Shangri-La is a recording studio in Malibu, California, currently owned by record producer Rick Rubin. Originally a ranch property with a bungalow owned by actress Margo, it was leased by The Band in the 1970s and converted to a recording studio by Rob Fraboni to the precise specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band. Interviews of The Band featured in Martin Scorsese's documentary '' The Last Waltz'' were filmed at Shangri-La. The property was purchased by Rick Rubin in 2011. Rubin and Shangri-La were the subject of a four-part documentary series, '' Shangri-La'', which aired on Showtime in 2019.

History

In 1958, Mexican-American actress Margo bought a 1.73-acre property in the hills above Zuma Beach. A ranch house was built and the site was named Shangri-La Ranch. Margo starred in the film adaptation of James Hilton's 1933 classic novel '' Lost Horizon'', from where the fabled paradise " Shangri-La" originated. The property was an upscale bordello for the 1950s Hollywood elite and a filming site for the TV show '' Mister Ed'' in the 1960s. In 1974, the ranch property was leased by Canadian-American roots rock band The Band. The master bedroom was converted to a recording studio by record producer and audio engineer Rob Fraboni and in-house technician Ed Anderson according to the precise specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band. The Band built it while taking time off after concluding the Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour. Drummer

Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...

later described Shangri-La as "a clubhouse and studio where we and our friends could record albums and cross-pollinate one another's music." They kept the name "Shangri-La" because to them, "Malibu felt like a paradise after years of gray Catskill winters" in upstate New York. The house came with a Naugahyde bar and bedrooms with mirrored walls, from Shangri-La's time as a bordello. Shangri-La was a functioning studio by the end of 1974, with Larry Samuels working as studio manager. The Band's

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson, OC (born July 5, 1943), is a Canadian musician. He is best known for his work as lead guitarist and songwriter for the Band, and for his career as a solo recording artist. With the deaths of Richard Manuel in ...

, Garth Hudson, and Rick Danko were living in houses near Shangri-La and were becoming involved in other outside projects. Levon Helm lived between Woodstock, New York, and Los Angeles, and used a bedroom at Shangri-La when he was in Malibu. Richard Manuel lived at Shangri-La for a year, living in a bungalow down toward Zuma Beach that was converted from the stable of

Bamboo Harvester Bamboo Harvester (1949–1970) was the American Saddlebred/part-Arabian horse that portrayed Mister Ed on the 1961–1966 comedy series of the same name. Foaled in 1949, the gelding was trained by Will Rogers' protégé, Les Hilton. He was born ...

from ''Mister Ed''. Manuel was heavily drinking Grand Marnier liqueur while living at Shangri-La. The Band 2005710045

In 1976, Rob Fraboni teamed up with partners and purchased the house for $195,000, turning it into a semicommercial studio. Shangri-La was a state-of-the-art 24-track studio, equipped with the latest synthesizers. Interviews of The Band featured in Martin Scorsese's documentary '' The Last Waltz'' (1976) were filmed at Shangri-La. The 24-track console allowed The Band keyboardist Garth Hudson to record multiple layers of keyboards on several tracks on their sixth studio album, ''

Northern Lights – Southern Cross ''Northern Lights – Southern Cross'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock group the Band, released in 1975. It was the first album to be recorded at their new California studio, Shangri-La, and the first album of all new material ...

''. Several albums were recorded under Fraboni's management, including Renée Geyer's '' So Lucky'' (1981),

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's '' Green Light'' (1982), and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

's '' No Reason to Cry'' (1976). Clapton spent nearly three months at Shangri-La, hanging out and recording with The Band, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison,

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, Pete Townshend,

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, Ronnie Wood, and Georgie Fame. Bob Dylan lived outside in a tent in the garden during Clapton's time at Shangri-La. Clapton formed a close friendship with Richard Manuel while at Shangri-La. Garth Hudson recorded overdubs at Shangri-La for Van Morrison's 10th studio album, '' Wavelength'' (1978). In 1985, Rob Fraboni left Shangri-La to serve as vice president of Island Records. The studio's usage decreased dramatically after Fraboni's exit. In the late 1990s, Blaine "Beej" Chaney of the Minneapolis new wave punk band

