Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios

by Jim Cogan, Quincy Jones, William Clark

All great music has a birthplace. Temples of Sound tells the stories of the legendary studios where musical genius and a magical space came together to capture some of the most exciting jazz, pop, funk, soul, and country records ever made. From the celebrated Southern studios of Sun and Stax, to the John Coltrane/Miles Davis sessions in producer Rudy Van Gelders living room, to Frank Sinatras swinging cuts at state-of-the-art Capitol Records, each of the 15 profiles in this book brings great music to life at the moment of its creation. With a trove of never-before-seen photographs and fascinating, all-new interviews with the musicians and producers who made the records, Temples of Sound is a rich inspiration for music fans.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one for the epicures, something that will miss the broad numbers of people who know the music so well... An exploration of what it looked like to stand across the soundproof glass in the Studio, across the board from Phil Spector, Tom Dowd, or Rudy van Gelder when the magic happened--- at Capitol, Stax, Atlantic, Sun Studios, several others .... the shadowy, subterranean vibe of making records.

Or, looking in the other direction through that same glass, seeing Aretha, Sinatra, Dylan or Tina Turner touching up a new "number" for a record. And the interesting thing is that there in the studio, with all glamor and 'Album Cover' swank stripped away, we're left with the essence of what made these voices & recordings so undeniably cool, raw, hot, dense, spare, or spellbinding.... After all, the hair & makeup, the latest threads, the choreographed pose-- had nothing to do with the sound, so it's generally not present in the casual atmosphere of the recording studio.

Nice backgrounds of the producers and artists, clear descriptions of the recording process as it evolved, stupendous photos, this book could have been six times longer as far as I was concerned. If you value the records, you owe yourself a browse of this book.

[EthanBrooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid music enthusiast and frequent visitor to recording studios, I recently had the pleasure of experiencing UV Studio https://studiorecordingchicago.com in Chicago and I must say, it exceeded all my expectations. From the moment I walked through the doors, I knew I was in for something special. The studio boasts state-of-the-art equipment and a spacious layout that is acoustically impeccable. The attention to detail in every aspect of the studio's design is truly commendable, and it's clear that no expense was spared in creating an environment conducive to creativity and innovation.

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about famous recording studios! The ultimate music geek book. And using the word "temple" in the title is a good one. Because us music geeks think of recordings as sort of temple-like. There is something beautiful about a room where one makes music, and you got the great studios in this volume.

[Tiff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun, informing about the great recording studios in the US and the sessions that happened there from the 50's to the 70's. Well-written and well-researched; if you're a fan of music, this is a good book to read as it covers everything from rock 'n' roll to jazz to blues to soul.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book and very accessible for readers who enjoy music but are not sound engineers. At the same time there is enough content in this book to be entertaining and informative for music professionals.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

great stories from famous recording sessions. beach boys/brian wilson, frank sinatra, motown, etc...

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty pictures and loving narratives of legendary recording studios.

[Wally]

The best!- For an audio engineer geek like me into all things past (when stuff was better) This is da Shiatt!

[Michael J. Martens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book!

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

its about the early days of recording the men the machines & the rooms the music was made in , its pretty informative coffee table kind of book a lot of nice photographs