Shangri-La is a recording studio in
Malibu, California, currently owned by record producer
Rick Rubin. Originally a ranch property with a bungalow owned by actress
Margo, it was leased by
The Band in the 1970s and converted to a recording studio by
Rob Fraboni to the precise specifications of
Bob Dylan[3] and The Band. Interviews of The Band featured in
Martin Scorsese's documentary The Last Waltz were filmed at Shangri-La. The property was purchased by Rick Rubin in 2011. Rubin and Shangri-La were the subject of a four-part documentary series, Shangri-La, which aired on
Showtime in 2019.
History
In 1958, Mexican-American actress
Margo bought a 1.73-acre property in the hills above
Zuma Beach. A ranch house was built and the site was named Shangri-La Ranch. Margo starred in the film adaptation of James Hilton's 1933 classic novel Lost Horizon, from where the fabled paradise "
Shangri-La" originated. The property was an upscale
bordello for the 1950s Hollywood elite and a filming site for the TV show Mister Ed in the 1960s.[4][2][5]
In 1974, the ranch property was leased by Canadian-American roots rock band
The Band. The master bedroom was converted to a recording studio by record producer and audio engineer
Rob Fraboni and in-house technician Ed Anderson according to the precise specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band.[4][2][5] The Band built it while taking time off after concluding the
Bob Dylan and the Band 1974 Tour. Drummer
Levon Helm later described Shangri-La as "a clubhouse and studio where we and our friends could record albums and cross-pollinate one another's music." They kept the name "Shangri-La" because to them, "Malibu felt like a paradise after years of gray
Catskill winters" in upstate New York. The house came with a
Naugahyde bar and bedrooms with mirrored walls, from Shangri-La's time as a bordello.[5]
Shangri-La was a functioning studio by the end of 1974, with Larry Samuels working as studio manager.[6] The Band's
Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, and
Rick Danko were living in houses near Shangri-La and were becoming involved in other outside projects. Levon Helm lived between
Woodstock, New York, and Los Angeles, and used a bedroom at Shangri-La when he was in Malibu.
Richard Manuel lived at Shangri-La for a year, living in a bungalow down toward Zuma Beach that was converted from the stable of
Bamboo Harvester from Mister Ed. Manuel was heavily drinking
Grand Marnier liqueur while living at Shangri-La.[5]
In 1976, Rob Fraboni teamed up with partners and purchased the house for $195,000, turning it into a semicommercial studio. Shangri-La was a state-of-the-art
24-track studio, equipped with the latest synthesizers.[7]
Clapton spent nearly three months at Shangri-La, hanging out and recording with The Band, Bob Dylan,
Van Morrison,
Ringo Starr,
Pete Townshend,
Joe Cocker,
Billy Preston,
Ronnie Wood, and
Georgie Fame. Bob Dylan lived outside in a tent in the garden during Clapton's time at Shangri-La. Clapton formed a close friendship with Richard Manuel while at Shangri-La.[7] Garth Hudson recorded overdubs at Shangri-La for Van Morrison's 10th studio album, Wavelength (1978).[10]
In 1985, Rob Fraboni left Shangri-La to serve as vice president of Island Records. The studio's usage decreased dramatically after Fraboni's exit.[2]
In the late 1990s, Blaine "Beej" Chaney of the Minneapolis new wave punk band
The Suburbs purchased the property for $2,125,000.[2][11] Over the next few years, he invested an additional $2 million into the studio, and with the help of producers Jim Niper and Pete Strobl, loaded it with the premium vintage audio equipment that is still in use today, including the centerpiece
API 32 BUS console.[12][13] Immediately following these renovations, Chaney invited
Mark Knopfler to record there, where he went on to make his acclaimed album, Shangri-La.[14] Also in 2003, they worked with
Ethan Johns and
Angelo Petraglia to record the debut album by
Kings of Leon, Youth and Young Manhood.
In 2006, musician and producer Eric Lynn was invited to become Shangri-La's house engineer and studio manager. Chaney oversaw continued interest in the studio with a number of notable albums being recorded at Shangri-La, including
Weezer's
self-titled 2008 album, and
Metallica's Death Magnetic.[2] Following his divorce from Sarah Macmillan, a
Cargill family heiress, Chaney took a more hands-off role in the studio. In 2009, he invited his friend and fellow musician and producer, Jake Coyle, to manage the day-to-day operations at Shangri-La, allowing Eric Lynn to focus entirely on running recording sessions day to day.[15][16] Coyle facilitated increased interest and stability at Shangri-La during a tumultuous time for recording studios around LA, many of which permanently closed between 2009 and 2011.[17] Shangri-La was now officially experiencing a renaissance with Rick Rubin continuing to rent the property for the majority of his projects including
the Gossip's
Music For Men,
Adele's
21,
Kid Rock's Born Free, and
The Red Hot Chili Pepper'sI'm With You.
In 2011, the studio and property were listed by Chaney for $4.1 million.[18][19][20][21] Within weeks the price tag was cut drastically to $3,195,000.[11]Rick Rubin purchased Shangri-La for $2 million in August 2011.[22][11] Numerous artists have since recorded at Shangri-La under Rubin's ownership, including
Adele,
Ed Sheeran,
Eminem, and
Kanye West.[2]
Shangri-La survived the 2018
Woolsey Fire, but Rubin's two nearby homes were lost to the fire.[23]
Property and recording spaces
Shangri-La consists of four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two primary recording studios.[19][24] The main studio has an
API console and
Neumann U 87 microphones. The other recording space, a building called "The Chapel", also uses U 87 microphones and has a console from
Muscle Shoals Sound Studio which was formerly in Rubin's
The Mansion studio in
Laurel Canyon.[24] The property also includes Bob Dylan's former tour bus, which is parked permanently and has been repurposed as a recording space.[25]
The studio and its owner Rick Rubin were the subject of the four-part documentary television series Shangri-La, which aired on
Showtime in 2019. A "work-in-progress" cut of the docuseries was screened at the
2019 SXSW Festival. The first two episodes were directed by
Morgan Neville, while the last two were directed by
Jeff Malmberg.[26][27][28][29]
List of artists recorded
Many artists have recorded at Shangri-La, including: