The World's Best Labels and Studios

For people of a certain age, and I’m referring to those of us who were teenagers in the mid-late 1980s, Def Jam was a mold-breaking record label.  For us it was one of the driving forces behind Hip Hop and when it got on board with Public Enemy, it reached new levels of fame.

However Def Jam did not start out particularly as a Hip Hop label.  Now legendary producer Rick Rubin started the label from his university dormitory in New York in 1984 along with a colleague, Russell Simmons.  The first single released was by a punk band called Hose but this was soon followed by Hip Hop releases from The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J and a collaboration between T La Rock and Jazzy Jay.  Rubin still championed his rock roots however and Slayer were signed in 1986.  During this period the Hip Hop release were distributed by CBS Records while the Rock releases – in the shape of Slayer – were distributed by Geffen.

Towards the end of the 1980s and as the global appetite for Hip Hop and Rap increased, Def Jam signed Public Enemy, a Hip Hop band now famous for their controversial lyrics and social commentary.  In fact they supported The Beastie Boys  in their early days. One could argue that Public Enemy formed the financial backbone of Def Jam for the entire period of their association with the label and that it was the entire movement which surrounded the band which added to their popularity.

Unfortunately Rick Rubin’s involvement with Def Jam was destined to come to a premature end towards the end of the decade.  Lyor Cohen became the new president in 1988, ejecting Rubin from that position in the process.  Rubin decided to leave and formed Def American Recordings, in the process taking Slayer with him.

For the next few years, Def Jam consistently released high selling singles but financial problems were just around the corner.

Part Two follows….

Gold Star Studios tends to fly below the radar of most non-Americans.  Many Americans too do not seem to be aware of its role in recorded music history.  Part of the reason is because it has been closed for 27 years but also in general music fans tend not to notice the studio or, to a lesser extent, the label.  When we talk about Elvis we are aware of Memphis, of Colonel Tom Parker but Sun Studios does not feature so highly.  Perhaps that’s just the way it is.

David Gold (left) and Stan Ross

Anyway Gold Star Studios was formed in 1950 by David Gold and Stan Ross (the name is a combination of theirs) and from the very first days Gold’s custom built equipment and echo chambers garnered a receptive and appreciative following.  By the mid 1950s they had worked with an enormous array of contemporary recording artists who appreciated Stan Ross’s creativity and indeed, this innovation was what Gold Star became famous for.

The Wall of Sound described……

In 1960 Phil Spector, who had been connected with the studio since its early days, recorded probably his most famous album – Wall of Sound.  Before and after Spector the names who recorded at Gold Star are far too numerous too mention but include Neil Young, John Lennon, Jimmy Hendrix, Leonard Cohen, The Beach Boys and The Monkees.

During this prolific period, Gold Star produce records which won Grammy Awards, more National Endowment of the Arts Awards and Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) Songs of the Centurythan any other independent record label.  Neil Young eventually insisted that all his recording should be mastered by David Gold.

By the 1980s, Gold Star Studios (and many other independent studios) had begun to struggle against the age of personal computing which allowed bands to set up studios for minimal costs in their own premises.  In 1984 it finally closed and a mall now stands in its place.

Stan Ross passed away on 11th March 2011, aged 82.  David Gold said that “…his heart just gave up.”

Part Two of this article concentrates firstly on Elvis Aaron Presley and the impact of his arrival at Sun Studios. We’ll deal with his biography in a separate article. We’ve already discussed how he wandered into the studio one day with a plan to record a tune for his mother and, after some frustrating starts, finally got a recording of a different song played on a local radio station.

Elvis’ black sounding voice was just what Sam Phillips, the owner, had been looking for and

Colonel Parker & Elvis

soon radio stations all over the Southern United States were asking to play his records. Phillips soon realised that a small studio/label like Sun did not have the experience or manpower to deal with what was turning into a music phenomenon. He turned to Colonel Tom Parker, a manager of some experience who persuaded Phillips that Elvis needed to join a bigger label. Although Phillips was not enthusiastic about the idea, and apparently Elvis was not either, the contract was eventually sold for the incredible amount of $40,000 in 1955 to RCA Victor.

Phillips claimed he put this price tag on the contract to discourage potential buyers but Jack Clement, a sound engineer at Sun says that Phillips was in serious debt and needed the money to pay these off. Nevertheless he also invested in other Sun artists including Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis.

Some continued success in the following years meant a move to bigger premises at 639 Madison Avenue but as Phillips gradually became interested in radio broadcasting the studio and label business was left to decline and in 1968 it released it’s final single. The following year Shelby Singleton of Mercury Records bought the label and incorporated it into a new company, Sun International,which concentrated on re-releasing original Sun recordings. He moved this company to Nashville.

