"Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm", the new documentary about the legendary studio where classic albums by RUSH, QUEEN, BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and SEPULTURA have been recorded, will be released on May 14 via Abramorama.
The documentary, directed by Hannah Berryman, is the unlikely tale of how two Welsh farming brothers turned their dairy farm into one of the most successful recording studios of all time, producing four decades of legendary rock music.
In a new trailer for "Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm", BLACK SABBATH's Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi recall how they rehearsed 1970's "Paranoid" at Rockfield. "We didn't realize what we were doing," Osbourne says. "We didn't go, 'I know, let's invent heavy metal!' It just happened."
Fifty years ago, deep in the Welsh countryside, brothers Kingsley and Charles Ward were starting out in the family dairy farming business. But they yearned to do something different — they wanted to make music. So they built a studio in the attic of their farmhouse and started recording with their friends.
Kingsley's new wife, Ann, left her job in the local bank to do the books, and they continued farming all the while. Animals were kicked out of barns and musicians were moved into Nan's spare bedroom. Inadvertently, they'd launched the world's first independent residential recording studio: Rockfield.
Among the albums that were recorded at Rockfield are QUEEN's "Bohemian Rhapsody", RUSH's "A Farewell To Kings" and "Hemispheres", JUDAS PRIEST's "Sad Wings Of Destiny", MOTÖRHEAD's "On Parole" and BLACK SABBATH's "Dehumanizer". Robert Plant, Iggy Pop, SIMPLE MINDS, THE STONE ROSES, OASIS, COLDPLAY and more have also made music and mayhem at Rockfield over the decades.
"Rockfield: The Studio On The Farm" is an extraordinary story of rock and roll dreams intertwined with a family business's struggle for survival in the face of an ever-changing music landscape. Amazingly, Kingsley and Ann, now in their 80s, are still at the helm today, with daughter Lisa "front of house." What is it about this small Welsh farm that made it a major competitor, holding its own against studios such as Abbey Road and Electric Lady? In this film, the bands share with us tales of how they ended up at Rockfield, what it was like, and revisit some of the magical moments of musical genius that resulted in some of the best-known songs of our time.
