This section describes the important Queen-related places in London that
are worth visiting. It is based on a similar section from the 'Queen
Heaven' web site but this is of course an improved version compiled by
myself. Most of the photos were taken by
Alberto Orlandini or they're mine or (where I couldn't find any
replacement) I found them on the Internet.
A couple of advices: do not be a lazy pig and use only London Underground
and your own feet :-) Visiting all these places shouldn't take more than
two days maximum. Buy the travelcard for all zones and get
the excellent "London A-Z" book (which is basically a very detailed map
of the whole city). A couple of maps are (thanks again to Alberto Orlandini)
available here.
And - London is a very dirty but still a really beautiful city that is
definitely worth visiting!
Hammersmith Odeon, Queen Caroline Street W6
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Used to be called Hammersmith Odeon, then Hammersmith Apollo, Labbats
Apollo, London Apollo and now it's Carling Apollo. It's a very famous
London live venue, Queen have played several concerts here incl. the
now legendary Xmas concerts in 1975 and 1979. You can't miss it!
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St. Osmunds Church, Castlenau, Barnes SW13
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Brian and Chrissie married here on May 29th 1976. Brian claims he doesn't
remember it properly so maybe it was in Holy Triniti which is opposite.
Get off the tube at Hammersmith. Follow the signs for the bus station,
that is very near the tube station. Take bus 209. You will pass on
Hammersmith Bridge. While descending along Castelnau, look at your right
and you will see St Osmund Church.
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Olympic Studios, 117 Church Road, Barnes SW13
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Famous London recording studio. Queen have recorded part of A Night At The
Opera The Miracle here. Also Led Zeppelin's Stairway To Heaven was done
here. Here also Brian, Roger and Paul Rodgers recorded together for the
very first time (Rock Aid Armenia).
Directions as above - after you pass St Osmund Church, the bus 209 will
turn right and will follow Church Road. Just after the junction keep
looking at your right and you will see the Olympic Studios.
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54 Suffolk Road, Barnes SW13
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This used to be Brian's house in the 80's (I think). Nowadays he has a
house in Surrey and a flat somewhere on Holland Road.
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White Hart Lane, Barnes SW13
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This used to be Roger's house - we think this is not the house where
the Spread Your Wings and WWRY videos were shot so this must be his second
house.
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Wembley Stadium, Empire Way, Wembley
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This is the famous concert venue where Queen played in 1985 (Live Aid) and
twice in 1986 (+ FM Tribute was held here in 1992). It was apparently a
terrible stadium so despite the long tradition, it's currently being
rebuilt (as the first photo shows).
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Get off the tube at Wembley Park. Follow Olympic Way, that is a long large
avenue closed to traffic and leading straight to Wembley Stadium. Take a
look at the mosaic mural with Freddie singing live (second photo).
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De Lane Lea Music Centre, Engineers Way, Wembley
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Queen recorded many demos in early 70's here (those five recorded here in
September 1971 were probably the most famous Queen demos). Not to be
confused with De Lane Lea Studios! The DLL Music Centre was built in 1971
because the De Lane Lea Studios were originally made for film dubbing so
the plan was to have DLL Studios for that purpose and DLL Music Centre for
music recording; in 1972 DLL Music Centre was sold to CBS and kept the
name 'Music Centre'. And guess what? Queen returned there!
(1980 - the Flash Gordon soundtrack).
Directions as above (Wembley stadium). Keep following Olympic Way till the
junction with Engineers Way. Turn right and you can see the studios.
Update: from what I heard, the De Lane Lea studios are gone, they
have been flattened.
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Wembley Arena, Empire Way, Wembley
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When Queen played here for the first time in May 1978, it was called
Empire Pool. When Queen came back in 1980, it was already Wembley Arena.
Do not confuse with the Wembley stadium! The arena is much smaller.
Directions as above (De Lane Lea). Keep following Engineers Way westward
until you reach the front of Wembley Arena.
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Ealing College, St Marys Road, Ealing W5
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Freddie studied here when he came to the UK. He met Tim Staffell, who was
in the same class, and played his first gig with Wreckage here.
Get off the tube at Ealing Broadway. Follow the signs for the Shopping
Centre and then walk southward following High Street. Keep walking
southward following Ealing Green, until you reach the junction with
Warwick Road. On the right side of Ealing Green is The Castle Inn (fourth
photo) where Freddie, Tim and their friends used to drink. On the left
side of Ealing Green you can see Thames Valley University, that is the old
Ealing College (first photo). On the left side of the building there is
a path - follow it until you reach the Students Union. Enter the Students
Union North Building and you will see Freddie's Bar (second and third
photo).
