The Record Plant – New York, Los Angeles, Sausalito, U.S.A
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.