Turn It Up!

My Time Making Hit Records in the Glory Days of Rock Music

By: Tom Werman

Narrated by: Tom Werman

As an A&R man at Epic Records, Tom 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, Twisted Sister, Lita Ford, Jeff Beck, Poison, and many more. All in all, his record-making resume includes twenty-three gold- or platinum-selling albums and cumulative sales of more than fifty-two 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 off-the-cuff rebuttal to a disparaging critique of his role in making the Mötley Crüe album Girls, Girls, Girls on a music website led to a fortnightly column 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.

©2023 Tom Werman (P)2024 Tantor

The recordings that made us

I love any book about those who created the soundtrack of my Gen X life

The man who made the music I grew up listening to.

Tom Werman goes deep into the process of producing hit records and reflected on the albums that he helped produce and artist that he made a household name. It was fun to hear of the inner working of the albums I grew up listening to. We hear the music coming out of our speakers but never think about the person who produced those sounds and hits. He dives into his career and the acts he discovered (and the ones that got away) and the background of making some of their music. He also gives us a look into the underbelly of the music industry by illustrating the bright side of it and its dark side, along with the good and bad of the artists he helped to make famous through the production of their music. He tells of his highest of highs and his lowest of lows with the music industry in a very well written autobiography. As an audiophile who grew up in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s and who listened to the music Tom produced, his story kept me interested and wanting to hear more. I would love to continue picking his brain about his experiences, as I am intrigued about music, in general.

The only thing I could have done without was his political interjections. I don’t think they really had a place in this book.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves music and is interested in the inner workings of the industry and production of its music.

Great behind the scenes descriptions of some historic recordings.

Enjoyed the detailed descriptions of what went on behind the scenes during the heyday the recording industry. Flowed pretty good except for a few times the author’s TDS showed itself for no real reason other than to prove what side of the aisle he sits on but otherwise it stayed on topic.

Hits and Misses Indeed

The story of how Werman entered the music industry and the studio tales that followed are great. But as the book—and his career—wind down, it becomes a bit tougher to stay engaged.

Unconditional love for music

So many hang ups…I think he should’ve focus more on all the great stuff he’s done over those who put him down over the years…

The transparency

I am a musician and 80’s rock fan. This book gave amazing detail into the bands and the recording process. Makes we wish I was there to experience it all. No boring moments at all…

Brutal, unabashed honesty from a time when ROCK was LIFE! By a guy who LIVED through it.

Having been a roadie, and having known a few of the characters contained within this book, I believe this to be the most interesting, truthful, enjoyable insiders look at the journey of crafting a hit song. All told from the pov of Tom Werner the MUSIC FAN!

Great listen if you wanna fall asleep.

What I thought was going to be an exciting listen was a total Snooze. I expected exciting stories Of the record industry, his melodic voice, just put you to sleep, which isn’t good if you listen to this while driving a bus

Strange TDS and some music too

It almost felt like a drinking game. For a man who arguably peaked in his musical career in the mid 80's and back to the early 70's, how he continually found a reason to bring up and dig on Trump and Donald Trump Junior was really bizarre. Like you were supposed to drink when it came up...again at the most odd times. The overall story was lacking, he was certainly good at his job but failed to give that to the reader if you didn't already know anything about his recorded work beforehand. He also whines a lot while noting that he "doesn't". There were many instances in the book which factually could not have happened as the pop-culture he mentioned had not been invented yet. This along with the Trump stuff made me wonder exactly how good his memory really is anyway and how certain these facts could be. Like claiming that he "Didn't want to Make Rocky 8" when at the time he said it there may have been at best, one or two Rocky Movies. He also fumbled the facts about the Rockstar movie and the basis for it by having stuck to the movie version of the story while claiming it as the real version while it is common knowledge that the movie is very loosely based on a true story...with a lot of added fiction.