John Anthony

Anthony was born in North Shields, then in Northumberland now in North Tyneside. He started out in 1966 as a DJ in Windsor, Berkshire, where two years later he sang briefly with two bands: the Soul Agents, and Hogsnort Rupert and the Good Good Band. After moving to London, he worked as a club DJ at The Roundhouse, the UFO Club, and Middle Earth, and then in 1968 at the Speakeasy. After having produced and recorded a demonstration disc for Yes in 1968, he started his years as a music producer, eventually producing all the acts in the 1971 "Six Bob Tour", featuring Genesis, Lindisfarne, and Van der Graaf Generator. He had a saying for producing music: "There's one right way to do an album, and four hundred wrong ones." In 1969 as an artists and repertoire (A&R) man for Mercury Records in London, Anthony was asked by Lou Reizner to produce an album by Van der Graaf Generator. Tony Stratton Smith, the manager of Van der Graaf Generator, was so impressed with the resulting The Aerosol Grey Machine that he hired Anthony as an A&R man and staff producer at the newly formed Charisma Records. In late 1971 Anthony formed Neptune Productions, his own production company with the owners of Trident Studios and signed Queen the following spring. Anthony moved to the US in 1975 and became head of A&R at A&M Records in New York.

• Release date — Artist — Album title • September 1969 — Van der Graaf Generator — The Aerosol Grey Machine • late 1969 — Rare Bird — Rare Bird • February 1970 — Van der Graaf Generator — The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other • Spring 1970 — Affinity — Affinity • 23 October 1970 — Genesis — Trespass • November 1970 — Lindisfarne — Nicely Out of Tune • December 1970 — Van der Graaf Generator — H to He, Who Am the Only One • 1971 — Colin Scot — Colin Scot • July 1971 — Peter Hammill — Fool's Mate • October 1971 — Van der Graaf Generator — Pawn Hearts • 12 November 1971 — Genesis — Nursery Cryme • 1972 — Home — Home • 1 January 1972 — Al Stewart — Orange • 1973 — Home — The Alchemist • 24 March 1973 — Roxy Music — For Your Pleasure • May 1973 — Peter Hammill — Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night • 13 July 1973 — Queen — Queen • 1974 — Ace — Five-A-Side • 1974 — A Foot in Coldwater — All Around Us • 1974 — Al Stewart — Past, Present, and Future • 1974 — Headstone — Bad Habit • 1975 — Headstone — Headstone • 1976 — Piper — Piper • Spring 1976 — Arrogance — Rumors • 1977 — The Tubes — Now • November 1977 — Roxy Music — Greatest Hits • 29 November 2004 — Genesis — Platinum Collection • 2008 — Queen — Queen: The Singles Collection Volume 1 • 10 November 2008 — Genesis — Genesis 1970–1975