Heather Johnson's fascinating book is a history of a big part of my professional life! I'm a Bay Area native, a violinist, working in the local concert halls, theater pits and recording studios for more than 35 years. But this book goes back even farther than that. My dad had a record store in Berkeley, and I vividly remember a trip to the old Circle Records pressing plant in SF; I couldn't have been more than seven, so it was around 1952. I hadn't thought of it in years, if not decades, until I came across reference to it in Johnson's book. That was just one of many fond recollections triggered by her research.I worked in every studio (I think) covered in the book, at one time or another. It was really interesting to read interviews with many of the engineers I worked with, as well as to get a more comprehensive idea of the flow of the recording business over time, seeing how facilities changed hands, upgraded (and occasionally downgraded), etc.A different kind of "trip down Memory Lane" than for many, I suppose, but this book sure invoked some nostalgia in this old fiddler! Any musician who's done serious studio work hereabouts would appreciate the effort Heather Johnson put into her book.

The If These Halls Could Talk: A Historical Tour through San Francisco Recording Studios PDF

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