Roy Thomas Baker, Famous For His Work With The Art Of Noise And Trevor Horn

The producer of the first Cars album was Roy Thomas Baker, an Englishman best-known for his mile-high production work on the first four Queen albums. But although the album sounds like an immaculate studio production, Hawkes says the recorded versions are pretty close to how the songs sounded live. “We were the same arrangements we id on the demo—The most obvious difference is that we added the multi-track backing vocals, and did a fair number of overdubs. I do remember that on ‘Just What I Needed,’ Roy suggested we do two choruses at the end instead of just one.” By then Hawkes had already come up with the song’s trademark keyboard lick.

Producer, active 1970's to the present. Baker began career at Decca in England aged 14. Moved to Trident Studios. After co-founding Trident's record company Neptune, Baker began working with Queen whom he produced for five albums including the song "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Baker recalls his first hearing of the song: "We were going out to dinner one night and I met Freddie at his apartment in Kensington. He sat down at his piano and said, 'I'd like to play you a song that I'm working on at the moment.' So he played the first part and said, 'This is the chord sequence', followed by the interim part, and although he didn't have all the lyrics together yet, I could tell it was going to be a ballady number. He played a bit further through the song and then stopped suddenly, saying, 'This is where the opera section comes in.' We both just burst out laughing. I had worked with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at Decca where I learned a lot about vocals and the way vocals are stressed, so I was probably one of the few people in the whole world who knew exactly what he was talking about.

"It was the first time that an opera section had been incorporated into a pop record, let alone a Number One. It was obviously very unusual and we originally planned to have just a couple of 'Galileos'. But things often have a habit of evolving differently once you're inside the studio, and it did get longer and bigger. The beginning section was pretty spot on and the end section was fairly similar, although we obviously embellished it with guitars and lots of overdubs. But the opera section ended up nothing like the original concept, because we kept changing it and adding things to it."

Roy Thomas Baker, produttore dei primi 4 album dei Queen, ci illustra le varie tracce che compongono il leggendario pezzo "Bohemian Rhapsody" tratto dall'album "A Night at the Opera" del 1975. Baker has produced and added his distinctive sound to artists such as The Cars, Ian Hunter, Nazareth, Guns N' Roses, The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Foreigner, Journey, Ozzy Osbourne, Mötley Crüe, T.Rex, Devo, The Stranglers, Dusty Springfield, Yes, Cheap Trick, Gasolin', The Darkness and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Along with engineers Mike Stone, Gary Lyons and Geoff Workman, Baker took the helm on a variety of consoles at the sessions, including a custom-built desk at Rockfield, a Cadac at the Roundhouse, and "an old, blue Neve with big knobs on it" at Wessex. When Baker and Queen retreated to SARM (East) Studios for the mixing sessions, they were treated to a Trident B console.

"That console was the second B-series model that Trident delivered from Malcolm Toft. It was a great board with such a unique sound, although I couldn't say why. I noticed that when it was resold, it was described as the board used to mix 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and I think they got more money than they originally paid for it. We used an MCI machine at SARM which we called 'Munchy, Crunchy and Intermittent', because it was always falling apart!"

Now famous for his work with The Art Of Noise and Trevor Horn, and productions for Spandau Ballet and Mick Jagger, Gary Langan was a fresh-faced, 18-year-old assistant engineer at SARM when he came to work alongside Baker, Stone and Lyons on the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' mix. Langan's first task at the sessions was to put together a composite multitrack master from the three distinct sections of the song. He says: "Nobody really knew how it was going to sound as a whole 6-minute song until it was spliced together. I was standing at the back of the control room and you just knew that you were listening for the first time to a big page in history. Something inside me told me that this was a red letter day, and it really was."

One new item of equipment which was installed at SARM only days before the 'Bohemian Rhapsody' mix was the Alison computerised mixing system. Langan laughs: "It was the first automated system in the world, but it was ridiculous because it never worked properly! You had to store data on two tracks, so you'd end up with no more than 22 tracks of music on your tape, to provide room for the data."

Imagine Dragons In "It's Time" Music Video

Imagine Dragons have been waiting three years for today: On Tuesday (April 17), they premiered their video for "It's Time," the breakout (currently at #17 and climbing on rock radio) single from their Continued Silence EP. The clip represents the first fruits of their new deal with Interscope Records, and, for a band that has taken its time to get to this point, well, they're definitely enjoying the moment.

"We had this idea in our heads for a long time, but, you know, we could never make it," frontman Dan Reynolds told MTV News. "Until we found a director who could bring it to life. We went out to Barstow [California] — which is between Las Vegas and L.A., and we've made that drive many times, because we're from Vegas — and we shot it on a dry lake bed. It was our first time doing a music video, so it was a really awesome experience."

And while the clip — basically an updated take on the old "Jack and the Beanstalk" tale, with the band starring as mystic travelers in a very dark world, carrying a very special parcel — certainly looks cool, it also works as a rather apt metaphor for Imagine Dragons' rise. Since forming in Vegas in 2009, Imagine Dragon (the current MTV PUSH Artist of the Week) have been on one long voyage, one that's certainly had its share of ups and downs along the way.

