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Old 08-09-2020, 09:25 PM
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Default Former Engineer and producer of Early FM Martin Birch has died

He worked on the following albums.

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)

Martin Birch, who produced nine consecutive Iron Maiden studio albums in addition to important records from Deep Purple, Rainbow and Black Sabbath, has died at the age of 71.

The news was confirmed by David Coverdale, for whom Birch produced the first six Whitesnake studio albums. "It is with a very heavy heart I've just had verified my very dear friend & producer Martin Birch has passed away," Coverdale tweeted. "Martin was a huge part of my life...helping me from the first time we met through until Slide It In...My thoughts & prayers to his family, friends & fans."



Birch made a habit of working with bands for long periods of time. He produced every Iron Maiden album from 1981's Killers to 1992's Fear of the Dark, and engineered and / or produced nearly a dozen Deep Purple albums. He also helmed Black Sabbath's Ronnie James Dio-fronted Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules, engineered five early Fleetwood Mac albums, and produced Rainbow's first three studio efforts.

In a 1983 interview with Best magazine, Birch explained why he preferred to work with the same artists over and over. "I certainly think that you can only make the most out of a band if you know it really well, very much in depth. Occasional producers who make an album with a band, then move on to another, are bound to do something pretty shallow. The results are always brilliant, excellent at the time, but you realize later that the true colors of the band don't come out and the album loses quickly its prestige."

In a 2016 interview with Classic Rock, he described the excitement he felt working on his second project with Iron Maiden, 1982's The Number of the Beast. It was the group's album with Bruce Dickinson on vocals. "When Bruce joined, it opened up the possibilities for the new album tremendously. I simply didn’t think Paul [Di'Anno] was capable of handling vocals on some of the quite complicated directions I knew [bassist and primary songwriter] Steve [Harris] wanted to explore. I remember saying to them when it was finished: 'This is gonna be a big, big album. This is gonna transform your career.' It just had all the magical ingredients: feel, ideas, energy, execution. And I think the response I got was: 'Oh, really?'" Birch was right, and would go on to produce every Iron Maiden album until 1992's Fear of the Dark, after which he retired from the industry.

Birch was humble about his technical skills, chalking up much of his success to an ability to connect and communicate with artists. "I don't consider myself a super-technician, what I do is to me pretty simple, but the fact that I'm used to the bands I have worked with helps me to know instantly what they want, or even what they can achieve, even if they don't realize it clearly themselves," he told Best. "Or maybe bands trust me over long periods of time just because they find me a particularly likeable character!"

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
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


Read More: Iron Maiden, Deep Purple Producer Martin Birch Dead at 71 | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/mart...edium=referral
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Old 08-09-2020, 10:11 PM
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Man, they're dropping like flies...

I've wondered my whole life which of the five fireflies would be the first to go.
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:15 AM
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RIP Martin Birch.

I wish he had a biography, or did more interviews. There really isn't much out there about his early engineering days. As an engineer myself, I’ve always loved his approach.

I only really remember one quote about Then Play On where he said Green and Kirwan mainly worked on their songs alone in the studio. This is easy to hear in Closing My Eyes, Show-biz Blues, When You Say, Although the Sun is Shining etc. For a long album, there really aren’t a lot of band songs besides the jams, Coming Your Way, Before the Beginning, One Sunny Day, and maybe a couple more. Perhaps that’s why Like Crying is such a treat.
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Old 08-11-2020, 01:29 PM
BombaySapphire3 BombaySapphire3 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HomerMcvie View Post
Man, they're dropping like flies...

I've wondered my whole life which of the five fireflies would be the first to go.
I don't really know who will be the first but I'd bet money on who will be the last
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Old 08-11-2020, 02:54 PM
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Originally Posted by BombaySapphire3 View Post
I don't really know who will be the first but I'd bet money on who will be the last
Are goats known particularly for their longevity?
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Old 08-11-2020, 03:01 PM
BombaySapphire3 BombaySapphire3 is offline
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Are goats known particularly for their longevity?
Well I have heard the term "old goat" used commonly.
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Old 08-11-2020, 03:21 PM
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Well I have heard the term "old goat" used commonly.
Well $he's already achieved that!

Enough!!!
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Old 08-12-2020, 02:15 AM
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Byline: Katie Feehan For Mailonline


•Martin Birch was regarded as a 'genius' and worked with heavy metal icons

•Birch produced albums for bands such as Whitesnake and Black Sabbath in 80s

•His most famous and iconic productions included 10 albums for Iron Maiden

•Birch retired in 1992 after the release of Iron Maiden's album Fear of the Dark

Tributes have been paid to Martin Birch, the British music producer behind iconic albums from bands including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple.

Black Sabbath founding members Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi joined Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale in conveying their sympathies after news broke at the weekend.

Martin Birch, who died aged 71 on Sunday, was born in Woking, Surrey, in 1948, and worked first as an sound engineer for bands including Fleetwood Mac, Rainbow and Deep Purple.

Martin Birch and his work with 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)[19]

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)

He also worked on multiple albums with Rainbow, Blue Öyster Cult and produced the first six Whitesnake records between 1978 and 1984.

In 1980, he was asked to work on Heaven and Hell for Black Sabbath as a producer, thanks to his previous work with singer Ronnie James Dio - the singer who replaced Ozzy Osbourne in 1979.

Birch was credited with freshening up the band's sound through his work on Heaven and Hell and Mob Rules.

In 1981, Birch began working exclusively with Iron Maiden in the 1980s and produced some of his most iconic work with the heavy metal band starting with the album Killers and finishing with Fear of the Dark.

After the release of the latter - his tenth Iron Maiden record - Birch retired in 1992.

David Coverdale said: '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...My thoughts & prayers to his family, friends & fans.'

Geezer Butler, the bassist from Black Sabbath, said: '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'

Black Sabbath band mate and guitarist Tony Iommi added: 'So shocked to hear the sad news of Martin Birch's passing. Martin was a lovely guy and a great producer - he produced Heaven and Hell and The Mob Rules for Sabbath.

'He will be deeply missed and my thoughts go out to his family. R.I.P.'

Ronnie James Dio's widow Wendy described Martin as a 'genius and a very dear friend of Ronnie's'.

Describing his skills, Birch previously said: 'I don't consider myself a super-technician, what I do is to me pretty simple, but the fact that I'm used to the bands I have worked with helps me to know instantly what they want, or even what they can achieve, even if they don't realize it clearly themselves.'

A cause of death has not been released at this stage.
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