For those looking forward to a detailed analysis of one of music’s all-time greatest producers, “Rick Rubin: In the Studio” is a colossal letdown. Based on the number of paragraphs that feature lines like “as he told Australian Guitar,” “Rubin told the LA Times,” “Rubin said to Mix,” and so on, one wonders if author Jake Brown spoke to a single person associated with Rubin when assembling his book, or if he put it together using Wikipedia. To make matters worse, four or five pages will go by without even a mention of the man, instead focusing on how the Red Hot Chili Peppers like to jam and what gear they use in the studio. It’s not a laborious read – barring the first chapter, which is a nightmare – but it’s also not nearly as interesting as one would hope. Pity. (ECW Press 2009)