The Making of PERFECT FROM NOW ON by Built to Spill - featuring Doug Martsch

Life of the Record

For the 25th anniversary of Built to Spill’s astonishing third album, PERFECT FROM NOW ON, Doug Martsch joins us for a detailed look at how the record was made. After Built to Spill released their first two records on indie labels, they ended up signing with Warner Bros. for their third album. Signing with a major label left Martsch feeling conflicted but inspired to experiment in the studio and was determined to make an ambitious album that deserved to be heard by a larger audience. Martsch’s original vision was to change the lineup for the third time and play the majority of the instruments himself with Peter Lansdowne on drums. After reconnecting with producer, Phil Ek, in Seattle, they recorded the first version of the album but were dissatisfied with the results. Martsch then decided to bring bassist, Brett Nelson, back, along with new drummer, Scott Plouff, and record the album a second time. After Phil Ek drove with the tapes from Seattle to Boise, they found that the tapes had been damaged. The band ended up recording the album a third time and brought in collaborators, Brett Netson, John McMahon and Robert Roth to help fill out the arrangements. From envisioning a classic rock sound to the difficulties of analog recording in the nineties to combining ideas to make collage-style songs to stealing lyrics from his wife to the never-ending quest for perfection, we’ll hear the stories around how the album came together.