Rock Legends at Rockfield

Rockfield is a recording studio that literally lives up to its name. Over the past thirty years, this rural Monmouthshire locale has played host to a bevy of British musical legends—from Robert Plant, Queen, and Black Sabbath to Oasis, the Stone Roses, Simple Minds to present day acts like The Darkness and Kasabian—as its unique acoustics have helped to define the sounds of many of rock’s most classic albums. A rich narrative history packed with previously unheard behind-the-scenes anecdotes, Rock Legends at Rockfield features recent interviews with legendary artists who tell the bizarre tales behind the recording of modern classics like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Oasis’s “Live Forever.” Some accounts are from the musicians themselves, including Lemmy from Motorhead and Robert Plant, while others are told by those a step or two removed—the roadies, producers, photographers, and hangers-on that helped to coax the strange happenings that accompanied the otherwise mundane routine of day-to-day recording. Along the way, author Jeff Collins examines how this dilapidated set of farm buildings and their solid-stone studios rose to become one of the most famous brands in recording history—and a stage for musical excess and excellence. Not to be missed by any fan of British music or classic rock scholar, Rock Legends at Rockfield is an uproarious and eminently readable look at one of the most legendary studios in the world.