Recorded there many times- one of the best sounding studios I was ever in. Did film scores, big band , brass band, jazz and funk. Can’t really describe the feeling but as soon as you were in the room, it felt SOLID. Mark Wessell was aces head engineer for a long time- total talent. Had an original emt plate in one of the back rooms. Mostly 24 track 2”, this was pre digital.
STEVON! its dope to see all your other hobbies come out besides building and racing car/ bike/ truck/ atvs and I grew up on Norm Abram and this old house and Aerosmith. rock on.
I felt like a elementary school kid on a really cool field trip while watching this!!! Thanks Stevon for sharing this amazing piece of history with us. Great content once again and I look forward to the next!
Mad Season - Above, because it brings flavors from the main bands of the individual members that accompany the unfiltered soul that Layne Staley put in to his lyrics.
Yellowcard-Ocean Avenue. All bangers. No skippable songs. Also Alkaline Trio- Agony and Irony. Same, love all the tracks. And listening to it reminds me of a trip I took after graduating college to a bunch of epic sites in the Mexican jungle. A time I know I can never replicate again.
Both albums are in my rotation constantly. I find Alkaline Trio as awesome motivation music for physical work or while riding my bike. Yellowcard always hits the nostalgic feels.
But can he play the titanic theme on the cello so that it sounds like an uninterested 5 year old is playing it on the recorder? That's the real question
genesis - lamb lies down on broadway my dad loves genesis its been over 20 years since ive listened and i can still remember every word. *nostalgic af*
Thanks, Stephen. I already felt self-conscious about my home studio and iso booth, but you've taken me down another few notches. Nah, just kidding. This place looks fantastic and I'd love to record there. Of course you play the cello. Your varied talents continue to impress me. As for favourite albums(s) - I often mention my holy trinity of debut albums... Boston, The Cars and Van Halen. Be well.
"Melody A.M." by Royksopp. I discovered it when I was 14 years old and going through a really rough mental/emotional time. At that time I had been exposed to dance music for several years but the more relaxed and experimental stuff was so strange and new to me. That album helped shape my journey to becoming a musician and gave me a lot of peace. Plus I discovered the norwegian indie bands "Whitest Boy Alive" & "The Kings of Convenience" which Erland Oye (the singer on the song Poor Leno from Melody AM) is a part of on top of his own music which is amazing. Royksopp as well are an amazingly mysterious and cool group and I highly recommend them.
@@EAron-bl1lz for real!!! I hope we get more "Lost Tapes" content eventually. There's still so many b-sides and rare stuff that hasn't been touched yet.
Ditto to this my friend. Melody AM brought a completely new texture to electronic music and Royksopp showed a style all of their own. Truly a special band.
@@boxeclectic Have you ever listened to Trentmoller or any of the other norwegian electronic groups from the same era? I ended up taking quite a liking to AIR around that time...
I'm not a musician but of course a huge music fan. The only other subterranean studio I am aware of is Robert Lang studio in Seattle. It was presented in the Foo Fighters Sonic Highways series. Fascinating to learn about these places. Great video!
Thanks to Norm Abram, I know the difference between a mortis and tenant, and dovetail joint. Also this place is magical, like a hobbit hole for music. It also stands to reason that the temperature would be naturally cooler, without the assistance of A/C, which also probably adds to the quality of recording. Also a favorite album. Tom Odell: Long way down. It's the type of music that makes me want to drive in the rain and lose myself in the lyrics and the piano, even though I haven't had my heart broken by relationships, the songs still resonate with loss and coming to terms with change. Definitely one of his best
Norm really is one of the most exquisite human beings. Hobbit Hole is a perfect description, and Long Way Down is exactly that - heartbreak in many forms of loss.. which everyone feels. Its going to rain a lot this week and I'll refer to this because of you.
Star Stuff by Chaz Bundick (better known als Toro y Moi) and The Mattson 2. I don't know why, but the psychedelic jazzy vibe of that album just presses all the right buttons for me. Among my personal highlights is the album opener Sonmoi where you as the listener get submerged into a psychedelic soundscape, before coming up to catch your breath about 5 minutes later. JBS is a chill song, but I especially love the outro. Disco Kid and Don't Blame Yourself are bangers as well, with some great playing by everyone in the group. Note the drum solo in the latter song, before returning the main riff. Just a great album all around.
"How Will I Laugh Tomorrow" by Suicidal Tendencies. I should probably say some classic Rush album or something like that but ST was so important during my teens and left a lasting impression even if I don't listen to them as often as other artists now. Also Rocky just shreds his guitar on that album.
torches- foster the people, there isn’t a bad song on it and i like that it proves no matter how terrible the subject is it can still be transformed into a good song in some way. (some exceptions) I grew up watching the new yankee workshop since i was able to comprehend a television, appreciate you bringing the memories back.
Just found your channel. Been wondering what happened since the wreck. Glad to see you are doing ok. Loved the cabana build. Highly underrated Band: Blind Melon Album: Soup
The Scofflaws - Ska in Hi-fi. The first band I got to meet in person. Bought the CD at one of their shows in the fall of 1996. Still have it too, I'll have to put it on tomorrow while I work. An honorable mention is Leonard Cohen - Various Positions
The Ladder by Yes. Mostly, I must admit, because the title track was used as the theme tune for the incomparable space RTS Homeworld, but also because the album as a whole tells a pretty decent story. It's pretty coherent and well structured, which is something you wouldn't expect from an ageing-out prog rock group. Also got a lot of nostalgia built in because of the age I was at when I first listened to it.
