Abbey Road Studios, created in November of 1931 by EMI in London, England, is best known as the legendary recording studio used by the rock bands, Cliff Richard and the Shadows and The Beatles. The studios are located in Abbey Road, in Camden.

Studio Two at Abbey Road became the centre of rock music in 1958 when Cliff Richard and the Drifters (later Cliff Richard and the Shadows), recorded what is held as being the first European Rock 'n' Roll single made. It also heralded the beginnings of a change from "rock 'n' roll" to "Rock". In the time between 1958-1963, Cliff Richard and the Shadows rejuvenated the studios, breaking with convention, originating overnight recording sessions, allowing new recording techniques. The group opened up the studios to loud, heavy guitar driven music, allowing an easy entrance for the not quite so " heavy rockish" sounds of the Beatles. The Beatles also found great success in Studio Two, and during the early to mid 60's, the Beatles and Cliff and the Shadows became practically joint owners of the studio, each battling friendly for recording time.

The Beatles also named their 1969 album, Abbey Road, after the studio. The famous cover photo for that album was taken outside Abbey Road studios. Studio Two was also used by Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon), the Hollies, Manfred Mann, the Seekers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Martin Briley and others.

Studio One at Abbey Road has been used for many motion picture soundtrack recordings, including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Lord of the Rings, Shrek, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, and Braveheart. The Beatles also occasionally used the studio for large sessions like the orchestra tracks on "A Day in the Life".

The chief mastering engineer at Abbey Road is Chris "Vinyl" Blair, who started his career early on as a tape deck operator. He worked his way up the ranks to get to the top. A highlight of Chris's career was receiving an award for Radiohead's Kid A

External link

• Abbey Road Studios (http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk)

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