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Musikproduceren Martin Birch har blandt andet produceret hele ni album for Iron Maiden og står også bag plader med Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath og Whitesnake. Nu er han afgået ved døden, 71 år gammel, rapporterer flere medier.
Ifølge ultimateclassicrock.com bekræftes nyheden igennem rockikonet David Coverdale. Birch producerede også Whitesnakes seks første plader.
“Det er med et tungt hjerte, at jeg netop kan bekræfte, at min kære ven og producer Martin Birch er død. Martin var en stor del af mit liv… hjalp mig lige fra første gang vi mødtes, indtil Slide It In. Mine tanker og bønner går til hans familie, venner og fans”, skriver David Coverdale på sin Twitterprofil.
Geezer Butler fra Black Sabbath mindes også Martin Birch på Twitter:
Really sad to hear of the passing of Martin Birch. Brilliant producer. Had the pleasure of working with him on the Black Sabbath albums #HeavenandHell and #MobRules. Condolences to Vera and family. #RIPMartin pic.twitter.com/FPZajWRvpN
— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) August 9, 2020
Martin Birch startede i midten af 60’erne som sanger og guitarist i bluesbandet Mothers Ruin. Efter at gruppen blev splittet, fik han job som indspilsningsassistent i Dalaney Studios i Holborn, London. Her lærte han, hvordan det var at arbejde som tekniker og fik samtidig indblik i produktionsdelen af en plade.
Slutningen af 60’erne og begyndelsen af 70’erne var de gyldne år for britisk rockmusik, og Martin Birch producerede for nogle af datidens mest succesfulde kunstnere, heriblandt Fleetwood Mac, som nogle af de første. Derefter indspillede han flere albums med Deep Purple. Wishbone Ash brugte også Birch som producer på en række plader i løbet af samme periode.
Da Iron Maiden fusionerede med Birch i 1981, havde Birch tidligere produceret albums til Black Sabbath og Blue Öyster Cult. Ritchie Blackmore var den, der foreslog, at Birch skulle producere Iron Maidens næste plade, efter at han havde spillet deres første album Iron Maiden for ham.
Martin Birch gik på pension i 1992 efter at have produceret Irons Maidens Fear of the Dark.
Se listen over albums, Martin Birch har været med til at producere herunder:
Fleetwood Mac
- 1969 - Then Play On (engineer)
- 1970 - Kiln House (engineer)
- 1972 - Bare Trees (engineer)
- 1973 - Penguin (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1973 - Mystery to Me (producer, engineer, guitar)
Deep Purple
- 1969 - Concerto for Group and Orchestra (engineer)
- 1970 - Deep Purple in Rock (engineer)
- 1971 - Fireball (engineer)
- 1972 - Machine Head (engineer)[5]
- 1972 - Made in Japan (engineer)[6]
- 1973 - Who Do We Think We Are (engineer)
- 1974 - Burn (engineer, mixing)
- 1974 - Stormbringer (co-producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1975 - Come Taste the Band (co-producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1976 - Made in Europe (co-producer, engineer, mixing)- recorded live in April 1975
- 1977 - Last Concert in Japan (co-producer, engineer) - recorded live in December 1975
Jon Lord
- 1971 Jon Lord - Gemini Suite (engineer)
- 1976 Jon Lord - Sarabande (producer, engineer, remixing)
- 1974 Tony Ashton & Jon Lord - First of the Big Bands (engineer)
- 1977 Paice Ashton Lord - Malice in Wonderland (engineer)
Wishbone Ash
- 1970 - Wishbone Ash (engineer)
- 1971 - Pilgrimage (engineer)
- 1972 - Argus (engineer)
Rainbow
- 1975 - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (co-producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1976 - Rising (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1977 - On Stage (producer, engineer, mixing) - recorded live in 1976
- 1978 - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1986 - Finyl Vinyl (producer) - collection
Whitesnake
- 1978 - Snakebite (producer)
- 1978 - Trouble (producer)
- 1978 - Live at Hammersmith (producer)
- 1979 - Lovehunter (producer, engineer)
- 1980 - Ready an' Willing (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1980 - Live... in the Heart of the City (producer, engineer) - recorded live in 1978 and 1980
- 1981 - Come an' Get It (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1982 - Saints & Sinners (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1984 - Slide It In (producer)
Black Sabbath
- 1980 - Heaven and Hell (producer, engineer)
- 1981 - Mob Rules (producer, engineer)
Blue Öyster Cult
- 1980 - Cultösaurus Erectus (producer, engineer)
- 1981 - Fire of Unknown Origin (producer, engineer)
Iron Maiden
- 1981 - Killers (producer, engineer)
- 1982 - The Number of the Beast (producer, engineer)
- 1983 - Piece of Mind (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1984 - Powerslave (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1985 - Live After Death (producer, engineer, mixing)[6]
- 1986 - Somewhere in Time (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1988 - Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1989 - Maiden England (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1990 - No Prayer for the Dying (producer, engineer, mixing)
- 1992 - Fear of the Dark (producer, engineer, mixing)
Other artists
- 1969 Jeff Beck - Beck-Ola (engineer)
- 1970 Peter Green - The End of the Game (engineer)
- 1970 The Groundhogs - Thank Christ for the Bomb (engineer)
- 1971 Stackridge - Stackridge (engineer)
- 1971 Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker - Hooker 'N' Heat (Mixdown Engineer) - recorded in 1970
- 1971 Skid Row - 34 Hours (engineer)
- 1971 Toad - Toad (engineer)
- 1971 Faces - Long Player (engineer)
- 1971 Rock Workshop - The Very Last Time (engineer)
- 1971 Jodo "Guts" LP (engineer)
- 1972 Silverhead - Silverhead (producer)
- 1972 Toad - Tomorrow Blue (engineer)
- 1972 Flash - Flash (engineer)
- 1972 Flash - In the Can (engineer)
- 1973 Gary Moore - Grinding Stone (producer, engineer)
- 1978 The Electric Chairs-"The Electric Chairs"(producer)
- 1978 Wayne County & the Electric Chairs - Storm The Gates Of Heaven (producer)
- 1978 Wayne County & the Electric Chairs - Blatantly Offensive E.P. (producer)
- 1978 Roger Glover - Elements (producer)
- 1979 Cozy Powell - Over the Top (producer)
- 1982 Michael Schenker Group - Assault Attack (producer, engineer)
It is with a very heavy heart I’ve just had verified my very dear friend & producer Martin Birch has passed away...Martin was a huge part of my life...helping me from the first time we met through until Slide It In...Mt thoughts & prayers to his family, friends & fans... pic.twitter.com/J4UyDiG9zR
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) August 9, 2020
