It was just over two years ago that I started writing this blog and one of my first posts documented my first visit to Studio 2 in Abbey Road Studios. It was a remarkable experience and at the time, one I thought would never be repeated. Having been presented with the hefty book 'Recording The Beatles' by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, I was straining at the leash for another visit and fortuitously three of my friends who had missed out first time round, were eager to put that right. Our tickets were booked and travel arrangements sorted and so it was that on a sunny Sunday morning we set off from Newcastle Central Station full of eager anticipation. And yes, the train we caught was the 'One After 909'.
It boded well!
Outside Abbey Road Studios was the usual throng of activity as hordes of tourists trekked backward and forward across that iconic zebra crossing. Buses and taxis blasted their horns and one youngster in a sports car revved his engine to incredible levels before screeching off leaving behind a good portion of his tyre tread. Oh well, it takes all sorts!
Inside the studios we received a warm welcome from the staff and after being given our list of do's and don't's, we were allowed down the photo lined staircase and into the wondrous space that is Studio 2.
As on my last visit, we had about an hour to wander around examining pieces of recording equipment and a variety of keyboard instruments. Having browsed through the aforementioned book, I was a little more knowledgeable about some of the equipment but to be honest, for me, that first hour is more about soaking up the atmosphere of that place. I swear that the spirits of John and George live on there. After all, Studio 2 was like a second home to them for the best part of 8 years.
The main event was once again a talk by the authors of the book but whereas my last visit was to celebrate 80 years of recording at Abbey Road, the theme this year was the sound of Abbey Road Studios. Consequently the talk focused more on how some of those famous sounds were achieved. To add some spice and some wonderful personal anecdotes to the talk, we were joined by Ken Scott who of course worked as an engineer with The Beatles and others between 1964 and 1969. He later went on to produce a host of albums by people such as David Bowie, Supertramp and many others.
Having had the personal contact with The Beatles, his stories added a dimension that was of course missing with Kehew and Ryan, so it was well worth me making my second visit. My favourite insight was into the recording of 'Glass Onion' where after several fractious attempts to add Paul playing a recorder to the only available tape track, Scott pressed the wrong button and erased a whole series of snare drums immediately thinking that his days were well and truly numbered. John however loved the effect and so the track was saved and Scott survived to work with The Beatles again.
As we slowly made our way out at the end, we were allowed admission to the studio canteen where the fab four spent some of their free time while in the studios. Through the back is a very pleasant garden and there I was able to take a snap of this Abbey Road street sign which being unadorned by graffiti must be something of a rarity.
All in all, it was another wonderful day. I wonder if I will ever return for a third visit.
Watch this space.
Happy New Year to you all out there.
Personally I have had a Beatletastic Christmas. The two volumes of The Beatles at the BBC and the Kevin Howlett, 'BBC Archives' book came my way, as did this rather hefty package.
Since visiting Abbey Road Studios a couple of years ago to hear Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan talk about the history of that iconic building, I have kind of longed to purchase their book, 'Recording The Beatles'. However I always found the price a little prohibitive, not that I regarded it to be overpriced. At over 500 pages and in superb quality, it really has been a labour of love for the two authors and I doubt they will truly be making much profit from this venture. It was simply a case of did I need to pay so much for yet another book about The Beatles?
Thankfully the decision was taken out of my hands when I received it as a Christmas gift.
The book itself comes in a cardboard slip-case designed to replicate the boxes that spools of reel-to-reel tape used to come in. A nice touch and being quite sturdy, the slip-case should help to protect the dust jacket from getting scuffed or torn when being taken from or returned to book shelves. The book itself is almost the dimensions of an LP record sleeve but is considerably thicker, weighing in at a hefty 11lbs.
There are four main sections. One serves as a detailed introduction to EMI Studios, Abbey Road including descriptions and illustrations of the layout of the building. Also the key individuals who helped to capture and define the sound of The Beatles are introduced. Part Two is quite technical, featuring as it does the various equipment that was used in the studios. Something that may be of more interest to the technically minded.
The third section covers studio effects, in-house instruments used and also the other London studios utilised by The Beatles at various times. Finally the fourth section, which is by far the largest and most accessible, takes the reader on a year-by-year journey through the recording sessions while giving in-depth details of how some of the tracks were actually recorded and produced.
Clearly, like Mark Lewisohn's 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions', this is not a book one would necessarily wish to read from cover to cover. As the authors make clear, it is a reference book. But like Lewisohn's work, it is immensely readable and absolutely perfect for dipping into while researching a particular period or just randomly browsing over a cup of coffee. The weight may make it difficult to pick up, but the book is also difficult to put down.
