JEFF COLLINS – ROCK LEGENDS AT ROCKFIELD
CALON
BOOK REVIEW BY AARON BADGLEY
In the history of rock and roll, there are a few iconic studios, such as Abbey Road Studios, Sun Studios, Record Plant, Olympic Studios, Windmall Lane Studios,Β and Rockfield. Rockfield may not be the most well known name, but the artists who have recorded there and the albums that have come out of that studio are legendary. From the 1960s to present day the studio has seen the likes of Rush, The Stranglers, Iggy Pop, Idles, George Michael and New Order to name just a few. Jeff Collins has written a book about the studio located in Wye Valley just outside the village of Rockfield, Monmouthshire, Wales. The studio, itself, is located on, what was, a working dairy farm and was the dream and creation of two brothers, Kingsley and Charles Ward.
Collins, a radio personality, has an incredible knowledge of rock history and this is clear throughout the book. And he does an amazing job of setting the scene and explains the origins of the studios in the early 1960s and how Dave Edmunds came up with the name of the studio when recorded there with his classic band Love Sculpture. From there the story takes off with great stories over the years. The interesting thing about the studio is that people live there while they record.
Collins interviewed engineers, producers, artists and session players who worked at the studio. By talking with these insiders, one gets an inside view of the studio and the recording process of recording itself. It is an inside glimpse of bands and recordings. Collins is also able to use older interviews he did which illustrate many points and bands. Motorhead, for example, is an interesting chapter and one gets a glimpse of Lemmy who liked to gamble and the difficulty he had with Dave Edmunds as a producer. There are many other stories and bands like that in this revealing book.
Collins lets the key players tell their stories. While he does provide a narrative, he lets those who were there speak for themselves in the book and this creates a very insider look at the studio. He also provides a suggested playlist at the end of each chapter, which serves as an excellent soundtrack while reading.
All in all, Rock Legends At Rockfield is an entertaining, informative and well written book. It is also important. In many ways one can trace an element of the history of rock as the studio enters different stages and different eras with up and coming bands. It is also a wonderful document of a studio that has meant a great deal to rock fans for years, whether they knew it or not.
ISBN – 978-1915279040
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