Martin Birch (27 December 19489 August 2020) was a British

music 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 sound engineer. He became renowned for engineering and producing albums recorded predominantly by British rock bands, including Deep Purple,

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows ...

, Fleetwood Mac, Whitesnake,

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 de ...

, Blue Öyster Cult, and

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

Biography

Birch was born on 27 December 1948 in Woking, Surrey. He began his career in music as an audio engineer with Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac and Deep Purple, producing and engineering eleven albums for the latter. In 1980, coming from the "Deep Purple camp", he was called upon by

for '' Heaven and Hell''. The band's previous albums had been self-produced and they were happy to let Birch, who had worked with

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and ...

before, produce them. His "bright midrange" on the album is especially noted. He began a long tenure working exclusively with

in 1981, producing and engineering '' Killers'' and retiring from working with other bands for a while. Birch also produced and engineered albums for numerous artists. These included Deep Purple-related projects (

Paice Ashton Lord Paice Ashton Lord was a short-lived British rock band featuring Deep Purple band members Ian Paice and Jon Lord with singer Tony Ashton. The band was formed in 1976, released its only album in 1977 and broke up in 1978. History After Deep ...

, Whitesnake, Roger Glover, and Jon Lord), but also encompassed Wayne County & the Electric Chairs. On Fleetwood Mac's album '' Mystery to Me'' (1973) he is also credited playing

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

. The song "Hard Lovin' Man" from the Deep Purple album '' Deep Purple in Rock'' is dedicated to him: "For Martin Birch – catalyst". Birch retired in 1992, after producing Iron Maiden's '' Fear of the Dark'' album. It was the last of the ten records he produced with the group. He appeared in Iron Maiden's music video " Holy Smoke" two years before his retirement. Birch died on 9 August 2020, at age 71. The cause of death was undisclosed. Initial tributes were paid by David Coverdale,

Geezer Butler Terence Michael Joseph "Geezer" Butler (born 17 July 1949) is a English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the bassist and primary lyricist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He has also recorded and performed with Heaven & Hell ...

and Wendy Dio. Members of Iron Maiden offered a lengthy tribute to Birch on their official website, with

Steve Harris Steve Harris may refer to: * Steve Harris (musician) (born 1956), founder member and bassist of the band Iron Maiden * Steve Harris (actor) (born 1965), American film and TV actor * Steve Harris (basketball) (1963–2016), American basketball playe ...

, Bruce Dickinson and Rod Smallwood reflecting on his personality and his time working with the band.

Selected discography

Source:

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

unless otherwise stated.

Fleetwood Mac

* 1969 – '' Then Play On'' (engineer) * 1970 – '' Kiln House'' (engineer) * 1972 – '' Bare Trees'' (engineer) * 1973 – ''

Penguin Penguins ( order Sphenisciformes , family Spheniscidae ) are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere: only one species, the Galápagos penguin, is found north of the Equator. Highly adapt ...

'' (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 Fireball may refer to: Science * Fireball (meteor), a brighter-than-usual meteor * Ball lightning, an atmospheric electrical phenomenon * ''Bassia scoparia'', a plant species Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Fireball'', a 1950 film starring ...

'' (engineer) * 1972 – '' Machine Head'' (engineer) * 1972 – ''

Made in Japan Made in Japan may refer to: *Products made in Japan; see Manufacturing in Japan Music * Made in Japan (band), an Australian indie rock band, 2009–2014 Albums * ''Made in Japan'' (Deep Purple album), 1972 * ''Made in Japan'' (Flower Trav ...

'' (engineer) * 1973 – '' Who Do We Think We Are'' (engineer) * 1974 – ''

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

'' (engineer, mixing) * 1974 – '' Stormbringer'' (co-producer, engineer, mixing) * 1975 – ''

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 studi ...

'' (co-producer, engineer, mixing) *1976 – ''Made In Europe'' (producer, engineer, mixing) – recorded live in April 1975 * 1977 – '' Last Concert in Japan'' (co-producer, engineer) – recorded live in December 1975

Jon Lord

* 1971 – '' Gemini Suite'' (engineer) * 1976 – ''Sarabande'' (producer, engineer, remixing)

Bernie Marsden

* 1979 - ''And About Time Too'' (producer, engineer)

Wishbone Ash

* 1970 – ''

Wishbone Ash Wishbone Ash are a British Rock music, rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular albums included ''Wishbone Ash (album), Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage (Wishbone Ash album), Pilgrimage'' (1971), ''Argus (alb ...

'' (engineer) * 1971 – ''

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

'' (engineer) * 1972 – ''

Argus Argus is the Latinized form of the Ancient Greek word ''Argos''. It may refer to: Greek mythology * See Argus (Greek myth) for mythological characters named Argus **Argus (king of Argos), son of Zeus (or Phoroneus) and Niobe **Argus (son of Ar ...

'' (engineer)

Rainbow

* 1975 – '' Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow'' (co-producer, engineer, mixing) * 1976 – ''

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), "Rising" (''Stargate Atlantis''), the series premiere of the science fiction ...

'' (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 A snakebite is an injury caused by the bite of a snake, especially a venomous snake. A common sign of a bite from a venomous snake is the presence of two puncture wounds from the animal's fangs. Sometimes venom injection from the bite may oc ...

'' (producer) * 1978 – '' Trouble'' (producer) * 1979 - '' Lovehunter'' (producer) * 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) * 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 ''The End of the Game'' is an album by British blues rock musician Peter Green, who was the founder of Fleetwood Mac and a member from 1967–1970. Released in 1970, this was his first solo album, recorded in June of that year, only a month ...

'' (engineer) * 1970 – The Groundhogs – '' Thank Christ for the Bomb'' (engineer) * 1971 – Stackridge – '' Stackridge'' (engineer) * 1971 – Canned Heat and

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

– ''Hooker 'N' Heat'' (Mixdown Engineer) – recorded in 1970 * 1971 – Skid Row – ''

34 Hours ''34 Hours'' is a 1971 album by Irish blues-rock band Skid Row. It was the band's second album, and takes its title from the fact that it was recorded in 34 hours. Track listing ;Side I #"Night of the Warm Witch" (Brendan "Brush" Shiels, Gar ...

'' (engineer) * 1971 –

Toad Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. A distinction between frogs and toads is not made in scient ...

– ''

'' (engineer) * 1971 – Faces – '' Long Player'' (engineer) * 1972 – Silverhead – ''Silverhead'' (producer) * 1972 – Toad – ''Tomorrow Blue'' (engineer) * 1972 – Flash – ''Flash'' (engineer) * 1972 – Nick Pickett – ''Silversleeves'' (engineer) * 1973 –

Gary Moore Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 19526 February 2011) was a Northern Irish musician. Over the course of his career he played in various groups and performed a range of music including blues, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, and jazz ...

– '' Grinding Stone'' (producer, engineer) * 1978 – Wayne County & the Electric Chairs – ''Storm The Gates Of Heaven'' (producer) * 1978 – Roger Glover – ''

Elements Element or elements may refer to: Science * Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom * Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance * Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of ...

'' (producer) * 1979 – Cozy Powell – '' Over the Top'' (producer) * 1982 – Michael Schenker Group – ''

Assault Attack ''Assault Attack'' is the third studio album by the Michael Schenker Group, and the only album to feature former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet. The album was recorded in France at the Château d'Hérouville and was produced by Martin Birch. Ove ...

'' (producer, engineer)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birch, Martin 1948 births 2020 deaths English audio engineers English record producers People from Woking Place of death missing