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Metropolis Studios, Chiswick High Road W4
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Part of the Innuendo album was recorded here and it was the last English
studio that Freddie worked in. The video for Headlong was filmed here and
the outside of the studio was used as the backdrop for the opening section
of the Innuendo video. Part of Made In Heaven was recorded here in March
1994.
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Get off the tube at Turnham Green. Take Turnham Green and walk southward
till the junction with Chiswick High Road. Turn left and walk eastward
following Chiswick High Road. Watch out the north side of Chiswick High
Road. Leave the Post Office behind you, go on till you reach the
Powerhouse. Turn left. Metropolis Studio is just near the bus depot.
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Townhouse Studios, Goldhawk Road, Shepherds Bush
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Get off the tube at Goldhawk Road. Walk downstairs and turn left. Walk
westward following Goldhawk Road, until you see the Townhouse Studios on
the north side of Goldhawk Road. It's a famous London recording studio,
Queen have worked here many times.
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Many parts of the Flash Soundtrack as well as some A Kind Of Magic
(Princes Of The Universe, Who Wants To Live Forever) and The Miracle
(Party, Miracle, Hang On In There) tracks, all of Barcelona except for
How Can I Go On, part of The Cross' Shove Ir and Brian's songs The Dark
and Rollin' Over. Yes used to record a lot in those studios, and that's
how Steve and Freddie became friends. That friendship lead to a casual
meeting between the guitarist and the pianist in summer 1989 in
Switzerland, in which Steve ended up doing the much celebrated flamenco
solo of Innuendo.
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Shepherds Bush Empire, Shepherds Bush Green W12
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Formerly the home of the BBC show 'Top Of The Pops' where Queen recorded
their first ever UK TV performance of Killer Queen. Now a live venue -
Roger Taylor has played here several times as have the SAS Band.
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Directions as above (Townhouse studios) but walk till the end of Goldhawk
Road, passing below the flyover and leaving the tube station behind you.
You can't miss SBE, it's a big building.
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100 Holland Road, W14
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Freddie once lived here with Mary in the early seventies. The band's first
proper photo session was done by Doug Puddifoot here - and many of those
photos were used on the back of the bands first album.
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Lansdowne Studios, Lansdowne Road
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They don't exist anymore and the building was used for apartments. English
singer Remi Nicole lives there now and she's happy to claim that Freddie
wrote Bohemian Rhapsody in her loo which may or may not be true but the
fact is Freddie did use those studios a lot during the ANATO sessions
since they were very close to his flat and he could go and add things
quickly when he felt like it.
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Kensington Pub, Russell Gardens, W14
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Many band meetings took place in this pub, as the band members lived
nearby. It was the pub where Freddie met Brian and Roger, where Freddie
met Mary and where Roger met John Harris.
Get off the tube at Kensington Olympia. Cross the rails walking on the
pedestrian flyover. When you reach Russell Road, turn left and follow
Russell Road till the end of the road when you see 'The Kensington' in
front of you.
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Garden Lodge, 1 Logan Place
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Freddie lived here many years and he also died here. Mary Austin now lives
here with her husband and children. The walls are much higher than they
used to be (and also much cleaner). Please respect the privacy of people
living in this area, don't climb anywhere, don't write anything on the
walls. If you have problems finding this house, look at this small
map.
The street itself is very short but can be found very easily.
Get off the tube at Earls Court. Follow the signs for 'Earls Court Road
Exit'. Out of the station turn left and walk northward following Earls
Court Road. Cross the junction with Cromwell Road and keep following Earls
Court Road. Soon after the junction with Cromwell Road, on the west side
of Earls Court Road you will find Logan Place. Walk almost till the end of
Logan Place, until you reach Logan Mews, and on the left side you will
find a red-bricked wall with a dark-green door - that's it.
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Logan Mews
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Right at Freddie's house there's a very short blind alley with a couple
of houses. The first photo shows the house where Freddie's friends lived
(on the right part of the photo you can see the wall of Garden Lodge). The
second photo is taken from the other side of the Logan Mews street (you
can see Garden Lodge in the back).
