Windmill Lane Studios
Encyclopedia
Windmill Lane Studios, also known as the "U2 studio", is a three-storey music recording studio located in Dublin, Ireland
. It is located on Windmill Lane, a small street just south of City Quay and the River Liffey
and a little north of Pearse Station
. It was opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson who is a company director and head engineer. It was originally used to record traditional Irish music until U2
came along and began to record there. Prior to this, Irish rock bands such as Thin Lizzy
or The Boomtown Rats
carried out their recordings outside Ireland. It is now boarded up, with the actual studios having moved elsewhere. Nevertheless, the studios are still a popular cult symbol and are regularly visited by tourists, particularly those originally from the United States. Criticism has been expressed amongst local activists at proposed plans to turn the old building into a six-storey office block. Pulse Recording College recently took ownership of the studios. The college has previously sent students to work at Windmill Lane straight after graduation and these students have collaborated with 50 Cent
, Bryan Adams
, Moya Brennan
, Donovan
, Jon Bon Jovi
and New Order
.
Windmill Lane Studios is globally recognised for its connection to internationally recognised artists of Irish extraction such as U2, Sinéad O'Connor
, Eleanor McEvoy
, The Corrs
, and Clannad, whilst Van Morrison
acquired it for his own personal use in 2006. Juniper
, the band which later became Bell X1 and Damien Rice
, recorded some of their musical material on location at the studios during their brief existence in the 1990s, including the song which eventually divided them creatively. The Clannad song, "Theme from Harry's Game
", which went on to chart in the Netherlands
, Sweden
and the United Kingdom
, as well as in the band's native Ireland, was originally recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. International artists have also made use of Windmill Lane Studios; these include the Rolling Stones, Kate Bush
, Kylie Minogue
, R.E.M.
, Elvis Costello
, The Waterboys
and The Spice Girls. Albums to have been fully or partially recorded at Windmill Lane Studios include Boy
, War and The Joshua Tree
by U2
, Back on Top, Magic Time and Pay the Devil
by Van Morrison
, Hounds of Love
by Kate Bush
, Fisherman's Blues
by The Waterboys
, and Spike
by Elvis Costello
. Renowned producers such as Steve Lillywhite
, Brian Eno
, Daniel Lanois
, Stephen Street
, Geoff Emerick
, Nellee Hooper
, Trevor Horn
, Flood
and Don Was
have made extensive use of the facilities at Windmill Lane Studios.
The soundtracks to several films have been recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. These include the soundtracks to films such as A Room with a View
, The Remains of the Day
, The Mask
and The Tailor of Panama, as well as The Grifters
, My Left Foot
and A River Runs Through It
. Orchestras would regularly record their music there as it is one of the larger locations in Ireland to do this. Windmill Lane Studios have been recommended as a tourist attraction by publications such as The New York Times
. Many people are attracted by the significant amounts of graffiti left as a tribute to acts such as U2 and some even add to it themselves when they visit the site.
and A River Runs Through It by Mark Isham
. The posthouse at Windmill Lane became the first building in Ireland to buy a Baselight colour grading system on 2 April 2008. The posthouse has been used for several films, including In America
and Get Rich and Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan
, and has been used for American films made in Ireland, examples of which include King Arthur
and Veronica Guerin
.
Studio one is the only known room in Ireland where an eighty-piece orchestra may record their music apart from Radio Telefís Éireann. Brian Eno
and Michael Nyman
have all played the Steinway
grand piano located in the corner of this studio.
Famous producers to have used studio one include Stephen Street
, Geoff Emerick
, Nellee Hooper
, Trevor Horn
, Flood
and Don Was
. Elvis Costello
recorded Spike
there. U2 also recorded their first three albums at Windmill Lane, the Steve Lillywhite
masterminded Boy
and War, as well as the Brian Eno
and Daniel Lanois
collaboration, The Joshua Tree
.
Studio two is known for being responsible for a high amount of number one albums, recorded by artists such as Gabrielle
, Kylie Minogue
and The Spice Girls.
Kate Bush
partially recorded her 1985 album Hounds of Love at Windmill Lane Studios.
