Axelrod was a 1950s jazzer who became a star producer at Capitol in the 1960s. His signature sound was spacious and groove-heavy: the drums were always to the fore, which means that he has been sampled more than anyone bar James Brown and the Meters.
But this shouldn’t put you off. Atmospherically, Axelrod’s work with David McCallum (yes, the Man From U.N.C.L.E. star made three albums with him) and on his own Songs of Experience and Songs of Innocence albums is vast and bewildering, like a soundtrack to being lost in Los Angeles. Elsewhere, there are ventures into religion and the psychotropics with the Electric Prunes, while the tracks he cut with Lou Rawls are a unique blend of soul, jazz and panoramic production. The funkier 1970s cuts are dry and predictable by comparison.
(Capitol)