The documentary starts with an aerial shot of Abbey Road Studios lit up with huge lights and flares - very Hollywood but very effective.
Abbey Road Studios was the brainchild of Captain Osmund 'Ozzy' Williams who, in 1927 decided to build a recording studio in North West London. Unfortunately Ozzy didn't live to see his brainchild become reality - he died before it was completed.
Ever since The Beatles made the studio famous fans have visited Abbey Road from all over the world. Martin Benge, Vice President of EMI Studios, thinks the wall is now inches thicker r than when it was built as it has been repainted several hundred times. Benge says that Abbey Road is now one of London's top tourist attractions - after saying this we see yours truly on my Beatles Walk!! Also featured are fans on the famous crossing on the 25th anniversary of the famous picture being taken - an event organised by me. I am very honoured and humbled being featured on such a documentary.
The first session at the new HMV Studio, as it was then called, could not have been a grander occasion: Sir Edward Elgar conducted the London Symphony Orchestra playing 'Land of Hope and Glory'. A great, though jerky film still exists of this occasion and is featured in the documentary. What a way to open a new studio - the recording of what is virtually England's national song. One is tempted to say 'follow that' but Abbey Road did - and how.
The new studio remained open throughout the Second World War and played host to Glenn Miller's historic recordings made in 1944. They were to be Glenn Miller's last. Nat Peck, from Glenn Miller's band, remembers that the recordings were made for war propoganda purposes. Glenn Miller spoke German so the recordings were beamed direct to Germany. The documentary features a re-creation of the Glen Miller Band recording 'In the Mood' in Studio 2.
Before The Beatles the first major pop star to record regularly at Abbey Road was Cliff Richard. His first record Move It - recorded with The Drifters, later called The Shadows, was made at Abbey Road and Cliff remembers being overwhelmed being in a recording studio for the first time.
If one individual has been associated with Abbey Road Studios more than anyone else that person must be Sir George Martin. George first started working at Abbey Road in 1950 when he ran the classical side of Parlophone. He remembers arriving on his first day by bicycle - now when he visits Abbey Road he drives a Rolls Royce. In 1955 he took over the Parlophone label and started working with comedians including the 'Beyond the Fringe' team and Peter Sellers.
The Beatles first visited Abbey Road on 6th June 1962 for their audition for George Martin. The personel of the group that day were John, Paul George - and Pete, the Pete being Pete Best. Although they passed the audition by the time The Beatles returned to Abbey Road to record Love Me Do Pete had been replaced by Ringo Starr.
For the documentary Pete is brought back to Abbey Road for the first time in 35 years and is seen going into Studio Two. Pete says that he got a big buzz from going back and that not many kids can say that when they were 19/20 that they recorded at Abbey Road.
After The Beatles are seen recording And I Love Her Neil Aspinall recalls that The Beatles spent at least a year altogether inside Abbey Road. Even though I like to hear Neil's annecdotes it really bugs me when he keeps on refering to 'We' when talking about The Beatles. OK, Neil was with them all the time - but he wasn't a Beatle! Neil goes on to say that when The Beatles recorded late at night they often went to the canteen and took some milk from the fridge - and next day they would be accused of stealing it. The biggest band in the world couldn't get a half bottle of milk from Abbey Road.
Derek Taylor, in one of his last interviews before his tragic death, said that some people regarded it as a weakness that The Beatles didn't go to the better studios in the States but 'stuck it out' at Abbey Road. Derek also said that the world is a better place for The Beatles, Abbey Road and EMI.
Apart from Cliff and The Beatles, The Hollies probably recorded at Abbey Road more than anyone else in the 60s and we see them recording On a Carousel in Studio Three in January 1967. Unlike Pink Floyd, who liked recording late into the night, The Hollies were glad of the 10pm finishing time at Abbey Road - so they could go to the pub! Alan Clarke of The Hollies also said that they liked recording in Studio Two so they could slide down the banisters on the stairs from the control room to the studio.
One of the most famous recordings made at Abbey Road in the 1960s featured Cilla Black recording Alfie in Studio One produced by George Martin and orchestrated by Burt Bacharach, the song's writer. Cilla says that she agreed to do the song only if Burt would fly from America for the session, arrange the song and play on it too. She didn't think for one minute he would do it but he did! Burt was a hard taskmaster (genius's always are said George Martin) and after numerous takes George asked Burt what he was looking for. 'For that little bit of magic' said Burt. To which George answered 'Well Burt, I think we had that on take three.' George comments that the first line of Alfie is one of the nicest things he has ever heard.
If The Beatles dominated the 60s at Abbey Road Pink Floyd dominated the 70s. The documentary featured Pink Floyd recording Dark Side of the Moon including Rick Wright playing piano on Us and Them and Dave Gilmour playing guitar on Brain Damage. Even though Pink Floyd were already a big group before 'Dark Side' they still had problems with the Abbey Road staff. Sometimes recording sessions went on later than the studios closing time of 10pm. As Martin Benge, vice president of EMI Studios remembered, on one occasion it got too late for Alan Stagge, then studio manager. He stormed into the studio and turned off the power.
A main part of the programme featured 'The Gathering' - a huge party held at the Studios in October 1996 - close to its' 65th Anniversary. Several hundred people who had worked at Abbey Road over the years were invited to attend - as was yours truly! It was an amazing occasion. In the show we see John Gorman and Mike McCartney of The Scaffold singing 2 Days Monday and PJ Proby asking for another drink! The main event of 'The Gathering' was the assembled crowd drinking a toast to 'Ozzy' Williams. I was fortunate enough to be present at The Gathering and it was quite a surreal experience drinking pink champagne and eating smoked salmon in the most famous recording studio in the world surrounded by all those celebrities.
One of the best anecdotes told was by Jeff Lynne. He was recording one of his first albums when they were told that The Beatles were at Abbey Road and that they could go down and see them. After managing to talk there way past the security guard they found themselves in Studio Two saying hallo to John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Even though they were thrown out soon afterwards Jeff said that experience was surreal, a dream and that he couldn't sleep for days after thinking about the experience. I wonder what he felt like when he produced Free as a Bird and Real Love.
There has always been an amazing range of music recorded at Abbey Road - and this is outlined in the documentary. Many film soundtracks have been recorded in the huge Studio One. The Studio is equiped with a huge cinema screen and film Director John Landis remembered Elmer Bernstein conducting an orchestra and watching the film at the same time.
The Studios were built primarily for recording classical music and much classical music is still performed there. However, as Ken Tounsend remembers, in the early days the classical people had long hair and the pop people short - how times change.
Yehudi Menuhin began a love affair with Abbey Road when he performed Elgar's Violin Concerto, conducted by the composer himself. Every time Lord Menuhin goes past Abbey Road he blows a kiss - he regards it as his second home.
Abbey Road Studios has had an amazing history and it is well represented by the Documentary. As George Martin says of Abbey Road: 'If you believe as I do that a house has atmosphere capable of absorbing the personalities and emotions of its inhabitants, you will have no difficulty in appreciating the unique quality of Abbey Road'
Not for the first time, the last word about Abbey Road Studios must go to Paul McCartney. he says about the Studios: 'I love Abbey Road because it has depth, back up, tradition and all those things. I would just like to say that Abbey Road is the best studio in town; town being the world'
And so say all of us
Richard Porter