Appendix I
The Record Plant—A Legacy of Hits
Way back on March 13,1968, a new recording studio concept was launched in New York City, and the Record Plant was booked solid for 3 months in advance, much to the delight and surprise of its young owners. It was only a few months prior that Chris Stone, national sales manager for Revlon, had wandered into a drab, one-room studio overlooking Times Square to visit a new friend of his, engineer Gary Kellgren. Curious about this secret world of music, Stone had to step around artists like Hendrix, or move out of the way while the wunderkind Frank Zappa worked with Kellgren at the board.
Stone discovered that Kellgren was doing everything from engineering the recording sessions to sweeping the floors—all for a cheesy $200 a week. With a Masters in marketing from UCLA, Stone didn't think Kellgren was marketing his talents well enough. He took a look at the books and found that the little studio was billing five grand a week, and after a meeting with the boss, Kellgren's salary jumped to a thousand a week. Stone and Kellgren became better friends.
Kellgren had a passionate vision of what a rock and roll studio ought to be. What he hoped for was like a hotel, but a homey place where you would be taken care of while you created your masterpiece. Stone recalls, “When we started Record Plant, recording studios were like hospitals: fluorescent lights, white walls and concrete floors. We turned the recording studio into a living room. The best and greatest compliment that any artist who came to work with us could make was, ‘My god, this is beautiful—I want to live here.’ The concept has proven itself in the hits that have been made in these studios for all these years, not to mention the billions in dollars that have been generated.”
True to this new studio concept, Record Plant offered the creature comforts of a stylish home and the best technology available, a motif that continues to this day. Among the innovations was the “jukebox,” now known as a monitor mixer, which Kellgren built to keep producers busy while he got on with the engineering. He is also credited with improvising with some masking tape and tape machine motors to pioneer the “flanger,” the U.S. version of the Beatles’ ATD (automatic tape doubling) for that memorable psychedelic sound.
There are tales told by the campfire, where rock mythology is discussed, that say the atmosphere created in that first studio and the ones to follow was so close to a good home and a fine hotel that songs were written to immortalize that special state of mind. One look around the living room environment, one listen to the cutting-edge 12-track equipment and it was hard to get Hendrix, Zappa, Buddy Miles, the Velvet Underground, Traffic, or Vanilla Fudge to leave. Luckily, the party was recorded.
It's safe to surmise that no other “facility” has ever lent so much of a creative edge to the works of art at hand. The first album cut at Record Plant was Hendrix's Electric Ladyland. The first big mix session was Woodstock, and the first remote job was The Concert for Bangladesh. Not bad for a start, and with business booming for two years, the partners decided it was time to open another studio on the West Coast.
If Hollywood needed a little more premiere hooplah, the Los Angeles Record Plant rose to the occasion with the opening ceremonies on Third Street, December 4, 1969. The superstars were invited, and the invitation was a brick with names silk-screened onto the surface. At the door, guests were met by a tuxedo-clad bricklayer, who built the autographed lobby wall as the evening progressed.
Stone had discovered an enterprising young speaker designer, Tom Hidley, who was invited to handle the acoustics in the new facility and also became the chief technician. The tracks increased from 12 to 16, and within a year the studio boasted the first 24-track in the world, a $40,000 machine designed by Hidley and built by MCI's Jeep Harned. The music biz was thriving, and clients like the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, Three Dog Night, and Fleetwood Mac started calling Record Plant home. Stevie Wonder locked out studio B for a few years while he cut Talking Book, Innervisions, Songs in the Key of Life, and Fulfillinness’ First Finale. Record Plant became well known for its nonstop hit recording and wild home life, as well as for technological leaps, including the first digital 32-track, the still-respected 3M M81 Digital Mastering System.
A third Record Plant was opened in Sausalito in 1972, and shortly afterwards Stone and Kellgren sold the New York facility. Studio C in L.A. was completed in 1974, and the hit parade continued with artists such as Sly Stone, Quincy Jones, Poco, REO Speedwagon, Diana Ross, Alice Cooper, America, the Allman Brothers, Iron Butterfly, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. By 1977, Donna Summer, Eddie Money, Rod Stewart, the Tubes, and the Eagles were all camping out at Record Plant.
The soaring success of the studio was marred by two tragedies. In 1977, Gary Kellgren drowned in his swimming pool, and a short-circuit torched Studio C on January 10, 1978. The economy put an end to some of the more flamboyant excesses in the music business, and as the industry turned its eyes to a businesslike approach, so, too, did the Record Plant. Sausalito would be sold in 1980, with all of the focus remaining on Los Angeles. The studio had a momentum of its own, including a fleet of remote trucks, and continued to expand its L.A. base of operations. In 1982, Stone leased the Glen Glenn stages M and L on the Paramount Pictures movie lot. While the studios on Third Street continued making gold, the Paramount studios scored with blockbuster hits like Star Trek, Annie, 48 Hours, and An Officer and a Gentleman.
By December 1985, the operation had outgrown its “groovy” facilities on Third Street, and the studios celebrated with “The Last Jam,” an all-night party with hundreds of Record Plant veterans. In January, 1986, the new facility was opened at 1032 Sycamore Avenue, on the site of the Radio Recorders “Annex,” a landmark studio where artists such as Elvis and Satchmo had worked. The historical vibe, comfort, high technology, and versatility of the new studios attracted top producers, and it continued as a haven for the biggest names in music. In late 1987, Stone sold half the operation to Chrysalis and remained until 1989, when he sold the remaining 50 percent. Without a strong figurehead, the studio was on cruise control until purchased in 1991 by Rick Stevens.
Formerly president of the Summa Music Group publishing firm, with its own hit-making recording studios, Stevens was a fit music industry veteran with experience in both artist management and A&R. He decided that Record Plant would stay on its original course and buck the trend toward austerity that had characterized the lean-and-mean nineties. A new chapter in the colorful saga of the Record Plant began in January of 1993 with the completion of an ambitious, four million dollar upgrade to the facility. The new rooms came with private lounges, and “instant office” communication lines, and along with the Record Plant's two previously existing rooms, were complemented by a spacious new skylighted atrium lounge area complete with Jacuzzi, billiards table, and cafe. Created under the supervision of architect Peter Grueneisen of the award-winning studio bau:ton, the upgrade transformed the historic studio into a stylish, luxurious workplace.
The 5-star ambience was a key element in the Stevens operating philosophy. “The Record Plant has historically catered to top-echelon rock and roll stars,” he said. “I very much wanted to continue in that tradition and realized that most stars want a little style in their working environment. If they're in from New York or London, they're staying at the Beverly Hills Hotel, or Mondrian or Bel Age, where they're used to a high caliber of service. They expect the best, and we've got the best technical team in town, plus a 24-hour staff ready to take care of the rest. That's what makes us distinctive, and I believe it is that same original philosophy that will keep our legendary operation young.”