Peter Collins – the British record producer who’s worked with the likes of Rush and Bon Jovi – has died at the age of 73.
It has been reported that the producer passed away in his home in Nashville, Tennessee after battling pancreatic cancer. Collins credits include Rush’s ‘Power Windows’, Bon Jovi’s ‘These Days’, Queensryche’s ‘Operation: Mindcrime’, Alice Cooper’s ‘Hey Stoopid’, Gary Moore’s ‘After the War’, Jewel‘s ‘Spirit’, Rick Astley‘s ‘Portrait’ and over 50 other albums.
Rush paid tribute to the producer with a post on their official Instagram post. “Peter Collins was our beloved producer for 4 albums. First on ‘Power Windows’ (‘85), then ‘Hold Your Fire’ (‘87), ‘Counterparts’ (‘93) and ‘Test For Echo’ (‘96). We loved seeing him in Nashville when we came through on tour. He had a mischievous, beaming smile and great sense of humour. He will be so missed…. RIP Mr. Big,” read the caption.
Geddy Lee – the vocalist and bassist for Rush – shared his own tribute to Collins on his official Instagram account. “So sad to hear of the passing of Peter Collins. A dear, dear friend and producer of 4 different RUSH albums. During periods in the 80’s and 90’s we had some incredible musical adventures together, in various studios across the globe.
“He truly was our Mr. Big…with his ever present cigar and constant good humour. After hitting the record button, I can still hear him say ‘OK boys, from the topping … no stopping!’ We love ya B, rest in peace and thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Check out more tributes below:
Previously sharing what made him want to become a record producer in an interview with Journal On The Art Of Record Production in 2004, Collins shared: “I was a singer-songwriter in the sixties, in my teens, and I had a deal with Decca as an artist. I went in the studio and I realized in the course of making that album I wasn’t really interested in being an artist, I was interested in being in the studio and the actual process of making a record.”
He continued: “That’s what totally captivated me. It wasn’t getting behind the microphone and feeding my songs into machines that was particularly of interest to me. It was the atmosphere in the studio, and the whole process of making records thrilled me. In those days, all the producers were very, very powerful people. They all smoked Cuban cigars. Everybody held them in great reverence. One of my first jobs in the business was as an assistant to the producers at the Decca studios in West Hampstead. I was able to see how they wielded power in the studio and that’s what I wanted to be.”
In an interview with Performing Songwriter in 2011, the producer explained: “I have a pretty good British pop sensibility. When I became a rock producer that was quite an asset because I was able to bring some pop elements to the music subversively, without the listener realizing it.”
Discussing the idea of perfection in the studio, Collins said: “Unless there’s a blemish on a track which the listener would find distracting … it should be left on there. What’s wrong with a track speeding up or slowing down? I love that because it’s natural.”
He continued: “it’s really only in rock music where precision equals power, anyway. With bands like Rush and Queensryche, the tighter the music was, the more powerful it sounded, so I can see the merit in that for those genres. But, in general, no, I don’t aim for perfection. I just get good players, let them play and let it be human.”
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