51°28′36.60″N 0°08′19.18″W / 51.4768333°N 0.1386611°W Ramport Studios was a recording studio in south London's Battersea district, built by the Who in 1973.[1]
History
editOriginally called "The Kitchen" and later renamed Ramport Studios, the recording studio was initially built as a private studio for The Who, who intended to use it to record Quadrophenia. The building, located at 115 Thessaly Road in south London's Battersea district, was a former church hall which required extensive remodeling, with the resulting expenses leading to Ramport later operating as a commercial studio in order to recoup revenue.[2]
The studio had a 50 x 30 foot live room and a control room initially outfitted with a quad-ready 32-input wrap-around Helios mixing console,[2] but in order to fully realize their 1973 album Quadrophenia, The Who augmented the studio with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio.[1]
In 1974, Supertramp recorded Crime of the Century at Ramport. The same year, Neil Young, together with Robbie Robertson, recorded the song "White Line"; this was released on the album Homegrown in 2020.[3]
Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers spent much of the summer of 1977 recording and mixing the album L.A.M.F. there for the Who's label Track Records. Joan Jett recorded several tracks there which would end up on her Joan Jett album, later retitled Bad Reputation (1981).
In 1976, the studio's original Helios mixing console was replaced by a Neve console.[2] The same year, Thin Lizzy recorded Jailbreak at the studio, and Judas Priest recorded their album Sin After Sin there during 1976–1977.[1]
In 1983 the studio was bought by Virgin Records and was renamed Town House Three as part of the labels' Townhouse Studios.[4] In 1985, the studio received the Helios console previously used by The Town House Studio 1, which remained in use until 1988.[2][5]
In 1995, the studio was closed by Virgin's new owners, EMI, and sold the following year. It is now a doctor's office.[6][1]
In 2017 the Wandsworth Council recognized the studio's historic location with a Green plaque.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d O'Casey, Matt. "Quadrophenia: Can You See the Real Me? About the Studio". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
- ^ a b c d Massey, Howard (2015). The Great British Recording Studios. Lanham, Maryland, US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 277–278. ISBN 978-1-4584-2197-5.
- ^ "Neil Young Archives". Neilyoungarchives.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ^ Verna, Paul (23 April 1994). "EMI Remodels Town House Studios". Billboard. Billboard. p. 85. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
- ^ Kenny, Tom (5 May 2015). "A Tale of Three Helios: The Legacy and Resurrection of the Branson Boards". mixonline.com. Future plc. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Ramport Studios Gets Historic Landmark Plaque". thewho.com. The Who. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
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