Roy Thomas Baker, whose complex work on several Queen albums – including “Bohemian Rhapsody” – cars, foreigners and others made him one of the most successful and influential producers of the 1970s and 80s, died. No cause of death has been announced; He was 78 years old.
“Bohemian Rhapsody”, from the 1975 Queen’s album “A Night At the Opera”, is currently the most broadcast song to have been recorded in the 20th century and was appointed by the Guinness Book of Records as the first British single of all time.
Queen’s Roger Taylor noted Baker: “I think he has brought a certain discipline and a lot of cynicism and a passion for fattening desserts. He loved his food, Roy. He was very disciplined and very strict at the beginning … he would always be right. The catch had to be fair. ”
Born in Hampstead, London, Baker began his music career in Decca studios in London where he was a second engineer of major producers such as Gus Dudgeon (Elton John) and Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex). He worked on artists’ recordings (under the name of Roy Baker) as well as Rolling Stones, The Who, Dusty Springfield, ten years later, Dr John, Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Savoy Brown, Moody Blues, Nazareth, Yes, Be Bop Deluxe, and many others. In 1971, he had become chief engineer and had worked on successes such as Smash de Free in 1970 “All Now” and “Bang a Gong de T. Rex (Get It On)”. Later, he moved to Trident Studios in the London District, where he started working in close collaboration with Queen.
Although its role in the group’s beginnings in 1973 was less important, starting with “Queen II” of the following year, the sound of the group has become increasingly elaborate and ambitious, involving dozens of voices and multi -k instruments in layers, in particular the guitars of Brian May. Their work has become more and more complex through “Sheer Heart Stravate” of 1974 and undoubtedly cultivated in a creative way with “A Night At the Opera”, which broke the group internationally (and would also have been the most expensive album ever recorded at the time). He continued with the album of 1976 just as elaborate in the group but less successful “A Day at the Races”, after whatever that started to produce their own records.
At that time, however, Baker had been enlisted to work with the group based in Boston, The Cars, which, like Queen, was signed with Elektra Records in the United States, he brought his disciplined and vocal approach for the eponymous beginnings of this group, which has become an instant success, via single like “Just What I Way” and “Best Friend’s Girl” And launched cars as a major group. He continued to work with them on their next three albums, which have all been successful in gold or platinum, although his stacked voices are less important.
“Roy taught me a lot about the management of group personalities,” the writer Ad Amorosi told the singer-songwriter-songwriter.
Around this time, Baker moved to the United States and, in the following years, produced Albums by Journey, Ian Hunter, Ronnie Wood and Reggie Knighton (for his own Visual RTB audio productions). He was also producer of staff and A&R for Elektra, working with Lindsey Buckingham, Dokken, Mötley Crüe and Joe Lynn Turner. He also supervised the signature of Metallica, Simply Red, Yello, Peter Schilling and 10,000 maniacs.
During his career, he also produced Foreign, Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Devo, Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hager, The Stranglers, Guns N ‘Roses and Smashing Pumpkins.
Baker is survived by his wife, Tere Livrano Baker, and his brother Alan Baker.
