[SOLVED] Universal Studios Fire 2008

It is interesting that when Andrew Lloyd Webber was trying to do a 40th anniversary edition of Jesus Christ Superstar, his plan was to dig out the original masters, including the multitracks so that he could mix some of the songs that weren't included in the album. Unfortunately he learned that most of the masters has been lost in a fire at Universal, apart from 3 multitracks (out of 20!) which were at another site but didn't include anything new. He eventually did a remaster in 2012 using a safety copy of the final album mix found in his private archives. This is all in the liner notes from the 2012 edition.

There is a much more detailed article here:
The Day the Music Burned - The New York Times

And a list of some of the artists affected here:
Recordings by Elton John, Nirvana and Thousands More Lost in Fire - The New York Times
...the list alone is horrifying.

The list of artists affected spans decades of popular music. It includes recordings by Ray Charles, B.B. King, the Four Tops, Joan Baez, Neil Diamond, Sonny and Cher, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Al Green, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, the Eagles, Aerosmith, Rufus and Chaka Khan, Barry White, Patti LaBelle, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the Police, Sting, Steve Earle, R.E.M., Janet Jackson, Guns N’ Roses, Mary J. Blige, No Doubt, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg, Nirvana, Beck, Sheryl Crow, Tupac Shakur, Eminem, 50 Cent and the Roots.
 
Thanks for the links jp. The list is truly horrifying. I was looking to see if the CSN&Y masters have been lost. I've never seen a multitrack of any of their stuff anywhere so it would be quite a loss (in my book anyway!).
 
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