Mike Clink
American record producer
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Mike Clink is an American record producer.[1][2][3] He began his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Whitesnake,[2] Triumph, Guns N' Roses,[2] Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO, Jefferson Starship, the Babys, Heart, and Eddie Money.[4]
Mike Clink | |
|---|---|
| Born | United States |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Record producer |
| Labels | Geffen, Chrysalis |
| Website | mikeclinkproductions |
Career
Clink began producing in 1986. "After a series of failed attempts", Steve Kurutz at AllMusic noted, "a young band named Guns N' Roses asked Clink to produce their debut album, Appetite for Destruction." "We could have made it all smooth and polished with (original producer) Spencer Proffer," noted Axl Rose, "[but] it was too fucking radio (i.e., radio-friendly). That's why we went with Mike Clink."[5]
In 1988, Clink began work on Metallica's ...And Justice for All but was replaced with Flemming Rasmussen, who had helmed the band's preceding two albums.[6]
In 1989, Clink produced the Sea Hags' critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album, recorded at Captain and Tennille's Rumbo Recorders. It would be the band's only album. The following year, Clink coproduced the successful Rust in Peace by American thrash metal band Megadeth. He left the project shortly before finishing it in order to work with Guns N' Roses.[7]
Clink has spoken on panels focusing on digital rights, new media technology, and copyright protection.[8][9]
Selected discography
As producer
| Artist | Album name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Triumph | The Sport of Kings[4] | 1986 |
| Survivor | When Seconds Count | 1986 |
| Guns N' Roses | Appetite for Destruction[4] | 1987 |
| Mari Hamada | In the Precious Age | 1987 |
| Hurricane | Over the Edge | 1988 |
| Guns N' Roses | Lies | 1988 |
| Whitesnake | Slip of the Tongue[4] | 1989 |
| Sea Hags | Sea Hags | 1989 |
| Little Caesar | Street Survivors | 1989 |
| Megadeth | Rust in Peace[4] | 1990 |
| Guns N' Roses | Use Your Illusion I[4] | 1991 |
| Guns N' Roses | Use Your Illusion II | 1991 |
| Roxy Blue | Want Some? | 1992 |
| Guns N' Roses | "The Spaghetti Incident?"[4] | 1993 |
| I Mother Earth | Dig | 1993 |
| Slash | "Magic Carpet Ride" from Coneheads | 1993 |
| Sammy Hagar | (Un)boxed[4] | 1994 |
| Guns N' Roses | "Sympathy for the Devil" from Interview with the Vampire | 1994 |
| Slash's Snakepit | It's Five O'Clock Somewhere | 1995 |
| Beth Hart Band | Immortal | 1996 |
| Sammy Hagar | Marching to Mars[4] | 1997 |
| Size 14 | Size 14 | 1997 |
| Fuzzbubble | "Out There" from Godzilla: The Album | 1998 |
| Fuzzbubble | "Bliss" from the Hell City, Hell soundtrack | 1998 |
| Pushmonkey | Pushmonkey | 1998 |
| Mötley Crüe | New Tattoo | 2000 |
| Pushmonkey | El Bitche | 2001 |
| Pure Rubbish | Glamorous Youth | 2001 |
| Steve Vai | The Infinite Steve Vai: An Anthology (co-produced) | 2003 |
| The Glitterati | The Glitterati | 2005 |
| Camp Freddy | "The Jean Genie"[10] | 2006 |
| Warner Drive | Fully Loaded[11] | 2006 |
| Crushed | My Machine | 2006 |
| Sarah Kelly | Where the Past Meets Today | 2006 |
| Brad Cox | New Directions[12] | 2008 |
| Crushed | Shadows and Substance[13] | 2008 |
| Camp Freddy | "Merry Xmas Everybody" | 2008 |
| The Sonic Graffiti | "Mystery Number" from The Haiti Project[14] | 2010 |
| State Line Empire | Octane EP[15] | 2011 |
| Mumiy Troll | Vladivostok | 2012 |
| Shelter Dogs | Take Me Home[16] | 2014 |
| Archer | Culling the Weak[17] | 2015 |
| Jaime Wyatt | Felony Blues | 2017 |
| Lucie | "Nejlepší, kterou znám" from EvoLucie[18] | 2018 |
| Les Stroud | Bittern Lake[19] | 2018 |
| American Bombshell | "My Drug" from Tattooed 'N Bruised[20] | 2019 |
| Les Stroud | Mother Earth[21] | 2019 |
| Archer Nation | Beneath the Dream[22] | 2019 |
| Capital Theatre | A Hero's Journey[23] | 2021 |
| Slash | Orgy of the Damned[24] | 2024 |
| Various artists | Magic Power: All Star Tribute to Triumph[25] | 2025 |
As engineer
| Artist | Album name | Year |
|---|---|---|
| UFO | Strangers in the Night | 1979 |
| Jefferson Starship | Freedom at Point Zero | 1979 |
| Eddie Money | Playing for Keeps | 1980 |
| Jefferson Starship | Modern Times | 1981 |
| 707 | The Bridge | 1983 |
| Survivor | Caught in the Game | 1983 |
| Shooting Star | Silent Scream | 1985 |
| Metallica | ...And Justice for All | 1988 |
| Metallica | Garage Inc. | 1998 |
| Sammy Hagar | Ten 13 | 2000 |
Awards and nominations
Several of Clink's productions and recordings have received awards and nominations, including Lucie's single "Nejlepší, kterou znám", from the album EvoLucie. Both the single and the album won Anděl Awards, for Song of the Year[26] and Album of the Year, respectively.
| Artist | Work / Recording name | Award | Result | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guns N' Roses | G N' R Lies | Grammy: Best Hard Rock Performance[27] | Nominated | Producer, engineer |
| Megadeth | Rust in Peace | Grammy: Best Metal Performance[28] | Nominated | Producer, engineer |
| Guns N' Roses | Use Your Illusion I | Grammy: Best Hard Rock Performance[27] | Nominated | Producer, engineer |
| Guns N' Roses | "Live and Let Die" | Grammy: Best Hard Rock Performance[27] | Nominated | Producer, engineer |
| I Mother Earth | Dig | Juno: Best Hard Rock Album[29] | Won | Producer, engineer |
| Sarah Kelly | Where the Past Meets Today | Grammy: Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album[30] | Nominated | Producer, engineer |
| Lucie | "Nejlepší, kterou znám" | Anděl Award: Song of the Year[31] | Won | Producer, engineer, mixer |
| Lucie | EvoLucie | Anděl Award: Album of the Year[31] | Won | Producer, engineer, mixer |
| Guns N' Roses | Appetite for Destruction – Locked N' Loaded edition | Grammy: Best Boxed or Special Ltd Edition Pkg | Nominated | Producer, engineer |