Buzz Me In

If you like 1970s rock music, particularly hard rock music, something you love was recorded or mixed in a Record Plant studio.

- BY TOM FINE

If you have a favorite live album from the '70s or '80s, it was likely recorded by a Record Plant Mobile truck. And if you've imagined a wild-and-crazy recording-studio scene from the '70s and '80s, the scene was all that and then some, a cocaine-fueled never-ending party/orgy with some great music made along the way. The gloriously depraved center of that universe was the Record Plant empire, with recording studios in New York, Los Angeles, and Sausalito, California, plus a fleet of recording trucks. The emperor of this music-making bacchanal was Gary Kellgren, one of the most talented and influential recording engineers who ever lived. His business partner, Chris Stone, was the empire's foundation, keeping it all afloat with clever wheeling and dealing while collecting millions of dollars from record companies to fund the endless hit-parade party.

Buzz Me In, a new book by Martin Porter and David Goggin, documents the birth, rise, and fall of the Record Plant Studios empire, detailing and celebrating the drugs, sex, and rock'n'roll, for better or worse. Porter and Goggin's well-researched book is part informative music/recording history and part lurid scandal sheet, mixed in the perfect ratio with zippy text and smart organization. The book grew out of their website, Record Plant Diaries, which since 2015 has collected dozens of first-person recollections and photos.

The book is divided into chapters called “Tapes,” with a list of albums and songs discussed at the top; corresponding Spotify playlists offer readers appropriate background listening. Reading