Gary Michael Langan (born 19 April 1956) is an English engineer, record producer, mixer and musician.

Biography

His career started at age 18 when he worked as an assistant engineer at

Sarm East Studios Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Isl ...

, learning the craft from Gary Lyons and Mike Stone, whom he assisted on the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

albums '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', and ''

News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national red top tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling English-language newspaper, and at closure still had one ...

''. After engineering for John Sinclair (co-founder of ''Sarm'' (East), together with sister Jill Sinclair, G. Lyons and M. Stone) on his band Levinsky/Sinclair's 1979 single "Only Feel This Way" and for

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...

on ''

90125 ''90125'' is the eleventh studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes, released on 11 November 1983 by Atco Records. After Yes disbanded in 1981, following the ''Drama'' (1980) tour, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White forme ...

'' by Yes, Langan would produce ''

Beauty Stab ''Beauty Stab'' is the second studio album by English pop band ABC, released on 14 November 1983 by Neutron Records, Mercury Records and Vertigo Records. The album was recorded over a period of three months between August and September 1983, ...

'' by ABC and, later, '' Through the Barricades'' by

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

. In 1983, Langan co-founded the

ZTT Records ZTT Records is a British record label founded in 1983 by record producer Trevor Horn, Horn's wife and businesswoman Jill Sinclair, and ''New Musical Express'' (NME) journalist Paul Morley. The label's name was also stylised as ZANG TUMB TUUM and ...

label with Trevor Horn,

Paul Morley Paul Robert Morley is an English music journalist. He wrote for the ''New Musical Express'' from 1977 to 1983 and has since written for a wide range of publications as well as writing his own books. He was a co-founder of the record label ZTT Re ...

and Jill Sinclair. He was also a founding member of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretica ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

group

Art of Noise Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and mus ...

, but departed in 1986 after touring in support of the group's '' In Visible Silence'' album. In 1986, Langan co-produced Belouis Some's album '' Belouis Some'' in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

with

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and per ...

keyboardist/guitarist Guy Fletcher. Langan co-produced Public Image Ltd's 1987 album '' Happy?''. 2005 saw Langan creating the

SACD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the Compact Disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows multiple au ...

mix for the re-issue of '' Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds''. In 2008, Langan produced the ABC album ''

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

''. In April 2009, Langan took charge of the front of house duties for ABC at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. The concert was also not only a reunion for various members of the band, but also for the team involved in the making of ''

The Lexicon of Love ''The Lexicon of Love'' is the debut studio album by English pop band ABC. It was released on 21 June 1982 by Neutron Records in the United Kingdom, by Mercury Records in the United States and Japan, and by Vertigo Records in Canada and Eur ...

''.

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genr ...

arranged the songs for, and conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra, Trevor Horn supplied a speech and backing vocals.

Selected studio work excluding Art of Noise

Charted singles

*1975: "

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...

; assistant engineer; No. 1 *1976: " You're My Best Friend" Queen; assistant engineer; No. 7 *1977: " Tie Your Mother Down" Queen; assistant engineer; No. 31 *1977: '' Queen's First E.P'' Queen; assistant engineer; No. 17 *1977: " We Are the Champions" Queen; assistant engineer; No. 2 *1978: " Spread Your Wings" Queen; assistant engineer; No. 34 *1979: "

Video Killed the Radio Star "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album '' English Garden'' an ...

The Buggles The Buggles were an English new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single " Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK Singles Cha ...

; engineer; No. 1 *1980: "The Plastic Age" The Buggles; engineer; No. 16 *1980: " Clean Clean" The Buggles; engineer; No. 38 *1980: "

Elstree Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of t ...

" The Buggles; engineer; No. 55 *1981: "Hand Held in Black and White"

Dollar Dollar is the name of more than 20 currencies. They include the Australian dollar, Brunei dollar, Canadian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, Jamaican dollar, Liberian dollar, Namibian dollar, New Taiwan dollar, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, ...

