Ron Nevison is one of those American studio lifers who, to my ears, made the 1970s sound gigantic without sanding off the danger. Hearing his touch feels like standing too close to the speakers and enjoying the risk.

In the early-to-mid ’70s, he’s engineering in the Led Zeppelin universe (including sessions tied to "Physical Graffiti"), and the lesson is obvious even from the cheap seats: grab the muscle, leave the room in the mix, and don’t blink when the meters start pleading for mercy.

By the late ’70s, his name pops up right where hard rock starts sharpening its teeth. UFO run with him as producer across 1977–1978—"Lights Out" in 1977, then "Obsession" landing June 23, 1978—and suddenly the guitars feel tighter, the drums feel meaner, and the whole thing moves like a street fight in good boots.

After that, it’s a straight shot into the big-league 1980s: big choruses, bigger drums, everything built to fill arenas without turning into wallpaper. That’s the Nevison fingerprint as I file it in my collector brain: loud, controlled, and absolutely allergic to timid.

Ron Nevison Wiki