Royal Recorders, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

[jspartz]

Michael Wagener,

I have been reading a lot of liner notes for some great rock recordings that had been recorded at Royal Recorders in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I saw your name on a few as well so I thought I would toss out this question...

So what was the big deal / history with this place and did it go under or loose its flavor? Any stories for us?

Thanks,

Jason

[jomo1234]

Royal Recorders was a wonderful studio....sadly it is now defunct. I never got to record there, but I got to take a studio tour a few years before they closed up shop. Lake Geneva is such a nice town as well.

I'm sure that Michael will have some great stories about it.

[stealthbalance]

not michael but....

i mixed a band there a long time ago. nice studio , ssl 4 or 6K , designed by i think eastlake or lakeside or? ??? that hotel used to be the old playboy hotel - and it had a beautiful golf course. studio had airport pickup for me via their rolls royce limo. the rooms were cool for a hotel and it was nice being in that enviornment. driving a ferrari around that lake was an experience i will always remember. i think at the very end of the greens was an airport ...cool
is the studio actually torn out now?? is the hotel still there ..or golf course??? what a shame that would be, if it was all no longer.

s

[BT_]

It is now called "The Abby resort and spa".

BT

[mwagener]

Well, I have mixed experiences with Royal Recorders.

The first album I did there was the first SkidRow record. That was/is one of my favourite projects, we were all young (well they were) and crazy (now that includes me) and we had a great time up there. It was in the Summer and I got introduced to jetskies on Lake Geneva. The hotel was the old Playboy resort and the bands manager used to stay in Hugh Hefners room. There is a big venue nearby calle Alpine Valley (SRV got killed there later) and during the time we did the record there was a great Rock show every weekend (AC/DC, Judas Priest, Whilte Lion, Guns And Roses etc.) and the hotel was one of two in the area, so all the bands would stay at "our" hotel and all the kids would hang out in the parking lot, needless to say we had an amazing time. The reason I picked the studio in the first place was that they had a monsterously big convention center right next door to the studio. I found out by a tip from Roy Thomas Baker, who had done T-Pau there. We recorded the drums in a room that had 120 cars for an auction in it the night before we started.

The studio was very well equipped (I think 5 ELAM 251s and 9 C12s amongst many others) and the whole environment was just ideal for a Rock album. They even had a stretched RollsRoyce lime for studio guests to use.

The next album I did there took place at the beginning of winter (don't want to mention the artist). The hotel had just changed hands and they found Asbestos during some remodeling, so the hotel was closed except for 3 or 4 rooms, it was DEAD up there. My "old room" was all moldy and had rats in it. The town was dead too at that time of the year, it just started snowing. The studio was still fully functioning and as good as before, but the convention center was under water and the cool environment around the studio was not there anymore.

By now the studio is no more, not sure what happened to the gear. I know Richard Ely, then the studio's tech is now here at BlackBird Studio.

[BT_]

Now that I think about it I think Mr Wagner worked with Skid Row and others at Royal but I could be wrong.Lake Geneva in the 80's was kind of a hair band hang.(I see Mr Wagner was posting along with mine)

There where lots of chicks with white lace bobbie socks,tons of blow,the whole 80's thing.

Guns & Roses use to like Lake Geneva but I don't know if the worked at Royal.One of my good friends was the tech there until they closed,so I heard about more than I saw.

I can say this the studio was very,very nice indeed.

[mwagener]

Originally Posted by BT_

It is now called "The Abby resort and spa".

BT

Is it still a studio?

[mwagener]

Originally Posted by BT_

. . . tons of blow. . .

... no blow on my sessions ...

[BT_]

Nope Ron (don't want to post his last name) sold out.It is now just one big resort.

Alot of the gear ended up in Chicago.

As far as the Blow I mean in general around the Lake Geneva scene.We use to call it the land of White punks on dope........

[xj32]

...didn't Royal become Adrian Belew's "Music Head" for a few years ???



On the Royal tip a friend of mine worked there for a few years and assitant engineered Live's "Throwing Copper" and NIN's "Broken" there.

