Collins reportedly died at 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 Collins with a post on their official Instagram account: “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.”
Geddy Lee, Rush’s vocalist and bassist, also shared his tribute on Instagram: “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.”
In a 2004 interview with Journal On The Art Of Record Production, Collins discussed his motivation to become a record producer. He said: “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 realised 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. 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 a 2011 interview with Performing Songwriter, Collins 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 realising it.”
Regarding perfection in the studio, Collins shared: “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.