Maida Vale Studios

Coordinates: 51°31′33″N 0°11′25″W / 51.5258°N 0.1904°W / 51.5258; -0.1904
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Exterior of Maida Vale Studios in 2020

Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London.

It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 6 Music from 1946 to the present. On 30 October 2009, BBC Radio 1 celebrated 75 Years of Maida Vale by exclusively playing 75 tracks recorded at the studios over the years. Snow Patrol played a live set from the studio with Fearne Cotton to celebrate 75 years of live music from the venue.

In June 2018, the BBC announced the closure of the studios.

Listed Building.[2] The BBC plans to vacate the premises by 2025,[3] moving into a new development which is part of the Olympic Park, offering high-tech facilities and two spaces for public concerts.[4]

In August 2023, the studios were sold to a partnership between Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, and Hans Zimmer & Steven Kofsky.[5]

History

The complex was built in 1909[6][7] as the Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club.[8][9][6][10] Over a period of 15 months in 1933/1934, one hundred men reduced the skating rink to a shell, then rebuilt it.[11][self-published source?] The arches at the doorway were preserved. It was one of the BBC's earliest premises, and was the centre of the BBC News operation during World War II.

It has been the home of the

Sir Adrian Boult conduct the BBC Symphony Orchestra here. Studio MV1 has room for an orchestra of over 150 musicians and an audience of over 200. An unusual feature of these concerts is that they were often recorded, which means that in later years the orchestra was sometimes able to do re-takes. It is the largest classical music studio in London.[12]

The

Sir Arthur Bliss. Many of them later became available on vinyl or CD. Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie was rehearsed here, before its UK premiere at the Royal Festival Hall
.

In 1958, the BBC Radiophonic Workshop was created, and based at Maida Vale Studios until its closure in 1998; the pioneering Delaware synthesiser made by EMS takes its name from the studios' address. The workshop's rooms are now used as a small TV studio for the Film programme, audio archiving facilities, engineering workshops and office space. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the radio programme Movie-Go-Round was broadcast from here, in which Peter Haigh played sound clips from major films. The Beatles used studio MV5 several times in 1963 to record sessions for BBC Radio. The sessions for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 programme as well as Peter Clayton's Sounds of Jazz (broadcast on Sunday evenings using the BBC Radio 2 VHF transmitters) were also recorded at Maida Vale.[13]

The studios have been under regular threat of closure by BBC management: the building is in need of constant maintenance and due to its location in a residential area there are limits to the hours of operation and access. In July 2007, the BBC announced that the studios were "wholly unsuitable for the 21st century", and it was reported that it would be sold to property developers as part of cost-cutting measures.[14]

On 5 June 2018, the BBC announced that the studios would close by 2023.[1] The intention is for the BBC's live music base to be relocated in Stratford, east London.[15] It plans to move staff to a new development in Stratford by 2025.[16] The decision drew criticism from Geoff Barrow of Portishead and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich.[17]

The COVID-19 outbreak led to the BBC closing the building temporarily, with effect from 27 March 2020. The building has since been re-opened.

On 5 May 2020, the studios were added to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest by

Department for Culture, Media and Sport had turned down the appeal.[19] The building is Grade II listed.[2]

In November 2022, the studios went on sale for over £10.5 million.[20] The studios were subsequently sold to a partnership between Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, and Hans Zimmer & Steven Kofsky for £10.5 million.[5]

Facilities

BBC Singers at Maida Vale MV1

John Peel Sessions

Maida Vale Studios, Delaware Road, Maida Vale, London

From 1967 to 2004, the

needle-time restrictions, so the BBC regularly booked musicians to record music exclusively for broadcast. In the early 1960s, when the BBC began to give some limited coverage of pop groups such as The Beatles, it was found that the sessions allowed up-and-coming bands to gain exposure, and for musicians and groups to try out new material, play covers they would not include on their albums, whilst also experimenting with different sounds and guest musicians.[citation needed
]

With the introduction of

Huw Stevens, Rob da Bank and Mike Davies.[citation needed
]