For enthusiasts though, the story didn’t end there – in 1987 the original building was reopened as a recording studio and tourist attraction for Elvis fans. It also recorded albums for, among others, U2 and Paul McCartney. It’s also now recognised as a National Historic Landmark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa0WNP3Zwwo

U2 at Sun Studios

Interscope Records is an American record label. The label was created in 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field. The record was financially supported by Atlantic Records. The label’s first release was Latin-rapper named Gerardo. Gerardo released his first his in 1991. The label’s second release was Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The label also started working with Tupac Shakur and Nine Inch Nails.

Interscope records also assisted in starting Death Row, which really turned things around for the much criticized label at the time. Interscope helped in getting careers booming for artists like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, Helmet and No Doubt. Interscope Records played a part in releasing albums such as The Chronic, by Dr. Dre, going triple platinum.

When the record label first started they made a name for themselves primarily with hip hop music. Over time however they started expanding, finding success in all different genres of music. Interscope Record has played a major part in the evolution of American music. Labels and artists that they assisted in getting off the ground have branched out to do so many different projects and albums, it’s hard to keep up with.

The record label has received some criticism by artists such as Ice Cube, primarily because they were less than happy with distribution and usage of some material. To this day the label still continues to produce and release albums.

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One can only write about so many recording studios before alighting on one of the most influential in the United States.  Sun Studios, located in Memphis, Tennessee provided the backdrop for some of the most famous artists ever to record popular music as we shall see.

Sun Studios was started by recording engineer Sam Phillips at 705 Union Avenue, Memphis in 1952.  Phillips had already had one failed attempt at a recording studio and record label, Phillips Records, but this setback did not deter him from trying again.  He was involved in the recording of what many credit as the first genuine rock & roll single, Jackie Brenston’s Rocket 88.  His day job as a sound engineer had given him many contacts in the recording business and some of the first artists to record at Sun Studios were such lumineries as B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf.

Sam Phillips struggled financially during the early days of Sun Studios and the accompanying record label.  Artists were paid royalties less than than the industry standard and Phillips spent much of his time driving around the country persuading radio stations to showcase Sun Studios recordings.  Fear of another failure led to Phillips to alcoholism and he was briefly locked in a mental institution and, according to some, given electric shock therapy.

The studio’s luck began to change in August 1954 when Elvis Aaron Presley walked off the

Elvis (seated) at Sun Studios

street into the building to record his own single.  Phillips and his receptionist Marion Keisker realised that Presley had a unique quality about his voice.  The studio had previously concentrated on black musicians but here was a young white man who had a black sounding singing voice.  We’ll look at Elvis in detail in another article but after some tweaking with his style they finally released “That’s All Right” as his first single and it was played on a local radio show where it was enthusiastically received by the audience.

Part Two follows……

The Record Plant is a relatively young recording studio, at least in comparison to some of the most famous industry players.  The first location was started in 1968 in New York City by Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone.  Kellgren was the creative force behind the project, combining studio design and production roles as well as creative engineer.  Stone brought with him the marketing expertise.

Kellgren already had significant experience and a tremendous number of artistic contacts

Hendrix/Mclaughlin Poster

before starting this venture so it was no surprise that artists of the calibre of Jimi Hendrix and The Soft Machine were recording there from the very start.  The first album produced there was Hendrix’ 1968 release Electric Ladyland.  Kellgren was also innovative in his studio design and brought a level of creature comforts, notably a jacuzzi, to recording work that has been absent from the U.S. previously.

In 1969 the Los Angeles studio was opened and then, three years later the studio in Sausalito, also in California, sprang into life.  The list of albums produced over the years in the NYC studio includes lumineries such as John Lennon (Imagine – 1971), Bruce Springsteen (Born to Run 1974-75) and Aerosmith (Toys in the Attic – 1975).  Gradually the California studios, especially Sausalito, began to catch up with NYC in terms of quality and calibre of artist and the NYC studio finally closed in 1987, not long after its purchase by George Martin, the driving force behind London’s Abbey Road studios for many years, not to mention The Beatles producer.

Notable acts to have recorded at the Californian locations include Black Sabbath, The

The Eagles

Eagles, Rod Stewart and more recently Robbie Williams.  The Sausalito studio has changed ownership and management frequently over the years, even for a short while being owned by the government when it was charged with manufacturing Quaaludes and Amphetamines there.  It is now actually called The Plant and the Los Angeles studio is now known as The Record Plant.