · 38 min
• Brian Epstein & the Beatles - what he did and what he hid · June 9, 2026 · 30 min
• Are we nearing Beatles Overload? plus the rock star with the most children (41!) · June 8, 2026 · 49 min
• The glorious story of Funk from James Brown to Off The Wall · June 3, 2026 · 43 min
• Leo Sayer has met everyone – rock legends, sport superstars, future presidents … · June 2, 2026 · 33 min