Today’s episode of my studio-blog is about EMI Studios, Abbey Road and it is my 100th post.
I started this venture in May 2021, as we emerged from the isolation of lockdowns and the pandemic. It allowed me to travel into London, to go to places I had never been before, and to research so much wonderful music and incredible people and who have enriched my life.
This is the first part of the Abbey Road story. I hope you enjoy.
Niall.
Not the first British Rock ‘n’ Roll 45, but the first one you could hang yer hat on and say “You know what, that cuts it”.
A guy used to send me cdr’s of Rock ‘n’ Roll and he, rightly, saw no contradiction in placing the 10 or so Cliff tracks that really cut it (c. 58-60), slap bang next to Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Larry Williams, Carl Perkins and the like.
Being the first to be able to do that in this country should have him on an Uncut/Mojo/RC cover every year. He’s not, but people who ‘never’ cut it, and, what’s more, never cut it when it had already been cut in the first place, and long, long ago… by Cliff… are! Triffic.
Small correction for you, Niall: Ian Samwell produced A Horse With No Name; he didn’t write it.
ta.
Reminded, briefly, of this, by Horace Andy.
He has just released a new version, with Jah Wobble on bass, and Wobble’s sons, who provide Chinese instrumentation, for added perplexion. (It’s lovely, I should add!)
Looking forward to this one. When’s the book coming out?
I promised myself that Abbey Road would be No.100, and there wasn’t any point approaching publishers without it. That process can now start 🤞
Hurrah.
Congratulations on reaching the century (stands to applaud).
@pawsforthought Thanks 🙏
I’ve left a comment on your page as I didn’t log in I’m anonymous.
@hubert-rawlinson, ta. I answered it.
Marvellous, as per.
When the book is published, I will be at the front of the queue outside Waterstones at 23:59, waving my thermos flask at the TV cameras.
Am I right in thinking that the very thing that revolutionised the Abbey Road sound is the same thing we now despise in modern music – compression ?
Everything bad in music began there.