; engineer; No. 19 *1981: "Mirror Mirror (Mon Amour)" Dollar; engineer; No. 4 *1982: " Poison Arrow" ABC; engineer; No. 6 *1982: " Give Me Back My Heart" Dollar; engineer; No. 4 *1982: "Save Us" Philip Jap; engineer; No. 53 *1982: " The Look of Love" ABC; engineer; No. 4 *1982: "

Videotheque "Videotheque" is a song by British pop duo Dollar. It appeared on the album ''The Dollar Album''. The song spent 10 weeks on the UK charts, peaking at #17. It also reached the same chart position in Ireland. A demo version by producer Trevor ...

" Dollar; engineer; No. 17 *1982: "

All of My Heart "All of My Heart" is a song by English new wave and synth-pop band ABC, from their debut studio album, ''The Lexicon of Love'' (1982). It was released as a single in the UK on 27 August 1982 and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-sid ...

" ABC; engineer; No. 5 *1982: "

Buffalo Gals "Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". The song was widely popular throughout the United States, where minstrels often al ...

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provo ...

and The World Famous Supreme Team; engineer; No. 9 *1983: "Soweto" Malcolm McLaren; engineer; No. 32 *1983: " Double Dutch" Malcolm McLaren; engineer; No. 3 *1983: "

That Was Then but This Is Now "That Was Then but This Is Now" is a song by English pop band ABC. It was released in October 1983 as the lead single from their second studio album, ''Beauty Stab''. It was the band's third entry on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at N ...

" ABC; produced with ABC; No. 18 *1983: " Owner of a Lonely Heart"

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

; engineer; No. 28 *1983: "Duck for the Oyster" Malcolm McLaren; engineer; No. 54 *1984: " S.O.S." ABC; produced with ABC; No. 18 *1984: " Leave It" Yes; engineer; No. 56 *1984: "Absolute"

Scritti Politti Scritti Politti are a British band, originally formed in 1977 in Leeds, England, by Welsh singer-songwriter Green Gartside. He is the only member of the band to have remained throughout the group's history. Beginning as a punk-inspired collecti ...

; mixed; No. 11 *1984: " Flesh for Fantasy (Below the Belt Mix)"

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

; remix; No. 54 *1984: "Hypnotize" Scritti Politti; mixed; No. 68 *1985: "Gun Law"

Kane Gang The Kane Gang were an English pop trio formed in Seaham in 1982. The group comprised Martin Brammer, Paul Woods and Dave Brewis. They scored several UK and US hits in the 1980s. Named alluding to the movie ''Citizen Kane'', the trio recorded fo ...

; remix engineer; No. 53 *1985: " Wide Boy"

Nik Kershaw Nicholas David Kershaw (born 1 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Kershaw came to prominence in 1984 as a solo artist. He released eight singles that entered the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart during th ...

; remix; No. 9 *1985: "The Broken Years"

Hipsway Hipsway are a Scottish pop/ new wave band. History and description The band was formed in Glasgow in 1984 by ex-Altered Images guitarist Johnny McElhone on bass, and featuring Grahame Skinner (vocals), Pim Jones (guitar) and Harry Travers (dr ...

; producer; No. 72 *1985: "

White Wedding A white wedding is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress, which first became popular with Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria wore a whi ...

(Parts I & II) (Shotgun Mix)" Billy Idol; remix; No. 6 *1986: "Living in the Past" Drum Theatre; producer; No. 67 *1986: "

The Honeythief "The Honeythief" is a 1986 song performed by the Scottish band Hipsway. Chart performance It was included on their 1986 self-titled debut album and released as a single, which reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart ...

" Hipsway; producer; No. 10 *1986: "Home Is Where the Heart Is" Drum Theatre; producer; No. 91 *1986: "Fight for Ourselves"

; produced with Spandau Ballet; No. 15 *1986: "

To Be a Lover "To Be a Lover" is a song written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones originally as "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", but best known as a cover by Billy Idol on his 1986 album '' Whiplash Smile''. As the album's lead single, it became Idol's second t ...