Peel said "The Clash did half one, then amazingly said that the equipment in the studio wasn't up to the standards they'd expected so they couldn't complete the session. Which seemed to me to be unbearably pretentious of them".[21] Some albums by the Fall were entirely recorded there. The last band to record a Peel session was Skimmer, at Maida Vale Studios on 21 October 2004.[citation needed]

Robin Dallaway of

Shostakovich posters in the hallways... We hovered outside the locked Radiophonic room, a little disappointed by what we could see through the window. We contemplated unscrewing the Radiophonic Workshop name plate from the door and making off with it, but knew the stern-faced security guard from earlier would have been on to us."[citation needed
]

Notable performers

Other BBC disc jockeys invited artists to perform at Maida Vale:

Hard Fi to play at the studios. The venue is also the home of the BBC Elstree Concert Band. The Radio 3 Jazz Line Up sessions were recorded here.[citation needed
]

In October 1996, George Michael recorded a rehearsal for, what would be days later, his hit MTV Unplugged performance.

In 1994, the Beatles' album

Live at the BBC was released, with most of the material having been recorded at Maida Vale. Several other albums, sometimes named after the studios, were recorded in studio MV4. Van der Graaf Generator released an album called Maida Vale in 1994. Portions of October 1990 and September 1991 sessions by Nirvana were released in 2004 on the band's With the Lights Out box set. In 2006, the group Hefner released an album called Maida Vale, which was recorded here. The White Stripes included their version of the Dusty Springfield classic "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", recorded for The Evening Session in MV4 by Miti Adhikari on their album Elephant. In 2002, Andrea Bocelli's Sentimento was made at the studios. The label Maida Vale Records, a subsidiary of Cooking Vinyl, has a policy of releasing material from various radio stations.[citation needed] Radiohead recorded their 2011 live video The King of Limbs: Live from the Basement at Maida Vale.[23]

References

  1. ^ a b "BBC to leave iconic Maida Vale studios". BBC News. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "BBC Maida Vale Studios, Non Civil Parish - 1463441". Historic England. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
  3. ISSN 0140-0460
    . Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  4. ^ Saville, Alice. "Sad news: the legendary BBC Maida Vale recording studio is going on sale today". Time Out London. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "BBC confirms sale of its Maida Vale Studios". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
  6. ^ a b "BBC - Maida Vale - History of the BBC". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Jo Whiley - Beyoncé, Doctor Who and an underground river - the secrets of BBC Maida Vale - BBC Radio 2". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  8. ^ "Cohen v Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club Ltd". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace & Club Ltd". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  10. ^ "BBC plans to refurbish Maida Vale". Ariel. BBC. 10 June 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  11. ISBN 9781471628610. Retrieved 17 April 2017.[self-published source
    ]
  12. ^ "BBC Maida Vale Studios -". soundonsound.com. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  13. ^ "A look around BBC's wonderful Maida Vale Studio MV3, west London". urban75.org. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Maida Vale Studio to close down". digitalspy.co.uk. 2 July 2007. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  15. ^ Waterson, Jim (5 June 2018). "BBC to close Maida Vale studios and move live music base to east London". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  16. ISSN 0140-0460
    . Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  17. ^ "BBC Closing Its Historic Maida Vale Studios". Pitchfork. 5 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  18. ^ Guyoncourt, Sally (23 September 2020). "BBC objects to grade II listing of historic Maida Vale Studios so it can sell them off". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  19. ISSN 0140-0460
    . Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  20. ^ Murdock, Meghann (30 November 2022). "Legendary BBC Maida Vale recording studio on sale for £10.5 million". Evening Standard. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  21. ^ "Interview with John Peel". Radio B92. 1992.
  22. ^ "The Cravats John Peel Sessions". Thecravats.com. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  23. ^ Mukadamm, Salim (21 June 2011). "Radiohead – The King of Limbs: Live From The Basement". BBC Worldwide. BBC. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2016.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Maida Vale Studios.

51°31′33″N 0°11′25″W / 51.5258°N 0.1904°W / 51.5258; -0.1904

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maida_Vale_Studios&oldid=1202296066"