Some of the most iconic albums of all time have come from Electric Lady Studios since it first opened its doors in Greenwich Village on August 26, 1970. From rock ‘n’ roll to R&B to Y2K pop and just about anything in between, Electric Lady Studios has become a musical mecca for all kinds of artists.
In honor of the 54th anniversary of its opening, we take a look at six of the most iconic rock records to ever come out of the historic New York City studio.
‘Electric Ladyland’ by the Jimi Hendrix Experience
It’d be impossible to include a retrospective on Electric Lady Studios without mentioning Electric Ladyland, the 1968 Jimi Hendrix album that served as the inspiration for the studio in the first place. Hendrix bought the future home of Electric Lady Studios in his infamously expensive search for a recording environment that suited his artistic vision. Hendrix died the same year Electric Lady officially opened. Still, the legacy of the guitarist and recording studio will forever be intertwined.
‘Young Americans’ by David Bowie
One can only imagine the mystical buzz swirling around the Electric Lady Studios in the second half of 1974 when David Bowie was cutting his ninth record, Young Americans. The Greenwich Village studio is where Bowie collaborated with John Lennon on “Fame,” which would become Bowie’s first No. 1 hit. Lennon and Bowie also collaborated on a new version of “Across the Universe,” marking a momentous Beatles-Bowie crossover.
‘Back in Black’ by AC/DC
The tragic death of vocalist Bon Scott threatened to topple AC/DC from their place as rock royalty in 1980. With hit albums like T.N.T. and Highway to Hell under their belts, the band had quite a heavy legacy to carry forward without Scott. After hiring Brian Johnson as their new vocalist, AC/DC put the final touches on their 1980 album Back in Black, the first they released without Scott, at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
‘Combat Rock’ by The Clash
Critical controversy and in-fighting aside, The Clash’s 1982 record Combat Rock was the band’s most commercially successful album. Featuring smash hits like “Rock the Casbah,” “Know Your Rights,” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” The Clash temporarily relocated to New York City for the last two months of 1981 to record their fifth studio album at Electric Lady. This would be a return visit—the band recorded their previous album, Sandinista!, at the same studio two years earlier.
‘Weezer’ (Blue Album) by Weezer
Weezer recorded their genre-defining, eponymous debut at Electric Lady Studios in the late summer of 1993 with the help of Cars frontman Ric Ocasek, who served as a producer. The “Blue Album” became the band’s best-selling album of all time and includes cuts like “Say It Ain’t So,” “Buddy Holly,” and “Undone — The Sweater Song.” Musical historians widely regard the debut as one of the best rock albums of the 1990s, marking a cultural shift from grunge to power pop and pop punk.
Photo by Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA/Shutterstock
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