QUEEN AND MOUNTAIN STUDIOS
Queen had already released six albums and conquered the globe when they came to Mountain Studios in July 1978 for the first time to begin recording their seventh album, Jazz.
The band quickly discovered that Montreux offered respite form the glare of media attention, allowing them to write and record in relative peace.
When the members of the band returned to Montreux in 1978 to do post-production on the live album Live Killers, they decide to purchase the studios.
David Richards was the resident producer and engineer at Mountain Studios at the time. He was to become a trusted friend and associate producer of many of their subsequent albums.
"The very first time I met them was when they came to make the Jazz album here. They were working with their whole crew and they had Roy Thomas Baker engineering, I just met them very briefly- That was when they decided to buy the studio as well, so I suddenly became under new employment.
I had new bosses Queen."
David Richards
Queen's purchase of the studios cemented a relationship between the band and Montreux that was to last until the present day.
Queen a réalisé six albums et déjà conquis le monde lorsqu'ils arrivent à Montreux, en juillet 1978, pour l'enregistrement de leur 7ème album: Jazz.
Très rapidement le groupe ressent que Montreux pourra leur offrir ce répit nécessaire à la création et l'enregistrement de nouveaux morceaux, loin des medias.
Lorsque le groupe revient à Montreux en 1979, pour produire son album Live Killers, il décide d'acquérir le "Mountain Studios".
David Richards, producteur et ingénieur en charge du "Mountain Studios", devient rapidement un ami loyal et le producteur associé pour les albums successifs enregistrés à Montreux.
"Notre première rencontre s'est faite à Montreux pour l'album "Jazz". Ils travaillent avec toute leur équipe, et notamment avec Roy Thomas Baker, ingénieur. Je les recontre brièvement, puis Queen décide d'acheter le studio.
Je deviens alors salarié de nouveaux patrons: Queen!"
David Richards
L'achat du studio est le ciment qui lie Queen à Montreux de 1979 à ce jour.
Photography by Richard Gray
