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Opening its doors in 1931, it was a Georgian townhouse repurposed to fit three massive studios. A merger between The Gramophone Company and the Columbia Gramophone Company formed the Electrical and Musical Industries (EMI), giving the venue its former name of EMI Recording Studios. The first recording was made by Sir Edward Elgar, who led the London Symphony Orchestra to track his legendary piece ‘Land of Hope and Glory’.

Over the last 95 years, it’s been home to the biggest artists in world music. Studio Three has given rise to timeless records like Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, in addition to modern staples like Florence + The Machine’s ‘Ceremonials’ and Frank Ocean’s ‘Blond’. Studio One saw use for the biggest movie scores of all time, including John Williams’ Star Wars and Harry Potter soundtracks. Lastly, Studio Two became the most famous due to its contributions to records by The Beatles, Kate Bush, Oasis and Massive Attack.

EMI became a hub for innovation, pioneering echo-chamber systems and novel recording methods with an expert team of engineers. The past century has yielded defining sonic art across popular music, film scores, and game soundtracks, as well as mastering systems designed to give their signature mixing style to music recorded elsewhere. Their website lists a fascinating account of both the past, present and prospective future of the studios.

Following a six-month refurbishment break, Studio One reopened in April last year. Today, Abbey Road Studios announced that it would be the host to a one-off event, an ‘after hours’ rave headlined by electronic act Soulwax. The Belgian duo consists of brothers David and Stephen Dewaele, who perform under various other banners and pseudonyms together.

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The event will see Soulwax enter Studio Two on Thursday the 20th of February, where they will record new music and press it to vinyl on site, before playing it for the first time at the rave from 8PM to 1AM on Friday the 21st. Abbey Road are touting a new custom-made speaker setup in honour of the event, posting on their site that “’Abbey Road After Hours’ will see the first major outing of the DEEWEE Soundsystem, a unique speaker array based on the system at New York’s legendary Paradise Garage, which the Dewaele brothers acquired for their popular DEEWEE night.”

The poster for the event advertises Soulwax, in addition to the Dewaele brothers’ other project 2manydjs, as well as “special guests to be announced soon”. Tickets can be claimed by 300 lucky people for free through a public ballot system here, with Abbey Road also offering a “Soulwax rave hotline” on 07886 072699 for a chance of securing entry. The event will also be filmed and uploaded to YouTube on the 5th of March for those who miss out.

The auction house provides a detailed description of the equipment on the lot’s page. “Recording industry giant E.M.I. Corporation did so many things extremely well back in their heyday, including manufacturing their own professional recording equipment, namely the BTR (British Tape Recorder), a ¼” tape, twin-track valve (vacuum based) machine. In 1953 they started building the ‘BTR2′ tape recording console and at the time, these were considered state-of-the-art mono recorders – the best that money could buy.”

The lot’s orientation continues, “They were extremely well built, using high-quality components and expert craftsmanship, and they weighed almost 600 pounds apiece. Originally made for ‘in-house’ use only – they were very highly regarded due to the fact that they were fabulous recording machines with great sound quality, were extremely dependable and relatively easy to operate – and as such there was a high demand for them outside of E.M.I. Orders were placed by The British Broadcasting Corporation (B.B.C.), who ultimately purchased and used many BTR2s throughout Great Britain..”

The recording consoles’ heydays were from 1957 until the 1980s, they were installed and used prior to and during the studio’s rename and rebranding. In 1970 the then named E.M.I Studios was renamed as Abbey Road Studios and acts continued to flock to the then state-of-the-art workplace. The BTR2s used by Abbey Road have always stood out, the studio mainly used machines which were painted grey.

Recording equipment from Abbey Road Studios is very rare to find and is rarely found for sale let alone on auction. Only a couple of items from the studios have been sold, the pieces were quickly snapped up by collectors and private buyers. This particular BTR2 console has changed hands prior, it originally was sold by Abbey Road Studios in 1980 within their Sale Of The Century. In 1988 the console was again sold to the Hard Rock Café which in turn sold it again to its current owner, the same owner who is now selling it.

