in memory of legendary producer Martin Birch

Martin Peter Birch (December 27, 1948 – August 9, 2020) was a legendary British music producer and sound engineer. He shaped the heavy sound of classic British rock and metal. He was born in Woking, Surrey. He started as an engineer for Jeff Beck, Fleetwood Mac, and Deep Purple. He engineered and produced eleven albums for Deep Purple alone. Deep Purple even dedicated the song "Hard Lovin' Man" to him. They called him "Martin Birch – catalyst." He also played acoustic guitar on Fleetwood Mac's 1973 album Mystery to Me.

In 1980, Black Sabbath hired Martin to produce Heaven and Hell. Sabbath had produced their own records before. They trusted him because he had already worked with Ronnie James Dio in Rainbow. He gave the record a famous bright midrange sound. He also produced albums for Whitesnake, Wayne County & the Electric Chairs, and solo projects by Deep Purple members.

In 1981, Martin teamed up with Iron Maiden for Killers. He stopped working with other bands to focus on Maiden. He produced ten straight studio albums for them. You can even spot him in Maiden's 1990 music video for "Holy Smoke." He retired in 1992 after producing Iron Maiden's Fear of the Dark.

Martin Birch died on August 9, 2020, at age 71. Legends like David Coverdale, Geezer Butler, and members of Iron Maiden paid tribute to his massive legacy in heavy metal history.

Steve Harris: “He was just absolutely brilliant. He wasn’t just a producer, he was a hands-on engineer too, so he knew how to get a great sound. He was also fantastic at motivating people; he just had a knack of getting the best out of you. He was also a really nice man, great fun with a terrific sense of humour and that made him easy to work with. We all got along with him really well and the whole band is very saddened by today’s news.”

Bruce Dickinson: “To me, Martin was a mentor who completely transformed my singing: he was a psychotherapist and in his own words a juggler who could mirror exactly what a band was. That was his special talent as a producer. He was not a puppeteer, he did not manipulate the sound of the band, he just reflected it in the best possible way. Apart from all of that he was a wonderful, warm & funny human being. Martin & I shared a passion for martial arts – he for karate and me for fencing which gave us another bond too. I’m so very sad to hear this news, it’s incredible that he has passed away at such a young age for a man who was so full of life.”

Rod Smallwood: “He was a fantastic guy who always shared a mutual respect with the band. He never, ever, let us down in the studio. He was a true gentleman and he will be hugely missed by everyone in the Maiden Family.”

Fleetwood Mac

1969 – Then Play On (engineer)

1970 – Kiln House (engineer)

1972 – Bare Trees (engineer)

1973 – Penguin (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 (engineer)

1972 – Machine Head (engineer)

1972 – Made in Japan (engineer)

1973 – Who Do We Think We Are (engineer)

1974 – Burn (engineer, mixing)

1974 – Stormbringer (co-producer, engineer, mixing)

1975 – Come Taste the Band (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 (engineer)

1971 – Pilgrimage (engineer)

1972 – Argus (engineer)

Rainbow

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

1976 – Rising (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 (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 (engineer)

1970 – The Groundhogs – Thank Christ for the Bomb (engineer)

1971 – Stackridge – Stackridge (engineer)

1971 – Canned Heat and John Lee Hooker – Hooker 'N' Heat (Mixdown Engineer) – recorded in 1970

1971 – Skid Row – 34 Hours (engineer)

1971 – Toad – Toad (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 – Grinding Stone (producer, engineer)

1978 – Wayne County & the Electric Chairs – Storm The Gates Of Heaven (producer)

1978 – Roger Glover – Elements (producer)

1979 – Cozy Powell – Over the Top (producer)

1982 – Michael Schenker Group – Assault Attack (producer, engineer)