Reinhold Mack (also known as Mack, born 25 August 1949) is a German

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

. Mack is best known for his collaborations with

Electric Light Orchestra The Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1970 by songwriters and multi-instrumentalists Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood with drummer Bev Bevan. Their music is characterised by a fusion of pop, classical ...

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

, and Sparks.

Biography

Early life and education

Mack grew up in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

and was

classically trained Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

on piano, clarinet, and acoustic guitar. At the age of fourteen he discovered the

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

, playing in

cover bands A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as accurately as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. Ne ...

before being drafted into the West German Army. When Mack came home following his military service, he learned that his parents had gotten rid of his music equipment, and he decided to seek work at a

recording studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enou ...

Career

In 1970, Mack began working at Union Studios in Munich, recording commercials and oom-pah music before advancing to work with more notable artists such as

Ivan Rebroff Ivan Rebroff (31 July 193127 February 2008) was a German-born vocalist, allegedly of Russian ancestry, who rose to prominence for his distinct and extensive vocal range of four and a half octaves, ranging from the soprano to bass registers. ...

Peter Alexander Peter Alexander may refer to: * Pete Alexander (born Grover Cleveland Alexander; 1887–1950), American baseball player * Peter Alexander (Shakespearean scholar) (1893–1969), professor of English language and literature at the University of Glasgo ...

, and

Amon Düül Amon Düül was a West German political art commune formed out of the student movement of the 1960s that became well known for its free-form musical improvisations. This spawned two rock groups, Amon Düül (sometimes referred to as Amon Düü ...

. While at Union Studios, Mack was approached by

Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer, songwriter, and record producer. Dubbed the " Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering euro disco and electronic dance music. His work with synthesizers had ...

to mix a song for Scottish singer

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...

and, pleased with the results, asked Mack to come work for him full-time in his small 16-track recording studio in the basement of the 23-story

Arabella Hochhaus The Arabella-Hochhaus is a 23-storey, , hotel/apartment building at Arabellapark, in the Bogenhausen neighborhood in eastern Munich, Germany History The building was designed by architect Toby Schmidbauer and constructed from 1966 to 1969 by . ...

hotel/apartment building. With Mack's help, Moroder's studio would expand to become

Musicland Studios Musicland Studios was a recording studio located in Munich, Germany. It was established by Italian record producer, songwriter and performer Giorgio Moroder in the early 1970s.

. At Musicland's first session in 1973, Mack assisted producer

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

in recording sessions for

Marc Bolan Marc Bolan ( ; born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was a pioneer of the glam rock movement in the early 1970s with his band T. Rex. Bolan was posthumously inducted in ...

& T. Rex for their album ''

Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow ''Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow'' is an album by English rock band T. Rex, the ninth since Tyrannosaurus Rex's debut LP. It was released in March 1974 on the T.Rex record label, distributed by EMI. It was the first and only al ...

'', and later assisted on the Rolling Stones' ''

It's Only Rock 'n Roll ''It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' is the 12th British and 14th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 18 October 1974 by Rolling Stones Records. It was the last Rolling Stones album to feature guitarist Mick Ta ...

'' and ''

Black and Blue ''Black and Blue'' is the 13th British and 15th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 23 April 1976 by Rolling Stones Records. This album was the first recorded after former guitarist Mick Taylor qu ...

'', Deep Purple's ''

Stormbringer Stormbringer is a magic sword featured in a number of fantasy stories by the author Michael Moorcock. It is described as a huge, black sword covered with strange runes, created by the forces of Chaos with its own will. It is wielded by the doo ...

'' and ''

Come Taste the Band ''Come Taste the Band'' is the tenth studio album by the English rock band Deep Purple, originally released in November 1975. It was co-produced and engineered by the band and longtime associate Martin Birch. It was the final Deep Purple studio ...

'', and Led Zeppelin's '' Presence''. Mack first worked with

in 1975 while engineering during recording sessions for '' Face the Music'', the start of a working relationship that would span 6 years and the band's next 5 studio albums. Mack also worked with

, and Sparks, with Queen album '' The Game'' garnering Mack and the band a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination for Producer of the Year in 1981. In 1998, Mack founded Nightjar, a company originally focused on producing and remastering music for

surround sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener (surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to s ...

formats. In 1999, he transferred the company, which now produces content for multimedia, video, animation, and sound, to his sons Julian and Felix.