The Waterboys
recorded their 1988 album Fisherman's Blues at Windmill Lane Studios.
Juniper
began recording their first album there in 1999 but soon split. The song "Volcano", recorded here, was seen as the reason for disagreements between Damien Rice
and his bandmembers, the future Bell X1.
The Tides
, winners of 2008's ATL's Rock School event, recorded an album in Windmill Lane Studios.
R.E.M.
the Rolling Stones and The Corrs
have also recorded material at the studio.
or The Boomtown Rats
, went to London or further afield to record their albums. The drums on Boy
were recorded in the reception area of the recording studios due to producer Steve Lillywhite's desire to achieve "this wonderful clattery sound". They had to wait until the receptionist went home in the evenings as the phone rang through the day and even occasionally in the evening.
Artists such as U2, Van Morrison, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad and Elvis Costello and Eleanor McEvoy recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. Clannad's hit "Theme from Harry's Game
" was recorded at the studios; this song which propelled the band and their singer Moya Brennan
into international territories.
The studios were expanded in the 1980s under the supervision of Andy Munro of Munro Acoustics. Much of the work was done specifically for U2's album The Joshua Tree
which became one of the most successful rock albums of all time.
The original building in Windmill Lane (53° 20′ 44.9″ N, 6° 14′ 44.7″ W) houses Windmill Lane Pictures (a video post-production facility) incorporating Number 4 (an audio post-production facility), Trend Studios (audio mastering) and a number of other related services.
This original site in Windmill Lane is covered in graffiti from fans who have paid pilgrimage from all over the world, many attracted by the studio's historical connection with U2.
The studio remained empty from 2006 onwards, although reports circulated which linked Van Morrison with purchasing the studio for his own personal use that August. Morrison had previously recorded several albums there, including Back on Top, Magic Time and Pay the Devil
. In January 2008, the studio was used to record "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
". In 2009, Pulse College took over Windmill Lane painstakingly renovating the studios which are internationally perceived as being at the heart of the Irish recording industry. The renowned multimedia college has now transformed the facilities with state-of-the-art equipment which encompasses not only 3 fully equipped recording studios, but also a creative hub for Digital Media Training in areas of Music Production, Film Production and Game Analysis and Design.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is located on Windmill Lane, a small street just south of City Quay and the River Liffey
River Liffey
The Liffey is a river in Ireland, which flows through the centre of Dublin. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the River Poddle and the River Camac. The river supplies much of Dublin's water, and a range of recreational opportunities.-Name:The river was previously named An Ruirthech,...
and a little north of Pearse Station
Dublin Pearse railway station
Dublin Pearse, also known as Pearse Station , located on Westland Row in the Southside in Dublin, Ireland, is Ireland's busiest railway station and an important commuter terminus for the Dublin area.-Services:...
. It was opened in 1978 by Brian Masterson who is a company director and head engineer. It was originally used to record traditional Irish music until U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
came along and began to record there. Prior to this, Irish rock bands such as Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
or The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
carried out their recordings outside Ireland. It is now boarded up, with the actual studios having moved elsewhere. Nevertheless, the studios are still a popular cult symbol and are regularly visited by tourists, particularly those originally from the United States. Criticism has been expressed amongst local activists at proposed plans to turn the old building into a six-storey office block. Pulse Recording College recently took ownership of the studios. The college has previously sent students to work at Windmill Lane straight after graduation and these students have collaborated with 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
, Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams
Bryan Adams, is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, actor and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also received 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written...
, Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin , also known as Máire Brennan , is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music"...
, Donovan
Donovan
Donovan Donovan Donovan (born Donovan Philips Leitch (born 10 May 1946) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist. Emerging from the British folk scene, he developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelia, and world music...
, Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
.
Windmill Lane Studios is globally recognised for its connection to internationally recognised artists of Irish extraction such as U2, Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
, Eleanor McEvoy
Eleanor McEvoy
Eleanor McEvoy is one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary singer/songwriters. McEvoy composed the song Only A Woman's Heart, title track of A Woman's Heart, the best-selling Irish album in Irish history.-Biography:...
