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Record Plant Studios

 
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Record Plant Studios (also known as just "The Record Plant") were three famous recording studios which were started and run by Gary Kellgren (who was the creative engineer, producer & studio designer) and Chris Stone (a National Sales Rep for Revlon Cosmetics). The first opening of the Record Plant was in New York City at 321 West 44th Street, in 1968 (40°45′33″N 73°59′24″W / 40.759149°N 73.990045°W / 40.759149; -73.990045). The next year, they opened a studio in Los Angeles (37°35′58″N 122°14′20″W / 37.599555°N 122.238848°W / 37.599555; -122.238848). In 1972, the studio also opened up in Sausalito, California. In the 1980s, the New York and Sausalito studios ended up under different management and the Los Angeles studio became the main studio. The Los Angeles and Sausalito studios are currently owned and managed separately, and the New York studio has closed down. The Los Angeles studio is known as "The Record Plant", and the Sausalito studio is known as "The Plant."

The huge success of the Record Plant was largely due to Gary Kellgren's existing relationships and work with legendary artists like Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, and the Velvet Underground as well as Kellgren's desire and dream to build a studio that was not only a comfortable living environment, but also enhanced the creative juices of the recording artists. He single-handedly changed the look and feel of recording studios to what they are today. Before the Record Plant opened, studios consisted of four white walls, hard wood floors, folding chairs, and fluorescent lighting in a rectangular room with bad coffee and donuts and an engineer dressed in a tie and jacket. Kellgren designed acoustically superior studios with state of the art equipment and a creative living room feel and turned the studio into a place where artists repeatedly stated they wanted to live. It was also his idea to build in a Jacuzzi, which had never been done before.

The first album recorded at the Record Plant in New York was Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in 1968. Through the years, hundreds of albums were first cut there (Hotel California by the Eagles, Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder, etc.). During the 1970s, house engineers Shelly Yakus and Roy Cicala also gave many local bands their start by donating session time and materials to upcoming artists, engineering and producing their demo tapes. This was part of the Record Plant's successful marketing plan which led to its as having recorded nearly 10% of the top 100 albums on the Billboard charts.

A long list of Award winning American music has been written and recorded in the Sausalito studio, more than any other singular structure in Sausalito and/or Marin County. The Record Plant Studios have hosted musical artists in virtually all musical genres: Rock-and-roll, reggae, country music, jazz, punk, blues, folk, soul, zydeco, hip-hop and rockabilly.

Contents

Management Changes

The Sausalito studio has been managed separately from the Los Angeles studio since 1980, after it was sold to Laurie Anne Necochea, who had become paralyzed as a result of a medical radiation mishap for which she received a large monetary settlement. The studio was managed by Steve Malcolm and Bob Hodas.[1] The studio business then became "The Plant Studios" or simply, "The Plant." After her passing, the Plant was sold by the Necochea Trust to Stanley Jacox in 1984.[2] In 1985, the studio was seized by government agents based on an affidavit accusing Jacox of manufacturing Quaaludes and methamphetamines and investing drug money in the studio.[3] After Jacox's arrest in 1985, the Sausalito studio was possessed by the government, who ran it with a skeleton crew for about a year until selling it at government auction to Bob Skye in 1986; he took ownership in 1987.[4] In 1988, Skye recruited Arne Frager as a partner and Frager bought him out a few years later. Frager's business, The Plant Studios, ceased operating at the Sausalito building in March 2008 but Frager still legally owns the business name, The Plant Studios.[5]

In September 2008, the Sausalito property was remanded back to the lender at public auction. [6]

In May 2009, Mick Fleetwood appeared in a video to support the building's preservation effort.[7]

In 1987, the New York studio was sold to Sir George Martin and closed soon afterward.

Selected list of albums recorded at Record Plant New York (by year)

Note: The Who initially recorded their album Who's Next at the Record Plant, but the recordings were not useful for release. Ultimately The Who recorded Who's Next at the Olympic Studios in London.

