Top 5 Iconic Recording Studios
The words ‘recording studio’ instantly conjure up the image of the iconic 1969 cover shot for the Beatles’ Abbey Road album. This celebration of the studio that played a huge role in their success immediately turned the St. John’s Wood building into a piece of international music history and rendered the Zebra crossing a tourist attraction in itself (local residents tell us that many a precarious photo has been attempted at the wrong time of the day).
A recording studio is so much more than a technical facility to a musician and many have celebrated others through their work – The Rolling Stones named a song after Chess Records Studio and Sonic Youth acknowledged New York’s Echo Canyon Studios by naming their 12th studio album Murray Street.
The roots of the recording studio go back to the 1800s, when inventors such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham, laid the groundwork for the phonograph industry. By the early 20th Century, recording studios were appearing in major cities around the world.
1. Abbey Road Studios, London
Built in 1829, Abbey Road Studios was originally a 9 bedroom house, which was bought by the Gramophone Company in 1928 as a project studio. The aim was to build the world’s first-ever purpose-built professional studio and the company later merged with the Columbia Gramophone Company in 1931 to create Electrical and Musical Industries, which was later known as EMI Studios. By 1958, the studio was popular within rock and roll music and welcomed The Beatles who recorded three albums there.
Their successful 1969 album Abbey Road placed the global spotlight on the studios and in 1970 they were renamed as Abbey Road Studios, after the legendary album. In 1979, EMI commissioned the British jazz fusion band Morrissey-Mullen to recordBritain’s first digitally recorded single record at Abbey Road Studios and the studios continued to welcome leading producers and musicians in the years that ensued.
A vast array of artists have recorded live, orchestra-backed albums, including Kanye West and Kylie Minogue. In September 2012, with the £1.2bn takeover of EMI, the studio became the property of Universal Music.
Abbey Road Studios were designated as a Grade II listed building in 2010 by the British government and the following December, the pedestrian crossing at Abbey Road was listed on the National Heritage List.
Today, Abbey Road studios are now regarded as a cultural icon and with clientele including some of the industry’s most talented musicians (The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga and Kanye West to name but a few), it’s no surprise that they feature on this list.
5 Albums recorded at Abbey Road Studios
The Beatles – Abbey Road (1969)
Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
Radiohead – The Bends (1995)
Oasis – Be Here Now (1997)
The Lord Of The Kings: The Return Of The King (2003)
2. Capitol Studios, LA
Built in 1956, Capitol Studios was originally reserved for artists signed to Capitol Records until 1968 and since then it has been a staple of the recording industry. Artists including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and The Beach Boys first gave life to its rooms and to this day, popular music icons continue in their wake.
One of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles, the building stands at 13 stories high and 150ft. With its impressive cylindrical structure, the tower resembles a stack of records and the 90-foot spire blinked “Hollywood” in Morse code at night. The studioitself is located in the only rectangular part of the building on the ground floor.
Their largest recording space is studio A which has accommodated artists such as Muse, Sam Smith and Frank Sinatra who recorded the first record there – Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color.
Capitol Tower was also renowned for its eight, custom-built “echo chambers”, which are part of an underground concrete bunker designed by legendary guitarist and sound engineer Les Paul, to achieve a better reverb sound.
The chambers provided reverb for up to five seconds and the technique was a key factor in creating the sound of The Beach Boys’ classic “Good Vibrations.” As producer Phil Ramone said, “People play better at Capitol Towers.” Capitol Studios now offers a new online service, allowing clients to have their tracks mixed and mastered by Grammy award winning engineers using its state-of-the-art equipment.
5 Albums recorded at Capitol Studios
Michael Jackson – Invincible
Jay-Z – The Blueprint
Miley Cyrus – Bangerz
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade
Snoop Dogg – Doggumentary
3. Platinum Studios, NYC
Platinum Sound Recording Studios was founded in 2000 by Wyclef Jean of The Fugees and Jerry ‘Wonda’ Duplessis, the multi-platinum Grammy Award winning producer. The two came together with the aim of providing artists with an ‘unparalleled studio experience’, with a focus on sound quality, productivity, and privacy, so that artists could immediately feel at home and create their next hit record.
Platinum Sound houses three recording studios featuring state-of-the-art equipment and is home to the only SSL 9000K-series recording console in New York City, widely acclaimed for its power in making R&B and Pop music.
Since its establishment, Platinum Sound has been the birthplace for countless Grammy Award-winning records and albums, receiving a collective 12 Grammy nominations in 2010 alone.
Their clientele includes the likes of Justin Bieber, Shakira, Kanye West, America’s Got Talent, MTV, VH1 and Nelly.
5 Albums recorded at Platinum Studios
Nelly – Over And Over
Shakira – Shakira.
Justin Bieber – My Worlds
Post Malone – Stoney
Lady Gaga – Artpop
4. Hansa Tonstudio, Berlin
Brothers Thomas and Peter Meisel founded the Hansa Record label in 1962 and from 1965 recorded at the Ariola until 1973 when they opened their own studio known today as Hansa. Situated approximately 150 metres from the former Berlin Wall, it used to be known as “Hansa Studio by the Wall”, or “Hansa by the Wall”. Located in Berlin, Germany, the studio has welcomed artists including David Bowie, Depeche Mode, Green Day, Iggy Pop, Snow Patrol and KT Tunstall.
The Hansa building on Köthener Street is described by the studios as ‘arguably the most creative music house in Berlin’. It is home to numerous independent studios and production companies from all types, including rock, hip hop and hop to film scoring and dubbing. The Hansaplatz Studio located on the 2nd floor is the headquarters of producer Alex Silva and Herbert Grönemeyer, as well as the Mitte Studios, a network of renowned and successful authors and producers. Today, Peter Wagner and Jack White produce in the former training studio on the 3rd floor.
In 2018 the studio was subject of a documentary by filmmaker Mike Christie titled “Hansa Studios: By The Wall 1976-1990” which aired across Europe on Sky Arts.
5 Albums recorded at Nansa, Berlin
Iggy Pop – Lust For Life
U2 – Achtung Baby
David Bowie – Heroes
Siouxsie And The Banshees – Tinderbox
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – From Here To Eternity
5. RCA Studio B, Nashville
Built in 1956, RCA Studio B is a recording studio in Nashville Tennessee, formerly referred to as just RCA Studios. One of the oldest and most prestigious recording studios in Nashville, it gained popularity in the 1960s. Legendary artists including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson recorded at RCA Studios, with Elvis Presley recording over 200 songs there.
RCA Studios played a key role in the development of the production style and technique known as the Nashville Sound, which was essentially a pop-country hybrid, characterised by background vocals and strings.
The Nashville Sound helped to revive the popularity of country music, establishing Nashville’s reputation as an international recording centre. The studios adjacent building, RCA Studio A, was also later central to the development of this technical artistic sound. Legends such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash fostered their sound in Nashville. Outside of country music, however, Nashville has roots in rock and roll, the blues, and alternative music. Although most of the artists functioned with the Nashville country sound, artists like Jerry Byrd recorded rock & roll and alternative rock.
The studio is located centrally in the historic Music Row district. Studio B is currently managed by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and it runs scheduled tours of the facility. Its preservation is made possible by the Mike Curb Family Foundation, but it remains one of the city’s gatekeepers to the Nashville sound.