Rockfield Studios

Rockfield Studios is a recording studio just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire near Monmouth in Wales. RecordProduction.com called the studios one of the top five (recording) studios anywhere in the World.

History

The studios were founded by brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward in 1963, by converting an existing farmhouse. In 1965, they became the world's first-ever residential studio, set up so that bands could come and stay in the peaceful rural surroundings to record. They have two studios, the Coach House and the Quadrangle which are both set up for digital and analogue recordings.

The first big hit recorded in the studios was Dave Edmunds' "I Hear You Knocking" in 1970. Following that success, the studios were used in the early 1970s to record seven albums by Budgie, several by Hawkwind, one by Hobo, Peter Hammill's second solo album Chameleon in the Shadow of the Night in 1973, Ace's hit single "How Long?" in 1974, and Queen's album Sheer Heart Attack. In August 1975, Queen returned to Rockfield to begin recording the album A Night At The Opera, including "Bohemian Rhapsody". Motörhead made their first recordings at the studios in 1975 and were, briefly, signed to the Rockfield record label.