I've had some interest in the history of the recording studios in the CBS complex, the Columbia studio, home of the Byrds, Raiders, etc...but I can't find anything on it. Is it still around, if not, what happened to it, anybody know of good historical pictures of it? I'm hoping somebody knows something here.
It is currently home to KNX Radio and/or KCBS-TV, the CBS O&O's in Los Angeles. The KNX Newsradio 1070 website has a section of photos of the building over the years, including the 1960's when "KNX Radio - Columbia Records" was emblazoned near the top of a section of the building. Columbia first cut some sides at that place in the 1940's for recording artists visiting on the Coast (much recording in those days was done in New York). From 1949 to 1961, West Coast recording was mostly done at the Radio Recorders Annex in Hollywood (which explains the "R" in the RHCO prefix of 78's from late 1949 to the end of the 78 RPM configuration -- and RZSP for 45 RPM sides from 1951 - when they switched master numbering - to 1965 - when it switched again). Columbia firmly set up shop at 6121 Sunset in 1961. Besides recording the above artists, they also had mastering facilities which cut for many West Coast labels that happened to have their records pressed by Columbia's pressing plants. Based upon my own vast collection, they must've had three Scully lathes on the grounds -- two mono, one stereo. Some of the late 1960's West Coast-recorded Columbia 45's, on lacquers cut there, had somewhat duller high end than later lacquers of the same records mastered in New York. Among other, non-Columbia 45's I have that were mastered at the Sunset and Gower studios were: "I Wish You Love" by Gloria Lynne (Everest 2036, 1963), "Suspicion" by Terry Stafford (Crusader 101, 1964), "Cherish" by The Association (Valiant 747, 1966), "Hold Me Tight" by Johnny Nash (Jad 207, 1968), "Hot Smoke And Sasafrass" by The Bubble Puppy (International Artists 128, 1969), "Spill The Wine" by Eric Burdon & War (MGM K-14127, 1970) and "Love Jones" by the Brighter Side of Darkness (20th Century 2002, 1972). That last-named was among the last to have lacquers cut there, as Columbia's Hollywood studios were shut down in late 1972, ostensibly to give CBS's O&O stations more space, but it may have also had something to do with the fact that by then Columbia also had a studio in San Francisco. Also, I seem to recall then-president, Clive Davis, seeking to lessen the influence of the then-powerful IBEW (at the same time, there were rumblings about closing the Nashville studio, which survived for several more years thereafter).
Moreover, at least some of Columbia's 1960's sides, those emanating from Chicago, were recorded at studios on the grounds of the H.Q. of their O&O station there, WBBM-TV/AM/FM (630 North McClurg Court). One famous song cut there, albeit not on the label or its subsidiaries (Epic, OKeh or Date), was Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher" (Brunswick 55336). That studio was also famous for the "ZTSC" matrix numbers associated with many Chicago- and Detroit-based labels that were pressed by Columbia. Whereas Hollywood used the ZTSP system mostly associated with New York, viz custom contract clients.
I worked at CBS, Gower for about three months in 1978. They still had the CBS Network control center to the left of the lobby as you walked in. All this impressive tube radio gear from the 1930's still in place behind the glass. I was so in love with that place. The radio studio in back (where they did the news) was the old CBS Radio theater room. The top of the building is where that famous radio announcer (who's name I can't remember at the moment) described the crazy goings on the day the war ended. Great place. But I remember as a kid in the 1960's driving by that place and the front was GLASS so you could look in and see them broadcasting. Anyone else remember that? Some dickwad took a shot at that glass in the late 1960's I guess and the bricked it all in. I have a Columbia promo 78 that described the groundbreaking for the studios in 1938...
So is the actual live room still in tact? Seems like it was a pretty good sounding room, but in my research, there doesn't seem to be much about the actual recording space...United/Western and Goldstar and Capitol seem to get all the "Press." All I've seen of the inside have been a few scattered shots of the Byrds, and some Beach Boys vocal sessions.
I seem to recall many years ago that most radio stations had big pane glass windows in front where you could walk by and see the jock while on-air. Those days are long gone..
Columbia Studio was not an indie, it was a strict union shop under the direction of the record company. They usually did not allow photographs inside there and never mentioned the studio or the engineers on the back of album jackets. The Byrds box that the late Bob Hyde issued back in the 1980's had some of the first "in-studio" shots of Sunset and Gower that I had ever seen..
Columbia Studios were, indeed, strict. Brian Wilson got his hand slapped for daring to touch the board during production of Good Vibrations.
Bruce Johnston told me that he and Terry got Brian into Columbia Square (since they worked for the label). Bruce said that he thought the eight track would make Brian more creative, but instead made him lazy! Brian realised he could now use it to overdub and cut together everything (instead of getting one strong performance). The first evidence of this is And Your Dream Comes True recorded at Columbia Square - every other line of the song is chopped in from different takes (ie: "your so sleepy" chop - edit in next part). Brian really went in this direction with the Wild Honey album where he used an eight track to just lay down tracks for verse and chorus sections and then overdubbed multiple sets of lyrics on different tracks, he then muted the various parts and constructed them all in pieces during mixdown.