Legacy

Mack's third son, John Frederick Mack, was named by

Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the ...

and was a godson of both Mercury and Queen bass guitarist

John Deacon John Richard Deacon (born 19 August 1951) is an English retired musician, best known for being the bass guitarist for the rock band Queen. He wrote several songs for the group, including Top 10 hits " You're My Best Friend", "Another One Bit ...

. Mack is referenced in the lyrics of the Queen song " Dragon Attack" on their 1980 album '' The Game'', which he produced with the band: "gonna use my stack/it's gotta be Mack".

Selected discography

Albums worked on as sound engineer: *

Czesław Niemen Czesław Niemen (; February 16, 1939 – January 17, 2004), born Czesław Juliusz Wydrzycki, and often credited as just Niemen, was one of the most important and original Polish singer-songwriters and rock balladeers of the 20th century, singing ...

( SBB): ''

Strange Is This World ''Strange Is This World'' is the first English-language album by Polish rock artist Czesław Niemen, Niemen. The album was released in 1972 in West Germany on the CBS Records International (the European section of Columbia Records). Track list ...

'' (1972) *

( SBB): '' Ode to Venus'' (1973) * Amos Key: ''First Key'' (1973) *

T.Rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' ...

: ''

'' (1974) *

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...

: ''

'' (1974) * Deep Purple: ''

'' (1975) *

: '' Face the Music'' (1975) * Electric Light Orchestra: ''

A New World Record ''A New World Record'' is the sixth studio album by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO). It was released in October 1976 on United Artists Records in the U.S., and on 19 November 1976 on Jet Records in the United Kingdom. ''A New World Record'' mark ...

'' (1976) *

Sweet Sweetness is a basic taste most commonly perceived when eating foods rich in sugars. Sweet tastes are generally regarded as pleasurable. In addition to sugars like sucrose, many other chemical compounds are sweet, including aldehydes, ketone ...

: '' Give Us a Wink!'' (1976) * Electric Light Orchestra: '' Out of the Blue'' (1977) * Electric Light Orchestra: ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discove ...

'' (1979) * Electric Light Orchestra: '' Xanadu'' (1980) * Electric Light Orchestra: ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' (1981) *

Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...

& Friends: ''

Star Fleet Project ''Star Fleet Project'' is a solo project of Brian May, Queen's guitarist, and a mini-album of the same name. Released as the work of Brian May + Friends, the album consisted of May, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer (then of REO Spee ...

'' (1983, Mini Album; mixed by Mack) * Electric Light Orchestra: '' Balance of Power'' (1986) * Queen: '' Live Magic'' (1986; recorded by Mack and David Richards) * Queen: '' Live at Wembley '86'' (1992; recorded by Mack) * Queen: '' Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl'' (2004; recorded by Mack) * Queen: '' Queen Rock Montreal'' (2007; recorded by Mack) * Rainbow: ''

Rising Rising may refer to: * Rising, a stage in baking - see Proofing (baking technique) *Elevation * Short for Uprising, a rebellion Film and TV * "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction television program ''Starg ...

'' (1976) * Gordian: ''Madeka'' (2016) Albums produced or co-produced by Mack: * Scorpions: ''

Fly to the Rainbow ''Fly to the Rainbow'' is the second studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions. It was released on 1 November 1974 in the United States through RCA Records. This was their first release with guitarist Uli Jon Roth and bassist Francis B ...

'' (1974) *

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...

: ''

'' (1974) * Deep Purple: ''Come Taste the Band'' (1975) *

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

: '' Calling Card'' (1976) * The Rolling Stones: ''

'' (1976) *

David Coverdale David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after wh ...

: '' White Snake'' (1977) *

Peter Straker Peter Straker (born 7 November 1943) is a Jamaican-born British singer and actor Life and career Straker was born in Jamaica, and moved to London in his early childhood. He first became known in 1968, when he starred as Hud in the original L ...

