Eddie Kramer (Engineer for Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, etc.) Focus of New Documentary ‘From the Other Side of the Glass’

Eddie Kramer is a crucial figure in the history of classic rock music, and the recording engineer will reportedly be the focus of a new documentary film.

As reported by Variety on Monday evening, Kramer will be the subject of From the Other Side of the Glass, a new documentary film in the works from producers Joe Berlinger (who worked on Metallica’s Some Kind of Monster doc) and Spencer Proffer. Variety also notes that Rolling Stone has a ‘key role’ in the film, too.

As for the legacy of Eddie Kramer and his gaudy resume of work, there’s this from Variety:

Kramer is one of those names that everyone who ever scoured liner notes during rock’s golden age knows, but few know much about. The 77-year-old, Cape Town-born music industry veteran was an engineer on five Led Zeppelin albums (starting with “Led Zeppelin II”), five Rolling Stones albums, two essential Beatles tracks (“All You Need is Love,” “Baby, You’re a Rich Man”) and one of the top-selling albums of the 1970s, Peter Frampton’s “Frampton Comes Alive!” His work as a producer includes several KISS albums and side projects. He also helped record and engineer the bestselling “Woodstock” triple-album released in 1969, with a history that goes from being on-site at the festival to working on the 5.1 Surround remix.

This definitely sounds like a great documentary, so stay tuned for more information. In the meantime …

In 2018, Rock Cellar’s Jeff Slate spoke with Kramer and John McDermott (who worked alongside Kramer in curating the 50th Anniversary reissue of the Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Electric Ladyland). Here’s a choice segment of the conversation:

Eddie Kramer: Well, Jimi was very good. I was so amazed. We put those tapes on for the first time, and I was listening to them, and I thought, “Damn, he did a lot with a little.” We have two mics — one on the guitar, one for his vocal — on two separate tracks. He kind of knew that bit. But it was how he was playing, really quietly in the hotel room. He didn’t want to disturb the neighbors. Did you hear the phone ring?

Rock Cellar: Yeah.

Eddie Kramer: Do you realize what that does? That gives him an inspiration. It’s part of a lyric in another song. “The telephone keeps on ringing.”

Rock Cellar: Yeah. So he’s an engineer, too, by this time.

Eddie Kramer: He’d learned a lot. He’s really doing some amazing things in his hotel room, which sets up the album. It’s all the demos for the album. Then when you get to the outtakes, it shows you the whole progression, which I really love. That window into Jimi’s creative process is just wonderful, I think.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s ‘Electric Ladyland’ at 50: Under the Hood with Eddie Kramer and John McDermott (Anniversary Edition Out Now)