Making Tracks - Great Documentary On Iconic Recording Studios

For those of you in the UK or who have access to the BBC iPlayer there is a great series of documentaries on at the moment where they talk about iconic recording studios in which classic albums were created.

In future programmes he revisits some of the classical masterpieces recorded in the 80 year old Abbey Road Studios and cutting edge pop in Metropolis, the studio complex built when the music industry was at its most bloated peak.

Episode one sees him visit Rockfield Studios in the rural heart of Monmouthshire, A studio that grew out of a farm and gave birth to some of rock music's finest recordings - everything from Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" to the Stone Roses' eponymous debut album, from Dr. Feelgood's "Down By The Jetty" to Oasis' "(What's The Story) Morning Glory", even from the Waterboys' "Fisherman's Blues" to Adam Ant's "Kings Of THe Wild Frontier".

Episode two sees him visit the world's first purpose built recording studio, and possibly the most famous: the one at No 3, Abbey Road, a stone's throw from a much photographed zebra crossing in London's St John's Wood. Opened by Sir Edward Elgar conducting the London Symphony Orchestra in a recording of "Land Of Hope And Glory", the studios went on to record everyone from Adam Ant, The Bolshoi and Nick Cave... to XTC, Diana Yakawa and the Zombies - to say nothing of Pink Floyd and the Beatles.

In the final programme of the series Paul Morley ventures to Metropolis Studios West London and one of the last major studio complexes to be built in the heyday of the music industry. But without an exalted musical history to fall back on and decades of experience to help run it, how do you go about creating a world-class facility frequented by the likes of Amy Winehouse, Mick Jagger and Rihanna... and how do you keep it going when all around you are closing their doors?

Those trying to explain what part the studio played in creating such musical magic include performers (the veteran Dave Edmunds and the newcomers Iko), technicians (John Leckie and Sean Genockey) and the people who (in some cases, quite literally) built the studio and the business (father and daughter, Kingley and Lisa Ward, and Terry Matthews).

As the money flowing through the music industry continues to dry up - Paul also asks what future there may be or the historic recording studios that helped build the industry in the first place?