Belmont Mall Studio is a recording studio in Belmont, Indiana, United States.[1][2][3] Located on West Lower Schooner Road,[4] it was founded in 1984 by John Mellencamp. Albums which have been recorded there include John Mellencamp's Scarecrow (1985) and R.E.M.'s Lifes Rich Pageant (1986).[5] R.E.M. chose the studio because they wanted to work with Mellencamp's producer, Don Gehman,[6][7][8] who built the studio.[9]

Belmont Mall Studio
Company typeRecording studio
IndustryMusic
Founded1984 (40 years ago) (1984)
FounderJohn Mellencamp
HeadquartersBelmont, Indiana, U.S.

Mellencamp also recorded The Belmont Mall Studio Session (1987) and Orpheus Descending (2023) in Belmont.[10]

Layout and design edit

The studio consists of two clapboard buildings around a pebbled courtyard. A sign on a parking space says it is "reserved for Elvis."[11]

When designing the studio, Mellencamp wanted to the control room to feel and look the same as that of Studio B at Rumbo Recorders, a three-room building in Canoga Park, California.[12]

References edit

  1. ^ "Crazy Heart", Q magazine, December 2010, Paul Rees
  2. ^ "John Mellencamp on Twitter". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  3. ^ "John Mellencamp: One from the Heartland". Vanity Fair. January 9, 2007. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Belmont Mall Studio". www.bizapedia.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  5. ^ "Belmont Mall Studio". Discogs. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  6. ^ "Hanging Out with R.E.M." – MagBloom, April/May 2014
  7. ^ Zaleski, Annie (July 28, 2016). "How R.E.M. Took a Big Step Forward With 'Lifes Rich Pageant'". Diffuser.fm. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Black, Johnny (2004). Reveal: The Story of R.E.M. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 124-128. ISBN 978-0-87930-776-9.
  9. ^ Buckley, David (May 31, 2012). R.E.M. Fiction: An Alternative Biography. Random House. ISBN 978-1-4481-3246-1.
  10. ^ John Cougar Mellencamp - The Belmont Mall Studio Session Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved November 9, 2023
  11. ^ Rees, Paul (September 14, 2021). Mellencamp. Simon and Schuster. pp. xvi. ISBN 978-1-9821-1214-1.
  12. ^ Johnson, Heather (June 26, 2012). Born In A Small Town: John Mellencamp, The Story. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-843-0.

39°08′53″N 86°20′16″W / 39.14795°N 86.33776°W / 39.14795; -86.33776