Throughout there are great photographs and illustrations. Many of the photos have never been published elsewhere and if nothing else, that should appeal to many aficionados of The Beatles work.
As the hectic activity of the past couple of weeks become memories, I now have the coffee machine fired up, The Beatles on the hi-fi and the books laid out before me.
Now, where do I begin?
One of the highlights of last year for me, was a visit to see the inside of Abbey Road Studios. You can read about it and see my photos here - http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/abbey-road-studios.html
It's therefore great to see that another crowd of people are getting the opportunity over this weekend. Once more Abbey Road experts Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan are delivering their lectures to eager audiences inside the hallowed walls of Studio 2. If you have just found out about it, I'm sorry but all six sessions have sold out.
Perhaps next year. Why I may even have to go back myself.
Meanwhile console yourself with this interview with the pair.
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/music/channeling-abbey-road-brian-kehew-kevin-ryan/
If you are remotely interested in music you are probably well aware that Abbey Road Studios are currently celebrating their 80th anniversary. As part of the celebrations, the famous Studio 2 was opened up to members of the public on select dates only. Not wanting to miss an opportunity like that, I stumped up my 75 quid and I was there like the proverbial rat up a drainpipe. Well actually I was a lot slower than the rat but that was due to works being carried out on the main east coast line causing a detour through Ely and Cambridge. Anyway, like the train, I digress.
So, what did my £75 get me? Well for me it was all about getting into Studio 2 which I am sure you will know was where almost all of The Beatles fine (nay, brilliant) recordings were created. But in addition to access to the studio, the assembled gathering (there were about 200 of us like minded individuals) were treated to a 90 minute lecture by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan.
In case you have never heard of that pair, they were the researchers and authors of a hefty (and expensive) book entitled 'Recording The Beatles' in which they went into detail about the techniques and equipment used in the recording of those memorable songs.
Despite the train diversion, we arrived early and after a detour to admire the house in Cavendish Avenue that Paul McCartney purchased in the mid sixties for £40,000, we were soon queueing outside the famous studios. Being a weekend there were of course the usual mass of visitors from all over the world, annoying the London cab and bus drivers by attempting to recreate the front cover photo of the Abbey Road album. Naturally this involves stopping in the middle of the zebra crossing to ensure that everyone is in step while the obligatory photo is taken. We even saw one poor bloke who had no one to take his photo so on his mobile phone, he instructed the person on the other end of the line to take a screen shot from the web cam that overlooks the crossing. Enterprising or what?
Anyway, the doors eventually opened and we filed in through that famous doorway. Tickets were checked, wristbands attached and we were then shepherded along a corridor and down a photograph lined staircase to the entrance to Studio 2. I have to confess that stepping into that hallowed space brought a flutter to my heart, and looking at the faces of those around me, I know I wasn't alone. In some respects the place looked so familiar. Like many Beatles fans I own the fine Mark Lewisohn book 'The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions' and I have pored over the photographs therein. So I was familiar with that staircase leading to the control room that ran up the wall to my right. Also straight ahead was the familiar fire exit with the clock above.
In the corners of the studio, various pieces of recording equipment and instruments had been laid out for our inspection. We were free to roam around and take as many photos as we wished. All of us were like kids set free in a sweet shop.
The lecture didn't just focus on The Beatles, but covered the whole of the history of the studios from it being taken over by His Masters Voice in 1931 right through to the current date. Utilising film, sound clips, and a nice collection of photographs from through the years, Kehew and Ryan made a fine job of their presentation. They covered the early classical recordings by the likes of Edward Elgar, through the comedy records of Peter Sellers etc. and onto the initial recordings of Cliff Richard. Into the sixties we were told stories of recording sessions by The Hollies, Pink Floyd and of course The Beatles among many others.
One of the highlights occurred when four members of the audience were invited to play a certain chord on four separate keyboards and to simultaneously depress the sustain peddle. At the end of the countdown, their fingers came down on the appropriate keys and we were all treated to that distinctive chord that occurs at the very end of 'A Day in the Life'. To hear that in the very room it was originally created and on the very same instruments. Well, words cannot describe the feeling.
Despite the cost, I felt privileged to have had the opportunity to attend. Judging by the applause at the end of the lecture and the smiling faces as we all filed out, I don't think anyone felt disappointed by the experience.
As The Beatles might have said, 'It was fab, man.'
