FEATURE:
Magical Mystery Tours
A Glimpse Inside the Iconic Abbey Road Studios
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THIS will be a short feature…
but I am going to put out one Abbey Road Studios-related feature a month ahead of its ninetieth anniversary in November. I will come to a very valuable and rare opportunity for people to explore Abbey Road Studios in the summer. First, if you are not aware of the iconic London studios, then their official website gives us some useful and interesting history:
“Abbey Road Studios is the most famous recording studio in the world and a global music icon. Originally a nine-bedroom house built in 1829, it was purchased by the Gramophone Company in 1928 who went on to build the world’s first purpose-built recording studio. The St John’s Wood address was chosen for its large garden and ideal location – close enough to the performance spaces of the time, but away from the noise and vibrations of the traffic and trains.
The grand opening ceremony on 12 November 1931 included a performance of Land of Hope & Glory in Studio One conducted by Sir Edward Elgar. The Gramophone Company merged with Columbia Graphophone Company to form Electric and Musical Industries (EMI) in 1931, and the studios later became known as EMI Recording Studios. Since EMI engineer Alan Blumlein patented stereo at Abbey Road in 1931, the studios have been famed for innovation in recording technology, largely developed by the Record Engineering Development Department (REDD) who were responding to the needs of the artists and producers using the rooms. Their innovations include the REDD and TG desks, as well as studio techniques such as Artificial Double Tracking (ADT), created by studio technician Ken Townsend, who went on to become the studios’ MD, as well as Vice President of EMI Studios Group.
While initially a venue for classical recordings, the studios’ repertoire soon embraced jazz and big bands, too, as well as the first British rock & roll records of the 1950s, including Sir Cliff Richard’s first single Move It. Abbey Road is of course synonymous with the legendary work of The Beatles, who worked with EMI producer Sir George Martin and recorded 190 of their 210 songs at the studios. But Abbey Road’s unparalleled history spans the wild experiments of Pink Floyd to iconic recordings from Shirley Bassey, Aretha Franklin, The Hollies and many more”.
Since those exceptional years, artists from Kate Bush, Radiohead, Oasis, Kanye West, Amy Winehouse, Kylie and Muse to Sam Smith, Florence + The Machine, Ed Sheeran, Frank Ocean, Lady Gaga and Adele have made Abbey Road their creative home, producing countless landmark recordings.
As the demand for classical recording spaces declined, Ken Townsend found a new role for the big rooms – movie scores, with the first major film score being Raiders of The Lost Ark in 1981. Since then, Abbey Road has developed into one of the world’s premier destinations for movie scoring. Blockbuster films such as The Lord of The Rings Trilogy, Skyfall, the Harry Potter series and the Oscar-winning Gravity feature scores recorded here, while recent projects include Black Panther, Solo: A Star Wars Story and the multi award winning The Shape of Water.
The studios house a number of state-of-the-art mastering suites, with engineering expertise spanning direct to vinyl and half-speed mastering. Recent projects mastered or re-mastered by Abbey Road’s award-winning engineers include music from The Beatles, Sam Smith, Sade, Abba, Krept & Konan, Graham Coxon, Novelist, Johnny Marr, Roxy Music and The Rolling Stones.
In Spring 2017, in the biggest transformation since first opening, two new contemporary studios were launched - The Gatehouse and The Front Room - making the magic of Abbey Road accessible to a whole new generation of recording artist. They have already hosted artists from James Bay, Jess Glynne, George Ezra and Skrillex to legends like Nile Rodgers plus grime MCs Novelist and Jammer BBK”.
IN THIS PHOTO: The late Amy Winehouse is among the artists who has recorded music at Abbey Road Studios
I have not been to Abbey Road Studios myself, though I am very keen to go and visit. In the summer, as this article explains, the doors are being opened to the public - ahead of Abbey Road Studios’ ninetieth anniversary in November:
“Abbey Road Studios will open its doors to the public for one week this summer, offering fans a rare look inside the legendary recording studio.
The Abbey Road: Open House tour comes as part of the recording studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations this year. From 9 to 15 August, fans will be able to visit all three famed recording studios, in which the likes of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Oasis, Ed Sheeran and Adele have recorded.
If you’re a gear head, it’s a rare chance to get up close with the studio’s EMI TG Mk3 and REDD.17 consoles; Mrs Mills piano; a Studer J37 tape machine, and more. Plus, you’ll also get to tour the control rooms and the iconic echo chamber for Studio Two, which was constructed back in 1931.
The tour will also explore Abbey Road’s deep film scoring history and explain how the music for blockbusters such as Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Black Panther, as well as the Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars series were recorded.
Jack Franklin, Head Of Events at Abbey Road Studios, said of opening the studio’s doors to the public in a statement [via MusicRadar]: “As a working studio, the doors to Abbey Road are normally closed, so being able to share a rare glimpse inside our very special building is something we’re all really excited about.
“With a project like this, the major challenge is selecting which bits of the story to tell,” he said. “There is so much history here that editing it down to a 90-minute experience is all part of the fun of the job”.
IN THIS PHOTO: Noel Gallagher
It is amazing to think that Abbey Road Studios is almost ninety! Through the decades, it has seen some of the world’s greatest artists record there. After a hard past year or so, it will be a relief for them to welcome people in. Luckily, I think, there is a relatively normal schedule happening there; so long as artists can maintain social distancing and work safely. We have heard about Abbey Road Studios, but few of us are aware of its geography, landscape and specifications. I posted about this when the news was announced but, in terms of additional anniversary celebrations, Mary McCartney (Paul McCartney’s daughter) is putting out a documentary. If These Walls Could Sing offers a personal and remarkable look inside a hallowed space:
“Mercury Studios, the music-first content studio from Universal Music Group, has announced If These Walls Could Sing, the untold story of the world-famous Abbey Road Studios, directed by celebrated British photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney. The feature-length documentary will be produced by Academy Award®, BAFTA and Prime Time Emmy Award-winner John Battsek following a new development deal between Mercury Studios and Battsek’s Ventureland. Development of the documentary has been overseen and will be executive produced by Universal Music UK’s Marc Robinson and Mercury Studios CEO, Alice Webb.
IN THIS PHOTO: Mary McCartney/PHOTO CREDIT: Mary McCartney
Mary McCartney brings a unique and personal perspective on the history of Abbey Road. She says, “Some of my earliest memories as a young child come from time spent at Abbey Road. I’ve long wanted to tell the story of this historic place and I couldn’t be collaborating with a better team than John and Mercury Studios to make this creative ambition a reality”
Alice Webb says, “Mercury Studios could not be partnering with a more visionary and passionate team than Mary McCartney and John Battsek to tell Abbey Road Studios’ incredible story on film for the first time. We are passionate about showcasing work of pioneering film makers of the highest quality – which is why we are delighted Mary is bringing her creative vision to this project.”
Isabel Garvey, Managing Director of Abbey Road Studios, said, “If these walls could sing. I have lost count how many times I’ve heard that said at Abbey Road Studios over the years. I can’t wait for some of these stories to finally come to life in what will become a timeless documentary”.
I shall wrap things up. I wonder whether there will be any other documentaries or special celebrations planned for Abbey Road Studios closer to its anniversary. Perhaps an album from artists recording songs there? Maybe we will get some live event on 12th November? I would love to go to Abbey Road Studios and do something there one day. I am definitely going to go in the summer when the public are allowed in. The studios still hold so much power and pull…
AFTER ninety years.