As you likely have heard by now, Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys, died today after a battle with cancer. He was 47.
Shawn Chittle points us to 171 Avenue A, former home of 171A — the studio used by the Beastie Boys to record "Polly Wog Stew" in 1982.
Per Brooklyn Vegan:
In September of 1980, Jerry Williams would begin renovating the interior of 171A. Previously the place had been a glass shop, but after moving in their PA equipment Williams went on to build a stage at the front and an audio booth in the back. By November the 171A Studio was a venue used to house after hours parties where downtown bands like the Cooties would perform [but] with a huge New Year's Eve show coming up, the New York Fire Dept. stepped in and stopped further shows from proceeding...
By now though 171A had gained a lot of name recognition around town, so instead of shutting it down completely Williams decided to change it into a rehearsal studio. At the time, most of the available rehearsal spots in New York City were tiny little rooms, but 171A offered much more. Jerry described it as being like "...a full sized room with 15 foot ceilings and a floor space 60 feet long and provided recording artists with a quality PA system suspended from the ceiling. It was a cut above other rehearsal studios and since it was about half the size of CBGB's it produced a very similar sound."
Williams, aka Jay Dublee, died in September 2010.
Bad Brains and Reagan Youth were among the other bands to record here... We hear that a few Beastie Boys fans plan to put out candles in front of 171