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12 Stafford Terrace, Kensington W8
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This used to be Freddie's first flat. A man called Edward Linley Sambourne
lived there and died there in 1910. Please note that the photo shows
18 Stafford Terrace while Freddie lived in 12 Stafford Terrace (sorry).
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Kensington Market, 49 Kensington High Street W8
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Freddie and Roger both had a stall on the top floor of the Market in the
early seventies, selling clothes and art (Freddie sold many of his own
paintings and drawings here). Freddie remained at the market, selling
shoes, even as Queen released their first album. Note: the market was
completely demolished a couple of years ago and replaced by offices and a
branch of PC World :-(
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The Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, W8
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Another famous London concert venue :-) Queen have never played here
(one of the reasons being that the weight of the lighting rig would pull
down the roof) but
Brian May Band did (1993, 1998) and so did Smile (1969). Also the Princes
Gala Trust concert with Brian and John took place here in 1988.
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Imperial College, Imperial College Road SW7
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And you're asking who played here? Here we go: Queen, Smile, 1984 and
Wreckage. Imperial College saw the first ever gig under the name "Queen".
John Deacon was auditioned here in 1971. Brian studied here. It's truly
a legendary place, isn't it?
(The photo shows the Imperial College of Science and Technology where
Brian studied - that's not in Imperial College Road but in Prince Consort
Road. The gigs were in the Imperial College Students Union which is also
a different building. A good map is available
here.
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Reach the Royal Albert Hall. Walk down the flight of steps in front of the
Albert Hall and walk towards the Royal College of Music. Walk westward
following Prince Consort Road on the left of Royal Albert Hall. On the
north side of Prince Consort Road, just besides a little church, there is
Beit Quadrangle, with the Imperial College Students Union (where Queen
played). Now walk back to the Royal College of Music and keep walking
eastward. On the south side of Prince Consort Road - near the junction
with the Exhibition Road - you will see the Imperial College of Science
and Technology (where Brian studied).
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Dominion Theatre, Tottenham Court Road W1
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This is the venue of Freddie's very last live performance - in the 'Time'
musical on 14th April 1988. Nowadays it's where the heavily promoted
(in)famous We Will Rock You musical takes place.
Get off the tube at Tottenham Court Road. The Dominion Theatre is on the
junction of Oxford Street with Tottenham Court Road.
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Trident Sound Studios, 17 St. Anne's Court W1
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Queen recorded here all songs from their first two albums except for Night
Comes Down. Also Now I'm Here, In The Lap Of The Gods, Lily Of The Valley
and some Brian's overdubs (both vocal and guitar) in Killer Queen, She
Makes Me and Brighton Rock. Sorry, it's impossible to take a photo of the
whole building - St. Anne's Court is about two metres wide!
Get off the tube at Leicester Square. Follow Charing Cross Road walking
northward towards Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. When you reach
Cambridge Circus, turn left and walk westward following Shaftesbury
Avenue. After a while, turn right and walk northward following Wardour
Street. Then look for St. Anne's Court on the east side of Wardour Street.
Enter St. Anne's Court, and walk just a few metres until you see the door
of Trident Sound Studios on the left side of St. Anne's Court.
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Marquee Club, 90 Wardour Street
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Queen played there some memorable early gigs and Tim Staffell also had a
solo concert there around those days. The club has moved to a different
address in the past years.
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Rainbow Theatre, Seven Sisters Road, Finsbury Park, N4
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Queen played here three time in 1974 and all three gigs were sold out.
All of these concerts were filmed and an edit from two of them was even
released officially. Queen also shot their Save Me video here. Apparently
it's the headquarter of The United Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG)
now.
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Wessex Sound Studios, 106 Highbury New Park
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Originally owned by George Martin and then sold to the Chrysalis Group;
Queen recorded loads of things there, including most of vocals, orchestral
guitar and additional percussion for Sheer Heart Attack, A Day at the
Races and News of the World albums (for example We Will Rock You). This is
also the place where Roger laid down the I Wanna Testify single and where
Freddie met Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious. In spite of the SOS October '95
article (and as a result, Wikipedia), it was NOT used for Bohemian
Rhapsody.
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Abbey Road Studios, 3 Abbey Road NW8
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Get off the tube at St. John's Wood. Follow Grove End Road until you reach
a junction with a monument (a sort of white little obelisk). The road
starting at your right is Abbey Road. Abbey Road Studios are just a while
from the junction, on the left side of Abbey Road, when you see a white
wall signed by fans. You cannot visit the studios inside unless you use
it to record. This studio is probably one of the world's most famous
studios.
