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5 Iconic Albums Recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles

By Erica Banas // Rock Music Reporter

The Record Plant in Los Angeles is closing; the legendary studio has been open since 1969.

The studio was one of three Record Plant locations in the United States. Founded by Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone, the first location opened in New York City in 1968. The next year, the Los Angeles location opened. The third location in Sausalito, Calif. opened in 1972. Sadly, the New York location shuttered in 1987, and the Sausalito location closed in 2008.

The closing of the Record Plant is another sign of the ever-changing music industry. Technology has greatly evolved to the point where studios aren’t always necessary to record music. It’s a sentiment shared by East/West and Ocean Way engineer Gary Myerberg, who’s quoted by Los Angeles Magazine saying, “There is no money in the recording music business … If you want to go to the studio and spend $2,000 a day, just take that and buy a laptop and a sample library or tell A.I. what song you want to make and it’ll make it.”

In a coincidence that certainly couldn’t have been planned, Variety published a story on July 11 titled “L.A. Recording Studios Are Fading, Despite Manifesting Music’s Greatest Hits.” The story centered on the reopening of Capitol Studios, which was closed for two years due to renovations from earthquake damage. The story even name-checked the Record Plant as among some of the great studios still operating in Los Angeles. That same day, news of the Record Plant’s closure was first reported.

This has been a problem for a number of years now. In a 2009 segment on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” Joel Rose explored the shuttering of recording studios in New York City. Even a decade and a half ago, studios were losing money to at-home recording technology. First, it started with losing business from musicians working on demos. Then it started to snowball.

” … Some of the big work dried up, too, as the major record labels slashed their budgets,” wrote Rose. “Add the soaring price of real estate, and it’s easy to see why most of the well-known Manhattan studios closed their doors.”

Each Record Plant location has a unique history. It’s incredibly difficult to decide which location yielded the greatest albums. All three locations had some of the most iconic artists in music history record some of the most memorable releases ever. In tribute to the Record Plant in Los Angeles, here are just five albums that recorded there.

  • 'Appetite for Destruction'

    The Record Plant in Los Angeles is one of four studios where the 1987 debut album of Guns N’ Roses was recorded. Nearly 40 after its release, Appetite for Destruction is still considered one of the greatest debuts and overall albums of all time. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. In the United States alone, it has sold over 18 million copies.

  • 'Rumours'

    Fleetwood Mac recorded Rumours in five different studios. Among them were the Record Plant locations in Los Angeles and Sausalito. What more can be said about Rumours that hasn’t already been said? It remains, as an album, an absolute pop/rock masterpiece that is both of its time and timeless. With every passing year and new generation, its legend just continues to grow.

  • 'Songs in the Key of Life'

    Like Rumours, Stevie Wonder recorded Songs in the Key of Life in multiple studios, including the Record Plant’s Los Angeles and Sausalito locations. Also like the iconic Fleetwood Mac album, Wonder’s 1976 release is a masterpiece and boasts the singles “I Wish,” “Isn’t She Lovely,” “Sir Duke,” “Another Star” and “As.” Songs in the Key of Life went on to win Album of the Year at the 19th annual Grammy Awards.

  • 'Hotel California'

    The Eagles recorded Hotel California at the Criteria in Miami and at the Record Plant in Los Angeles. It’s one of the best-selling albums of all time. In the United States alone, it has sold over 26 million copies. Currently, it’s tied with AC/DC’s Back in Black as the third best-selling album of all time in the U.S. The only albums to sell more than Hotel California are Michael Jackson’s Thriller (34 million copies) and Eagles/Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (38 million copies).

  • 'The Downward Spiral'

    The Record Plant in Los Angeles was one of three studios where Nine Inch Nails recorded The Downward Spiral. Released in 1994, the album solidified Nine Inch Nails and leader Trent Reznor as one of the most influential forces of the ’90s. The album has sold over four million copies in the United States, has made countless “best albums” lists and remains beloved by rock fans over 30 years after its release.

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