# Albums that were recorded at the same time at the same studio/complex **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159 "2020-04-06T01:30:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/1 "2020-04-06T01:30:49Z")
I remember from Nick Mason’s Pink Floyd memoirs that “Sergeant Pepper’s” and “The Piper At the Gates Of Dawn” were recorded door to door at Abbey Road Studios and that the guys met each other on the corridors from time to time. Now those two are probably the two most defining albums of (not only) British psychedelica of 1967 (THE psychedelic year). I also remember that when Patti Smith recorded “Easter”, Bruce Springsteen was recording next door (“Darkness On The Edge Of Town”?), she heard his song “Because The Night”, snatched it from him, rewrote it and made it her own for her album. Bruce didn’t release his version at the time. So, what are other examples, especially interesting if the records influenced each other. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/2 "2020-04-06T03:12:28Z")
James Taylor’s self-titled first album was recorded at the same time as the White Album, both at Trident Studios. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/3 "2020-04-06T03:37:15Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > James Taylor’s self-titled first album was recorded at the same time as the White Album, both at Trident Studios. And thus being two of the earliest releases on the Apple label, I guess? ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/4 "2020-04-06T03:50:51Z")
I love stories like this, especially when they lead to stuff like “We ran into [John] Lennon in the loo, and he asked if he could sing something on our album. We pretended we hadn’t heard him… But the next day, when he showed us his new harmonica, we let him do a few random noodlings in the background.” ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/5 "2020-04-06T09:20:29Z")
Wasn’t Paul McCartney doing something in an adjacent studio when Pink Floyd were doing Dark Side of the Moon? And that’s how they came to interview McCartney for some of the background spoken word snippets, but his answers were too considered so they didn’t use him? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/6 "2020-04-06T09:48:25Z")
Roger Waters said that at the end of the song Shine on You Crazy Diamond, there’s a bit of violinist Stephane Grappelli’s playing in the fade-out. Grappelli was there at the studio, recording I think, but I don’t know what album. Waters said you have to turn the volume way up and you can just hear barely it… I haven’t heard it yet. I’ve just had a look online and it looks like there’s a reissue that credits Grappelli. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/7 "2020-04-06T10:22:20Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Roger Waters said that at the end of the song Shine on You Crazy Diamond (snip) Sorry, I’ve just found the interview and Waters says it was on Wish You Were Here (although I’m seeing online references to Grappelli featured on both tracks). He said Grappelli was in the same studio recording with Yehudi Menuhin. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/8 "2020-04-06T12:14:02Z")
I believe Jethro Tull was recording _Aqualung_ in the same studio, at the same time, as Led Zeppelin was adding overdubs to, and mixing, _IV_ (most of the Zep album had been recorded in a country house an hour from London). Ian Anderson has mentioned a bit of cross-influence. Also, not quite what the OP was after, but I believe Queen and David Bowie happened to be recording in Montreux, Switzerland simultaneously, which enabled the spontaneous collaboration that became the wonderful song “Under Pressure.” Also, James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt happened to be recording (separately) where Neil Young was also, so they provided backing vocals to Young’s song “Heart of Gold.” ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/9 "2020-04-06T14:08:52Z")
XTC recorded _Oranges and Lemons_ at the same studio (Ocean Way in Los Angeles) where Elvis Costello worked on _Spike_, and Costello dropped in and chatted with the band on one occasion. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/10 "2020-04-06T15:57:38Z")
Late 70s-era Stevie Nicks is in a lot of these. She was in the studio, bored as Buckingham was working on Tusk, when she joined John Stewart and laid down some backing vocals to his song “Gold”. Off-topic, here’s a list of Nick’s background work. She was in “Hello, it’s me” by Rundgren…? Had no idea! > **[Complete List of Stevie's Back-up Vocals/Duets? - The Ledge](http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=39772)** > > Complete List of Stevie's Back-up Vocals/Duets? Stevie Nicks ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/11 "2020-04-07T00:27:19Z")
In his autobiography that came out a few years ago, Ozzy Osbourne said Black Sabbath once shared a studio with Yes while the latter were recording “Tales from Topographic Oceans.” Upon finding out that several of the band members liked to toke up occasionally, they shared their marijuana with them, and the guys from Yes who indulged all went home sick for the day, because they were accustomed to smoking what was basically ditchweed, and that wasn’t what the Black Sabbath guys gave them. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/12 "2020-04-07T00:56:15Z")
Deep purple was recording an album and Frank Zappa was playing a show at the same casino in Montreaux. That’s where “Smoke on the water” lyrics came from, a true story. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/13 "2020-04-07T02:37:50Z")
Paul Weller contributes guitar on Peter Gabriel’s [“And Through the Wire”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDHpbZ_0n6E) because The Jam were recording Setting Sons in the same studio. Elton John happened to be recording the Leather Jackets album in the same studio in the Netherlands as the heavy metal band Saxon, which is how Elton came to play piano on, uhh, [this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi5XjAgyn9w) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/14 "2020-04-07T03:53:18Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Deep purple was recording an album and Frank Zappa was playing a show at the same casino in Montreaux. That’s where “Smoke on the water” lyrics came from, a true story. Thanks to some Stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/15 "2020-04-07T03:59:39Z")
> [@jerez](#): > > Sorry, I’ve just found the interview and Waters says it was on Wish You Were Here (although I’m seeing online references to Grappelli featured on both tracks). He said Grappelli was in the same studio recording with Yehudi Menuhin. The 2011 Delux release of the Wish You Were Here album has a version with Grappelli’s playing standing out in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-that-were-recorded-at-the-same-time-at-the-same-studio-complex/851159/16 "2020-04-07T06:47:54Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > The 2011 Delux release of the Wish You Were Here album has a version with Grappelli’s playing standing out in the mix. Yup, just had a listen. Kids have everything so easy these days. Why, back in the day, we had to crank that sucker up to _eleven_ and even then…