, The Corrs
The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
, and Clannad, whilst Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
acquired it for his own personal use in 2006. Juniper
Juniper (band)
Juniper were an Irish rock band from County Kildare, most widely-known today as a precursor to Damien Rice and Bell X1. The band consisted of Rice , Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby, Dominic Philips and David Geraghty...
, the band which later became Bell X1 and Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
, recorded some of their musical material on location at the studios during their brief existence in the 1990s, including the song which eventually divided them creatively. The Clannad song, "Theme from Harry's Game
Theme from Harry's Game
"Theme from Harry's Game" or just "Harry's Game" is a BAFTA-nominated hit song by Irish group Clannad, written by Pól Brennan. It was released in 1982 and served as the main track from their album Magical Ring...
", which went on to chart in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, as well as in the band's native Ireland, was originally recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. International artists have also made use of Windmill Lane Studios; these include the Rolling Stones, Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
and The Spice Girls. Albums to have been fully or partially recorded at Windmill Lane Studios include Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
, War and The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
by U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Back on Top, Magic Time and Pay the Devil
Pay the Devil
Pay the Devil is the thirty-second album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, featuring twelve cover versions of American country and western tunes and three original compositions...
by Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
, Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love
Hounds of Love is a 1985 album by the British singer Kate Bush. It was Bush's fifth studio album, and her second no. 1. It has since been certified Double Platinum in the UK...
by Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
, Fisherman's Blues
Fisherman's Blues
Fisherman's Blues is the 1988 album by The Waterboys. The album marked a change in the sound of The Waterboys', abandoning their earlier grandiose rock sound for a mixture of traditional Scottish music, country music and rock and roll. Critics were divided on its release with some disappointed at...
by The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
, and Spike
Spike (Elvis Costello album)
Spike is the 12th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on and compact disc as Warner Brothers 25848. It was his first album for the label. It peaked at #5 on the UK album chart, and at #32 on the Billboard 200....
by Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
. Renowned producers such as Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
, Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
, Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, Geoff Emerick
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
, Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with Björk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Garbage, Andrea Corr, U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack...
, Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
, Flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
and Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
have made extensive use of the facilities at Windmill Lane Studios.
The soundtracks to several films have been recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. These include the soundtracks to films such as A Room with a View
A Room with a View (film)
A Room with a View is a 1985 British drama film directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. The film is a close adaptation of E. M...
, The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day is Kazuo Ishiguro's third published novel. One of the most highly-regarded post-war British novels, the work was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction in 1989...
, The Mask
The Mask (film)
The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. This film was directed by Chuck Russell, and produced by Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Cinema, and originally released to movie theatres on July 29, 1994 through New Line...
and The Tailor of Panama, as well as The Grifters
The Grifters (film)
The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. It stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening and is based upon The Grifters, a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.-Plot:...
, My Left Foot
My Left Foot (film)
My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown is a 1989 drama film directed by Jim Sheridan and starring Daniel Day-Lewis. It tells the true story of Christy Brown, an Irishman born with cerebral palsy, who could control only his left foot. Christy Brown grew up in a poor, working class family, and...
and A River Runs Through It
A River Runs Through It (film)
A River Runs Through It is an Academy Award winning 1992 American film directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer, Tom Skerritt, Brenda Blethyn, and Emily Lloyd...
. Orchestras would regularly record their music there as it is one of the larger locations in Ireland to do this. Windmill Lane Studios have been recommended as a tourist attraction by publications such as The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. Many people are attracted by the significant amounts of graffiti left as a tribute to acts such as U2 and some even add to it themselves when they visit the site.
Recording artists and facilities
Several prominent recordings have been made at Windmill Lane Studios. These include film scores such as A Room with a View, The Remains of the Day, The Mask and The Tailor of Panama. Studio one saw the recording of The Grifters and My Left Foot, both by Elmer BernsteinElmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
and A River Runs Through It by Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
. The posthouse at Windmill Lane became the first building in Ireland to buy a Baselight colour grading system on 2 April 2008. The posthouse has been used for several films, including In America
In America
In America is a 2003 drama film directed by Jim Sheridan. The semi-autobiographical screenplay by Sheridan and his daughters Naomi and Kirsten focuses on an immigrant Irish family's efforts to survive in New York City, as seen through the eyes of the elder daughter.The film was nominated for three...
and Get Rich and Die Tryin' directed by Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan
Jim Sheridan is an Irish film director. A six-time Academy Award nominee, Sheridan is perhaps best known for his films My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father, Get Rich or Die Tryin and In America.-Life and career:...
