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The inside story of Record Plant studios
—the real "Hotel California"
In the seventies, Record Plant studios was at the heart of the largest boom in record production in music history. In 1976 alone, three #1 albums—Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life, the Eagles' Hotel California, and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours—were all recorded there.
Based on interviews with over one hundred studio employees, music producers, and recording artists and the memoirs and archives of studio cofounder Chris Stone, Buzz Me In chronicles this previously untold story of classic rock 'n' roll as authors Martin Porter and David Goggin received it from industry insiders working behind the iconic studio's locked doors, alongside the great rock stars of the twentieth century.
"A colorful chronicle of the first 13 years of the Record Plant recording studio. . . . Stitching together meticulous research, interviews with industry insiders and engineers, and ephemera (including album covers, studio posters, and even invitations to Record Plant parties), the authors provide an exuberant account of a chaotic studio culture that fed some of the artists' worst impulses while creating some of the 1970s' most memorable music. . . . Rock fans will find this irresistible."
— Publishers Weekly
"An entertaining dive into a wild musical world. . . . Music journalists Porter and Goggin take us behind the scenes where the sounds were created, sliced, and diced. . . . Sex and drugs were inevitably part of the package, with cocaine piled atop amplifiers. . . . There are wild tales of [John] Lennon locking horns with Phil Spector in L.A. [. . .] and a DEA raid in Sausalito aimed at busting Sly Stone. . . . With firsthand accounts from many of the players, it's a cautionary tale."
— Kirkus Reviews
"The full story of the famed studio [featuring] tales of inspired performances, visionary engineering, needlessly destroyed equipment, pranks, drugs, government surveillance, fights, romance, sex and drugs. Yes, drugs are listed twice. . . . Meticulously put together by Porter and Goggin. . . . Buzz Me In provides the full picture of all that happened within the walls of each of the Record Plant's studios."
— Mix
"Martin Porter and David Goggin have captured the unique and inimitable vibe of the Record Plant in all its manifestations, along with the spirit of the times in which Chris Stone and Gary Kellgren invented the modern recording studio. These groundbreaking studios and the madcap professionals within were indispensable to the creation of the soundtrack to our lives, and Buzz Me In beautifully translates the sounds of popular music's high-water mark into words. A remarkable story of music, musicians, and America."
— Christopher Walsh (senior writer, East Hampton Star; musician)
"Gary Kellgren was the first audio engineer I ever worked with, on Goffin and King demos. He was great then and got even greater once at the Record Plant. He was one of the best engineers there ever was and a great cat. He is missed by everyone who knew him. A real rock 'n' roller!"
— Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar, guitarist for Linda Ronstadt, Carole King,
James Taylor, Carly Simon, Graham Nash, Steve Perry, and others
"Cool book. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in studio history. . . . Reading it was like reliving those crazy times."
— Jack Douglas, producer/engineer John Lennon, Aerosmith, Cheap Trick
"Buzz Me In is a story about three studios where I've spent thousands of hours making dozens of hit records. They remain three of my very favorite 'happy places' thanks to Gary Kellgren and Chris Stone's genius. A deep, and at times hilarious, read."
— Bill Szymczyk, producer, the Eagles, Joe Walsh, J. Geils Band, B.B. King
"Although it's a bizarre tale, it was a pleasure to skim back over those crazy days. . ."
— Al Kooper, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter, record producer, and musician
"Wow! There's no stopping once you start with this thing! I spent a big part of my life at the Record Plants in Los Angeles, NYC and Sausalito, so it was good fun reading this account of those days! Gary Kellgren was a brilliant engineer and very close friend. He, of course, created Record Plant and the rest is history. Great job, David and Marty!!"
— Jim Keltner, drummer for John Lennon, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and others
