Many different factors can drive musical creative choices. One of the most important choices for creative inspiration can be location. Throughout the years, many places have held music history through their unique sound and inspiration. Location shapes sound just as much as the instruments you play.
Electric Lady Studios
In 1968, a young, emerging Seattle native, Jimi Hendrix, purchased a rundown club in Greenwich Village, New York. Unsure of what to do with his new estate, Studio Engineer Eddie Kramer convinced him to convert it into a recording studio. During this process, Hendrix enlisted acoustician John Storyk to help shape the recording rooms, utilizing curved pieces to absorb and diffuse sound throughout. This eliminated unwanted echoes and noise from instruments, allowing microphones to pick up sound in a crystal-clear fashion. You can hear the tone of the recording studio in the song Innervisions recorded by Stevie Wonder in 1971. The studio features several lounges and psychedelic murals, allowing musicians to find inspiration rather than just record written songs. Throughout the 70’s, many artists had the privilege of recording here, including projects from Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, and Kiss. The studio has stayed relevant for over 50 years and is the oldest thriving recording studio in New York City. In the past 2 years alone, the studio has hosted the recording for the albums GNX by Kendrick Lamar, The Secret of Us by Gracie Abrams, The Crux by DJO, A Matter of Time by Laufey, Virgin by Lorde, Man’s Best Friend by Sabrina Carpenter, and Son of Spergy by Daniel Caesar.
Headley Grange
In 1970, an uprising Led Zeppelin rented the Headley Grange country estate to record their 4th studio album. The age of the estate inspired them to write more mystical tunes, including “Stairway to Heaven,” which is arguably the most popular rock song of all time. The house also featured a large stairwell. As the group was having a drum set moved into the house, drummer John Bonham tested out the kit while it was still in the stairwell. The height of the ceiling in the room created a large echo, which the band fell in love with. The band immediately rushed in microphone equipment and recorded the thunderous drums. The rest of the band wrote their parts based on the drum part, which is out of the ordinary, and resulted in the song “When the Levee Breaks.”
Abbey Road Studios
The Beatles are familiar with making legendary studios. In 1967, The Beatles became the first-ever studio-only band. Their mindset in recording changed as they no longer had to worry about a live adaptation of their song. This gave them the freedom to record complicated melodies and dense parts. Their recordings in EMI Studios were some of the first to include a full live orchestra, Multi-Track layering, Tape delay, and stereo mixing. This was only possible due to the flexibility of the room and the ability to acquire virtually any piece of music equipment that The Beatles wanted to get their hands on. They turned the studio into an instrument itself, which allowed for intricate and detailed masterpieces such as “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Day In the Life” off of the album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. They returned in 1969 to record their album, Abbey Road, which is where the studio got its iconic name.
Apple Studio
Not only have they transformed a studio, but they created their own. In 1969, The Beatles planned to release a new album and pair it with their first live performance in years. They began recording in Twickenham Studios, which was a movie studio. With such high sealings and absorbent polished flooring, it produced a dead sound that stopped the band from finding musical inspiration and raised tensions. After about a week, they decided to move their gear to their newly purchased Apple studio in Savile Row, London. Due to frustrations with the time needed for setup, the group wasn’t able to record before they had set a small performance date. While constantly practicing with minimal effects compared to earlier albums, the group made a spontaneous decision to make a performance on the rooftop of their building. While they performed up there, recording equipment was wired all the way down to their studio control room so that the songs could be recorded during the performance. These takes of their songs were used on the 1970 album Let It Be. This allowed for a more raw feeling of live rock and roll. They didn’t have any chances to fix any parts of their songs that they messed up. At the start of the song “Dig A Pony,” there is a miscue to start the song. You can also hear them preparing to play the song “Get Back“ as they talk to each other and tune instruments.
Rockfield Studios Est 1963
Brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward were into the sounds of early rock and roll. They inherited a farm and constructed a studio in a farmhouse in 1963. It was used by many legendary musicians, including Robert Plant and Black Sabbath. It was also where Queen recorded their hit song Bohemian Rhapsody. In 1995, a blossoming Oasis recorded What’s the Story Morning Glory, a follow-up to their breakthrough album Definitely Maybe. They recorded it at Rockfield Studios, a farmhouse turned recording studio. The enormous live rooms in the studio allowed the band to spend time rehearsing together. It also allowed them to feel comfortable enough to record for hours on end and get their work done. This led to their most famous song, “Wonderwall,” which especially highlights the acoustics of the studio.
Easley-McCain Studio Est: 1990
In 2001, The White Stripes recorded their third album, White Blood Cells, at Easley-McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee. Jack White, the band’s songwriter, singer, and guitarist, produced the entire album by himself. This studio was carefully selected to retain the White Stripes’ signature stripped-down recording sound. To capture the band’s essence, he purposefully rushed the recording to get the tense feeling. With Jack’s control over the record, he kept the effects to a minimum and used a tape recorder to get the sound he liked. You can hear his minimalistic recording on the songs “Little Room” and “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.”
Wave House Est:1988
A more modern example is Tame Impala, who has recorded albums in his iconic Wave House in Australia since 2012. During recording sessions, Kevin Parker spends time in isolation with no connection to the outside world and works on an album for weeks at a time. Parker spends time lining up synthesizers and instruments for his music. He doesn’t use huge recording consoles but does everything himself and records things with small devices all over the house. This allows him to control every intricate detail of his songs and retain full creative direction on his work. With no one to critique or adjust his work, Parker spends the majority of his time innovating his sound, leading to a change in his overall music while keeping his artistic touch. Earlier songs, such as “Elephant,” feature distorted psychedelic feels, while later songs, such as “One More Hour,” highlight his expansive vocals and synthesizers in a more slowly paced manner. The house has been used by musicians like The Beastie Boys and Fatboy Slim, but was bought by Parker in 2020.
Recording locations are more than just buildings; they are sources of inspiration and can impact creative choices. From the sound a voice makes in a room, to the space’s shape, to even the seating arrangement. These inspired the songs and sounds that we hear in music today
