Basing Street Studios

Sarm West Studios, also known as SARM Studios, originally known as Basing Street Studios, is a recording studio located in Notting Hill, London. The studios were established by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records. They were also known as Island Studios, The Island Building, Island Records and ZTT.

Set within an old church that had been deconsecrated, Blackwell recorded a number of artists there for Island Records, such as Iron Maiden, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood, Free, Bad Company, Robert Palmer, Jimmy Cliff, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, John Martyn, Mott the Hoople, Quintessence, Roxy Music, Sparks, Cat Stevens, Spooky Tooth, Traffic, Jethro Tull, the Average White Band and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

The studios were also used by notable non-Island Records acts, such as The Eagles, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin.

In 1970 two famous albums were recorded at the studios at the same time: Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV and Jethro Tull's Aqualung. Similarly, Bob Marley and the Wailers and the Rolling Stones were in the studios at the same time at one point in 1973. Marley also lived for a short while in the apartment block of the Blue block of SARM studios for a year, which now is a writing space.

In 1984 Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" was recorded at the studios.

In 2007 Madonna recorded her album Hard Candy at the studios.

The studios are currently owned by SPZ Group which is a holding company belonging to Trevor Horn and his wife Jill Sinclair. The Sarm Studios complex also contain the offices of SPZ owned record labels ZTT Records and Stiff Records and publishing companies Perfect Songs and Unforgettable.

External links

• Official site
• SPZ Group
• RecordProduction.com