The EMI Studios at 3 Abbey Road in the peaceful and affluent St. John's
Wood district were the setting for nearly all of the Beatles'
recordings from 1962 to 1970. The studios were officially renamed "Abbey
Road" in the wake of the international fame bestowed on the building by
the Beatles and by the 1969 album which paid homage to their
recording home.
The pedestrian crossing featured on the cover of the "Abbey
Road" album is now one of
London's
biggest tourist attractions. The "zebra crossing" is just a few yards from
the
entrance to the studio building and parking lot (on the left behind the
Volkswagen on the album cover). The views pictured here look across the
walk, toward the studio and (bottom right) away from the studio.
Studio Two, looking up toward
the control booth
Studio Two,
looking down
Studio Two was the Beatles' primary recording home and is surely sacred
ground for any Beatle fan. The large studio is reached by a stairway
that leads down from the control booth, or through a door on the
ground floor that
leads across the hall to Studio One and to the cafeteria.
Studio One
The cavernous Studio
One was used often by the Beatles as well, especially for large sessions
such as the "A
Day in the Life" orchestral overdubs and the "All You Need is Love"
satellite television broadcast. The EMI Studios at Abbey Road had a long and
illustrious history before the Beatles and have
remained a busy working studio in the three decades since. You can visit
their homepage by clicking here.
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