# Famous albums that were home recorded.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 4, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761 "2008-06-04T15:05:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761/21 "2008-06-05T02:22:37Z")

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I’m not sure how famous their albums are, but the **Squirrel Nut Zippers** did most of their recording in an old house. I think they used a different old house for _Hot_ than they did for _Perennial Favorites_.

I think it really added to their sound and set them apart from the polished, studio swing bands of the era.

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**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761/22 "2008-06-05T02:34:32Z")

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[Rudy Van Gelder](http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gbfexq85ld0e~T1) engineered hundreds of jazz albums from home studios in New Jersey. Would he count?

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**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761/23 "2008-06-05T02:50:15Z")

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I believe that everything by Nick Drake was. I could be wrong, but that’s how I remember it.

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**Author:** ![The\_Them](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@The\_Them](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Them)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761/24 "2008-06-05T04:19:46Z")

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_Smithsonian_ magazine c. 1996 said _The Harmonicats_ recorded in a bathroom (!) because the wall tiles made the right acoustics.

That’s all I know, not a fan or anything.

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**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:** [June 5, 2008, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/famous-albums-that-were-home-recorded/451761/25 "2008-06-05T04:44:55Z")

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[QUOTE=RealityChuck]  
Much of the **Let it Be** Album was recorded at “Apple Studios,” which was located in the basement of the apartment of one of the group.  
[/QUOTE]  
Apple Studios was pretty rudimentary, but it was located in the basement of the Beatles’ business office, not in any of their homes.

And Dave Gilmour doesn’t live on _Astoria_; it’s been fitted out exclusively as a recording studio. (Albeit a rather small one.)

Bob Dylan recorded **Oh Mercy** in a house in New Orleans, although with Daniel Lanois at the desk, it kinda stretches the definition of “home recording.” His two traditional cover albums, **Good As I Been to You** and **World Gone Wrong** were, I believe, recorded at home with a simple bare-bones recording setup.

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