The song This Love by the American pop rock band Maroon 5 was released on 27 January 2004 as the second single from their debut album Songs About Jane (2002). The song peaked at the number 5 position on Billboard’s Hot 100, but reached number 1 spot on the Top 40 Mainstream charts. It was also the top download for 2004 after also hitting the top ten in countries around the globe. In short, This Love helped to propel Maroon 5 to stardom.
The basic tracks for Songs About Jane were recorded live over a period of around seven to ten days at Rumbo Recorders Studio B. To capture the energy of their live performances, the band used monitor wedges instead of headphones during the tracking process.
For Adam Levine’s vocals, Landolt used one of the first Bock Audio 195 microphones, a gift from its designer, David Bock. Landolt describes it as “awesome,” noting that it’s a FET mic. Additionally, they used a FET 47.
The vocal chain involved an original Chandler Limited LTD-1 with actual Neve boards, running through a Distressor at a quick 2:1 ratio, and then into an LA-2A. For background harmonies, they alternated between a 414 or 87 microphone.
On the third day of mixing at Can-Am Recorders, Tarzana, mix engineer Wallace received a call from Octone Records’ head, James Diener, who felt the album had strayed too far from the original sound that led to the band being signed. Diener wanted them to bring back that vibe. As a result, Wallace and the team re-recorded drums, bass, and some guitars on nine tracks, while rescuing or unmuting any remaining guitar parts.
Landolt set up in Can-Am Studio B, which was primarily used for mixing and featured an SSL G+ console. The studio’s hardwood floors, and curved plaster walls made it difficult to get the right drum sound. They reused the same drum kit and bass setups from Rumbo but had to work with Can-Am’s limited preamps: the SSL G+ console, Dan Alexander Audio Neves, and Landolt’s Siemens V272s and Chandler LTD-1.
External processors included LA-2A, UREI LA-4, dbx 160VUs, Orban Stereo EQ, and the SSL processing. Microphone options were 421s, 57s, a pair of AKG 451s, an AKG 414 ULS, plus Landolt’s Soundelux U195, Royer R-121s, and Shure SM81s. The setup and re-recording process took about a day and a half. With minimal editing, the new tracks fit seamlessly into the sessions, and they resumed mixing.
With over 1 billion streams since, it is safe to say that This Love was a huge success for Maroon 5, propelling them to stardom off the back of what was a superb album.
