Black Sabbath Forbidden producer Ernie “C” Cunnigan was recently interviewed on Danko Jones’ podcast, and he discussed Nirvana’s influence on the production, and how he had listened to Led Zeppelin growing up and ignored Black Sabbath, leading to his fandom of Nirvana and Led Zeppelin playing a role in why the album was so dismal.
He said that ‘he was a Led Zeppelin fan, and because of that, he didn’t pay attention to Sabbath’s album’.
“Producing Sabbath was a cool and good experience. It was a rock and roll experience that you can just say, ‘Well, I did a Black Sabbath record, and I’m done.’
And it also made me say, yeah, I really don’t wanna produce bands that are already established. It’s good to produce young people that are listening. But when you’re so set in your ways…”
“I didn’t pay that much attention to it. I was more Led Zeppelin. I loved Sabbath and this and that, but I wasn’t a ‘die-hard die-hard.’ I wasn’t intimidated… And the thing about that was that was the time when the vinyl was out, and I told them, ‘I’m gonna dry the sound up a little bit.’ Those records from the ’80s were big[-sounding] records.
[They sound like] you’re playing in a tunnel. So I told them, ‘We’re gonna dry it up a little bit.’ ‘Cause the vinyl was dry — that’s what made the vinyl sound. It was so dry and in your face. It’s not a big tunnel. That was the Van Halen stuff — the one guitar in the one ear. It’s big and large, but if it had been dried up, I don’t think it would have been that popular.
There’s something to that era that lends to you almost seeing ’em on a stage and you’re back in the seats. And then when Nirvana came along, it made it more personal, like you’re sitting down with someone… Nirvana made it more dried up and in your face, [like] we’re gonna sit down and come to my garage and listen to my band.”
