RECORDING STUDIO
MAY 12, 2022
Important Facts Of The Abbey Road Studio
Here are the 22 important facts of The Abbey Road studio, one of the most iconic music recording studios in the history of music industry.
1. The Abbey Road Studios was founded in November 1931 by EMI in London.
2. The studio is located on Abbey Road, in St John’s Wood, City of Westminster.
3. Abbey Road is a small street located in north London. The road starts from Kilburn and ends at the junction of Grove End Road and Garden Road.
4. The junction is located at the southernmost point of Abbey Road, at the junction with Grove End Road, in the St John’s Wood area of North West London.
5. Built in 1813, the original Abbey Road Studios building was a Georgian-era townhouse with nine rooms type townhouse which was built in 1829.
6. Georgian architecture was very popular in England in the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. It has characteristics of a multi-storey building and the front of the building (facade) resembles a rectangle.
7. In 1931, the building was purchased by the Gramophone Company, the forerunner of the Electric and Musical Industries Ltd. better known as EMI.
8. After that, the Abbey Road Studios also known as EMI Studio was used intensively in the mid-20th century.
9. Abbey Road Studios is said to have recorded about 90 percent of the Beatles’ songs.
10. From early 1960’s to 1970, the Liverpool band recorded 190 songs out of 210 or 90% of the total songs at Abbey Road Studios.
11. Abbey Road album cover depicts the four men, as well as members of The Beatles.
12. One year after the album Abbey Road was released and became one of the iconic albums to this day, EMI Recording studios changed its name to Abbey Road Studios in 1970.
13. It also a famous spot for the legendary recording studio used by other musicians including Cliff Richard, Pink Floyd and The Shadows.
14. Some classical composers such as Sir Edward Elgar, Thomas Beecham to John Williams and other musicians until the mid-1950s have recorded there.
15. The year 1953 was also an important year for Britain and the world, because that year Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne after the death of George VI, her father. EMI Recording Studio recorded Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation ceremony via the BBC’s landline at Westminster Abbey, London.
16. There are three studios within Abbey Road Studios, namely Studio One, Studio Two, and Studio Three.
17. Studio One is one of the largest recording studios in the world, which can accommodate an orchestra with 110 instruments and 100 players.
18. Studio Two is the studio where The Beatles recorded most of their music. With a large enough space, this studio can accommodate 55 musicians and their instruments.
19. Meanwhile, in Studio Three, there are several soundproof boxes for more intense music-making facilities, as well as luxurious facilities such as a lounge, kitchen, and bathroom.
20. Due to debt problems, in 2010 EMI was looking for a buyer who wants to buy Abbey Road Studio where The Beatles recorded their albums. Reportedly the studio will be sold at a price of 30 million pounds.
21. The Historic England agency has now included the building from Abbey Road Studios and the zebra cross into the list of Grade II buildings in 2010.
22. According to the latest music info, the 3 Abbey Road building itself is now on the UK government’s national heritage list which means the building may not be damaged or altered without special permission.
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