Just For the Record

The greatest albums and singles don’t drop from the sky to your doorstep; there’s no sharp-beaked songbird carrying them in swaddling clothes from an other-worldly paradise. They’re crafted in the polyphonic pantheons of the music industry—unique recording studios that inform a record’s sound and feel, not just with their top-of–the-line gear but with their mood-inducing settings. And these sounds you’ve been so addicted to all these years aren’t only the product of the amazing artists and musicians you know so well, but also of talented engineers and producers—who labor over the sonic slices of invention, helping bring to life a songwriter’s once intangible vision. So here they are, 10 classic sessions in country, soul and rock ’n’ roll.

Western Studios - Hollywood (1966)
The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Slane Castle - County Meath, Ireland (1984)
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

Gold Star Studios - Houston, Texas (1948)
Lightnin' Hopkins - "T Model Blues"

Prairie Sun Recording - Cotati, California (1992)
Tom Waits - Bone Machine

John Keane Studios - Athens, Georgia (1990)
R.E.M. - Out of Time

Sound Emporium - Nashville, Tennessee (1999)
Various Artists - O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Abbey Road Studios - London, England (1969)
The Beatles - Abbey Road

Castle Studios - Nashville, Tennessee (1948)
Hank Williams - "Lovesick Blues"

Motown Studios - Detroit, Michigan (1971)
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

St. Catherine's Court - Bath, England (1996)
Radiohead - OK Computer