These consoles are responsible for a long list of legendary albums, one particular group which regarded the console as family were The Beatles. The equipment has become a major part of the band’s history, a vast amount of the band’s discography was produced and recording using the BTR2 including such albums as A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album and of course Abbey Road. The group’s eleventh studio home sired many of the band’s most loved hits including “Come Together” and “Here Comes The Sun“.

The Beatles and BTR2s are heavily integrated with each other, included within the auction are two photographs of the “Get Back” band with the equipment, one of John Lennon with the BTR2 and another of Ringo Starr and George Harrison with cake and champagne with the auction item. Also included within the auction is a letter penned by The Abbey Road Chief Engineer, the original instruction booklet that was used by the studios and a certificate  of authenticity from Gotta Have Rock & Roll.

The lot’s description further explains its importance to the fab four’s career, “These BTR2 recording consoles are of great importance related to the recording history of The Beatles. Very little exists in any collection, public or private, with regard to Abbey Road / Beatles used recording equipment in any form and the rarity and significance of these BTR2s cannot be overstated.”

These important artifacts of modern music are also responsible for six of Pink Floyd’s albums, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, A Sauceful Of Secrets, More, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle and their seminal 1973 release The Dark Side Of The Moon. Other acts who utilised the renowned consoles include some of popular music’s most sought after artists, Cliff Richard And The Shadows, Jeff Beck, Connie Francis, Deep Purple and The Pretty Things.

Click here to view the auction.

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The New York-based photographer made a name for himself within the late 90s and early 00’s with his timeless pieces featuring the era’s brightest stars. Johnson’s photos of Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Biggie Smalls, Nas and Aaliyah sired the photographer a reputation for brilliance and placed him at the forefront of the music industry. Much like the musicians he snapped, Johnson’s talent has transcended through the decades. The icon award first winner’s recent work includes modern-day artists including Shygirl and Doja Cat.

Johnson has spoken about the win, “It’s super surreal being the first recipient of the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography ICON Award. I’m super low-key by nature and through all of these years it never dawned on me that after taking all of these pics that ultimately it would all come back to me. That people would be curious about me. I kinda knew that my photos would stand the test of time but being considered an ICON wasn’t anything I really thought about. Wow!!! I’m into it.”

The legendary shutterbug continued to discuss his work, “Having such a diverse group of talented artists recognise my work is really what it’s all about. This is a curious industry we’re in. It’s been like a rollercoaster ride and this acknowledgement is such a high. It makes me feel like ‘Wow, I’ve really been right and onto something from the beginning and people are really recognising this. It’s AWESOME and inspires me to keep pushing even more. I wanna keep creating imagery that the culture really feels.”

Johnson concludes with advice for aspiring photographers, “I hope this all inspires emerging talents to try and stay as true to yourself as possible. There’s potentially something great just around the corner. Don’t sweat the industry like that. Keep working on your craft.”

Isabel Garvey, Abbey Road’s Managing Director has also given a statement concerning the award, “The judging panel wanted the recipient of our first MPAs ‘Icon Award’ to be a photographer whose impact and contribution to the art of music photography has been pronounced and unparalleled and we have no doubt that Eric meets these criteria. We’re delighted that Eric has accepted the award as his work throughout his career to date has been some of the most vital and memorable in music photography.”

The historic studios are holding the new awards as part of their birthday celebration, the ceremony will join the various events planned to observe the studio’s 90th anniversary. A statement provides further information, “The MPAS honour the images that capture the magic of live music, the creative process, and the exciting music scenes and movements taking place across the world. The awards will recognise photographers at all levels – whether established, emerging or undiscovered – via open-entry categories, as well as categories chosen by an esteemed judging panel made up of artists, photographers and influential names across the global music and photography industries.“

The collection is said to have been left by members, John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo Starr at Abbey Road Studios during the recording of their first album ‘Please Please Me’. The group’s debut studio album was released through EMI’s partner label Parlophone records on 22nd March 1963 and was produced by the group’s long-time producer George Martin, often known as the fifth Beatle.

