History of Abbey Road Studios

Pohjolas Daughter · January 10, 2023, 12:15:00 PM

Quote from: vandermolen on January 10, 2023, 07:59:30 AMCuriously I was in that area of London recently (maybe pre-pandemic). There were many tourists at that famous 'Abbey Road' crossing.

My main memory of the Beatle's album is of coming home from school (as in High School) one day and finding the LP of Abbey Road on my bed, which my mother had bought me even though it wasn't my birthday - never forgot that

Aw, what a GREAT mom! And perhaps she knew about your spending habits (er..."tendencies") regarding music and was trying to avoid you having to spend your allowance (or work money) on it [Knowing the way mothers do that you would be doing just that]?

PD

vandermolen · January 10, 2023, 12:53:30 PM

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on January 10, 2023, 12:15:00 PMAw, what a GREAT mom! And perhaps she knew about your spending habits (er..."tendencies") regarding music and was trying to avoid you having to spend your allowance (or work money) on it [Knowing the way mothers do that you would be doing just that]?

PD

Roasted Swan · January 10, 2023, 02:04:17 PM

Quote from: relm1 on January 10, 2023, 05:35:26 AMYes, very unique sound. Herrmann chose unusual instrumentation for the film including solo violin, solo cello, and solo bass (all three electric), two theremins, two Hammond organs, a large studio organ, three vibraphones, two glockenspiels, two pianos, two harps, three trumpets, three trombones, four tubas, and extensive percussion including cymbals and tam-tam. Unusual overdubbing and tape-reversal techniques were also used.

Worth remembering that Herrmann was unusual amongst Hollywood composers in that he scored as well as composed his fim scores. In part because each score was so different/unique and as such there wasn't a Herrmann "sound"....

drogulus · January 10, 2023, 07:53:56 PM

Herrmann also used the electric bass guitar, which had just been invented by Fender.

I see that was mentioned. There had been electric upright basses since the '30s.

relm1 · January 11, 2023, 05:46:31 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on January 10, 2023, 07:59:30 AMCuriously I was in that area of London recently (maybe pre-pandemic). There were many tourists at that famous 'Abbey Road' crossing.

My main memory of the Beatle's album is of coming home from school (as in High School) one day and finding the LP of Abbey Road on my bed, which my mother had bought me even though it wasn't my birthday - never forgot that

I love your random memory bits partially because they frequently feature famous people you encountered ("I recall attending Boult conducting a RVW concert"). But here, just a sweet memory of a loving gesture from your mom. Funny, that made me think my mom just did something small like that (sent me a coffee mug) which I didn't think much of but I think gives her a lot of pleasure just to do something small that she knows I would like.

relm1 · January 11, 2023, 05:48:28 AM

Quote from: Roasted Swan on January 10, 2023, 02:04:17 PMWorth remembering that Herrmann was unusual amongst Hollywood composers in that he scored as well as composed his fim scores. In part because each score was so different/unique and as such there wasn't a Herrmann "sound"....

Oh there's definitely a Herrmann sound. He's immediately recognizable by the first bar.

Roasted Swan · January 11, 2023, 06:22:28 AM

Quote from: relm1 on January 11, 2023, 05:48:28 AMOh there's definitely a Herrmann sound. He's immediately recognizable by the first bar.

Herrmann was a nailed-on genius - so I'm not questioning the quality of his work. What I mean is that I think of him as much more of a chameleon as a film composer so that the sound he created from one film to another was unique to the needs of that film - hence the very unusual instrumental combinations he used. More "traditional" (but still great!) film music composers such as Korngold/Steiner/Rozsa (exepting Rozsa's ondes martinot/theremin)used essentially late-Romantic orchestral scoring and worked alongside scorers who knew the kind of instrumentations those composers would use. With Herrmann that was simply not possible hence he scored his own films.

vandermolen · January 12, 2023, 07:14:39 AM

Quote from: relm1 on January 11, 2023, 05:46:31 AMI love your random memory bits partially because they frequently feature famous people you encountered ("I recall attending Boult conducting a RVW concert"). But here, just a sweet memory of a loving gesture from your mom. Funny, that made me think my mom just did something small like that (sent me a coffee mug) which I didn't think much of but I think gives her a lot of pleasure just to do something small that she knows I would like.

Lovely story about the coffee mug.
I saw Boult conduct on several occasions, Including on VW's 100th Birthday (12th October 1972 at the Festival Hall in London) and then a week or two later at Westminster Abbey, where VW's ashes are buried.
My friend's dad was the tailor for Ringo. He got a signed photo of all the Beatles! I'm still jealous now!

Pohjolas Daughter · January 12, 2023, 07:27:30 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on January 12, 2023, 07:14:39 AMLovely story about the coffee mug.
I saw Boult conduct on several occasions, Including on VW's 100th Birthday (12th October 1972 at the Festival Hall in London and then a week or two later at Westminster Abbey, where VW's ashes are buried.
My friend's dad was the tailor for Ringo. He got a signed photo of all the Beatles! I'm still jealous now!

Cool stories...all of them!

PD