Abbey Road’s Greatest Hits.

Feb 21, 2010

beatlesmagical

Annie contributed her favourite album to this article in the Independent Newspaper this weekend, click the link to read the full feature and all the albums that were contributed.

Annie Lennox – Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles

That’s probably my favourite Beatles album. I was about 13 when it was released, and it had a massive impact on me. One of my most special memories of Abbey Road is when I got to sing using the “special” microphone that Paul McCartney and John Lennon used. It’s brought out only on rare occasions.
 
As The Beatles’ former studio faces closure, leading figures in music tell Mark Jewsbury what they think is the best album ever recorded there

News last week that debt-ridden EMI might sell its much-loved Abbey Road studios spurred swift action from the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and the National Trust. Immortalised by the Beatles album to which it lends its name, Abbey Road is a landmark in 20th century music: Elgar conducted an opening performance in 1931, and at 16, the violinist Yehudi Menuhin recorded with the composer there.

This weekend, discussions were already afoot for a rescue package. On Friday, on his BBC Radio 2 show, DJ Chris Evans played only songs recorded at Abbey Road, to raise awareness of the importance of “a musical landmark”. Sir Paul McCartney has called for it to be saved. Ronan Keating and Craig David have both said they would move to keep the studios working. Keating said: “I back any campaign to save it and keep it going as a working studio.” Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, added yesterday: “Increasingly recording studios are redundant, but if one has to be saved it is Abbey Road.”

The studios in north-west London could be granted Grade II status as early as Monday, when Baroness Andrews, the chair of English Heritage, is to meet the Culture minister, Margaret Hodge. While the National Trust is also interested, EMI’s reported asking price, in excess of £30m, will be an obstacle. Whatever the outcome, as our panel shows, closure would cue the final chords of the soundtrack to British musical life.