Representing LHS Beatles at Abbey Road
Emailed to the band (from England) on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 5:23 PM PDT
LHS BEATLES’ SELF-DECLARED DELEGATE AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS 12 AUGUST
Hello lads, this email was designed to read picture/text/picture/text interchanging. If that’s not what happened, God help you coz i can’t. You might have to wait a bit to see the pictures come through if your network’s on the slow side compared to the modern standard.
You all were in my head and perhaps you’ll make the pilgrimage one day, even better if you can get paid to do it. Ted
Entering the studios with humility and anticipation before striking a mock-arrogant pose and instantly regretting it (I already sent that photo* and now it annoys me–dickhead).
Studio 2, with the multimedia live talk ready and waiting. People from all over, many had flown in. Tack piano to left, and the central corner is where we were informed the Beatles gravitated. Stairs to upstairs control room are off-cam to the right. They were serving red wine in cans, which I said seemed a bit risky on this parquet floor until the woman serving said, “there’s been a LOT worse spilled on that floor”.
Endearingly janky fittings and tweaks to the room to improve sound over the years. Those sound-absorbing hanging curtain/bags were originally full of seaweed grass stuff that proved to become highly flammable when dry, so now there’s something else in em.
Amongst the janky landscape (or “jankscape”), the window to Studio 2’s control room upstairs. Let’s go see whats up there…
It’s like a prison door…keeping sound captive is heavy metal.
They had a mix set up on the big early 2000’s Neve board, so the attendant young tech asked me not to fiddle with things. I’m not such an ass to even be tempted. The tech suggested he take this “money-shot” for me, so I said fine, even though he wasn’t using the phrase “money-shot” quite correctly. I thought it’ll help tell the story to the lads back home and it brought back good times in 24-track studios, though generally with smaller boards.
BTR3 (British Tape Recorder 3). EMI commissioned and had three of these built before commercial production machines came on the market. They didn’t say what happened to BTR1 and BTR2.
BTR3 Detail. High and low speed timings, I’d forgotten about that way to save tape at the cost of fidelity. I hadn’t forgotten about splicing with a demagnetized razor blade, though…you could never find a good really sharp one around when you needed it…
That should do it.
Woah. Studer 4-track…
Makes sense having rewind and FF right next to each other. I think that continued for the big multitrack standard layout I can’t remember for sure. And oh the MUSIC button….
Those hilly faders must feel great to use…
Not as famous as the Tack Piano, but this one got used by the Beatles a lot. The tape on the keys is there coz three people who “could play piano” were asked to come up and hit those keys upon the count of three across ALL 3 pianos next to each other (the Steinway, the Challen, and the Tack) to recreate, live, the final chord of Day In The Life. Sadly I was not one of the lucky ones invited to play it. Note Beatle cigarette burns to left of keyboard, but strangely, someone put a raisin right next to one of the burns and I just left it there…
Entrance to the echo chamber made in a previously disused air-raid shelter adjacent to the building and used for storage till someone came up with this idea.
The magic sound made in this skanky room with tiles falling off and a whiff of rising damp.
Then…THIS…Jesus…
FOUR Leslie controls WTF
More Beatle “fag burns” left of the keys…
I was compelled to ghost-play the Hammond break in “Let It Be” and had befriended the attendant tech who said, “sure, go ahead…” as if it was an unnecessary ask. So dignity maintained or so it seemed anyhow, I don’t really care at this point of the evening.
Left the place 3 hours later fully and genuinely humbled by the great history of the place, from Edward Elgar opening in Studio 1 with Land of Hope and Glory recorded on film, through the big names in jazz both sides of The Pond, all the big comedians (George Martin produced Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan etc), then Beatles, Burt Bacharach, Pink Floyd and all that, through Radiohead and now who cares I suppose. Also the big-orchestral scores for everything from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter etc…Studio 1 is THE sound of blockbuster films.
A lot to take in in many dimensions. As big a soul whollop as Notre Dame and The Vatican combined.
The walls in front of the studio along Abbey Road get painted about every month, and before the paint dries, this starts happening again. it was almost impossible to find room on this wall directly in front of the doorway, but you’ll see “us” just at the 7:00 position from the lower of the two encircled green “Y”s. It’ll be painted over any day now.
BUT WE WERE THERE.
I’ll get back after my honeymoon in September. Wish me luck. Ted
TED – THANK YOU! And best wishes to you and Kadra! – The band.
*(the aforementioned annoying picture)
