A ranch house built in 1958, in the hills above Zuma Beach in Malibu, California, designed by movie actress Margo Albert (star of the 1937 motion picture Lost Horizon), named Shangri-La, in reference to the "life-prolonging paradise" depicted in author James Hilton's 1933 novel "Lost Horizon." Legend has it that the place was used as a high-class bordello in the 1950s with a lot of Hollywood's finest being guests there. In the early 1960s, the TV series "Mister Ed" about a talking horse was filmed there and the animal star was actually stabled there.
In 1974, the property was leased by rock group The Band, and the master bedroom was converted into a recording studio by producer Rob Fraboni and Ed Anderson (2), to the specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band, in order to record the Band's 1975 album Northern Lights-Southern Cross. The studio was managed by Larry Samuels. The location during that time can be seen in the rockumentary "The Band - The Last Waltz" by Martin Scorsese. In 1976, Rob Fraboni along with partners purchased the house for $195,000, turning it into a semi-commercial 24-track studio.
In 1985, Fraboni left Shangri-La to serve as vice president of Island Records, and its use declined. In the late 1990s, Blaine "Beej" Chaney of the Minneapolis new wave punk band The Suburbs purchased the property for $2,125,000, and invested an additional $2 million into the studio, installing premium vintage audio equipment. In 2006, Eric Lynn became house engineer and studio manager. In 2009, musician/producer Jake Coyle oversaw studio operations. In August 2011, Rick Rubin purchased the studio for $2 million, and is its current owner. The studio was depicted in the 2019 Showtime documentary series "Shangri-La."
The property comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two primary recording studios, the main studio and "The Chapel," which has a console relocated from Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, as well as Bob Dylan's former tour bus, which has been repurposed as a recording space.
May also appear on releases as Shangri-La Studio, Zuma Beach, Ca., or Shangri-La Studios, Malibu, California.
In 1974, the property was leased by rock group The Band, and the master bedroom was converted into a recording studio by producer Rob Fraboni and Ed Anderson (2), to the specifications of Bob Dylan and The Band, in order to record the Band's 1975 album Northern Lights-Southern Cross. The studio was managed by Larry Samuels. The location during that time can be seen in the rockumentary "The Band - The Last Waltz" by Martin Scorsese. In 1976, Rob Fraboni along with partners purchased the house for $195,000, turning it into a semi-commercial 24-track studio.
In 1985, Fraboni left Shangri-La to serve as vice president of Island Records, and its use declined. In the late 1990s, Blaine "Beej" Chaney of the Minneapolis new wave punk band The Suburbs purchased the property for $2,125,000, and invested an additional $2 million into the studio, installing premium vintage audio equipment. In 2006, Eric Lynn became house engineer and studio manager. In 2009, musician/producer Jake Coyle oversaw studio operations. In August 2011, Rick Rubin purchased the studio for $2 million, and is its current owner. The studio was depicted in the 2019 Showtime documentary series "Shangri-La."
The property comprises four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two primary recording studios, the main studio and "The Chapel," which has a console relocated from Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, as well as Bob Dylan's former tour bus, which has been repurposed as a recording space.
May also appear on releases as Shangri-La Studio, Zuma Beach, Ca., or Shangri-La Studios, Malibu, California.