, and has been used for American films made in Ireland, examples of which include King Arthur
King Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
and Veronica Guerin
Veronica Guerin
Veronica Guerin was an Irish crime reporter who was murdered on 26 June 1996 by drug lords, an event which, alongside the murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe three weeks earlier, helped establish the Criminal Assets Bureau....
.
Studio one is the only known room in Ireland where an eighty-piece orchestra may record their music apart from Radio Telefís Éireann. Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Michael Nyman
Michael Nyman
Michael Laurence Nyman, CBE is an English composer of minimalist music, pianist, librettist and musicologist, known for the many film scores he wrote during his lengthy collaboration with the filmmaker Peter Greenaway, and his multi-platinum soundtrack album to Jane Campion's The Piano...
have all played the Steinway
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
grand piano located in the corner of this studio.
Famous producers to have used studio one include Stephen Street
Stephen Street
Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...
, Geoff Emerick
Geoff Emerick
Geoffrey Emerick is an English recording studio audio engineer, who is best known for his work with The Beatles' albums Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles and Abbey Road...
, Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper
Nellee Hooper is a British producer/remixer/composer best known for his work with Björk, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Madonna, Sinéad O'Connor, Garbage, Andrea Corr, U2, Sneaker Pimps, Soul II Soul and Massive Attack...
, Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
, Flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
and Don Was
Don Was
Don Was is an American musician, bassist and record producer.-Life and career:Was was born in Detroit, Michigan. He graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year...
. Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
recorded Spike
Spike (Elvis Costello album)
Spike is the 12th studio album by the British rock singer and songwriter Elvis Costello, released on and compact disc as Warner Brothers 25848. It was his first album for the label. It peaked at #5 on the UK album chart, and at #32 on the Billboard 200....
there. U2 also recorded their first three albums at Windmill Lane, the Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
masterminded Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
and War, as well as the Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
collaboration, The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
.
Studio two is known for being responsible for a high amount of number one albums, recorded by artists such as Gabrielle
Gabrielle (singer)
Louisa Gabrielle Bobb is a multi-platinum selling, BRIT Award winning English singer, who records under the name Gabrielle. Gabrielle began her career temping during the day and singing for free in London clubs at night...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and The Spice Girls.
Kate Bush
Kate Bush
Kate Bush is an English singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Her eclectic musical style and idiosyncratic vocal style have made her one of the United Kingdom's most successful solo female performers of the past 30 years.In 1978, at the age of 19, Bush topped the UK Singles Chart...
partially recorded her 1985 album Hounds of Love at Windmill Lane Studios.
The Waterboys
The Waterboys
The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...
recorded their 1988 album Fisherman's Blues at Windmill Lane Studios.
Juniper
Juniper (band)
Juniper were an Irish rock band from County Kildare, most widely-known today as a precursor to Damien Rice and Bell X1. The band consisted of Rice , Paul Noonan, Brian Crosby, Dominic Philips and David Geraghty...
began recording their first album there in 1999 but soon split. The song "Volcano", recorded here, was seen as the reason for disagreements between Damien Rice
Damien Rice
Damien Rice is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician and record producer who plays guitar, piano, clarinet and percussion....
and his bandmembers, the future Bell X1.
The Tides
The Tides
The Tides was designed by Loewenberg Architects and developed by Magellan Development and was the second luxury rental tower completed at the Lakeshore East development, Chicago, USA. The 51-storey tower is located at 360 East South Water Street, East of the Chicago Loop...
, winners of 2008's ATL's Rock School event, recorded an album in Windmill Lane Studios.