: ''Real Natural Man'' (1980) *

: '' The Game'' (1980) * Queen: ''

Flash Gordon Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by, and created to compete with, the already established '' Buck Rogers'' adv ...

'' (1980) *

After the Fire After the Fire (or ATF) were a British rock band that evolved from playing progressive rock to new wave over ten years, while having only one hit in the United States (" Der Kommissar") and one hit in the United Kingdom (" One Rule for You" ...

: ''80-f'' (1980) * Sparks: '' Whomp That Sucker'' (1981) *

Billy Squier William Haislip Squier (, born May 12, 1950) is an American rock musician and singer who had a string of arena rock and crossover hits in the early 1980s. His best-known songs include "The Stroke", " Lonely Is the Night", " My Kinda Lover", " I ...

: '' Don't Say No'' (1981) * After the Fire: '' Batteries Not Included'' (1982) * Sparks: ''

Angst in My Pants ''Angst in My Pants'' is the eleventh studio album by American pop and rock band Sparks. The album was released in 1982 by Atlantic Records in both the US and UK, and this was the 6th overall label that the band was signed to in the US, and, for ...

'' (1982) * Queen: ''

Hot Space ''Hot Space'' is the tenth studio album by the British rock band Queen. It was released on 21 May 1982 by EMI Records in the UK and by Elektra Records in the US. Marking a notable shift in direction from their earlier work, they employed many ...

'' (1982) * Billy Squier: '' Emotions in Motion'' (1982) * Doc Holliday: ''Modern Medicine'' (1983) * Queen: '' The Works'' (1984) * Roger Taylor: '' Strange Frontier'' (1984) * Meat Loaf: '' Bad Attitude'' (1984; produced by Meat Loaf, Paul Jacobs and Mack) *

: ''

Mr. Bad Guy ''Mr. Bad Guy'' is the only solo studio album by British musician Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen. Released in 1985, during a period in which Queen were on hiatus from recording, it contains eleven songs, all written by Mercury himself. ...

'' (1985) *

BAP BAP or bap may refer to: Food * Bap (bread), a type of bread roll * Bap (rice dish), a Korean food Music * BAP (Basque band), a hardcore punk group (formed 1984) * BAP (German band), a Colognian rock group (formed 1976) * B.A.P (South Korean ban ...

: ''Ahl Männer, aalglatt'' (1986) * Queen: '' A Kind of Magic'' (1986) * Extrabreit (German band): ''Sex after three years in a submarine'' (1987) * Heavy Pettin: ''Lettin Loose'' (1987; produced by

and Mack) * Michael White: ''Michael White'' (1987) * Extreme: '' Extreme'' (1989) *

It Bites It Bites are an English progressive rock and pop fusion band, formed in Egremont, Cumbria, in 1982 and best known for their 1986 single " Calling All the Heroes", which gained them a Top 10 UK Singles Chart hit. Initially fronted by Francis Du ...

: '' Eat Me in St. Louis'' (1989) *

Bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

: ''

Knock Out A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

'' (1991) * Law and Order: ''Rites of Passage'' (1991) *

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

: ''

Dehumanizer ''Dehumanizer'' is the sixteenth studio album by English rock band Black Sabbath, released on June 22, 1992. It was Sabbath's first studio album in over a decade to feature vocalist Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice, and their first ...

'' (1992) * Loud: ''Psyche 21'' (1992) * SBB: ''New Century'' (2005) * Julian Mack: ''Have you no decency'' (2005) * Liquid Meat: ''Beat the Meatles'' (2006) * The Shazam: ''M3TEOR'' (2009) * Liquid Meat: ''Maximum Carnage'' (2009) * Big Wood: ''Big Wood'' (2012) * Custard: ''Infested by Anger'' (2012) * Symphonika: ''In Dreams'' (2013) * SBB: ''Za linią horyzontu (Behind the Line of Horizon)'' (2016)

References

External links

*
Reinhold Mack – ''TapeOp'' interview

Reinhold Mack – iZotope interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Reinhold German record producers German audio engineers Electric Light Orchestra Queen (band) Living people 1949 births Engineers from Munich