Dylan's legendary Shangri-La studio is for sale by owner Beej Chaney

The place has history from "Mr. Ed" to the Band's "Last Waltz" to the Monsters of Folk.

By jonbream

June 10, 2011 at 9:46PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Band at Shangri-La's kitchen then ... and now

Shangri-La, the legendary Malibu studio where Bob Dylan, the Band, Eric Clapton and others recorded in the 1970s, is for sale. Beej Chaney, singer/guitarist of the Suburbs, bought and renovated the studio in the early '00s, and he's put it up on the market for $4.1 million.

Converted into a recording studio designed by Rob Fraboni in the early 1970s, Shangri-La is a ranch house built above Zuma Beach by "Lost Horizon" movie star Margo Albert (wife of Eddie Albert, the Minneapolis native who starred in TV's "Green Acres"). In the early 1960s, TV's "Mr. Ed" was filmed there, and the horse of that name was stabled there.

In 1976, the Band rehearsed there for "The Last Waltz" concert and movie. Clapton lived there for three months while recording "No Reason To Cry" forcing Dylan to reportedly camp in a tent in the rose garden. Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Crosby Stills & Nash, Mark Knopfler, Weezer, Keb Mo and Tom Waits have recorded there. Among the more recent albums made there are Metallica's "Death Magnetic" and the Monsters of the Folk's self-titled debut.

With a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean, the rustic Shangri-La has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and two studios — including one in a bus parked permanently on the property.

Dylan, Beej ... maybe Prince needs a permanent L.A. playpen

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jonbream