QueenZone discussion #1173949

Yara wrote: "Use him" sounds a bit weird when it comes to such a towering figure. The guy is a master, not only a brilliant sound engineer and producer, but a great musician and composer as well. He worked with David Richards in lots of projects and they share many ideas and experiences. David Richards, also an accomplished producer, engineer and musician, has done a superb job on Miracle, Innuendo and Made In Heaven. He's friends with Reinhold Mack and they worked together in many Queen productions.   No offense, but I really don't know what's the purpose of this thread or why suggesting that there has been some kind of "fight" between them. These are not my favorite Queen albums , but denying that they have been wonderfully produced and engineered would come across as a surprise to me. Brian has always highly praised the work of both.     

A_WintersTale wrote: There was some thread awhile ago in here where most of the people shared the opinion that Mack was only too poor as a producer. Maybe you could find it somewhere on the archives of the queenzone.

Yara wrote: No prob, Jake Britt. Sorry if I sounded rude. It just came across to me as weird, I mean, both guys always worked hard and did a great job in a period when the band was going through some bad times - Reinhold Mack managed to pull Hot Space together in a very hostile climate. Brian May has always praised the work of Reinhold and David Richards, the guys are tremendous, both of them. They worked together, they were always commited to the guys' views. But, well, the question you ask is not in any way "wrong" or "illegitimate", it just came across to me as awkward because I really admire both of them.  It's just that many harmful rumors are generated over time in boards and forums and nowadays it all goes to Brian in some way or another and it's kind of distressing. He's asked to answer nonsensical questions, to give the same answer thousands of times, people expect him to remember everything with 100% of accuracy. I really wouldn't like this thread to have been proposed, but it's just a matter of personal feeling and it doesn't have any influence on its development and on the community, of course. It's my personal view.  I mean no offense, absolutely. It's just a personal feeling. Sorry if I came across as rude. Regards.

Gr8 King Rat wrote: OK, not trying to be a smart ass here but what makes Mack and David Richards so great? 

YourValentine wrote: Mack did not "leave". AKOM was the last album that was partly produced in the Musicland Studio, Munich (Mack) - other songs were produced in the Mountain Studio, Montreux (David Richards). After AKOM the band did not return to Munich, so they did not work with Mack again.

Sebastian wrote: When you work with a producer, you're not compelled to keep working with him/her for the rest of projects. Mack was contacted by John and Roger when they were looking for a new direction (which is also why they stopped working with Roy, there were no rows either), and Munich became their home for early-to-mid eighties. Of course, for albums and songs not done in Munich (Flash, Under Pressure, Staying Power), Mack still produced. When 'Magic' sessions began Mack was still their man, and during the recordings of the album both John and Freddie remained somewhat loyal to him. Brian and Roger, otoh, switched to David Richards for a number of reasons - location (most of their work was in Switzerland), history (Richards had engineered, produced, written, arranged and performed in Rog's solo albums) and the fact his approach was, according to them, more suitable for the kind of sound they wanted in the film. By the time they began the post-Magic projects (Back to the Light, Barcelona, Shove It), they'd grown fonder of their Montreux studios, so they remained there. Since David was already their in-house producer it made sense working with him, as well as flying him to London for the times they recorded at The Townhouse. And by the time they started 'The Miracle', they just continued with that formula, there's no mystery about that. Both Mack and Queen had moved on, which doesn't mean they'd made him redundant. And indeed there are many differences between both styles of producing. Btw, if 'The Works' and 'Hot Space' are way below Queen standards it's not Mack's fault, but Queen's. As for 'Made in Heaven': It's a Beautiful Day was originally (piano and lead vocal) recorded at Musicland Studios during 'The Game' sessions. Let Me Live also comes (Freddie's parts) from Mack-produced material. Same for both songs from Mercury's solo album.