PV

[ddageek]

Royal became music head, Irember driving down from Madison and makeing tape deliveries! God I mis the pair of M49s Most of the key staff ended up wrking for Narada out of the Milwaukee area! Oh the memories!
Last I heard the rooms wher now the best sounding daycare! and the ssl was a 4k!

[Mike Tholen]

I did a couple of records there, a very nice joint...I was working for Ministry when the gear became for sale. Ministry bought the gear, we stripped the studio of EVERYTHING including the glass, but NOT the 2 Mitsubishi 32 trk digital shitboxes.
We trucked it all down to the new Ministry camp outside of Austin Texas, installed it into Al's house and started to make Filth Pig...to shorten a VERY long story, the gear ended up at Chicago Trax after they moved to Larrabee St. NOt the Halsted location. R. Kelley ended up buyin the studio and changed the name to The Chocolate Factory ...and now I have now flippin' idea where that gear is.

[Gravity8058]

Hey Mike, I might have the final chapter. One of R Kelly's engineers stopped by the studio looking for work the other day. He said the Bigger SSL (from AL) ended up in R Kelly's basement where they had been working for a few years.

....... talk about a sinking ship.........




wow, from majestic Lake Geneva to R Kelly's basement......

[elambo]

Originally Posted by BT_

It is now called "The Abby resort and spa".

BT

Actually the Abbey is a different resort. The Abbey is right on Lake Geneva. The old Playboy club, and hence Royal Recorders, is now called The Grand Geneva, but is not on the lake. I've been going up to the Lake Geneva every summer since I was born. It's a great area. I've heard quite a bit about Royal but never had a chance to make it in before it closed.

[BT_]

Quote:

Actually the Abbey is a different resort. The Abbey is right on Lake Geneva. The old Playboy club, and hence Royal Recorders, is now called The Grand Geneva, but is not on the lake. I've been going up to the Lake Geneva every summer since I was born. It's a great area. I've heard quite a bit about Royal but never had a chance to make it in before it closed.


Yes you are correct The Grand Geneva.We use to have a condo in William's bay back in the day and the old man was a member at the Playboy club,

I use to love to go to lunch with him!!!

[elambo]

Originally Posted by BT_

Quote:

Actually the Abbey is a different resort. The Abbey is right on Lake Geneva. The old Playboy club, and hence Royal Recorders, is now called The Grand Geneva, but is not on the lake. I've been going up to the Lake Geneva every summer since I was born. It's a great area. I've heard quite a bit about Royal but never had a chance to make it in before it closed.


Yes you are correct The Grand Geneva.We use to have a condo in William's bay back in the day and the old man was a member at the Playboy club,

I use to love to go to lunch with him!!!

Where was your condo? Which side of the lake? My family had a place for 100+ years just west of Conference Point, but now we're on the west and south side of Williams Bay. My old man has a decent share of stories from the club as well. Unfortunately, I never got to go.

[BT_]

I am not sure what side but when I crossed the street to the lake the Abby was on my right but back around in a bay, which by water you had to go under a bridge.

I have not been there in years my second home is now 5 hours north of there near St Germain Wisconsin.

[Mike Tholen]

Originally Posted by Gravity8058

Hey Mike, I might have the final chapter. One of R Kelly's engineers stopped by the studio looking for work the other day. He said the Bigger SSL (from AL) ended up in R Kelly's basement where they had been working for a few years.

....... talk about a sinking ship.........




wow, from majestic Lake Geneva to R Kelly's basement......

OMG...how rediculous a ship it must be over there in that smelly basement!!!
I heard that the faders on the SSL were starting to get STICKY!

[Gravity8058]

Originally Posted by Mike Tholen

OMG...how rediculous a ship it must be over there in that smelly basement!!!
I heard that the faders on the SSL were starting to get STICKY!

I don't believe anyone is Flyin over there these days.......

[elambo]

BT - that sounds like Fontana. You must have spent some time at Chuck's then, right on the water just East of the Abbey

[Mike Tholen]

Originally Posted by Gravity8058

I don't believe anyone is Flyin over there these days.......

but they still think they can!!!