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Iron Maiden It's an album I enjoy listneing to start to finish as a whole, not just as a lot of great individual songs. Up The Irons!
Dream Theater - The Astonishing. It is an extremely long album that tells a fantastical futuristic story. The themes, tones, and lyrics that resonate throughout the album are like a roller coaster of emotion. An absolute epic.
GoldenEye 007 - Grant Kirkhope, Robin Beanland, Graeme Norgate (Nintendo 64) There are only unofficial releases of this legendary album; if you can call it an album atleast, but I say you can. The reason I chose this is not only because of childhood nostalgia. It's more so that they've used the 007-melody in the majority of the tracks but made every one of them sound amazing and original. And cool video Stevon, I enjoyed it!
Embarrassing fun fact to share with you: I made a video playing this 16 years ago 3x fast. I loved this album so damn much going through a personal hell. Still do. Enjoy? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7OizdFrTkGE.html
Metallica - Metallica (aka the black album) When every instrument has so much weight and depth your album cover need not be eye catching all black with a simple 🐍 it brought Metallica to the people
What a quaint video. One of my favorite albums is "Commencement" by Deadsy. I started listening to these guys right around the time they released this album and it's always stuck with me because it didn't sound like anything else I'd heard up until that point. I also think they killed their cover of Sebadoh's Brand New Love. The worst part of that album is the atrocious censoring done on The Key to Gramercy Park, I had to replace it with a local file and make my own Deadsy playlist on Spotify to avoid ever having to hear it again haha.
I have visited an anechoic chamber at an acoustical test lab. It was built in a former Lockheed Skunk Works building in Santa Clarita It is similarly bomb resistant. It did not look nearly as good inside with walls covered with foam pyramids. Of course it wasn't a studio either. It becomes very unnerving with the door closed and downright terrifying with the lights off.
Under my VooDoo was on a Transworld Snowboard video eons ago and I constantly refer to it on the powder day playlist. This was a phenomenal full album to groove to.
I lived in Carlisle and graduated from Concord/Carlisle High School. Many times, I drove by the small sign off the road. I've always wondered what Blue Jay looked like. It is great to hear that some locals will keep it going. Thanks for the video!
For those of you interested in underground recording studios (besides this marvelous place) you might want to check out PKO studios here in Madrid, Spain. It is a HUGE recording facility located on the outskirts of the city. I've worked there a couple of times as a session player, and nothing can compare to the level of isolation you get in those underground rooms. The place was purpose-built underneath a luxurious and beautiful estate. Very cool video by the way!
Wait wait wait!!! I clicked on this video because I’m a music and Audio engineering nerd and this just happens to be Stevon! Mann wow that’s cool, I didn’t know you were deep into this side of things. Definitely have to subscribe! 🔥
Love this! I used to live in shouting distance from this place and I’m glad to see it being used again. Was sold at auction a dozen years ago, but then ignored until the new owners came along…
Bob & Janet Lawson are lovely people and this was a great recording studio. I worked there mixing an album and had a great time. The studio looked different - it was remodelled later - but. at the time, it had a big SSL 4000E and two Studer A800s. Great studio and it's a shame it closed
Such a special place, thanks for the tour! So hard to pick favorites, but how about a little known 2004 blues / garage rock album "Demonophonic Blues" by Tony C And The Truth. Small band from the lower Hudson Valley, their only album released. Saw then live once, got their t-shirt and lost it at an ex's house. Still one of the biggest losses of my life, the shirt not my ex.
Yay, stevon I found you, Def Leppard - hysteria, it is the most perfectly recorded album, the dynamics, the use of electronic music in rock totally changed the way I heard and listened to music!
This, goes in the category of ‘perfect songs’ for me. It has every element, the constant yearning in the steadfast beat coupled with polished sounds and effects, and one of the best buildups to a chorus of confession you can’t help belt out.
I get fascinated with old things disappearing little left about em to be known. I seen a video about the nickelodeon studios building in Orlando, it was interesting to see a part of my child hood fade before my eyes in a sense. But like this is crazy so unique so many legends have been their but information. It's crazy to me
Waaaaay cooler than the recording studio I worked in in high school/college - southwind sound. But Long live Dave Elliot! One of my favorite albums is DJ Danger Mouse, “the grey album” and another is Girl Talk’s “all day” but those are mashup albums. I’d say probably Gish by smashing pumpkins, Billy Breathes by Phish, enter the wu tang by wu tang clan, blink-182 by blink-182 😂 are some of my faves - but judging by play count, it’s “of the blue colour of the sky (extra nice edition)” by OK Go. Just a great album. A ton of the lyrics feel super personal
7:27 - Ace Ventura moment 😂 Favourite album? Another hard question Stevon! But I'll say Origin of Symmetry by Muse. Why? Because it's the perfect blend of rock and classical music. Bonus: Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks by Brian Eno. Why? Because it's the best ambient music album ever produced, so perfect. Especially under a starry sky.
Such a shame that the console is gone from the room. I would love living and recording there and never leave again. Still try to find such a place here.
Random, yet frequently interesting content, from Velcro ankle monitors to grassy knoll recording studios. Willie Nelson’s “Tougher than Leather” had held the top spot for album favorites for several decades as it felt like watching an old western with my ears. I must report that it has been recently unseated by Jeffrey Martin’s “Thank God We Left the Garden” because it hit me right in my soul’s current reminiscence.
What about Robert Lang Studios in Seattle? He dug into the hillside underneath his (and neighbors) home. I went in and it's brilliant and nuts at the same time. Heard it almost collapsed from the dig, but I guess he made sure it was all shored up.
