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London’s Rockin’ History
Abbey Road StudiosThe Beatles have churned out some ofthe most
iconic album covers in history,but perhaps none more so than
theirAbbey Road cover. The album was thepenultimate – but last to
be recorded –musical contribution from the foursome,which was made
in a bid to mend thecracks in the bands’ relationship. During the
recording sessions, the work-ing title of the album wasn’t Abbey
Road.It was Everest; the name of engineerGeoff Emerick’s favourite
cigarettes. Theoriginal plan meant the band renting a pri-vate jet
and flying to the Himalayas toshoot the cover photo. EMI wanted
thealbum fast and the group was running onempty, so they decided to
forego all therigmarole for a simpler concept. John, Paul,Ringo and
George stepped outside of thestudio on August 8 1969,
around11:30am, stopped traffic and strolledacross the zebra
crossing with Iain
Macmillan behind the camera. It tookroughly 10 minutes. The
album was a hitand the Himalayas were nowhere to beseen. Abbey Road
Studios today is still aworking studio and not open to the
publicbut you can recreate the album cover at 3 Abbey Road,
NW8.
23 Brook StreetJimi Hendrix returned to London in thesummer of
1968 with the intention of
making the city his permanent home. Hisgirlfriend Kathy
Etchingham obtained theflat on the top two floors of 23 BrookStreet
for his arrival, priced at £30 a week.The pair even reportedly
shopped at theJohn Lewis on Oxford Street for housefurnishings. For
the next three months,Hendrix used the base to write newsongs, give
interviews, rehearse and hostcelebrity guests who crashed on
theircamp bed. The flat, along with number 25,which belonged to
baroque composerGeorge Fredric Handel, was given a grantfrom the
Heritage Lottery Fund andopened as a museum in 2016 commemo-rating
the two artists. 23 Brook Street,Mayfair, W1K.
34 Montagu SquareYet another rock and roll shrine linked toThe
Beatles, is this flat in Marylebone.Ringo Starr had moved in with
his newwife Maureen in 1965, but it was also
London’s streets are heaving with rock history, from studios
where The Beatles recorded, the formerhomes of Jimi Hendrix, to
sites where famous album covers were born. So, dust off your
walking bootsand search the city for all that rock ‘n’ roll has
left behind.
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FOCUS The Magazine 13www.focus-info.org
where John Lennon first resided with YokoOno. Their Two Virgins
album cover, wherethey were fully naked, was shot in thebasement.
During their tenancy, the policeraided the flat for all sorts of
drugs. Starrlater rented it to Jimi Hendrix but he wasevicted for
trashing the place. PaulMcCartney recorded a demo of “EleanorRigby”
in a temporary studio here in1966. Maybe being their
neighbourswouldn’t have been so exciting after all. 34 Montagu
Square, Marylebone, W1H.
12 Curzon PlaceFlat 9 was the home of “Everybody’sTalkin’”
singer Harry Nilsson, but also theunfortunate dwelling where The
Mamas &The Papas singer Cass Elliot was founddead, allegedly
from a heart attack, in1974 and where The Who’s Keith Moonoverdosed
on pills in 1978. Perhaps theyshould change the name to Cursed
Place.12 Curzon Place, Mayfair, W1J.
Berwick StreetThis Soho street was the subject of Oasis’1995
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?album cover. It was known for its
amplerecord stores, rich diversity, eccentric wa-tering holes and
kitsch drug paraphernalia.Over 20 years on, the street hasn’t
quitegot the same energy, but remnants of itsheyday still linger.
If you ever wonderedwho the two blurry guys are on the cover,it’s
not Liam and Noel Gallagher, but BBCRadio Kent’s DJ Sean Rowley and
Brian
Cannon, who designed the album sleeve.Berwick Street, Soho,
W1F.
Denmark StreetFormerly a residential road, it was
coined‘Britain’s Tin Pan Alley’ when several musicpublishers moved
in and set up shop. TheRolling Stones, David Bowie, The Kinks
andDonovan recorded in studios on thestreet. The likes of the Small
Faces so-cialised in the Gioconda café at No.9.Elton John wrote
“Your Song” here. TheSex Pistols lived above No.6 andrecorded their
first demos in the flat.Adele and Jeff Buckley performed in
abasement club during their early years. So
many greats came and went, on to biggerand better things. Most
of its rich historyis now just a faint echo due to the streetbeing
more gentrified, however somerecord stores still remain. Denmark
Street,WC2H.
The Marquee Club The original site is now home to theMezzo Bar,
but before this, for 30 years, itwas one of London’s principal rock
ven-ues. Acts such as The Who, Pink Floyd, LedZeppelin, David
Bowie, The Clash, TheCure, Queen, The Faces, The Police
andFleetwood Mac – pre Stevie Nicks andLindsey Buckingham – all
performed for apacked crowd at this intimate club. It’s alsothe
venue where The Rolling Stones per-formed their very first gig in
1962, open-
“Formerly a residential road, it was coined ‘Britain’s Tin Pan
Alley’ when several music publishers moved in and set up shop.”
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14 FOCUS The Magazine January/February 2018
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Hayley Harrison is a freelance writer and fashion intern and can
be reached at www.hrharrison.com
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ing for Long John Baldry. The club, whichhad moved to several
locations acrossLondon, finally closed its doors in 2008,but the
Wardour Street site has an EnglishHeritage plaque outside,
dedicated toKeith Moon. Wardour Street, W1F.
23 Heddon StreetMany Bowie fans have made the voyageto No. 23,
just off Regent Street. It iswhere the cover was shot for
Bowie’salbum The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy StardustAnd The Spiders Of
Mars. It was taken ona rainy night in January 1972 and has
sincebeen recreated countless times by enthu-siasts of the prolific
artist. In 2012, a blackplaque was unveiled, dedicated to the40th
anniversary of the cover. 23 HeddonStreet, W1B.
Battersea Power StationThe already famous building has an
addi-tional meaning for Pink Floyd fans. It is fea-tured on the
cover of the band’s 1977album Animals. Driving by the power
sta-tion on a regular basis gave Roger Waters
an idea. In keeping with the theme of thealbum, a 30ft flying
pig was made byGerman and Austrian designers to floatbetween the
two chimneys. However, theexecution failed and the
helium-inflatedpig flew off and landed in Kent. The bandhad to
settle for superimposing it on thefinal cover. Never work with
children oranimals, even if it is a balloon animal.Battersea Power
Station, 188 KirtlingStreet, SW8.
The Hope and Anchor This pub in Islington has hosted
Dr.Feelgood, The Stranglers, The Cure andJoy Division, but its most
infamous gig was
U2. The band supported Jools Hollandone night in December 1979
and the onlyaudience members were a man and hisdog. The man left,
the dog left and the endresult was a private U2 show for
JoolsHolland and a private Jools Holland showfor U2. The Hope and
Anchor, 207 UpperStreet, N1.
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