Reinhold Mack (also known as Mack, born 25 August 1949) is a German record producer and engineer. He is best known for his collaborations with
Billy Squier,
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...
,
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
, the
Electric Light Orchestra,
Sparks, and
Chinaski.
Biography
Early life and education
Mack grew up in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, and was
classically trained on piano, clarinet and acoustic guitar. At the age of fourteen, he discovered the electric guitar, playing in
cover bands 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.
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,
Peter Alexander and
Amon Düül.
[ While at Union Studios, Mack was approached by ]Giorgio Moroder
Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...
to mix a song for Scottish singer 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 hotel/apartment building. With Mack's help, Moroder's studio would expand to become Musicland Studios.[
At Musicland's first session in 1973, Mack assisted producer Tony Visconti in recording sessions for Marc Bolan and 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 people, English rock (music), rock band T. Rex (band), T. Rex, the ninth since My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Thei ...
'', and later assisted on the Rolling Stones' '' It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' and '' Black and Blue'', Deep Purple's '' Stormbringer'' and '' Come Taste the Band'', and Led Zeppelin's '' Presence''.[
Mack first worked with Electric Light Orchestra in 1975 while engineering during recording sessions for '' Face the Music'',][ the start of a working relationship that would span six years and the band's next five studio albums. Mack also worked with ]Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
and Sparks, with the Queen album '' The Game'' garnering Mack and the band a Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
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 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 and wife Ingrid'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 global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...
and was a godson of both Mercury and Queen bass guitarist John Deacon.
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 ( SBB): '' Strange Is This World'' (1972)
* Czesław Niemen ( SBB): '' Ode to Venus'' (1973)
* Amos Key: ''First Key'' (1973)
* T. Rex: ''Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow
''Zinc Alloy and the Hidden Riders of Tomorrow'' is an album by English people, English rock (music), rock band T. Rex (band), T. Rex, the ninth since My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Thei ...
'' (1974)
* Deep Purple: '' Stormbringer'' (1974)
* Deep Purple: '' Come Taste the Band'' (1975)
* Electric Light Orchestra: '' Face the Music'' (1975)
* Electric Light Orchestra: '' A New World Record'' (1976)
* Sweet: '' 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 Discovery ...
'' (1979)
* Electric Light Orchestra: '' Xanadu'' (1980)
* Electric Light Orchestra: ''Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' (1981)
* Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
& Friends: ''Star Fleet Project
''Star Fleet Project'' is a solo project of Brian May, Queen (band), Queen's guitarist, and a mini-album of the same name. Released as the work of Brian May + Friends, the album features May, guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alan Gratzer (then ...
'' (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'' (1976)
* Gordian: ''Madeka'' (2016)
Albums produced or co-produced by Mack:
* Scorpions: '' Fly to the Rainbow'' (1974)
* The Rolling Stones: '' It's Only Rock 'n Roll'' (1974)
* Deep Purple: ''Come Taste the Band'' (1975)
* Rory Gallagher: '' Calling Card'' (1976)
* The Rolling Stones: '' Black and Blue'' (1976)
* David Coverdale: '' White Snake'' (1977)
* Peter Straker: ''Real Natural Man'' (1980)
* Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
: '' The Game'' (1980)
* Queen: '' Flash Gordon'' (1980)
* After the Fire: ''80-f'' (1980)
* Sparks: '' Whomp That Sucker'' (1981)
* Billy Squier: '' Don't Say No'' (1981)
* After the Fire: '' Batteries Not Included'' (1982)
* Sparks: '' Angst in My Pants'' (1982)
* Queen: '' Hot Space'' (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)
* Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. Regarded as one of the gre ...
: '' Mr. Bad Guy'' (1985)
* BAP: ''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 Brian May
Sir Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist and astrophysics, astrophysicist. He achieved global fame as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist of the rock band Queen ...
and Mack)
* Michael White: ''Michael White'' (1987)
* Extreme: '' Extreme'' (1989)
* It Bites: '' Eat Me in St. Louis'' (1989)
* Bonfire
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve.
Etymology
The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...
: ''Knock Out
A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several Contact sports, full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of World Taekwondo Federation#Sparri ...
'' (1991)
* Law and Order: ''Rites of Passage'' (1991)
* Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
: '' Dehumanizer'' (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)
* Chinaski: 11 (produced by Mack and Sacha Skarbek) (2019)
References
External links
*
Reinhold Mack – ''TapeOp'' interview
Reinhold Mack – iZotope interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mack, Reinhold
German record producers
German audio engineers
Living people
1949 births
Engineers from Munich