FEATURE:
If Those Walls Could Talk…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in Abbey Road Studios whilst working on Never for Ever (1980)
Kate Bush and Her Bond with Abbey Road Studios
__________
I am doing a couple of features…
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush at Abbey Road Studios in 1985/PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Rapport
that tie into the upcoming Mary McCartney documentary, If These Walls Could Sing. The filmmaker and photographer is the daughter of Paul McCartney. There are few better and more qualified to make a film about the iconic studios! It is a space that Kate Bush recorded in. Somewhere some of her best music came to fruition. I am going to come to that. First, and as Bush appears in the documentary in an audio-only interview, here are some more details:
“We’re excited to announce If These Walls Could Sing, Mary McCartney’s new Disney Original Documentary on Abbey Road Studios is coming to Disney Plus soon after making its debut at Telluride Film Festival.
The culmination of years of research, the film is Mary’s personal love letter to a place which not only fostered her dad’s creative work, but also countless numbers of the most talented artists from around the globe.
Featuring stories from the likes of Jimmy Page, Kate Bush, Noel Gallagher, John Williams, Celeste, Elton John, Giles Martin, Shirley Bassey, Liam Gallagher, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney and even our microphone custodian of over 50 years, Lester Smith.
If These Walls Could Sing is a passionate account of the world’s first purpose-built recording studio spanning 91 years. From our beginnings recording the greats of classical music, to hosting dance hall and big band stars, witnessing the birth of British rock & roll, producing a prolific string of hits in the 1960s, facilitating Oscar-winning film scores and seeing the rise of hip-hop idols. Mary’s film brings to life the magic that continues to echo within the walls of No. 3 Abbey Road.
PHOTO CREDIT: Grace Guppy
“I want to make it an emotional experience as a documentary, rather than doing all the historical points. I didn't want it to feel like a lesson. I really, really hope the viewer falls in love with it.
Yes, there were some tense moments, or they're talking about some creative differences, or sometimes maybe they were a bit naughty in the studios. But I think ultimately there's a real love for the place. And I find that really interesting that people feel that way about a building still.”
- Mary McCartney in Vanity Fair
Mary's initial inspiration for the film was an image of her mother and father walking across the zebra crossing in 1977. Watch Paul McCartney relive the moment in this clip from the film:
“Abbey Road Studios have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up around the corner and have early memories of going to visit my parents while they were recording. The studios felt like a family. The people who worked there had also grown up there, staying years to be trained and nurtured by the generation above them. This family had also produced the music I loved; iconic, original, pioneering records that have inspired and moved me and millions of others.
A photograph of my mum leading our pony Jet across Abbey Road’s zebra crossing sparked these memories again. Walking by the studios and watching people gather on the crossing to have their photos taken, people who had made the journey from all over the world, made me realize the significance of Abbey Road. There is something truly special about this place; it is much more than a building — it’s a shrine to creative, original thinkers and a treasure-trove of stories.
I have always been drawn back to the studios, and when Abbey Road opened its archives — a huge collection of stills, session tapes and footage — this film began. Covering 90 years of recordings, I realized I could never include everything. I looked to find moments where artists felt comfortable to dare to push themselves and create something new. I knew Abbey Road was a trailblazing institution, but I wanted to really unpack why and how and find emotional, personal moments of self-belief and creativity.
This process surprised and revealed so much. I was familiar with the ‘60s recordings, The Beatles of course, but filling in the gaps revealed immense breadth and diversity and how each period of music built upon the next, paving the way for the next generation to continue to push the envelope. From Elgar to Shirley Bassey to Ye, I found each artist embraced the space, its staff, equipment and possibilities in their own way, with an awareness of what came before and a desire to push further. I had always seen instruments lying around in the corridors, and my dad had told me stories about how the Beatles would pull in anything lying around to use on their recordings, like the comedy sound effects cupboard. But looking at Abbey Road’s history in detail, the cumulative effect of the studio’s building on its music history was astounding.
As a photographer, I wanted to capture the spirit of the studios visually. Being able to invite artists back to the space created intimate, emotional interviews and revealed so much for me and the subject. While gathering memories, I wanted to open the studio up to people who had never had the chance to experience it. I see this film as an opportunity to make the magic of the world’s most famous studio accessible to engage with a younger audience and surprise people.
