Founded in the early 1970s, Mandrill Studios was a recording studio in Parnell, a suburb of

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Many of New Zealand's prominent artists had their work recorded there. The Mandrill record label grew out of the name of the studio. Grigg, Simon. (3 May 2013)
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AudioCulture AudioCulture is a New Zealand On Air funded online project billed as the "''Noisy Library of New Zealand Music''". Working with artists, historians and music industry people, the website tells the story of nearly 100 years of New Zealand popular ...

''. New Zealand. The studio stopped recording in October 1992.

Background

The studio was located in the Auckland suburb of Parnell on York Street. It was owned by former 60s pop singers Glyn Tucker, Dave Hurley, along with composer and producer, Gary Daverne. Around 1980, Hurley and Daverne pulled out of the business, leaving Tucker as the sole owner of both the studio and the label.

Artists recorded

In 1979,

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was an American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed the Runaways in the 1970s. He has been ...

, a producer from the United States, produced the five man group Streettalk at Mandrill Studios. During the 1980s, artists such as Dance Exponents, The Mockers, Pink Flamingoes and the Screaming MeeMees were recorded there. The '' Mauri Hikitia'' album, which featured

Rhonda Rhonda is a given name derived from Rhondda, which is a Welsh name. Notable people with the name include: * Rhonda Adams (born 1971), American model and actress * Rhonda Bates (born 1949), American actress * Rhonda Belle Martin (1907–1957), ...

, Ken Kincaid, and

Deane Waretini Deane Waretini (born c. 1946) is a musician from New Zealand. He had a #1 chart hit in 1981 with the song "The Bridge", a Māori language song set to Nini Rosso's tune " Il Silenzio". He is also the son of a historically significant Maori barit ...

was recorded there. In 1981, the

cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a stage Musical theatre, musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording or OCR, as the name implies, features the ...

of Eaton Magoon Jr and Sir

Robert Helpmann Sir Robert Murray Helpmann (né Helpman) (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986) was an Australian ballet dancer, actor, director, and choreographer. After early work in Australia he moved to Britain in 1932, where he joined the Vic-Wells Ballet (no ...

’s musical ''Aloha'' starring Derek Metzger, produced by Carl Doy was recorded with a live orchestra at Mandrill with the show’s Musical Director, Derek Williams as arranger and conductor.

List (selective)

* The Citizen Band - '' Citizen Band'' - 1978 * The Citizen Band - '' Just Drove Thru Town'' - 1979 *

Desire Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", "wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of affa ...

- ''Desire'' - 1985Gary Havoc websit
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Dance Exponents The Exponents, formerly The Dance Exponents, is a New Zealand rock group led by vocalist and songwriter Jordan Luck. Their major hits are "Victoria", " Why Does Love Do This To Me", "Who Loves Who The Most" and, "I'll Say Goodbye (Even Tho ...

- '' Expectations'' - 1985

References

{{Authority control 1975 establishments in New Zealand Former recording studios Parnell, New Zealand Recording studios in Auckland, New Zealand 1992 disestablishments in New Zealand