Belmont Mall Studio

Belmont Mall Studio
Company typeRecording studio
IndustryMusic
Founded1984 (41 years ago) (1984)
FounderJohn Mellencamp
HeadquartersBelmont, Indiana, U.S.

Belmont Mall Studio is a recording studio in Belmont, Indiana, United States.[1][2][3] Located on West Lower Schooner Road,[4] it was founded in 1984 by John Mellencamp. Albums which have been recorded there include John Mellencamp's Scarecrow (1985) and R.E.M.'s Lifes Rich Pageant (1986).[5] R.E.M. chose the studio because they wanted to work with Mellencamp's producer, Don Gehman,[6][7][8] who built the studio.[9]

Mellencamp also recorded The Belmont Mall Studio Session (1987) and Orpheus Descending (2023) in Belmont.[10]

Layout and design

The studio consists of two clapboard buildings around a pebbled courtyard. A sign on a parking space says it is "reserved for Elvis."[11]

When designing the studio, Mellencamp wanted the control room to have the same look and feel as that of Studio B at Rumbo Recorders, a three-room building in Canoga Park, California.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Crazy Heart", Q magazine, December 2010, Paul Rees
  2. ^ "John Mellencamp on Twitter". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "John Mellencamp: One from the Heartland". Vanity Fair. January 9, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Belmont Mall Studio". www.bizapedia.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Belmont Mall Studio". Discogs. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "Hanging Out with R.E.M." – MagBloom, April/May 2014
  7. ^ Zaleski, Annie (July 28, 2016). "How R.E.M. Took a Big Step Forward With 'Lifes Rich Pageant'". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 124-128. ISBN 978-0-87930-776-9.
  9. ^ Buckley, David (May 31, 2012). R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-3246-1.
  10. ^ John Cougar Mellencamp - The Belmont Mall Studio Session Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved November 9, 2023
  11. ^ Rees, Paul (September 14, 2021). Mellencamp. Simon and Schuster. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-1-9821-1214-1.
  12. ^ Johnson, Heather (June 26, 2012). Born In A Small Town: John Mellencamp, The Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-843-0.

39°08′53″N 86°20′16″W / 39.14795°N 86.33776°W / 39.14795; -86.33776