Abbey Road Studio, London

[Shawn@PRS]

Several weeks ago I traveled to England with my wife and son and we had a great time seeing amazing sights in various parts of the country. The people were warm and welcoming and the weather, for the most part, was pretty decent.

Although Abbey Road Studios are not open to the public, we were able to take a private tour of the facilities. Being a fan of the Beatles and popular music, it was a big thrill to be able to tour the studios. Abbey Road opened in 1931 as EMI Studio but due to the success of the Beatles, the name was later changed to "Abbey Road. There is a lot of history surrounding the place and it was amazing just to be in this space.


Our appointment was at 9AM and I find it is never a good idea to be late when someone is doing you a favor, so we arrived a few minutes early just to be safe.

It is a tradition to write on the wall surrounding AR, so my son had a go at it.

We had to do the "stairs shot" before going inside

various photos and records adorn the walls

 

[Shawn@PRS]

An old Master cutting machine. The Master cuts the record on copper or another metal medium, it is then used to press vinyl records.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

We went in to Studio 1 where the area was being used to record a symphony. Recently, Adel recorded the latest James Bond theme there

The control room contained an impressive console

.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Next we went on to the fabled Studio 2. The Beatles recorded almost their entire catalog in this room not to mention portions of Pink Foyd's Dark Side of the Moon.

A band was set up to begin recording there, but I never found out the name of the band. The studio tries to keep things quiet so that large crowds don't show up on their doorstep.

Some Beatles-era pianos were placed in the corner. The studio is so jammed with gear, that much of it is just shuffled from one area to another.

The mixing room and lounge of Studio 2 also hosts a nice mixing console.

Studio 2 WiFi password.

A big thrill to have my photo with my son in Studio 2. Maybe one day he'll think this is cool, but for now it's just another "room"

Then on to Studio 3, this is the most updated of the three studios.

An isolation booth in Studio 3. This is where Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" was recorded as were portions of "Dark Side of the Moon".

And of course, we did the obligatory Zebra Crossing!

We spent just over an hour inside Abbey Road and it was a memorable event that I feel fortunate to have experience.

 

[David Eaton]

That's very cool, Shawn! What a great memory and experience!

 

[sleary]

That is awesome. You saw history . Something to tell the grandchildren about.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Awesome photos Shawn!

Huge Floyd fan and also a Beatles fan so Abbey Road has always been on my go to list. Been there a couple of times but never inside. Very cool indeed!

Next time you're in England you'll have to take a trip upto Liverpool and look around Mathew Street and other Beatles sites.

 

[JMintzer]

Jealous!

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

Lucky!!!!

 

[kingsleyd]

This photo of me was taken about a month ago:

As was this one, with my three traveling companions

But damn, man, you got to do an actual tour?!???! Wow!

 

[bluefade]

THANKS, FOR SHARING THAT WITH ALL OF US SHAWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[themike]

So freaking cool man!

 

[Buildermike]

Very cool, thanks for sharing your pics.

 

[John Scrip]

One of the only stops I feel compelled to make if I ever get over on that side of the pond. I'm a mastering engineer by trade, so Abbey Road is 'Recording Industry Mecca' of sorts.

 

[alantig]

Very cool! I did the crossing a couple years ago - I was in London for a business trip. I super-geeked it - on my way from work to the studio, I listened to the album and realized that because of the time difference, my wife was still at work - and there's a web cam at the crossing. She watched me do the crossing live. I only wish I'd thought to tell her to take a screen shot.

And they did open for limited public sessions earlier this year - not exactly tours, but a lot of history. A guy on another board I'm on made the trip and got to help play the "Day In The Life" chord on the actual piano.

And Ken Scott's book "Abbey Road To Ziggy Stardust" has some great stories about the place and some of the things that went on.

 

[Herr Squid]

Fantastic! I was near there for about a week in December of 2005. Didn't go looking for it, but I should have. I look at those shots and can't help but think of the scenes in Pink Floyd at Pompeii where they're recording Dark Side!

"...Where would rock 'n' roll be without feedback...!?"

 

[Michael B]

Fantastic Shawn!! Thank you for sharing!!!

 

[veinbuster]

And great experience well told.
Thanks Shawn.

 

[Artist]

Great pictures! Thanks

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Bangin'