Samantha Bennett

Behind the magical mystery door: history, mythology and the aura of Abbey Road Studios

In rock historiography, Abbey Road Studios is depicted as the rock canons ultimate recording house; home to the Beatles, Pink Floyd and a generation of classic rock album production. In recent years, the studio has struggled to maintain itself as an operational recording house, yet effectively exploits its past to secure its future. This article considers issues of heritage, pilgrimage and tourism before elucidating brand ‘Abbey Road’ as a conflation of geographical location, zebra crossing, graffiti wall, recording house and aura. In separating the tangible aspects of Abbey Roads heritage – the zebra crossing, graffiti wall and the Beatles Abbey Road album – out from its intangibles – its ‘magic’, legacy and studio ‘vibe’ – Abbey Roads studio aura is exposed as a commodity in its own right.

Never Mind the Bollocks: A Tech-Processual Analysis

Never Mind the Bollocks, Heres the Sex Pistols was a record made under highly unorthodox circumstances. In this article, four contextual cornerstones of record production study are considered: the recording workplace (studio); recordist(s); the sound recording and production technology; and production processes and techniques. The tech-processual context of Never Mind the Bollocks is considered in full, before a detailed production analysis of the track “Sub Mission.” The analysis reveals the extent of the contribution made by recordists Chris Thomas and Bill Price to the overall sonic character and shape of the record. This is not an example of “auteurism,” but an illumination of how Never Mind the Bollocks has come to be understood as a quintessentially rock—as opposed to punk—record.

Time-based Signal Processing and 'Shape' in Alternative Rock Recordings

This article considers the impact of time-based signal processors on the ‘shape’ of alternative rock recordings. The concept of musical ‘shape’ is considered here as both textural and gestural. In this instance, texture pertains to the interaction[s] between the component parts of a multi track recording and gesture relates to application[s] of processing by the recordist. Drawing on examples by The Jesus and Mary Chain, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Mazzy Star and My Bloody Valentine, the impact of time-based signal processors on the ‘shape’ of the recordings is elucidated.