Columbia Studios had a "home made" 8 track as early as 1963. This was a unit that the engineers actually built in their spare time using Ampex electronics and an Ampex 300 transport (the huge one) with custom built heads. Apparantly, altho it worked, it didnt work all the time, the sync would sometimes just shut off!!!. So, they pretty much stuck it in a closet. When Terry Melcher got a job as a staff producer at Columbia, he MADE them drag it out and used it on some of the Bruce and Terry recordings (Summer Means Fun) . he said that some of the engineers reported him to the union for making their life difficult!!! Think about how many tubes EIGHT Ampex record/play electronics units used!!! Talk about the heat coming from the back of that thing!!!!
But weren't there some "in-studio" shots on the back cover of one of Gary Puckett & The Union Gap's 1968 albums (Incredible, I believe)? Also, wasn't that "strict union shop" aspect a factor in the 1972 closure I mentioned?
CBS Columbia Square AeiJtzsche, Just search CBS "Columbia Square" for several sites and photos of the property. I live about a mile from those studios which now are headquarters for KNX radio, KCBS-TV, KCBS-FM and KCAL-TV. Like Steve Hoffman I recall visiting the studios back n the 50's and seeing the control room off the lobby. Also in the lobby on the street side was a huge world globe. The studios were home to the CBS west coast network radio operations starting in 1937. Television station KTTV channel 11 was located there in the early 50's as the CBS-TV outlet in L.A. Until CBS aquired KTSL channel 2 later changed to KNXT and now KCBS-TV. Steve
When you walked in to Columbia Square, to the left of the lobby was this. WOW! The first time I saw that I thought I had died and gone to heaven, I kid you not.
I love threads like these. It's great to know this building is still in use, but please tell me most of those cool art deco interiors are intact! dan c
Of course, Bub. It was the hub of LA broadcasting at one time. West from CBS was the Hollywood Paladium where Stan Kenton used to play regulary before taken over by Lawrence Welk... NBC was on the corner before they went to Burbank and it became a Home Savings, and then a Washington Mutual. The basement there is still the Hollywood Broadcasting Museum. I think I mentioned we should go there sometime, but then you've already been, right? Anyway, to further jar your memory... Glenn Wallich's and Johnny Mercer's Capitol Records used to be on the corner of Sunset and Vine, two blocks away, above Wallich's Music City, before the 45 stack round building further up Vine. And up the street from Wallich's was ABC. Then turned into Hollywood Palace...Merv Griffin Studios...and now gutted and rebuilt as an apartment complex and shopping center Of course, you know all this too. It's just so sad. At least in NYC they embrace landmarks. Here, they just bulldoze them. I'm surprised the La Brea Tar Pits hasn't been turned into a Chuckie Cheese at this point. As for the studios in CBS, I think since they moved the TV stuff, except for news, to Televsion City on Fairfax, I bet they converted most of the sound studios to radio for the CBS radio network West Coast news that was housed there for a time. This is just a guess, but since Channel 2 now owns KCAL Channel 9, and both local news' are done from there, the studios have been converted to TV news completely. 2 and 9 use different sets for their news, so I imagine they converted the old recording studios. There has been no renovation to expand that place, so it seems they may have just gutted what they had. Shame. Epic Records had it's own building further up Sunset for awhile, I think in the old Imperial Records building. Yes/no? Mercury used to rent offices there. When Bingenhimer was PR for Merc he had an office there. There's a photograph in the Hollywood Library of the whole scene...an areial shot of Sunset looking west with Vine and all those great landmarks. If only the people running things here had reverence for the past.
I.I.N.M., Epic's H.Q. in the late 1970's/early '80's was 1801 Century Park West. Now, speaking of Imperial, whatever became of the old Liberty/U.A. Records complex at 6920 Sunset?
The old Liberty (and then Liberty/UA) building at Sunset and Orange was razed. The property is now occupied by a shoe store. The original Liberty offices were on La Brea, a little north of Sunset. Imperial was on Western; then Hollywood. Incidentally, the former Capitol space above Music City was later occupied by Dot Records. For some years, there was a circuit of employment among Dot, Liberty and Capitol, with people moving from one to the other. The original Reprise offices were in a building -- that still stands -- where Cahuenga and Cole come together, sort of across the street from the fire station. There's another building, at the east end of the Sunset Strip, that had been occupied by Uni. then Casablanca. It was originally a motel, I believe.
It's a pleasure. I've been loitering (I mean, lurking) for some time now, and figured it's about time to jump in.
I've understood that even before that, the Reprise offices were actually somewhere within United Recorders (5825 Sunset IIRC?) 8255 Sunset? I found a listing for CineTel films: http://coolstreets.redhare.com/sunsetstrip/ss_8255_p.htm
