Album Production Information:
Produced, Engineered and Mixed by Martin 'Mesa' Birch.
Martin Birch – Producer, Sound Engineer
I first noticed Martin Birch on those early Iron Maiden sleeves—the ones with the typography that felt like a threat. At twelve, I didn’t care about "production value"; I just liked that the guitars didn't sound like mud. He was the man behind the sound mixer, the one who made the snare snap like a dry branch in a cold forest. He was "The Headmaster," and we were all just students of his high-voltage curriculum.
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Birch didn’t just record noise; he organized aggression. By 1972, he was already wrangling the messy brilliance of Deep Purple’s Machine Head, turning Ian Gillan’s banshee wails into something that didn't just clip the tape but lived inside it. In 1980, he pulled off the ultimate renovation, giving Black Sabbath a much-needed shower and a new spine. Heaven and Hell shouldn't have worked, but Martin polished that Birmingham sludge into something operatic and gleaming. It was a pivot that felt like fate, mostly because he refused to let the mid-range get lazy.
Then came the long, obsessive stretch with Iron Maiden from 1981 to 1992. It was a twelve-year marriage to the fader. From the moment Killers (EMC 3357, for those who care) hit the shelves, the sound was physical. He knew how to let Steve Harris’s bass clatter like a machine gun without drowning out the melody—a sonic miracle that still feels fresh. You can almost smell the ozone and the dust on the Marshall stacks when the needle drops on The Number of the Beast. He stayed until Fear of the Dark, then simply walked away. No victory lap, no bloated memoir. He preferred the hum of the desk to the noise of the crowd, leaving us with nothing but the records and a slight sense of abandonment. But then, when you’ve already captured lightning on tape for twenty years, why bother hanging around for the rain?
Boss, Boss Synth and Drum trucks recorded at Compass
Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas.
- Compass Point Studios (Bahamas)
Compass Point Studios, founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the visionary owner of Island Records, stands as a pivotal and iconic institution in the realm of music production, particularly during the vibrant decades of the 1970s and 1980s. Nestled in the picturesque Bahamas, just outside Nassau, this studio emerged as a tropical oasis that not only offered a breathtaking setting but also fostered a distinctive creative atmosphere that left an indelible mark on the global music scene. The 1970s and 1980s witnessed a plethora of influential albums recorded at Compass Point Studios, spanning various genres such as rock, reggae, funk, and pop. Artists like Bob Marley, Grace Jones, Iron Maiden Talking Heads, and The Rolling Stones all left their mark on the studio, contributing to its legacy as a hub of musical innovation.
Assistant Engineer Sean Burrows,
Guitars, Vocals and Guitar Synth recorded of Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland.
Assistant Engineers: Albert Boekholt, Ronald Prent.
Tape Op and Tea: Marvin Birch.
Mixed at Electric Ladyland Studios, New York.
2nd Engineer Bruce Buchhalter.
Mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound, New York City, New York.
George Marino – Mastering EngineerWhen my site brain goes full 1980s metal mode, his name keeps showing up like a hidden signature in the dead wax. Read more... George Marino is one of those behind-the-glass legends who made heavy music feel larger than the room it was playing in. Before the mastering console became his throne, he was a Bronx guitarist doing the NYC band grind in the 1960s with groups like The Chancellors and The New Sounds Ltd. Then he went pro for real: starting at Capitol Studios in New York (1967), and eventually becoming a long-running force at Sterling Sound (from 1973 onward). For a collector like me—living in that sweet spot where 1980s heavy metal, hard rock, and a dash of prog-minded ambition collide—Marino’s credits read like a stack of essential sleeves: Holy Diver (Dio), Tooth and Nail (Dokken), Stay Hard (Raven), Master of Puppets (Metallica), Somewhere in Time (Iron Maiden), Among the Living (Anthrax), Appetite for Destruction (Guns N’ Roses), Slippery When Wet (Bon Jovi), and Blow Up Your Video (AC/DC). That’s the kind of resume that doesn’t just “master” records—it weaponizes them, but with taste. George Marino Wiki
All titles published by Zomba Music Pub Ltd.
Sleeve Concept and Design: Derek Riggs and Rod Smallwood
Sleeve Illustrations: Derek 'Master Of The Universe' Riggs.
Derek Riggs – Illustrator, Cover Artist
Derek Riggs is the artist who gave Iron Maiden its visual soul by creating Eddie, one of the most recognizable mascots in heavy metal history. Since the band’s 1980 debut, his artwork fused sci-fi, horror, and dark fantasy into covers that were as confrontational and imaginative as the music itself. Riggs’ paintings didn’t just decorate records, they built a world that became inseparable from Maiden’s identity.
Inner Sleeve Photograph: Aaron Rapoport
Sleeve Preparation: The Artful Dodgers.
The Artful Dodgers were a Hertfordshire-based graphic design company, fronted by Keith Peacock,
Neil Smith, and Michael Faulkner. Known for their sharp, distinctive visual style in the 1980s,
they collaborated with major rock and metal acts, creating memorable sleeve layouts and packaging
that complemented the dramatic artwork of illustrators like Derek Riggs for Iron Maiden.
Iron Maiden is managed by Rod 'Rufus the Red' Smallwood for Sanctuary Music (Overseas) Ltd,
and Andy 'Rzzle Dozzle' Taylor for Sanctuary Music Ltd
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