Hook End Recording Studios was a
recording studio located in Hook End Manor, a 16th-century
Elizabethan house near
Checkendon, Oxfordshire, England.
History
![Hook End Recording Studios geograph-2136270-by-Des-Blenkinsopp](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Hook_End_Recording_Studios_geograph-2136270-by-Des-Blenkinsopp.jpg)
The original studio, Space Studios, was built by
Alvin Lee
Alvin Lee (born Graham Anthony Barnes; 19 December 1944 – 6 March 2013) was an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of the blues rock band Ten Years After.
Early life
He w ...
of the band
Ten Years After
Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...
when he first bought the house. Many recordings were made during Lee's tenure, including ''
On the Road to Freedom'' (1973), before he sold the house and studio to
David Gilmour of the band
Pink Floyd,
who used the studio to record parts of the band's album ''
The Final Cut'' (1983).
Gilmour sold the house and studio to
Clive Langer
Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards.
He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...
and
Alan Winstanley
Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer.
His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...
. They sold it to
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...
, who turned it into Hookend Productions Ltd.
Several major rock bands have recorded albums at the studios. These include
Manic Street Preachers
Manic Street Preachers, also known simply as the Manics, are a Welsh rock band formed in Blackwood in 1986. The band consists of cousins James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, lead guitar) and Sean Moore (drums, percussion, soundscapes), plus ...
' ''
Gold Against the Soul
''Gold Against the Soul'' is the second studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 21 June 1993 by record label Columbia.
Noted for its lyrics reflecting melancholia, ''Gold Against the Soul'' integr ...
'' (1993),
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in 1978 in Crawley, West Sussex. Throughout numerous lineup changes since the band's formation, guitarist, lead vocalist, and songwriter Robert Smith has remained the only constant member. The band's ...
's ''
Disintegration'' (1989) and ''
Mixed Up'' (1990), and
Marillion's ''
Seasons End
''Seasons End'' is the fifth studio album by British neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in 1989. The album was the first to feature current lead vocalist Steve Hogarth, following the departure of former vocalist Fish in late 1988. ...
'' (1989) and ''
Holidays in Eden
''Holidays in Eden'' is the sixth studio album by the British neo-progressive rock band Marillion, released in 1991. Recorded at Hook End Manor in Oxfordshire and Westside Studios in London, it was the band's second album with vocalist Steve ...
'' (1991).
In October 2017, the house was reported to be abandoned and in a state of disrepair. Hook End Manor is now owned by Mark White.
References
Recording studios in England
Culture in Oxfordshire
David Gilmour
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