Abbey Road was a space I thought I knew, but I continue to discover new things every time I go in. For me, this process has underlined why shared creative spaces like Abbey Road Studios matter. I hope this film will carry that message.”
– Mary McCartney, September 2022”.
The fascinating documentary comes to Disney+ on 16th December. This is another feature inspired by Tom Doyle’s new book, Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush. I have been reading through that book and learning so much about her. It is a fascinating read that I would urge anyone to buy. Many might not associate Kate Bush with Abbey Road Studios. Until 2005’s Aerial, Bush recorded at various different studios. It was only really by 2005 that she recorded from her home studios more and more. Although Bush did not really like recording at these studios dotted around, she was in awe of Abbey Road. A huge fan of many of the artists that came before her – including The Beatles -, it was an expensive treat setting up and recording out of these hallowed spaces. It will be interesting hearing what Bush has to say about Abbey Road Studios. There has been an article or two that quotes from it. Bush remarked how the studios were reluctant to repaint as it might affect the acoustics and overall sound. Hardly anything was touched in that sense, lest the magic of the studios be impacted! Whereas I have discussed Kate Bush and Abbey Road Studios before, Tom Doyle’s new book has given me new inspiration. Doyle opens his chapter about Kate Bush and Abbey Road by saying how the echoes of the past can still be heard and felt. Holding these memories and spiritual audio memories, Bush would have felt this when she entered Abbey Road for the first time in 1980.
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1980/PHOTO CREDIT: John Carder Bush
Bush has always believed in the supernatural and things spiritual and cosmic, so it is not surprise that she would feel a certain chill and presence when she recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Contributing to Brian Southall’s 1982 book, Abbey Road, Bush said how she felt there was at least ten other people with her there. Maybe not spirits or literal feelings, but the impression that the walls hold those memories, scents, and sounds. I think one of the big reasons why Bush recorded here more than once was because of the inspiration and sheer wonder of Abbey Road Studios. One cannot help but be moved and pushed to create terrific work in such an important and legendary place. I don’t think she was ever really intimidated being there. Not only influenced by the Beatles, Bush was also a fan of so many other artists who recorded there. When Bush spoke to Tom Doyle in 2005 about Abbey Road Studios, she chatted about the St. John’s Wood studios. Built on ley lines, Bush felt negative and positive forces when she recorded there. She actually told that to Brian Southall. Doyle noted how, when he spoke with Bush, she felt this spiritual home from home was fascinating. She noted how Elgar and The Beatles recorded there – Elgar opened the studios (then EMI Studios) on 12th November, 1931. Bush was intrigued by the old equipment like valve desk and valve microphones. She first visited Abbey Road Studios was in 1975 during Pink Floyd’s sessions for Wish You Were Here. That was the year Bush recorded The Man with the Child in His Eyes and The Saxophone Song with David Gilmour in AIR (Oxford Circus). Both songs would later appear on her debut album, The Kick Inside (1977). Bush, as a sixteen-year-old then, was staggered by the place. A head-spinning and unforgettable experience, she knew that she wanted to go back!
When Bush was booked into Abbey Road’s Studio 2 in early 1980 to record Warm and Soothing, she was not sure whether it would be the right fit for her, sonically. That song has family memories at heart, and it appeared as the B-side to her 1980 Christmas track, December Will Be Magic Again. With just her alone at the piano, any doubts and concerns were dispelled when she heard the recorded version. Studio 2, whilst not as epic as Studio 1, had echoes in the walls. Unsurprisingly, Bush felt sanctuary and inspiration here. She considered setting up in the space and using it as a writing room, but wisely that plan was aborted when she realised how extortionate that would prove! One particularly interesting angle Tom Doyle explores in Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, is that there was not particular reverence from Bush when was settled in. As she finished recording of Never for Ever there in 1980, things got a bit more ‘relaxed’ and childish. Aside from glass smashing for Babooshka – the sound of breaking glass was created (messily) at Abbey Road Studios) and then programmed into a Fairlight CMI -, the two young producers (Bush and Jon Kelly) were definitely having fun! Making themselves at home, they would play a game when they world spin round fast in their revolving chairs…the idea to see which one would remain on their feet or keep their stomachs full! Bush would win most of the time by focusing on a single spot in the distance to keep her focus. Rather than the two disrespecting the studio, it was the giddiness of being there! As I have written before, the atmosphere of recording Never for Ever was very fun and chilled, in part because of the fact Abbey Road provided this incredible awe-inspiring space. If Bush was nervous stepping into the studios for the first time in 1975, she was definitely more relaxed five years later!