"I remember one gig [where] we were playing a casino, in Vegas, and it was a really small stage," guitarist Wayne Sermon smiled. "We played a four-hour set — we'd do those two to three times a week — and we were exhausted, and Dan passes out in the middle of the last song, falls on the drum set, the drums go everywhere, and it was horrible, but we finished the song."

"And all these drunk guys were like, 'Wooo!' " Reynolds laughed. "But it didn't hurt; I was so tired, it was sort of nice to have a little break."

So with their first proper video out in the world, and plans to begin work on their full-length debut already in the works, Imagine Dragons continue to march on. And in that regard, things are still the same as they've ever been.

"It's crazy. We've been a band for three years, living on the road, eating bean burritos every day, and we're still eating bean burritos every day, but it's been incredible to see the support that we've gotten," Reynolds said. "We really owe so much to our fans who, from the very beginning, have been sharing the music. And we live in a world where things can happen so quickly, and we're glad we've had three years to really prepare. ... We've been doing it for a little while, and it feels good ... and right."

NBC's The Voice Showcased The Finalists From Cee Lo Green And Adam Levine's Teams

For its second week of live competition, NBC's The Voice showcased the finalists from Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine's teams Monday night, as last week's coaches Christina Aguilera and Blake Shelton relaxed and commented. With six members on each team, that meant 12 singers vied for America's votes. On Tuesday (9 ET/PT), the lowest three vote-getters from each team sing for their lives, and the coaches decide which two from each team head home.
Indie-pop singer Katrina Parker, with orchestral accompaniment, performed Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight. Christina complimented Katrina's "gorgeous" voice, but added, "I kinda wanted you to rock out a bit more." Cee Lo said the song choice was inappropriate. Adam was "really happy" with Katrina's "no frills" performance. "You killed it," he said.

Former Mouseketeer Tony Lucca tackled Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes with emotion. Adam was "so proud" of the way Tony sang one of his "favorite songs ever," and was impressed with how the singer worked around the falsetto parts. Christina worried that Tony could be "one-dimensional."

Kim Yarbrough, who's been singing for 40 years, powered through Adele's Rolling in the Deep. Blake said the performance "got better" but was sharp at times. Cee Lo thought Kim should have picked a different song, and Adam agreed. "You're an unbelievable" singer, but "there were some problems," he said.

Eighteen-year-old Mathai sang a playful version of John Legend's Ordinary People. Christina liked Mathai's adlibs, but said "it was a little lounge-y for me." Blake said Mathai's confidence drew him in, and Adam said he "couldn't be happier" with the singer's "magical" performance.

Country singer Karla Davis surprised the coaches by singing Airplanes by B.o.B. Christina said Karla had a "sweet voice," but was too quiet. Blake said, "You did as good as you could do with that song," and Adam, though proud of Karla's risky song choice, said she sounded better in rehearsal.

Musical-theater star Pip, 19, went rock with When You Were Young by The Killers. Christina told Pip she "wasn't connected" to the song, and it sounded like he was trying too hard. Adam said, "You're a great singer," but that he needs to work on being "a little grittier."

Team Cee Lo

Hawaiian 21-year-old Cheesa belted out disco tune Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston. "It was dramatic, it was awesome," said Blake. Adam agreed that Cheesa had a "great" performance that "had Cee Lo written all over it." Cee Lo said it was "wonderful."

James Massone, 23, gave the ladies love with a mellow Don't Know Why by Norah Jones. "I almost threw my panties onstage," said Blake. Christina liked "the more subtle approach," but noticed pitch problems. Cee Lo called James "solid," though he "could have projected more on the higher notes."

Rocker Juliet Simms earned rave reviews for her powerful Roxanne by The Police. Adam said, "You're the best performance I've seen so far, as much as I hate having to admit that." Christina said, "I was so into it. Your voice is dope." Blake said, "You're so good," and Cee Lo said, "Just wow."

Broadway performer Tony Vincent sang most of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears from atop a giant podium, surrounded by dancers. Blake didn't know what to make of the staging. Christina said, "I appreciate the production value," but "there were a lot of vocal restraints from the song." Cee Lo agreed that the song restricted Tony, and said he's a "far better singer than any one performance."

Model Erin Martin was a sexy Cleopatra surrounded by shirtless men for Walk Like An Egyptian by The Bangles. "Here we go again with the male strippers," said Blake, recalling similar staging last week. Christina enjoyed the theatrics, but said Erin "could have brought it harder" with a bigger stage presence. Cee Lo commended Erin for learning the tricky song, but agreed with Christina. "I want you to be more aggressive," he said.

Recovering drug addict Jamar Rogers rocked Are You Gonna Go My Way by Lenny Kravitz, flanked by guitarists on stilts. Blake, who had to wait for the crowd to calm down before he spoke, was again unimpressed by the stage hoopla. "Jamar is too good to have all that crap behind him." Cee Lo disagreed: "Do you hear the roar of this crowd?" Adam said, "You embody what this show is with what you just did."