Buzz Me In: Inside the Record Plant Studios

Music journalists Porter and Goggin debut with a colorful chronicle of the first 13 years of the Record Plant recording studio. Founded in 1968 New York City by studio engineer Gary Kellgren with help from Chris Stone, a regional sales manager at Revlon who persuaded Revlon’s founder’s ex-wife to invest, Record Plant was the first living-room-style studio where rock stars weary from touring could relax while recording. The studio grew quickly thanks to Kellgren’s knack for luring in superstars (he often left the recording itself to assistants, allowing youngsters—like Roy Cicala and now-legendary producer Jimmy Iovine—to move up quickly). Meanwhile, Stone ensured a steady revenue stream by booking studio time 24-7, making multiple backup recordings, and padding invoices sent to artists’ record companies, in part to pay for the endless supply of drugs that kept performers coming back to the studio and engineers working well past exhaustion. In 1969, the studio expanded to Los Angeles, and then opened a location in Sausalito, reflecting Kellgren’s desire to get artists away from record label scrutiny and corporate influence. Stitching together meticulous research, interviews with industry insiders and engineers, and ephemera (including album covers, studio posters, and even invitations to Record Plant parties), the authors provide an exuberant account of a chaotic studio culture that fed some of the artists’ worst impulses while creating some of the 1970s’ most memorable music, including records by Aerosmith and Bruce Springsteen. Rock fans will find this irresistible. Photos. (June)