Lemuel Gulliver wrote:...just plug their guitars and effects directly into a recorder?
I couldn't think of a more crap way to record than that.

Is there an objectively better way to do it?
He made a creative decision. It involves not just choosing the “best” among available. Creative decisions are inseparable from emotion. They are often based on aesthetics and intuition.
There is no formula.

Lush was great! I never got to see them live and every youtube clip I find disappoints me, but their first three records are tops. "Sweetness and Light" will forever be a favorite song of mine.