" Billy Idol; mixed; No. 22 *1986: " Through the Barricades" Spandau Ballet; produced with Spandau Ballet; No. 6 *1987: "Eldorado" Drum Theatre; producer; No. 44 *1987: "How Many Lies" Spandau Ballet; produced with Spandau Ballet; No. 34 *1987: " Don't Need a Gun" Billy Idol; mixed; No. 26 *1987: " Let It Be with You" Belouis Some; producer and recording engineer; No. 53 *1987: " Sweet Sixteen" Billy Idol; mixed; No. 17 *1987: "Seattle" Public Image Ltd; produced with P.I.L.; No. 47 *1987: "The Body" Public Image Ltd.; produced with P.I.L.; No. 100 *1987: "Alright Now" Pepsi & Shirlie; producer; No. 50 *1988: "Talk Free" Empire; remix; No. 97 *1988: "Raw" Spandau Ballet; produced with Martin Kemp; No. 47 *1989: " Big Area"

Then Jerico Then Jerico are an English rock band. They scored four top 40 hits in the UK during the 1980s. Career The band's early line-up included singer Mark Shaw, bassist Jasper Stainthorpe, drummer Steve Wren, and guitarist Scott Taylor. The band pla ...

; producer; No. 13 *1989: " Only the Lonely" T'Pau; remix and additional production; No. 28 *1989: "Be Free with Your Love" Spandau Ballet; produced with Martin Kemp; No. 42 *1989: "

Smoke on the Water "Smoke on the Water" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, first released from the band's sixth studio album ''Machine Head'' (1972), which chronicles the 1971 fire at Montreux Casino. In a 2004 publication by ''Rolling Stone'' magaz ...

" Rock Aid Armenia; producer with

Geoffrey Downes Geoffrey Downes (born 25 August 1952) is an English keyboardist who gained fame as a member of the new wave group The Buggles with Trevor Horn, the progressive rock band Yes, and the supergroup Asia. Born in Stockport, Downes moved to London ...

; No. 39 *1990: "

You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)" is a 1978 song by American disco/ R&B singer Sylvester. It was written by James Wirrick and Sylvester, and released as the second single from Sylvester's fourth album, ''Step II'' (1978). The song was already a ...

(Remix)" Jimmy Somerville; remix; No. 5 *1990: "Heaven Give Me Words"

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

; mixed; No. 36 *1990: "Only One World" Propaganda; mixed; No. 71 *1990: "Stranger to the Rain"

Frances Ruffelle Frances Ruffelle (born 29 August 1965) is an English musical theatre actress and singer. She won a Tony Award in 1987, and represented the United Kingdom in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " Lonely Symphony (We Will Be Free)", ...

; produced with Anne Dudley; No. 91 *1992: "Fair Blows the Wind for France" Pele; produced and mixed; No. 62 *1996: "12 Reasons Why I Love Her" My Life Story; mixed and additional production; No. 32 *1996: "Sparkle" My Life Story; producer; No. 34 *1997: "The King of Kissingdom" My Life Story; producer; No. 35 *1997: "Monday Morning 5:19 (Widescreen)" Rialto; engineer; No. 37 *1998: "What I Miss the Most"

The Aloof The Aloof were a British electronic music group. They formed in London, England, in 1990. The group consisted of Ricky Barrow, Gary Burns, Jagz Kooner, Richard Thair, and Dean Thatcher. They were active during the 1990s, and released four studio ...

; engineered and mixed; No. 70 *1999: "

To Earth with Love "To Earth with Love" is a song English rock band Gay Dad, released on 18 January 1999 as their debut single and lead single from their first album, '' Leisure Noise''. The song peaked at number 10 in the UK Singles Chart and number 35 in New Zea ...