R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
the Rolling Stones and The Corrs
The Corrs
The Corrs are an Irish band which combine pop rock with traditional Celtic folk music. The brother and sisters are from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea ; Sharon ; Caroline ; and Jim .The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the...
have also recorded material at the studio.
Early years
Windmill Lane Studios began life located in Dublin's docklands. It was originally used to record traditional Irish music but no rock band recorded in the studios until U2. Other bands, such as Thin LizzyThin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...
or The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats
The Boomtown Rats were an Irish punk rock band that had a series of Irish and UK hits between 1977 and 1985. They were led by vocalist Bob Geldof.-Biography:All six members were originally from Dún Laoghaire, Ireland...
, went to London or further afield to record their albums. The drums on Boy
Boy (album)
Boy is the debut album from Irish rock band U2, released October 20, 1980. Produced by Steve Lillywhite, the album received generally positive reviews. Common themes among the album's songs are the thoughts and frustrations of adolescence. The album included the band's first United Kingdom hit...
were recorded in the reception area of the recording studios due to producer Steve Lillywhite's desire to achieve "this wonderful clattery sound". They had to wait until the receptionist went home in the evenings as the phone rang through the day and even occasionally in the evening.
Artists such as U2, Van Morrison, Sinéad O'Connor, Clannad and Elvis Costello and Eleanor McEvoy recorded at Windmill Lane Studios. Clannad's hit "Theme from Harry's Game
Theme from Harry's Game
"Theme from Harry's Game" or just "Harry's Game" is a BAFTA-nominated hit song by Irish group Clannad, written by Pól Brennan. It was released in 1982 and served as the main track from their album Magical Ring...
" was recorded at the studios; this song which propelled the band and their singer Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan
Moya Brennan, born Máire Ní Bhraonáin , also known as Máire Brennan , is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist who began performing professionally in 1970, when her family formed the band Clannad, and is now widely considered as the "First Lady of Celtic Music"...
into international territories.
The studios were expanded in the 1980s under the supervision of Andy Munro of Munro Acoustics. Much of the work was done specifically for U2's album The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree
The Joshua Tree is the fifth studio album by rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release The Unforgettable Fire, U2 aimed for a harder-hitting sound on The Joshua...
which became one of the most successful rock albums of all time.
The original building in Windmill Lane (53° 20′ 44.9″ N, 6° 14′ 44.7″ W) houses Windmill Lane Pictures (a video post-production facility) incorporating Number 4 (an audio post-production facility), Trend Studios (audio mastering) and a number of other related services.
This original site in Windmill Lane is covered in graffiti from fans who have paid pilgrimage from all over the world, many attracted by the studio's historical connection with U2.
Recent years
The studio is no longer located on Windmill Lane, although it retains the name. Windmill Lane Studios has not been located on Windmill Lane for quite some time and the current facility was originally Ringsend Studios in Ringsend, Dublin 4. Plans to construct a six-storey office block on the old site led to criticism from local resident groups in early September 2008.The studio remained empty from 2006 onwards, although reports circulated which linked Van Morrison with purchasing the studio for his own personal use that August. Morrison had previously recorded several albums there, including Back on Top, Magic Time and Pay the Devil
Pay the Devil
Pay the Devil is the thirty-second album by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, featuring twelve cover versions of American country and western tunes and three original compositions...
. In January 2008, the studio was used to record "The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
The Ballad of Ronnie Drew
"The Ballad of Ronnie Drew" is a single by U2, The Dubliners, Kíla, and "A Band of Bowsies". The single was recorded as a charitable project, with proceeds going to the Irish Cancer Society - owing to Ronnie Drew's condition of cancer. It was recorded at Windmill Lane on 14 and 15 January 2008...
". In 2009, Pulse College took over Windmill Lane painstakingly renovating the studios which are internationally perceived as being at the heart of the Irish recording industry. The renowned multimedia college has now transformed the facilities with state-of-the-art equipment which encompasses not only 3 fully equipped recording studios, but also a creative hub for Digital Media Training in areas of Music Production, Film Production and Game Analysis and Design.
External links
- Official site
- Photos on u2tour.de (includes examples of graffiti)