Famous for his extended working relationship with Queen, producer Roy Thomas Baker has passed away. He was 78-years old.
Producing five of the iconic rockers’s LP – including 1975’s ‘A Night at the Opera’, featuring their timeless classic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – according to his publicist, Baker died on April12 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
About his production style, Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor recalled how “strict” Baker was in the studio, and noting how much of a perfectionist he was, the stickman said:
“I think he brought a certain amount of discipline and a lot of cynicism [laughs], and a passion for fattening desserts. But no, he was very disciplined and very strict in the beginning.” “But he would always get it right. The take had to be right. We would do a lot of takes sometimes before it was right. Because things were very different then, you know, you had to get it all right, all at once.”
Despite initial concern about how long the 6:00 compositon was, Baker always knew ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ would be a hit, and in a prior New York Time interview, he said:
“I thought it was going to be a hit. We didn’t know it was going to be quite that big. I didn’t realise it was still going to be talked about 30 years later.”
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Ultimately topped of the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks, and the Queen classic later re-entered the music list in 1991 following the death of the band’s frontman Freddie Mercury.
In addition to his work with Queen, Baker also produced The Cars’ LPs, Mötley Crüe’s debut studio album ‘Too Fast for Love’, and worked with David Bowie, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Guns N’ Roses, and Ozzy Osbourne.
While no cause of death was yet been given, Roy Thomas Baker is survived by his wife, Tere Livrano Baker, and brother, Alan Baker.
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Tere Baker – Public Domain