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Sarm West Studios, 8 Basing Street W11
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Studios used for We Are The Champions or Get Down Make Love.
Brian would use it years later to record the basis for Last Horizon and
Let Your Heart Rule Your Head.
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Get off the tube at Ladbroke Grove. Walk southward following Ladbroke
Grove until you reach the junction with Westbourne Park Road. Turn left,
take Westbourne Park Road and keep walking eastward. Leave behind you the
junction with Portobello Road. Then turn left and follow Basing Street
walking northward until you see a light-blue-painted building on the
right, that is Sarm West Studios.
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Sarm East Studios, 9 Osborn St. E1
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The Prophet's Song and Somebody To Love were recorded here (also perhaps
for some other ANATO and ADATR session work). Freddie's work as session
pianist and arranger for Eddie Howell was also held here. You can see the
indoor of the studio in the Somebody To Love video.
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Brixton Academy, 211 Stockwell Road, SW9
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Brian played here in 1993 and the concert was later released on CD and
VHS ('Live At Brixton Academy'). It's perhaps my all-time favourite
concert.
Get off the tube at Brixton. Out of the tube station turn right and follow
Brixton Road. When you reach the junction with Stockwell Road, turn left
and you will see Brixton Academy.
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Capital Radio, Leicester Square
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Capital Radio is a Queen-friendly radio; Brian also had his guitar
masterclass here in November 1983 which perhaps counts as his very first
solo performance.
Leicester Square is also the place where you can buy half priced tickets
for all London theatres - it's the left building on the photo.
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Covent Garden Royal Opera House, Bow Street
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You can reach Covent Garden in two ways. If you get off the tube at Covent
Garden, you just have to walk down James Street. Yet, if you are near
Leicester Square it's faster if you walk southward following Charing Cross
Road and keep the east side till you see St. Martin's Court on the left.
Walk eastward along St. Martin's Court and keep walking following the same
direction, along King Street, until you reach Covent Garden.
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The front of the Royal Opera House is in Bow Street. Take a tour of Covent
Garden. When you are near the London Transport Museum, take Russell Street
and then turn left in Bow Street. You will see the Royal Opera House where
Freddie used to go and met Montserrat Caballé.
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Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue
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From Trafalgar Square walk down Northumberland Avenue, almost until you
reach Embankment. On the left side of Northumberland Avenue you will find
the Playhouse Theatre, where A Kind Of Magic video was filmed.
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Madame Tussauds, Marylebone Road
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Museum with waxy figurines. Freddie is there too, as are Beatles, David
Bowie, Lady Diana or Margaret Thatcher. Apparently the ticket is too
expensive and not worth it. If you still want to go there (and have a
photo of you together with waxy Freddie), get off the tube at Baker Street
and follow the signs.
There was also a Madame Tussauds Circus in London with figurines of rock
stars incl. Freddie but it was closed in September 2001.
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Buckingham Palace
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This place needs no directions. And the Queen connection? Brian and Roger
played here at the Queen Jubilee concert on 3rd June 2002. The concert
was launched by Brian who played the national anthem on the roof of the
palace.
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Harrods
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Harrods is a world famous big London store near the Knightsbridge tube
station. On the 3rd floor you can see and even play the Bechstein grand
pianos - the same brand was used to record Bohemian Rhapsody and some
other Queen songs. No other Queen connection here :-)
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Hyde Park
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Queen played their famous huge, free gig here on 18th September 1976.
Apparently it was somewhere in the Marble Arch quadrant.
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Advision Studios, 23 Gosfield Street, W1
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Advision was at 23 Gosfield Street, W1, which is just off Great Portland Street, near the BBC at Portland Place and also just near Oxford Circus. Queen have recorded most of Flash Gordon there.
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Scorpio Studios, 286 Euston Road, Camden (the famous Euston tower)
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The studios don't exist anymore but they used to be on the ground floor.
Originally used for live Capital Radio broadcasts, they were also
occasionally used for recordings, including parts of Bohemian Rhapsody
(mostly lead vocals). Kenny Everett worked in the same building and used
the same studios occasionally, so there's a connection as well.
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Roundhouse Studios, Chalk Farm Road, Camden
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Close to Scorpio Studios. Queen recorded there parts of ANATO (including
overdubs for BoRhap) there and also launched the album from there. Great
sound for live backing tracks.
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