Mike Stone (record producer)
| Mike Stone | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Died | 2002 (aged 50–51) |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer |
Mike Stone (1951 – May 2002)[1] was an English recording engineer and record producer. Stone worked with Queen (multiple albums), Blue Öyster Cult, Foreigner, Journey (multiple albums),[2] Kiss, Asia, Daniel Amos, Lou Reed, Whitesnake, Bee Gees, Joe Walsh and others.[3]
Biography
Stone began his career as an assistant recording engineer at Abbey Road Studios in England. While still a teenager, Stone worked on some sessions for The Beatles' Beatles For Sale[4] (1964). Later, he became a runner at Trident Studios, then worked his way up to tape operator and assistant engineer. In 1974, Stone began a long relationship with Queen when he worked with Queen's then producer, Roy Thomas Baker, to engineer the unique vocal layering for "Bohemian Rhapsody".[5] Following Baker's departure as Queens' producer, the band hired Stone as their engineer for his expertise in over-dubbing vocals.[6] By the early eighties, Stone had produced popular top-selling albums for both Asia and Journey.[7]
Stone was scheduled to oversee the re-mastering of the Queen catalogue when he died in 2002. Queen's Brian May wrote of Stone in a eulogy: "Mike's production style of big chorus building and hitting hard, the ability to treat vocals uniquely, and find space in a recording have influenced a generation of young producers."
Stone's work productivity was limited in later years by an alcohol problem, and he died from complications of it.[7]
Selected discography
- 1971 Genesis – Nursery Cryme, Tape jockey
- 1973 Bee Gees - Life in a Tin Can, Engineer
- 1973 Joe Walsh – The Smoker You Drink, the Player You Get, Engineer
- 1973 Queen – Queen, Engineer
- 1974 Queen – Queen II, Engineer
- 1974 Queen – Sheer Heart Attack, Engineer
- 1975 Queen – A Night at the Opera, Engineer
- 1975 Frank Zappa – One Size Fits All, Engineer
- 1976 Queen – A Day at the Races, Engineer, Guest Vocalist
- 1977 Queen – News of the World, Engineer, Co-producer
- 1978 Peter Criss – Peter Criss, Engineer[3]
- 1978 Paul Stanley – Paul Stanley, Mixer[3]
- 1979 New England – New England, Producer, Engineer[3]
- 1979 Shoes – Present Tense, Producer, Engineer[3]
- 1981 Journey – Escape, Producer
- 1981 April Wine – The Nature of the Beast, Engineer, Co-producer[3]
- 1981 April Wine – Live in London, Co-mixer
- 1982 Asia – Asia, Producer
- 1982 April Wine – Power Play, Co-producer
- 1983 Asia – Alpha, Producer
- 1983 April Wine – Animal Grace, Co-producer
- 1983 Journey – Frontiers, Producer
- 1984 Tommy Shaw – Girls with Guns, Producer[3]
- 1985 April Wine – One for the Road, Co-producer
- 1986 Journey – Raised on Radio, Producer
- 1987 Whitesnake – Whitesnake, Producer
- 1987 Helix – Wild in the Streets, Co-producer[3]
- 1988 Ratt – Reach for the Sky, Co-producer[3]
- 1990 Y&T Ten, Producer
- 1995 Foreigner – Mr. Moonlight, Co-producer, Engineer
- 1996 Ten – Ten, Co-producer and mixer[3]
- 1996 Ten – The Name of the Rose, Co-producer and mixer
- 1997 Ten – The Robe, Mixer
References
- ↑ "Mike Stone". Queenpedia.com. Retrieved May 13, 2015.
- ↑ Mehle, Michael (1997-05-23). "Veteran record producer turns his life down". Rocky Mountain News. p. 21D.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Mike Stone Discography". Discogs. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
- ↑ Emerick, Geoff; Massey, Howard (2007). Here, There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of The Beatles. Penguin. ISBN 1592402690. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
- ↑ Mancuso, Carl J. (April 26, 2011). "Classic Albums – Queen: A Night at the Opera". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ↑ Sutcliffe, Phil (2009). Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock. Voyageur Press. p. 96.
- 1 2 Sharpe-Young, Garry (2002-06-20). "Bad news continues for rock world". Daily News. p. 23.