" Gay Dad; recorded and mixed; No. 10 *1999: "Joy" Gay Dad; recorded and mixed; No. 22 *1999: "Oh Jim" Gay Dad; recorded and mixed; No. 47 *2001: "Someone Like You" Dina Carroll; mix engineer; No. 38 *2001: " That Day" Natalie Imbruglia; recorded drums; No. 11 *2001: " What's Going On (London Version)" Artists Against AIDS Worldwide; engineer; No. 6 *2009: "Palladio" Escala; recording engineer; No. 39

Charted albums

*1975: '' A Night at the Opera''

; assistant engineer; No. 1 *1976: ''On Tour''

David Essex David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. Since the 1970s, he has attained 19 Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and 16 Top 40 albums. Internationally, Essex had the most ...

; assistant engineer; No. 51 *1976: '' A Day at the Races''; assistant engineer; No. 1 *1977: ''

'' Queen; assistant engineer; No. 4 *1980: ''

The Age of Plastic ''The Age of Plastic'' is the debut album by the English new wave duo the Buggles, released on 10 January 1980 on Island Records. It is a concept album about the possible repercussions of modern technology. The title was conceived from the gr ...

''; engineer; No. 27 *1980: ''

Drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

; engineer; No. 2 *1982: ''

Diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, b ...

; engineer; No. 17 *1982: ''

'' ABC; engineer; No. 1 *1983: '' Duck Rock''

; engineer, performer; No. 18 *1983: ''

'' ABC; produced with ABC; No. 17 *1983: ''

'' Yes; engineer; No. 16 *1984: ''San Damiano (Heart & Soul)'' Sal Solo; mixed; No. 15 *1984: '' One Eyed Jacks'' Spear of Destiny; mixed; No. 22 *1984: ''Would Ya Like More Scratchin Malcolm McLaren and

World's Famous Supreme Team The World's Famous Supreme Team was an American hip hop radio show duo and recording group active from 1979. The original members were Sedivine the Mastermind (Larry Price) and Just Allah the Superstar (Ronald Larkins Jr.). Career The group's ...

; engineer; No. 44 *1986: '' Whiplash Smile'';

; mixed; No. 8 *1986: '' Through The Barricades''; Spandau Ballet; produced with Spandau Ballet; engineer; No. 7 *1987: '' Happy?''; Public Image Ltd. producer; No. 40 *1989: ''

Dress For Excess ''Dress for Excess'' is the second album by British band Sigue Sigue Sputnik, released in December 1988 in Brazil and in April 1989 in the UK and US. Release The album was released in Brazil before anywhere else, to make way for the band's Brazi ...

'';

Sigue Sigue Sputnik Sigue Sigue Sputnik were a British new wave band formed in 1982 by former Generation X bassist Tony James. The band have had three UK top-40 hit singles, including " Love Missile F1-11" and " 21st Century Boy". The band's music, image and in ...

; mixed; No. 53 *1990: '' 1234'';

; mixed; No. 46 *1996: ''

Eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

''; Big Country; produced with Big Country; recorded; No. 41 *1997: ''The Golden Mile''; My Life Story; producer; No. 36 *1999: ''

Leisure Noise ''Leisure Noise'' is the first album by London band Gay Dad, released via London Records and Sire Records on 7 June 1999. The album is a blending of glam rock, neo-psychedelia, krautrock and gospel into indie pop. Lyrically it is often about and ...

''; Gay Dad; recorded and mixed; No. 14 *2001: '' Pleased To Meet You''; James; engineer; No. 11 *2004: '' The Moment''; Lisa Stansfield; live vocal sessions and band engineer; No. 57 *2005: '' Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds''; Jeff Wayne; sound restoration; 5.1 surround and new mixes; No. 8 *2006: ''

Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

'';

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover Crossover is a term applied to musical works or performers who appeal to different types of audience. This can be seen, for example, (especially in the United State ...

; engineer; No. 8 *2009: '' Escala''; Escala; engineer; No. 2 *2011: '' Soul 2'';

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...

; engineer; No. 17

References

External links

*
Gary Langan video interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Langan, Gary 1956 births Living people Art of Noise members English audio engineers English session musicians English keyboardists English record producers English new wave musicians