Description

With a foreword by Paul McCartney

‘It’s semi-devotional — a really special place’ Florence Welch
‘There are certain things that are mythical. Abbey Road is mythical’ Nile Rodgers

Many people will recognise the famous zebra crossing. Some visitors may have graffitied their name on its hallowed outer walls. Others might even have managed to penetrate the iron gates. But what draws in these thousands of fans here, year after year? What is it that really happens behind the doors of the most celebrated recording studio in the world?

It may have begun life as an affluent suburban house, but it soon became a creative hub renowned around the world as a place where great music, ground-breaking sounds and unforgettable tunes were forged – nothing less than a witness to, and a key participant in, the history of popular music itself.

What has been going on there for over ninety years has called for skills that are musical, creative, technical, mechanical, interpersonal, logistical, managerial, chemical and, romantics might be tempted add, close to magic.

This is for the people who believe in the magic.

Publisher Review

Engrossing...A stirring narrative that mirrors pop's twists and turns from its earliest days to the present * Slate * A hugely enjoyable read for anyone who has ever bought a record, told with Hepworth's characteristic dry humour, beautifully illustrated and with a foreword by Paul McCartney...Engrossing, extansively researched -- Roger Alton * Daily Mail * Hepworth captures the feeling of immediacy and excitement that exemplified the storied St John's Wood studio...An appropriately pacy chronicle of rapid cultural/technological evolution -- Ian Fortnum * Classic Rock * The story of recorded music itself. Great details leap from every page -- Tom Doyle * Mojo * Hepworth, one of the most authoritative music journalists and historians, brings the studio in suburban London to life * Big Issue *