Chris Martin at Rockfield, where Coldplay recorded Parachutes For years, there was quite a bit of mystery concerning a certain recording studio located on a farm in the remote location of Rockfield, Wales – the appropriately titled Rockfield Studios. The classic albums recorded there read like a "best of" list: Queen's A Night At The Opera, Rush's A Farewell To Kings and Hemispheres, the Stone Roses' self-titled debut, Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Coldplay's Parachutes.
And now, music fans can finally see and hear the true story behind the studio, with the arrival of the documentary, Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm. Directed by Hannah Berryman, the film features all-new interviews with members of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Stone Roses, Oasis, and Coldplay, among others, as well as the heads of the studio.
Here, director Berryman answers a few questions about the film (originally issued in 2020, and now available by demand), the bands that recorded there, and why the studio continues to thrive to this day.
Greg Prato (Songfacts): How did the idea come up to do Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm?And now, music fans can finally see and hear the true story behind the studio, with the arrival of the documentary, Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm. Directed by Hannah Berryman, the film features all-new interviews with members of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Stone Roses, Oasis, and Coldplay, among others, as well as the heads of the studio.
Here, director Berryman answers a few questions about the film (originally issued in 2020, and now available by demand), the bands that recorded there, and why the studio continues to thrive to this day.
Hannah Berryman: I'd watched Muscle Shoals and wondered where the really unusual British studio story was. And I came across Rockfield.
Songfacts: For those who are not familiar with Rockfield, what made it a unique studio?
Berryman: It happened almost by accident - two farming brothers milking cows at their family dairy farm really wanted to be musicians, so decided to convert their attic to a studio and started recording some friends there. Things progressed, animals were kicked out of barns to make way for more studios and more musicians, and the word spread.
Berryman: Everyone gave their heart and soul to the interviews. I think Rockfield had been such a special place for so many, but I loved especially Liam Gallagher and Bonehead, who I thought did something different from other interviews I've seen with Liam. You really felt you got him and his time there.
Ozzy, who took us back 50 years to the joy of the place when it was really just a farm. Simple Minds, who took us to the feeling of beings nobodies and how great it is to finally get that first hit. And Chris Martin, who step by step showed us how Coldplay's first hit came into his mind, sitting out under the stars at Rockfield.
Songfacts: Who would you have liked to have interviewed for the film but did not?
Berryman: Queen and The Stone Roses! Plus some of the significant women who recorded there - though there weren't as many.
Songfacts: Let's discuss some of the classic songs that were recorded at Rockfield, starting with Iggy Pop's "Play It Safe."
Berryman: Simple Minds were recording in the other studio and ended up singing backing vocals.
L-R: A tape machine, Jim Kerr of Simple Minds, horseSongfacts: Simple Minds' "Changeling."
Berryman: A great track which they loved - but it didn't chart.
Songfacts: Robert Plant's "Big Log."
Berryman: Video filmed in the desert, recorded in Rockfield in the Welsh countryside!
Songfacts: Simple Minds' "Promised You a Miracle."
Berryman: Their first big chart hit.
Songfacts: Oasis' "Wonderwall."
Berryman: Some of it was recorded on the (now) famous stone wall at the studio. Liam didn't even like it when he first heard Noel play it.
Songfacts: The Boo Radleys' "Wake Up Boo."
Berryman: They wanted a brass chorus, but when it arrived it was deafening!
Songfacts: Coldplay's "Yellow."
Berryman: Chris came up with the track, the band's first big hit, sitting outside under the starry skies of the Welsh countryside at Rockfield.
Songfacts: Why do you think many recording studios have had to shut down, but Rockfield remains open and successful?
Berryman: They've had a rocky ride the whole way, really, so they know how to change things up and survive. Now, as Kingsley [studio head Kingsley Ward] says in the film, they operate "like a milking stool, on three legs, so you're steady."
There's the recording studio, workshops, and a bed and breakfast. Fans, you can now come and stay at Rockfield, and experience the place all these amazing musicians went for yourselves!
Songfacts: Could a studio like Rockfield be created in the same manner and thrive today?Berryman: I don't think so. Very few labels are prepared to send new bands away for weeks on end to somewhere as expensive as a residential recording studio. Rockfield and the like represent a moment in musical history now. That's partly why I wanted to make the film, to capture some of what made that so amazing.
June 1, 2021
For more info about the film, go to rockfieldfilm.com.
For more info about the studio, go to rockfieldmusicgroup.com.
Further reading:
Oasis Songfacts entries
Coldplay Songfacts entries
Interview with Jim Kerr of Simple Minds
Interview with The Who producer Shel Talmy
Stills courtesy of ie productions
More Song Writing
