By Martin H. Rots

If you were walking down the street and weren't paying attention, you might walk right past 3 Abbey Road without taking notice.  If it weren't for the graffiti on the low wall separating the parking lot from the sidewalk there would be nothing to distinguish it from the other homes and businesses that surround the building.  Abbey Road is lined with Georgian townhomes built in the early 19th century and the studios are housed in a white brick building that was built as a private residence in 1813.  It was acquired by the Gramophone Company for use as a recording studio in 1931 and has been used for that purpose ever since. 

Until the Beatles showed up, the only part in rock history that Abbey Road had played was it was used to record the first original English rock and roll tune in 1958 when Cliff Richards recorded Move It there.  The Beatles began their professional recording career there in the fall of 1962.  The studio had been used by EMI primarily, to record classical music.  At first, the Beatles were out of place, but it wasn't long before they had their run of the facility.

During the course of their recording career, the Beatles seldom left the familar comfort of  Abbey Road.  Only Let It Be was recorded elsewhere.  In the late sixties, the sidewalk in front of the building was often crowded with fans waiting for the four to show up for work.  A smile and a wave from the steps by one of the boys would elicit shrieks from the fans and especially thrill the hardcore female Beatles' fans known as the Apple Scruffs.

It wasn't just the Beatles who worked in Abbey Road, though.  Pink Floyd recorded all their early work there beginning with The Piper at the Gates of Dawn in 1967.  It was recorded in the studio next to the Beatles who were working on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.  Pink Floyd recorded their classic Dark Side of the Moon there in 1973 and Wish You Were Here, their last effort at Abbey Road in 1975.  Syd Barret recorded his solo efforts, The Madcap Laughs and Barret at Abbey Road after leaving Pink Floyd.  One of my favorite, underappreciated, English bands, The Pretty Things, recorded the rock opera epic, S.F. Sorrow, there in 1968.  Al Stewart used Abbey Road to record The Year of the Cat in 1976.

The sidewalk in front of the studio is fairly deserted these days.  There are no longer Apple Scruffs waiting for a glimpse of one of the Beatles.  The pedestrian crossing from the album cover has been moved from where it was the day of the famous album cover photo.  Even though the studio is still in great demand by contemporary artists, it's not the same as when the "boys" were working late into the night there creating the masterpieces that still endure today

In those days, the toilet paper was marked, "Property of EMI" to keep the employees from taking it home.  Maybe they should have paid them well enough that they didn't have to steal toilet paper.  The Beatles often went to the rooftop to smoke pot and take a break from the grind of recording.  George Martin once took John Lennon to the roof unaware that fresh air wasn't going to calm the anxiety he felt from taking LSD.  Luckily, nothing tragic happened that night.  Lennon wasn't moved to find out if he could fly across the London rooftops.

It's fun to stand there on the sidewalk and imagine what had occurred in the building over the years, all the people who had walked through that door into the studio and the music they made.  John Lennon, George Harrison and Syd Barret aren't with us anymore, but their music is and it will endure longer than any of us.

Sparky and I had our picture taken crossing the street just as the Beatles had all those years ago.  I'm pretty sure it won't appear on an album cover.  We stared at the building for a moment imagining all that had happened in EMI Studio One.  You can feel the vibe from the sidewalk.  It was easy to fantasize that the Fab Four were still inside, creating their next masterpiece.  Before long it was time to get back on the Rock and Roll Tour bus and head for our next stop, Paul McCartney's Cavendish Avenue home, conveniently located only a few blocks away from the studio.

To learn more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_Road_Studios#Recordings_Made_at_Abbey_Road_Studios

http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/

The Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewison

If you're going to be in London, I highly recommend this London Rock Tour:

http://www.theworldisyouroyster.com/london/beatles_tour.htm