He started his production career working in his own studio, Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton, Ontario. He worked with a number of local bands, most notably Martha and the Muffins, for whom his sister Jocelyne played bass, Ray Materick, as well as the Canadian children's singer Raffi.
After being discovered by Brian Eno and working collaboratively with him on some of Eno's own projects, his career was given a huge boost when Eno invited him to co-produce U2's album The Unforgettable Fire. Along with Eno, he went on to produce U2's The Joshua Tree, the 1987 Grammy Winner for Album of the Year. Bono of U2 recommended Lanois to Bob Dylan in the late 1980s; in 1989 Lanois produced Dylan's Oh Mercy, widely considered one of Dylan's greatest later albums. Eight years later Dylan and Lanois worked together on Time Out of Mind, Dylan's first studio album of original material since 1990, which won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1997.
Wrecking Ball, his 1995 collaboration with Emmylou Harris, received almost unanimous critical praise (many critics placed the album on their year-end "best albums of the year" lists), and revived the aging country artist's career, bringing her to the attention of much younger rock audiences.
As well as being a producer, singer and songwriter, Daniel Lanois plays the guitar, pedal steel and drums. His desire is to bring out the best in the artists he works with and produces, with his wide range of talents and musical ideas. He often leaves an atmospheric and emotionally resonant sound on the projects he produces, which some say has become his 'signature sound'.
Daniel founded Red Floor Records to release his own music albums and DVD films that he sells direct to consumers from his website in high resolution downloads and traditional formats: www.DanielLanois.com
After completing production work on U2's latest album "No Line In The Horizon" in 2009, Daniel has built a new recording studio in Toronto, which he has named "The Temple", as it is located on the site of a former Buddhist Temple. He recently completed producing Neil Young's latest 2010 release, "Le Noise". However, on June 5th, 2010, while working on Young's album, Daniel was in a serious motorcycle accident near his Silver Lake area home of Los Angeles, and he had to postpone his latest personal priority project, Black Dub which features Daniel on guitars, world renown drummer/percussionist Brian Blade, bassist and harmony vocalist Daryl Johnson, and lead vocalist/keyboardist Trixie Whitley (the daughter of the late Chris Whitley).
Black Dub have been signed to Jive Records and they are expected to commence a world tour in early 2011 supporting their debut self titled release, and they are currently doing special engagements throughout November and early December 2010 across the USA.
Daniel has recently written an autobiographical memoir entitled "Soul Mining, A Musical Life" that can be pre-ordered and is expected to be officially released through traditional book store channels in late November 2010.
Beauty
Daniel Lanois Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eno: Yeah, yeah.
Lanois: And I was hoping that you might say a couple of words about that subject matter 'cause, you know, you've always operated in a relatively quiet way, and yet, you're like a, a world artist.
Eno: Well, I tell you, one thing I would say about your film is that, what would be really interesting for people to see, is how beautiful things grow out of shit. Because nobody ever believes that. You know, everybody thinks that Beethoven had his string quartets completely in his head. They'd somehow appeared there and formed in his head. Before he, and all he had to do was write them down and they would kind of be manifest to the world. But I think what's, what's so interesting and what would really be a lesson that everybody should learn is that things come out of nothing. Things evolve out of nothing. You know, the, the tiniest seed in the right situation turns into the most beautiful forest. And then the most promising seed in the wrong situation turns into nothing. And I think this would be important for people to understand, because it gives people confidence in their own lives to know that that's how things work. If you walk around with the idea that there are some people who are so gifted, they have these wonderful things in their head, but you're not one of them, you're just sort of a normal person, you could never do anything like that, then you live a different kind of life, you know. You, you could have another kind of life where you can say, where you say, well, I know that things come from nothing very much and start from unpromising beginnings, and I’m an unpromising beginning, and I could start something.
The lyrics to Daniel Lanois's song "Beauty" are actually a discussion between Lanois and Brian Eno, the legendary musician and producer. The conversation is about creating a film that is focused solely on the source of art and beauty rather than the surrounding circumstances. Eno suggests that it would be interesting for people to see how beautiful things can grow out of seemingly "unpromising" beginnings. He discusses how people tend to believe that great artists like Beethoven had their most iconic works fully formed in their minds before they put them on paper. This, Eno says, is a misconception. In reality, things come from nothing, and the tiniest seed can become the most beautiful forest with the right circumstances. Eno argues that understanding this can give people the confidence to create something beautiful themselves, even if they don't believe they have any innate talent or ability.
The lyrics to "Beauty" are a fitting tribute to the power of creativity and the importance of recognizing that beauty can come from unexpected places. Eno's discussion about how understanding the potential of something small and seemingly insignificant can manifest itself into something great is a message that many artists could stand to hear. The conversation touches on the idea that creativity is not solely the domain of the greats, and that even the most humble beginning can lead to something extraordinary.
Line by Line Meaning
I’m trying to make a film that's beautiful in itself, about beauty, about the, the source of the, of the art rather than everything that surrounds the art.
I am attempting to create a film that is inherently beautiful and highlights the essence of art, rather than focusing on external factors surrounding it.
Well, I tell you, one thing I would say about your film is that, what would be really interesting for people to see, is how beautiful things grow out of shit.
A noteworthy element of your film would be to demonstrate how beauty can emerge from adverse circumstances.
Because nobody ever believes that.
Many people do not acknowledge or recognize the possibility of beauty arising from unpleasant situations.
You know, everybody thinks that Beethoven had his string quartets completely in his head. They'd somehow appeared there and formed in his head. Before he, and all he had to do was write them down and they would kind of be manifest to the world.
It is commonly believed that great works of art simply come to geniuses like Beethoven in a pre-formed state, requiring only the physical act of writing them down for them to be realized.
But I think what's, what's so interesting and what would really be a lesson that everybody should learn is that things come out of nothing.
However, in reality, things can emerge from nothingness, and this notion could serve as a valuable lesson for all.
Things evolve out of nothing.
The process of creation involves the evolution of something out of nothing.
You know, the, the tiniest seed in the right situation turns into the most beautiful forest. And then the most promising seed in the wrong situation turns into nothing.
A tiny seed under the right conditions can blossom into a gorgeous forest, while the most promising seed under unfavorable conditions may manifest into nothing.
And I think this would be important for people to understand, because it gives people confidence in their own lives to know that that's how things work.
Comprehending this process can instill confidence in individuals, enabling them to believe that they too can create something magnificent from seemingly unpromising beginnings.
If you walk around with the idea that there are some people who are so gifted, they have these wonderful things in their head, but you're not one of them, you're just sort of a normal person, you could never do anything like that, then you live a different kind of life, you know.
An individual convinced that genuine creativity is a rare talent possessed by only a select few will lead a disparate life.
You, you could have another kind of life where you can say, where you say, well, I know that things come from nothing very much and start from unpromising beginnings, and I’m an unpromising beginning, and I could start something.
One might choose a different path, realizing that great things arise from humble roots and arrive at the conclusion that they too can create something of value.
Contributed by Bailey N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.