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purchased the property for $2,125,000. Over the next few years, he invested an additional $2 million into the studio, and with the help of producers Jim Niper and Pete Strobl, loaded it with the premium vintage audio equipment that is still in use today, including the centerpiece API 32 BUS console. Immediately following these renovations, Chaney invited Mark Knopfler to record there, where he went on to make his acclaimed album, '' Shangri-La''. Also in 2003, they worked with Ethan Johns and Angelo Petraglia to record the debut album by Kings of Leon, ''

Youth and Young Manhood ''Youth & Young Manhood'' is the debut album from American rock band Kings of Leon, released on July 7, 2003, in the United Kingdom and on August 19, 2003, in the United States. Recording and release The album was recorded at Shangri-La Studios ...

''. In 2006, musician and producer Eric Lynn was invited to become Shangri-La's house engineer and studio manager. Chaney oversaw continued interest in the studio with a number of notable albums being recorded at Shangri-La, including Weezer's self-titled 2008 album, and

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

's '' Death Magnetic''. Following his divorce from Sarah Macmillan, a

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heiress, Chaney took a more hands-off role in the studio. In 2009, he invited his friend and fellow musician and producer, Jake Coyle, to manage the day-to-day operations at Shangri-La, allowing Eric Lynn to focus entirely on running recording sessions day to day. Coyle facilitated increased interest and stability at Shangri-La during a tumultuous time for recording studios around LA, many of which permanently closed between 2009 and 2011. Shangri-La was now officially experiencing a renaissance with Rick Rubin continuing to rent the property for the majority of his projects including the Gossip's ''Music For Men'', Adele's 21,

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's '' Born Free,'' and The Red Hot Chili Pepper's '' I'm With You''. In 2011, the studio and property were listed by Chaney for $4.1 million. Within weeks the price tag was cut drastically to $3,195,000. Rick Rubin purchased Shangri-La for $2 million in August 2011. Numerous artists have since recorded at Shangri-La under Rubin's ownership, including Adele, Ed Sheeran,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

, and Kanye West. Shangri-La survived the 2018 Woolsey Fire, but Rubin's two nearby homes were lost to the fire.

Property and recording spaces

Shangri-La consists of four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two primary recording studios. The main studio has an API console and

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U87 microphones. The other recording space, a building called "The Chapel", also uses U87 microphones and has a console from

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own recor ...

which was formerly in Rubin's

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studio in Laurel Canyon. The property also includes Bob Dylan's former tour bus, which is parked permanently and has been repurposed as a recording space.

Showtime documentary series

The studio and its owner Rick Rubin were the subject of the four-part documentary television series '' Shangri-La'', which aired on Showtime in 2019. A "work-in-progress" cut of the docuseries was screened at the 2019 SXSW Festival. The first two episodes were directed by Morgan Neville, while the last two were directed by

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List of artists recorded

Many artists have recorded at Shangri-La, including: * Adele * The Avett Brothers * The Band *

Black Country Communion Black Country Communion is an English-American hard rock band based in Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2009, the band is a supergroup composed of bassist and lead vocalist Glenn Hughes, guitarist and second vocalist Joe Bonamassa, drummer J ...

* Black Sabbath * James Blake *

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* Jake Bugg * Daniel Caesar *

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* Bob Dylan *

* Kinky Friedman * Dave Gahan * Renée Geyer * Gossip * Josh Groban * Hughes/Thrall *

Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragons is an American pop rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, consisting of lead singer Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman. The band first gained exposure with the release of their sing ...

* Kings of Leon * Mark Knopfler * Lady Gaga * Lana Del Rey * The Last Shadow Puppets * Lido * Ian McLagan *

* Keb' Mo' * Monsters of Folk * Muse * Milton Nascimento * Jennifer Nettles *

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* Red Hot Chili Peppers * Damien Rice * Run the Jewels * Santana * Ed Sheeran *

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* The Smashing Pumpkins *

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* The Strokes *

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor''. Following hi ...

* Kae Tempest * Tonio K. *

Towkio Preston Oshita (born June 26, 1993), better known by his stage name Towkio, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He was previously known as Young P, Preston San, and Tokyo Shawn. He is a member of the Savemoney crew. His debut studio alb ...

* Tyler, the Creator * U2 * Jennifer Warnes * Weezer * Kanye West * Neil Young * ZZ Top

References

External links