Even though Abbey Road was expensive to record in, Bush became a fixture of the place. As Doyle writes in his book, there was this giant black-and-white photograph of her positioned at the bottom of the stairs leading to Studio 2. Honoured to be there and very much at home here, I do wonder whether she will ever return there. Doyle had originally planned to interview Kate Bush at Abbey Road Studios in 2005 when he spoke to her about Aerial. Maybe it would have been quite expensive. To preserve some privacy and keep things quite quiet and small-scale, the interview took place at her Berkshire home. All the experiences she had at Abbey Road Studios explain why she was asked to contribute to Mary McCartney’s If These Walls Could Sing documentary. In fact, when a big party was held there to mark the studios’ fiftieth anniversary on 12th November, 1981, Bush was asked to cut a huge cake. Perhaps not quite comfortable being front and centre she recalled how it was hard to move through the assorted people - “But, with a cream cake aimed at their party clothes, the room practically cleared like the parting of the waters”. Although Bush’s time recording at Abbey Road Studios was brief, she did use it after Never for Ever. She recorded there (in addition to other studios) for Never for Ever’s follow-up, 1982’s The Dreaming. Pushing the studio to its limits, that was not the last time her music would come together there. Strings have been recorded there from The Sensual World (1989) to 50 Words for Snow (2011). Michael Karmen arranged and scored sessions.
Bush did get into Studio One in June 1981. Filming the video for Sat in Your Lap (The Dreaming). Alongside two dancers, she roller-skated around the studio – in the same space the likes of The Beatles and Elgar performed. The single was released in June 1981 and got to eleven in the U.K. In the video, Bush can be seen sitting on the parquet floor in tutu. In another scene, she was in a dunce’s cap. Bush acknowledged how she was thinking of all the dancers and singers who had performed there. Bringing history and that legacy to the present day. It was clearly important that Abbey Road Studio One became the setting for a video whose song talks about the quest for knowledge. Clearly, after just a short time at Abbey Road Studios, Kate Bush had both fulfilled a dream and gained so much knowledge and experience – that she would then bring to her own home studio for 1985’s Hounds of Love. Although only orchestral sessions were recorded at Abbey Road Studios for Hounds of Love, Bush did make a very special appearance in 1986. Under the Ivy is one of the great overlooked Bush songs. A song written quickly as a B-side to Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Under the Ivy has been overshadowed by its number-one (in 2022) B-side. To mark the one-hundredth episode of music show The Tube, Bush recorded a live version of Under the Ivy from Abbey Road Studio. It was a pre-recorded film that was introduced by Paula Yates.
Filmed at Studio One, Tom Doyle notes how it was a suitable setting to film her live performance. Under the Ivy is about finding a safe space and this sanctuary and romance in the garden. Studio One was a space where Bush would often sneak and hide in! An engineer sometimes would lead Bush through a secret tube out of Studio Two and into the rafters of Studio One. Whether that was a getaway or as a shortcut, one can picture the scenes! The excitement and almost child-like wonder of Bush having this sort of very advanced and historic playground! The performance for Under the Ivy is gorgeous and completed with a big smile from Bush. That was the first and last time Bush performed Under the Ivy live. It is a shame she did not revive it for 2014’s Before the Dawn. Bush’s experiences with Abbey Road Studios are not as extensive as some artists, but I do like the fact that they clearly impacted the way she pushed technology and thought about her own work. Surely being in the incredible studios in 1975 gave her the ambition and impetus to record there in a more extensive capacity soon enough. In 1980, when she was in that position, she expanded her production ambitions and curiosities. With that sort of atmosphere and glorious history around her, I feel she grew as a producer and singer just by being there. Indeed, the fact that she kept recording strings and orchestration at Abbey Road Studios up until her most recent albums shows that it is a studio that she has a deep and affectionate connection with. We will hear more from Bush about her feelings about Abbey Road Studios during Mary McCartney’s If These Walls Could Sing on 16th December. It has been said she discussed the lack of painting or refurbishments, but I know she’ll explore how she felt in the studio and what it meant to her. Thanks to Tom Doyle and Running Up That Hill: 50 Visions of Kate Bush, I now know how this iconic artist entered Abbey Road Studios in 1980 and, before too long, she…
MADE it her own.