Mike "Clay" Stone
| Mike Stone | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1951 |
| Died | 2002 (aged 50–51) |
| Occupation(s) | Record Producer |
Mike "Clay" Stone (1951 – June 2002) was an English recording engineer and record producer.[1] Stone worked with Queen (multiple albums), Blue Öyster Cult, Foreigner, Journey (multiple albums),[2] Kiss, Asia, Daniel Amos, Lou Reed, Whitesnake, Bee Gees, Discharge, 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] 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 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 Discharge - Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing, 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]
- 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
- ↑ "AllMusic - Mike "Clay" Stone, Overview". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ Mehle, Michael (1997-05-23). "Veteran record producer turns his life down". Rocky Mountain News. p. 21D.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "AllMusic - Mike "Clay" Stone, Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sharpe-Young, Garry (2002-06-20). "Bad news continues for rock world". Daily News. p. 23.