In 1831, a nine-bedroom townhouse was built near the old grounds of an abbey in north London. A century later, the townhouse was converted into studios, where something incredible could happen: a whole orchestra could be recorded. Then came the invention of stereo sound, a clutch of the most famous albums in the history of rock and pop, the first digital single, and so on … so even if we forget about that little group who named an album after it, Abbey Road Studios has been a location for innovation in music since it opened its doors in 1931, as it still is.
Invention was a more cumbersome business in 1934 than it is now, of course. That was when electronics engineer Alan Blumlein had to hulk his newfangled recording equipment to the studios from EMI’s headquarters in Hayes, Middlesex, to capture the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony. (You assume Kanye West didn’t have to do the same when he made Late Orchestration here in 2006, its album artwork featuring his mascot teddy bear on the famous zebra crossing outside.)
The 1950s saw the rise of Studio Two, with the unusually warm reverb effect in its walls, that bedroom musicians can experience today through Abbey Road plug-ins and sampled instruments on their laptops. So many songs featuring innovative sounds were born here, as well as in Abbey Road’s neighbouring Studio Three: the Shadows’ Apache, with Hank Marvin’s famous tremolo riff, the shiveringly spectacular Shakin’ All Over by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, as well as songs such as Tomorrow Never Knows and A Day in the Life by four imaginative Liverpudlians who made this place their own.
Other musical innovations bubbled up during the Beatles’ time here together. Abbey Road engineer Ken Townsend invented artificial double tracking while they were making 1966’s Revolver, adding more layers and textures of sound to their lush, psychedelic experiments. The Beatles also pioneered the use of smaller spaces in the studios, like the closet next to Studio Two, to capture the raw riotous noise of the White Album’s Yer Blues.
Now there are smaller, rather comfier studios at Abbey Road that less experienced artists can access: the Gatehouse and the Front Room both opened last month. They also house equipment that’s been used in the other rooms through the decades, equipment you hope will spill secrets, and share its own magic – whether it was gear used by Frank Ocean during his Abbey Road sessions for Blonde or by Kate Bush a generation before on her self-produced third album Never for Ever.
Let’s hope these new acts might be able to mix in mythological ways with other bands, too. Like Pink Floyd, who made debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn here, while the Beatles were recording Lovely Rita. (The Floyd would later use the studios again for an innovative, experimental offering called … The Dark Side of the Moon.) Then there was the fledgling session pianist from Pinner who played on the Hollies’ He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother. Ladies and gentlemen, this was Mr Elton John.
Abbey Road has also been used for the creation of cinematic grandeur. Sessions for hundreds of film scores have swooped and soared within these walls, from Return of the Jedi to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, to more recent soundtracks for Oscar-winners such as The King’s Speech and Gravity. James Bond’s legacy in music has also flourished in this most British of recording spaces, right up to Adele’s own Oscar-winner, Skyfall, and the franchise’s latest blockbuster, Spectre.
Alan Blumlein’s legacy in sonic science keeps on resonating, too. The team at Sonos have spent time at Abbey Road testing out their prototype speakers, talking to producers and engineers about how to make things sound glorious. A Dolby Atmos Mix Stage also opened here earlier this year, to deliver the final stage of film sound production: blending scores, dialogue and those all-important thundering, spine-shuddering sound effects. Innovation loud, booming, and proud – that’s Abbey Road’s story in sound, as clear as a bell.
