Mary McCartney’s documentary about the legendary home to the Beatles’ and many other stars’ recordings is an enjoyable diversion
utting her privileged access to good use, Mary McCartney has directed this enjoyable documentary about Abbey Road Studios in– famously the site of the Beatles’ classic recordings , but much more besides. McCartney’s film takes us through the history of the building itself .
It was designed to house a symphony orchestra, and its first occupant in 1931 was Edward Elgar conducting the LSO. It looks very different from the way we think of recording studios,small spaces divided from the mixing suite by a pane of glass. In fact two of the studios are huge, where mighty producerpresided over everything from suites accessed by flights of stairs, like going up to the manager’s office from the echoing factory shop floor.
Paul McCartney is interviewed, as well as Elton John and Jimmy Page, who talk about their days as session musicians there. The Beatles did their best work at Abbey Road, as did Pink Floyd, Oasis and so many more. But there was also Jacqueline du Pré recording the Elgar cello concerto; McCartney’s film has great footage of her vivid, beaming face as she rehearses with Daniel Barenboim.
The 1960s gave Abbey Road its golden age of pop and then, just as times were economically hard in the 70s, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and John Williams gave it a new lease of life by making it their home for recording the rousing orchestral scores for their hit movies. Williams gives a fine account of how Abbey Road – though a shoebox compared to Hollywood soundstages – is large enough to give the music its reverberant “bloom” but small enough to preserve detail and articulation.