''The Beatles at Abbey Road'' is a multimedia presentation hosted by Abbey Road Studios in London that focused on the recording career of the English rock band

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

. It took place from 18 July to 11 September 1983, while part of the studios were undergoing renovation. The program included a guided tour of Abbey Road's Studio 2, where the Beatles recorded most of their music for

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...

in the 1960s; a two-part video presentation narrated by disc jockey

Roger Scott Roger Scott (23 October 1943 – 31 October 1989) was a British radio disc jockey. He was best known for presenting an afternoon radio show on London's Capital London from 1973 until 1988 and was also best known for presenting his late night ...

, with interviews and rare archival footage; and previously unheard outtakes from the band's recording sessions. The event was hosted by studio manager Ken Townsend and the shows took place three times a day. Its staging reflected the elevation of Abbey Road (formerly EMI Studios) to the level of an English cultural location, as well as the enduring popularity of the Beatles, more than ten years after their break-up. ''The Beatles at Abbey Road'' was a commercial success, with 22,000 tickets sold. The program marked the first time that the studios had been opened to the public, and was announced by EMI in June 1983. Visitors were offered the chance to experience Studio 2 as the Beatles used to work in it, with microphones and other equipment set up to replicate a typical recording session. Among the songs aired during the presentation were the band's unreleased versions of "

How Do You Do It? "How Do You Do It?" is the debut single by Liverpudlian band Gerry and the Pacemakers. It was written by Mitch Murray. The song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 11 April 1963, where it stayed for three weeks. History The song was wr ...

" and "

Leave My Kitten Alone "Leave My Kitten Alone" is a 1959 R&B hit, written by Little Willie John, Titus Turner and James McDougal, first recorded by Little Willie John. The song follows a 24-bar blues format. Little Willie John The original version of the song, by L ...

". Former Beatle

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

joined the audience at one of the shows and was said to have enjoyed the experience. At his suggestion, George Harrison and Ringo Starr also visited, although they attended a private presentation. According to EMI, Harrison was delighted to hear his initial solo take of "

While My Guitar Gently Weeps "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 double album '' The Beatles'' (also known as "the White Album"). It was written by George Harrison, the band's lead guitarist. Harrison wrote "While ...

", from July 1968, and told the company that he would be happy to have the recording released immediately. Recordings made surreptitiously by some visitors to the 1983 show soon became available on bootleg albums. A year after ''The Beatles at Abbey Road'', the songs that had been unearthed for the presentation were remixed for a planned album, titled '' Sessions''. The former Beatles initiated legal proceedings to prevent EMI from issuing the album, however, saying that the work was substandard. ''Sessions'' was scheduled for release in November 1984, but the release was cancelled. The interest in these previously unissued recordings nevertheless confirmed that a collection of Beatles studio outtakes was a viable option. The songs were instead included on the three outtakes albums that formed part of the ''

Beatles Anthology ''The Beatles Anthology'' is a multimedia retrospective project consisting of a television documentary, a three-volume set of double albums, and a book describing the history of the Beatles. Beatles members Paul McCartney, George Harrison and R ...

'' project in 1995–96.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beatles at Abbey Road, The Multimedia works The Beatles