new documentary If these walls could sing Disney+, which starts streaming today, tells the story of Abbey Road Studios’ long history across the music world, including interviews with stars like Elton John, John Williams and, uncomfortablely, Kanye West. But unsurprisingly, a good chunk of the film’s running time is dedicated to the band that made the studio famous: The Beatles. Not surprisingly for hardcore fans, if these walls could talk Confirming what many Beatles heads already knew. Paul McCartney was the reason many of these albums were completed, and the Beatles’ famous final album. Abbey Roaddoes not exist at all.
The documentary’s director, Mary McCartney, was allowed full access to both Beatles alive for her film, given that she’s the daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney. Yes, she’s a nepotist baby. But she’s using her powers for good by giving Beatles fans a new interview with her famous dad and his former bandmate Ringo Starr, who are now each 80. and her 82-year-old McCartney and Starr look back fondly on their days at Abbey Road Studios. “Just a great studio,” McCartney enthuses with her cheeky grin. “All mics worked!”
But as a Beatles fan I saw return As we all know (even on Disney+), not all Beatles recording memories are pleasant. Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles’ beloved producer George Martin, said in his documentary:let it be Fragmented them as people, distorted them, and they just abandoned it. Paul McCartney called his father and said, “Listen, we want to make a record like we did. It will be our last record.
McCartney remembers a phone call with Martin in an interview of his own. “He said, ‘Yeah, but I never messed around.'”As long as you come in and make the album properly, like we’ve been making albums before,” McCartney says. [the Beatles] Up. I was like, “Hey, Ringo, how are you?”
In another Talking Head interview, Starr recalls receiving these calls. Pole”
McCartney says he gently urged his bandmates to come along (pun intended) Abbey Road“How do you feel about making a new album? Shall we go back to the studio?” ”
Starr says with a laugh. [Paul McCartney]We would have made three albums instead of eight.” (Actually, the Beatles released 12 studio albums, but Starr may be discounting. yellow submarine, The Beatles were less involved.When Magical Mystery Tour, was released as an EP in the UK. Also, the man is 82 years old.
Luckily, McCartney was there to push the other three Beatles back into the studio. Abbey Road It was made and became, in the eyes of many classic rock fans, one of the greatest rock albums of all time. Starr also has a fun anecdote about how his album cover came about, explaining the band’s ambitions to do photo shoots in Egypt and volcanoes, and explaining those ideas while they were high. , implying that you came up with
“We weren’t thinking ‘Abbey Road.’ I gotta go to the volcanoes in Hawaii!we always had these big conversation’” Starr says, pretending to smoke a joint for the camera. “And we said, ‘Well, let’s walk across the street.'”
rear Abbey Road was released, the studio, always called Abbey Road Studios because of its location, technically called EMI Recording Studios, officially changed its name. How can you miss a marketing opportunity?