I do like some of the things that Mutt Lange has done (Bryan Adams' "18 Til I Die" is very well produced) but I don't think he's the best.
Neither is Bob Rock. I don't think that anything he's done is that spectacular, but what he did with Metallica on "St. Anger" goes beyond bad. That's just plain horrible.
Todd Rundgren, well, I like what he's done to "Bat Out Of Hell" a lot, but other than that I haven't heard much of him, so for me, he isn't the best.
Jim Steinman isn't the best either. He uses way too much Jeff Bova, so he's out.
So who's the best? I don't know. I like what Arjen A. Lucassen's done to his own albums a lot, I think Paul O'Neill (Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) is great too, and Oscar Holleman has produced some very good records (mostly by Dutch bands).
But personally, I think their importance is being over-estimated. I think that the recording and mixing engineers play a far more important part in how a record sounds.
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