Eel Pie Recording Studios, formerly Oceanic, was a recording studio located in

The Boathouse, Twickenham ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

on the banks of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in Ranelagh Drive, by

Twickenham Bridge Twickenham Bridge crosses the River Thames in southwest London, England. Built in 1933 as part of the newly constructed "Chertsey Arterial Road", the bridge connects the Old Deer Park district of Richmond (historically Surrey) on the south ban ...

, West London, and also simultaneously at No. 45 Broadwick Street, Soho, London. The name for the studios came from the nearby

Eel Pie Island Eel Pie Island is an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is on the maintained minimum head of water above the only lock on the Tideway and is accessible by boat or from the left (generally ...

, which was known as a major

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...

venue in the 1960s. The building in Twickenham was originally a 1960s boathouse, and its riverside location allowed

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

to commute there by boat, having lost his driving licence. From 1981 the studios were run as a commercial operation and were the location for a number of notable rock and pop recordings. Artists who recorded at Eel Pie Studios include Pete Townshend,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

A-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

Rachel Fuller Rachel Fuller (born 24 July 1973) is a British musician. She is a successful independent pop music artist, a composer, and occasional collaborator with her husband rock musician Pete Townshend. Early life Born in Ipswich, England, Fuller lat ...

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. ''Q'' magazine ...

and

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or som ...

. In the 1990s, the studio was occupied by the band

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins was a Scottish rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981 and replacing Heggie with multi-instr ...

, who called it September Sound, and

The Lightning Seeds The Lightning Seeds (also known as Lightning Seeds) are an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1989 by Ian Broudie (vocals, guitar, producer), formerly of the bands Big in Japan, Care, and Original Mirrors. Originally a studio-based s ...

. Pete Townshend sold the studios in 2008 and the building was converted into a private residence. 'Eel Pie' had earlier been used as the name for a series of Pete Townshend's home studios, where he recorded many song demos. His 1972 album, ''

Who Came First ''Who Came First'' is the debut album by Pete Townshend, released in 1972 on Track Records in the UK and Track/Decca in the US. It includes previously released material as well as tracks that originated as demos for the Who's aborted concept ...

'', was recorded at home, as were some recordings by The Who circa 1970.

References

External links

Picture tour around Eel Pie Studios
Recording studios in London History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Pete Townshend Music in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames {{recording-studio-stub