Queen: The Studio Experience Montreux

The British rock band Queen came to Montreux in 1978 to produce songs in what was at the time the most modern recording studio in Europe. Just one year later, Queen purchased the studio and rented it out to other musicians and groups like Red Zeppelin.

Freddie Mercury once said: “I like to be surrounded by splendid things.” It appears that Montreux served the musician as a well of inspiration for many of his titles. When the Tour de France stopped in town, the riders inspired Mercury to pen the track “Bicycle Race”. And one evening, when David Bowie was dining with the Montreux Jazz Festival founder Claude Nobs, both musicians later returned to the studio – the result of this ad-hoc jam session was the global hit “Under Pressure”.

Freddie Mercury died of AIDS in November 1991. Queen’s guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor launched an AIDS foundation in memory of their deceased friend called “The Mercury Phoenix Trust”. The foundation bequeathed memorabilia to the town and helped to establish the museum “Queen: The Studio Experience Montreux”. The Queen exhibition contains exhibits relating to the albums produced in Montreux as well as stage costumes and some of the band member’s instruments. The pinnacle of the museum experience is the famous control room, where Queen’s last album “Made in Heaven” was produced among others. Visitors even get the opportunity to try their hand at re-mixing tracks on the original mixing console.

Is your seminar still lacking that something special? Why not take your participants on a short trip back in time to the era of rock and pop legends. The recording studio is just a short 10-minute walk from Montreux railway station. The Mountain Studios have hosted global stars such as The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, AC/DC, Iggy Pop and many more. In Montreux, music history was and still is being written today. The Show Must Go On.