THE WORLDS GREATEST RECORDING STUDIOS - PART ONE

Welcome to StudioBookers 'Worlds Greatest Recording Studios' series. In this feature we will aim to take a look at some of the worlds best studios past and present and attempting to detail what makes them so great. This first edition will see us take a look at Abbey Road Studios, Motown Hitsville USA, Electric Lady Studios and Olympic Studios.

Abbey Road Studios, London

Abbey Road Studios was made famous by The Beatles who recorded almost all of their music at the studios between 1962 and 1970. They named their 1969 album after the studios and it featured the famous cover photo of The Beatles crossing over the zebra crossing outside the studios.

The Studio were opened by the gramophone company in the 1930’s and were originally used to record orchestra’s. When EMI took over the studios they were renamed to EMI studios before the change of name to Abbey Road Studios after the release of The Beatles album.

Abbey Road studio features four recording spaces; Studio One, Two & Three as well as The Penthouse. Throughout the years it has been renowned for it’s innovations in recording music, such as a system where to 4-tracks could be linked which led to the introduction of 8-track and 16track recorders soon after. Much of the innovations were brought about by the collaborations of The Beatles with producer Sir George Martin.

Other artists who have recorded at the famous studios include; Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Shirley Bassey, Cliff Richard and The Spice Girls to name a few.

Motown Hitsville USA, Detroit

Purchased by Motown owner Berry Gordon in 1959for $800, Motown Hitsville USA was used to record the majority of Motown Records from its purchase up until the relocation of the label to LA in 1972.

The studio built within a residential property was only made of one recording space known as Studio A. The records of Motown were known for their innovations in recording. These included the famous Motown reverberation and the introduction of an 8-track recorder.

The studios session musicians ‘The Funk Brothers’ are also famous in their own right. They performed the backing tracks for the majority of Motown hits throughout the Hitsville era. It was claimed on a documentary about the Funk Brothers that they have played on more number-one hits than The Beatles, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, and The Beach Boys combined.

The list of artists who recorded under the Motown label is endless. They include the likes of; Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, The Supremes, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson.

Electric Lady Studios, New York City

Originally built by Jimi Hendrix in 1970, Electric Lady Studios is still used by the world’s biggest recording artists to this date. Hendrix bought the property in 1968 and initially wanted to open it as a club, however they decided that the investment would serve them much better as a recording studio.

The studio was constructed specifically to aid Hendrix’s creativity with round windows and a machine generating ambient lighting in a myriad of different colours. However Hendrix was only got around four weeks use out of the studio before his untimely death. After his death the studios were used by the likes of Led Zepplin, Stevie Wonder and The Clash who formed lasting partnerships with the studios.

The Studio is made up of three recording spaces; Studio A, B & C as well as a dedicated mixing area known as the API Mixing suite.

As well as the artists mentioned above, many artists have used the studios more recently, these include; Rihanna, Prince, Jay Z, Mark Ronson and many more. The studio was also prominently featured in the 2008 film ‘Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist’ with many shots taken inside the studios as well as many factual references to the multitude of artists who have recorded there.

Olympic Studios, London

Olympic Studios was arguably London’s busiest Recording studio in its prime. It was used as a cinema up until 1965 when it was purchased and converted into a recording studio.

The mixing desks used by the Studios were designed by the staff and built specifically for the studios use. The desk designs were then later manufactures as consoles sold commercially as Helios desks.

The studio was made up of two recording spaces, which were used by some of the industries best. Artists who have recorded at the studios include; The Who, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Sammy Davis Jr.

The studio was very well thought of in the music industry winning Music Weeks ‘Best Recording Studio’ gong five times. However after forty years of use the studio was officially shut down in 2009 with EMI deciding that the studio was no longer profitable for the company.

Our 'Worlds Greatest Recording Studios' feature will return next month with another four of the worlds best studios. Thanks for reading Luke Nyeke.