Producers and engineers associated with Record Plant New York

  • Gary Kellgren (co-founder, producer and engineer)
  • Shelly Yakus (house engineer)
  • Roy Cicala (house engineer)
  • Andy Abrams (house engineer)
  • Mitchell Plotkin (studio manager)
  • Ray Colcord (producer)
  • Jack Douglas (producer)
  • Jimmy Iovine (engineer and producer)
  • Jay Messina (engineer)
  • Sam Ginsberg (engineer)
  • Frank Hubach (engineer)
  • Jason Sapan (associate engineer)
  • Richie Apuzzo (associate engineer)
  • Rod O'Brien (associate engineer)
  • Corky Stasiak (associate engineer)
  • David Thoener (associate engineer)
  • Tom Rabstenek (mastering engineer)
  • Greg Calbi (mastering engineer)
  • Paul Prestopino (maintenance technician)
  • Kooster McCallister (remote recording engineer)
  • David Hewitt (remote recording engineer)

Selected list of albums recorded at Record Plant Los Angeles (by year)

Well-known albums recorded at the Sausalito location (by year)

Some notable albums recorded and/or mixed at The Plant Studios include:

Bay Area musicians recorded at the Sausalito location

The Plant Studios has been the choice for many of the San Francisco Bay Area's recording artists, both locally grown and transplanted, world-renowned and not, including:

  • 4 Non Blondes
  • Charles Brown
  • Tracy Chapman
  • Crystal City
  • The Donnas
  • The Doobie Brothers
  • E-40
  • John Fogerty
  • Michael Franti / Spearhead
  • The Grateful Dead
  • Sammy Hagar
  • John Lee Hooker
  • Huey Lewis and the News
  • Chris Isaak
  • Rick James
  • Jefferson Starship
  • Journey
  • Kronos Quartet
  • Metallica
  • Ronnie Montrose
  • Van Morrison
  • Papa Wheelie
  • Primus
  • Roy Rogers
  • [Carlos] Santana
  • Sly and the Family Stone
  • Tony! Toni! Tone!
  • Too Short
  • Tower of Power
  • Train
  • Bob Weir
  • Zero

Artists from around the world

Some of the more famous names who have made the pilgrimage to this historic studio to record and/or mixed albums at The Plant Studios Sausalito are:

  • American Music Club
  • Big Head Todd and the Monsters
  • The Blind Boys of Alabama
  • Andrea Bocelli
  • Michael Bolton
  • The Breeders
  • Peabo Bryson
  • Candlebox
  • Mariah Carey
  • Sonia Dada
  • Dave Matthews Band
  • The Deftones
  • Drivin' and Cryin'
  • Echobrain
  • Faith No More
  • Dan Fogelberg
  • Zucchero Forniciari
  • Peter Frampton
  • Aretha Franklin
  • Kenny G
  • ayumi hamasaki **
  • Zakir Hussain
  • Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
  • Bob Marley
  • Mother Love Bone
  • Oysterhead
  • Papa Wheelie
  • Prince
  • Rusted Root
  • Joe Satriani
  • Kenny Wayne Shephard
  • The String Cheese Incident
  • Three Dog Night
  • Elisa Toffoli
  • Carrie Underwood
  • Luther Vandross

** ("Then Comes the Sun", recorded spring/summer 2002)

Charitable causes

The Plant Studios is known for supporting numerous charitable causes, especially music-related endeavors, like:

  • hosting recording sessions for children in the Little Kids Rock program
  • donating tracks to benefit albums like KFOG radio station's long-running Live From The Archives series which raises funds for the Bay Area Food Bank and homeless shelters.
  • hosting recording sessions for relief efforts (Hurricane Katrina)
  • organizing a "Hair Harvest" from the long-haired musician types for Locks of Love, who provide wigs for children who have lost their hair due to illness.

References

  1. ^ Harold Dow. (1978). Malpractice Award. [Television]. San Francisco, California: CBS Evening News. http://tvnews.vanderbilt.edu/program.pl?ID=255174. 
  2. ^ Liberatore, Paul (1985-09-14), "Chaos at Marin Record Studio After Drug Raid", San Francisco Chronicle 
  3. ^ Jarvis, Birney (1985-09-13), "Recording Studio In Sausalito Seized By Drug Probers", San Francisco Chronicle: 8 
  4. ^ "Famed Studio Celebrates 25 Years of Music, Et Cetera", Los Angeles Sentinel: B4, 1997-11-12 
  5. ^ Liberatore, Paul (2008-04-05), "The Plant Studios changing operator", Marin Independent Journal, http://www.marinij.com/ci_8819765 
  6. ^ "Legal Notices", Marin Scope, 2008-09-19, http://avehicleforchange.org/?m=200809 
  7. ^ url = http://www.plantstudios.org

External links


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