The lot’s listing states the following concerning the tape’s origins: “Gifted to the vendor, a bass player in a rock band that has sold over 20 million albums. Presented in 1971 while recording their first LP at Abbey Road Studios by a sound technician, the demo itself recorded in the 1960s.”

The lot contains a collection of unreleased and unheard tracks including early recordings of ‘I Me Mine’ with Harrison’s vocals, the Lewis Carroll inspired ‘I Am The Walrus’, featuring Lennon’s vocals and ‘The Fool On The Hill’, featuring McCartney on the piano. All three tracks were later recorded as finished products and released, ‘I Am The Walrus’ and ‘The Fool On The Hill’ were released in 1967, ‘I Me Mine’ was released in April 1970 and was the group’s final new song they worked on as a band before their breakup. The anonymous seller has also stated in a note that the collection features a recording of ‘The Fool On the Hill’ with an alternate ending.

The studio formerly known as EMI Recording Studio was opened in 1931 by the famed conductor Sir Edward Elgar. The studio saw the making of many famous and paramount releases, including ‘The Piper at the Gates of Dawn’ by Pink Floyd and more recently the 2011 album ‘Ceremonials’ by Florence and the Machine. The studio is also famous for the home of many Beatles’ albums including the 1969 release ‘Abbey Road’, famed for the cover art which shows the band outside of the studio. The album’s title was named after the studio’s street, after the album’s release the studio was officially renamed Abbey Road Studios in celebration of the record. In 2010 the studio was protected from property developers by being granted English Heritage Grade ii listed status. The studio’s legacy was further developed in 2015 when the Abbey Road Institute was founded, formed as an educational programme for production and engineering within the field of recorded music.

The unnamed seller’s note concerning the lot states the physical history of the tape and describes the content. “The cassette was transferred to a newer style cassette, as the old style cassettes tended to break and lose Chromium Dioxide causing dropouts. Even though there are some minor drop outs, please enjoy the tongue in cheek ending to ‘Fool on the Hill’ and the almost final version of ‘I am the Walrus.”

The collection has been put on auction today through the auction house, Sworders Auctioneers. A price of £500- £700 has been given as the estimated selling price of the collection. The auction house was founded in 1782 and has experience within specialist objects, including European and British paintings and furniture.

In other news, Starr has spoken on the secret to the band’s success and how other bands would not be able to reach their iconic status. The drummer has equated their influence and success to a telepathic bond which greatly benefited the band while performing live. “When we were playing together as a band, we were the best band in the land. I don’t care what anyone says. We knew each other and it was like psychic. I would be playing drums with my eyes closed and the headphones on and would know John was going to go somewhere. I’d drum in that and hold it together while they went mad and then bring it back.”

The tape is not just an incredible item of Beatles memorabilia but also marks an important point in musical history. The demo provides an intimate snapshot into the incredible influence in which Abbey Road Studios held within music and culture.

Click here to view the listing.

Captioned ‘The boys are back to it’, it appears as if they are returning to the studio. It’s unclear if the group are recording, or rehearsing prior to a lengthy upcoming tour. IDLES enjoyed their first number one album last year with ‘Ultra Mono’, a sloganeering call to arms against modern life and Tory Britain that really cut to the core of why fans love them. Angry and barbed, their left-wing – progressive lyrics have fostered a fan base who preach inclusivity and tolerance.

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The band haven’t been able to play their third studio album live as yet – lockdown has meant a number of postponements to their huge arena tour and a smaller batch of in-store and more intimate shows. Talbot & co had a productive lockdown, arranging a trio of live streamed shows from the legendary Abbey Road studios. The live stream events garnered a huge reaction from fans and AF-Gang members, IDLES included a series of bizarre covers, including ‘Helter Skelter’ originally by The Beatles and a reworking of The Strokes’ hit ‘Reptillia’.

