| Location | |
|---|---|
| Notting Hill, London, England | |
| Owner | |
| SPZ Group | |
| Companies within the building | |
| ZTT Records | |
| Stiff Records | |
| Perfect Songs | |
| Unforgettable Songs | |
| Blacklist Entertainment | |
| TCP International | |
| Website | |
| www.sarmstudios.com | |
SARM Studios (formerly known as SARM West Studios) is a recording studio located in Notting Hill, London. The studios were established by Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records, and were originally known as Basing Street Studios. It has also been known in the past as Island Studios.
Set within an old church that had been deconsecrated, Blackwell recorded a number of artists there for Island Records, such as Iron Maiden, Bob Marley, Steve Winwood, Free, Bad Company, Robert Palmer, Jimmy Cliff, Nick Drake, Fairport Convention, King Crimson, John Martyn, Mott the Hoople, Quintessence, Roxy Music, Sparks, Cat Stevens, Spooky Tooth, Traffic, If, Jethro Tull, the Average White Band, the Lighthouse Family, and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.
The studios were also used by notable non-Island Records acts, such as The Clash, the Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, The Eagles, Dire Straits, Boyzone, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The Rolling Stones, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and Joan Armatrading.
In 1970, two famous albums were recorded at the studios at the same time: Led Zeppelin's Led Zeppelin IV and Jethro Tull's Aqualung.[1] Similarly, Bob Marley & The Wailers and the Rolling Stones were in the studios at the same time at one point in 1973. Marley also lived for a year in an upstairs apartment at SARM, and his personal chef cooked at SARM for most of the 1980s. Queen booked the studios in summer 1977 and recorded part of their album News of the World there, including the hit "We Are the Champions". Also the cathedral organ on George Michael's album Faith was played there.
In November 1984, Studio 1 at Sarm West was the venue for the recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas" by the members of Band Aid in support of relief efforts for the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia.
The studios are currently owned by SPZ Group which is a holding company belonging to Trevor Horn and his wife Jill Sinclair. The Sarm Studios complex also contain the offices of SPZ owned record labels ZTT Records and Stiff Records and publishing companies Perfect Songs and Unforgettable Songs.