From the Beatles to Jedi music

A.� It's a possibility. Record company EMI, which owns�the studios and the building in which they are housed, are suffering from severe financial constraints - caused at least in part by the need to terminate their contract with singer Mariah Carey, as well as a general downturn in profits over the last few years. At least one solution could be to sell their premises at No 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London - �known forever as Abbey Road, after being immortalised by The Beatles who recorded and titled their final studio album there.

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Q.� The Beatles were fond of Abbey Road, weren't they

A.� They were; the band recorded almost everything they released there, from their first demos in 1962 to their final album in 1970. The Beatles usually used Studio Two, but the massive Studio One was the venue for their inaugural world TV broadcast of All You Need Is Love, being the one studio with enough space to accommodate the orchestra, The Beatles, and friends, and a camera crew to record the historic moment for the world's media.

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Q.� Is the zebra crossing used on the album cover near by

A.� It's just around the corner. The style of dress of the various Beatles on the album cover caused a flurry of rumours.�Most notable was Paul, walking the crossing in bare feet, and the camera catching him with his eyes closed, and the Volkswagen Beetle parked in shot with the number plate 28IF,�which was seen as a portent of Paul's death.�The '28' being the age he would have achieved 'IF' he had not 'died'!

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Q.� It sounds like a load of nonsense!

A.� Of course it was! The final shot was one of several taken that day�- McCartney had appeared wearing sandals, and for one shot only, as a concession to the heat, he left them off. The 'mysterious' number plate on the VW Beetle was purely coincidence -�the car belonged to someone who worked in the area, and was parked there most days.

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Q.� So, back to the story of the studio.

A.� Yes indeed.� The house was originally a domestic residence, built in 1830. In 1931, the Gramophone Company Ltd, as EMI was then called, converted the building, constructing four separate recording studios, a bar and cafeteria, and two apartments. The idea was to have suitable space to record the orchestras of the day, and the 40ft-high ceiling in what became Studio One was perfectly adapted to the task. The initial recording was suitably momentous: Sir Edward Elgar himself conducted The London Symphony Orchestra as they played and recorded Land Of Hope And Glory. The studio was home to various memorable recordings in the years that followed.�Glenn Miller made his final recordings at the studio in 1944 before his untimely death.���

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Q.� So Abbey Road has had a varied history

A.� It has. As well as orchestral recordings, the famous comedy stars of the day made sound recordings there. Peter Sellars and the Beyond The Fringe team worked there overseen by a young producer who had worked with the classical section of the Parlophone label - by the name�of�George Martin. It was he who supervised the demos recorded by an unknown Liverpool beat combo called The Beatles, and gave them a stern lecture on the need to use and look after good-quality amplifiers. The Beatles were suitably chastened, took the sound advice, and the most legendary musician/producer partnership in the history of popular music was born.

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Q.� Who were some of the other pop stars that worked there

A.� Cliff Richard made his early singles in the famous studios, and The Hollies were among the most frequent visitors. They particularly liked the strict 10pm curfews which ensured they could catch last orders at the pub!

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In the 1970s, when musicians were rather less inhibited by authority, and the nocturnal working practices of progressive bands had entered the equation, Pink Floyd recorded their legendary Dark Side Of The Moon album at Abbey Road. The band liked to start in mid-afternoon, and work through until the early hours. This did not suit Abbey Road Studio Manager Alan Stagge, who was determined to enforce the curfew, and on several occasions actually stormed into the studio and turned off the power!

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Q.� Is the studio just used for pop stuff

A.� No, because of the excellent acoustics, and the size of Studio One, it is a favourite of soundtrack producers. John Williams has recorded the Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Raiders Of The Lost Ark soundtracks there, because there is room to set up a full-sized movie screen and show the orchestra the piece of film which their work is to accompany.

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Paul McCartney summed up the appeal and atmosphere of Abbey Road by referring to it s the best recording studio in town... that 'town' being the world!

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Q.� So what about its future

A.� It would be unthinkable that anyone buying Abbey Road would not continue to use it as a recording studio, which is its day-to-day occupation, but its future lies very much in the hands of the accountants at EMI �and the memories or generations of pop fans and musicians. Let's hope that art and culture can triumph over financial considerations.

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Got a question about music � Please bring it here

Andy Hughes