Savages frontwoman-turned solo artist, Jehnny Beth commented on the post, ‘Wait. Coming back for another feat’ following her inclusion on one of ‘Ultra Mono’s stronger cuts ‘Ne Touche Pas Moi’, as well as her slot as main support on the tour.

New music from the post-punk outfit would not go amiss, the group are scheduled to play festivals up and down the country as well as a European tour, plus South American dates. It’s going to be one hell of a year for IDLES and extra material would surely go down a treat with fans.

Due to Covid-19, our UK & European headline shows will now take place in 2022. We’re also happy to announce that we have added dates in Bilbao and Barcelona which are on sale immediately.

All tickets will be valid for the rescheduled dates. pic.twitter.com/KFJLwgvxOD

— I D L E S (@idlesband) February 26, 2021

“Share The Stage” will also feature interviews with the acts, as well as a support slot from emerging artists. The support slots are aiming to help smaller artists who may have missed out on gaining attention at the festivals this summer, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each headliner will cover a song by their support act.

To give the fans a bit of festival feeling at home, the series will be aired on Youtube, hosted by Fearne Cotton. The first session tomorrow (July 2) includes performances by Kaiser Chiefs, Gracey, and Jetta. Lewis Capaldi is going to perform July 9, featuring a performance by Celeste. Bastille’s and Mabel’s shows are following on the same day.

“It’s an honour to be involved in helping to support some of the incredible new artists coming through that I’ve been following and am a big fan of. Live music played a huge part in helping me in the past couple of years so I feel for the amazing new acts who can’t get out there and play this year. I’m excited to be a small part of helping support new music in the UK at the moment”, Lewis Capaldi has said in a statement on the Abbey Road website.

And Mabel thinks that “being on stage has been integral to my growth as an artist over the past few years, especially when I’ve had the chance to perform alongside some of my idols. Right now, there’s so much incredible talent in the UK just waiting to be seen and heard. Whilst none of us can step on stage physically this summer, it’s great to be part of an initiative that is going some way to give emerging artists the platform they deserve.”

Keep an eye out on the Barclaycard and Abbey Road Youtube channels tomorrow to find out more.

Recorded at Abbey Road, @Barclaycard has announced the launch of ‘Share the Stage’, a series of live performances from the likes of @BastilleDan & @LewisCapaldi.

The series begins on 2 July with @KaiserChiefs, @GRACEYmusic_ & @JettaOfficial. Read more: https://t.co/yKUQnwsVYs pic.twitter.com/SeSanpawdi

— Abbey Road Studios (@AbbeyRoad) June 30, 2020

The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ shifted over half a million vinyl’s (558,000), coming in on the top spot. Missing out in second was Pink Floyd’s groundbreaking 1973 ‘Dark Side of The Moon’. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 made third, with Bob Marley & The Wallers ‘Legend’ and ‘Back To Black’ by the late Amy Winehouse taking fourth and fifth respectively.

The Beatles’ second entry within the top ten came seventh for their 1967 epic ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, (313,000 copies). Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac and Miles Davis filled the remaining places on the list.

The full list is as follows below:

01. The Beatles – ‘Abbey Road’ (558,000 copies)
02. Pink Floyd – ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ (376,000 copies)
03. Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 (367,000 copies)
04. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Legend (364,000 copies)
05. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (351,000 copies)
06. Michael Jackson – Thriller (334,000 copies)
07. The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (313,000 copies)
08. Fleetwood Mac – Rumors (304,000 copies)
09. Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (286,000 copies)
10. Lana Del Rey – Born To Die (283,000 copies)

Lana Del Rey has posted an online plea for possessions belonging to her photographer sister, Chuck Grant, to be returned. She posted a Tweet to her account on Boxing Day, confirming that her sister’s “entire retrospective” had been stolen. She has reached out through the social media message for a “no questions asked reward”.

Last year, The Beatles’ released a music video for ‘Here Comes The Sun’, marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Abbey Road’. It reached the landmark date on September 26.