LONDON (AP) ā In Studio One, even a lick of paint could ruin everything.
Famous for hosting Adele, Harry Styles and U2, itās where the scores of āStar Wars,ā āHarry Potterā and āWickedā were recorded, as well as the soundtracks of blockbuster games like āCall of Duty,ā āHaloā and āFinal Fantasy.ā Itās also where Ryan Gosling delivered his memorable āIām Just Kenā
Nearly a century after its opening, Studio One underwent a six-month, multimillion-pound refurbishment, with the main priority being the preservation of one very important thing: the sound.
āWhat we donāt want to do is change the acoustics, so every minute detail in the room has been conserved and preserved, so the sound doesn't shift,ā said Sally Davies, managing director of Abbey Road Studios.
The reverb of the 4,844-square-foot (450-square-meter) room has been maintained at 2.3 seconds, the same as it was in the 1970s. Thereās been no redecorating or style makeover, leaving the original untouched.
āWe have simply washed down the walls to preserve that sound,ā said Davies, adding that the floor was re-sanded and oiled, but not varnished. Most of the upgrades, she explained, are technological upgrades in the control room. āThis room is just about preserving that magic.ā
A pilgrimage for music fans
Opened in 1931, this hallowed hall ā once a nine-bedroom house on a grand suburban street in Londonās St. Johnās Wood neighborhood ā became the worldās first recording studio. Itās where stereo was invented and itās visited every day by music fans from around the world, who are happy just to stand on the street outside.
Davies says that more than a million people a year make a pilgrimage to the crossing outside, many to recreate the cover of ā and that number could increase after starring Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Harris Dickinson and Joseph Quinn as the Fab Four.
And while John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr are famously known for using Studio Two, they also made history in the larger Studio One, which they used for the worldās first global live performance, a rendition of āAll You Need Is Loveā beamed to television sets around the world in 1967.
Before The Beatles, Studio One had already cemented its place in music history, when it was opened by British composer Sir Edward Elgar, who recorded his āLand of Hope and Gloryā with the London Symphony Orchestra. Itās also hosted other music greats like Maria Callas, Igor Stravinsky, Daniel Barenboim, Fats Waller and Glenn Miller.
Due to its huge size, more than double Studio Two, it can fit a 100-piece orchestra and 100-member choir at the same time ā which is perfect for recording film soundtracks, and explains why six to seven out of every 10 Hollywood films are scored at Abbey Road, according to the studio.
History being made
Standing on the balcony, overlooking the 40-foot-high (12-meter-high) room, Davies points out the original screen that was used to show āRaiders of the Lost Arkā (1981) while musicians played along to record the soundtrack.
Since then, everything from āThe Lord of the Ringsā trilogy to Marvelās āBlack Pantherā and āGuardians of the Galaxyā to āBarbieā were scored in Studio One. For the last, all the musicians came in with something pink, whether a pink instrument or piece of clothing.
Oscar-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton has been recording in Studio One since 2009 and calls his ācreative homeā a āspectacular space.ā
āOutside, it just looks like a normal house. And then you come in and you find this space in it thatās like almost the size of a football pitch. In fact, I have played football in there once,ā he laughs.
Pemberton is known for scoring āSpider-Man: Across the Spider Verse,ā āFerrari,ā āThe Trial of the Chicago 7ā and creating the āSlow Horsesā theme song and āStrange Game,ā with .
āWhatās so exciting about a room like Studio One is what happens on the day is what happens for the rest of time,ā he says. āItās like history is being made, whether itās good history or bad history or whatever, youāre making a moment then.ā
Pemberton notes the stories, whether personal or musical, that have unfolded within the walls of Studio One.
āThe ghosts are insane in there,ā he said.
Davies agrees that the history adds to the enchantment.
āYou walk into this room and you can feel it. ā¦ There is a magic in the sound. It sounds phenomenal. There is a spirituality in who has been here, who has performed here,ā she says. āSo when we see artists come through, you know that immediate reaction of, āOh my gosh. Iām in Studio One.āā
To celebrate the reopening this week, Abbey Road Studios showcased an unusual art form for the space: dance, which incorporated Pembertonās scores, remixed by resident artist Jordan Rakei and choreographed by Joseph Toonga.
āIt kind of like threw me back a bit like, wow, it really is big,ā said Toonga of the first time he saw the studio. He then incorporated that feeling into a dance which spanned hip-hop, krumping and ballet.
Up next, the first client to record in Studio One since the refurbishment is a hush-hush Hollywood franchise.
But there are lots of secrets at Abbey Road. One of them is Pembertonās plan to record the unique rattling sound of the new railings for a movie soundtrack.
There was concern that the hollow, Art Deco-style bars would upset the acoustics of the room, and a backup plan was made to fill them with sand if they messed with the reverb.
Luckily, the empty bars were allowed to stay because Pemberton is delighted by the noise they make when you run past them with keys ā itās another dramatic sound that can only be created in Studio One and will make its way into theaters around the world, via a film score.
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This story has been corrected to show that Studio One can fit a 100-piece orchestra and 100-member choir at the same time, not 110 each, and that the managing director is named Sally Davies, not Sally Davis.
Hilary Fox, The Associated Press
