1980s
The 1980’s heralded a change in direction for Abbey Road. Following the success of major films like Star Wars and Superman, which were filmed and produced entirely in the UK, the scoring stage Anvil struck a deal with Abbey Road’s manager Ken Townsend. A new company Anvil-Abbey Road Screen Sound was formed and by the end of 1980 the first full orchestra film scoring session had taken place in Studio One. The Studio gained a new kudos and still holds a reputation as the film community’s first choice for film scoring outside the US.
Additionally, a new modern studio was being built on the top floor of Abbey Road. Named the Penthouse studio, it’s 48 track machine plus Neve console and windows that looked out onto the skyline of St John’s Wood, a rare feature for any studio. It was officially opened in 1980.
One of the first major movies to take advantage of the new scoring facilities at Abbey Road was Raiders Of the Lost Ark, the first joint movie venture for Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. It was released internationally in 1981 and British film composer John Williams was nominated for both an Oscar and BAFTA award for Best Score. He went on to receive the Grammy Award for Best Album of Original Score Written for A Motion Picture in 1982.
Kate Bush came to Abbey Road to record her third album ‘Never For Ever’. She commented on the tremendous vibes of Studio Two and the warm nature of Studio One.
Two members of the supergroup Police, Sting and Andy Summers, spent a week in Studio Two working on the soundtrack for Sting’s feature film ‘Brimstone and Treacle’, whilst composer Jerry Goldsmith completed the Omen series in the same year when he recorded Final Conflict in 1981.
In 1983 George Lucas returned to Abbey Road and brought the then final film of the Star Wars trilogy with him, Return Of The Jedi.
During 1984 the arrival of the Compact Disc (CD) had revitalised record sales and created a demand for back catalogue and new classical recordings. The disc cutting department now expanded into a fully fledged post production facility incorporating new CD preparation suites and remastering rooms equipped with new technology for reducing hiss and crackle on old analogue recordings.
The film Brazil won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award in 1985. The score was recorded by composer Michael Kamen, who was already no stranger at Abbey Road, having previously been involved in many pop sessions. However his deep-rooted dreams were classically motivated, wanting to follow in the footsteps of the great composers like Elgar. When he was asked to write the music for the cult movie Brazil his familiarity with the Studios stood him in good stead as he spent an unprecedented 13 weeks recording the score, utilising the services of all four studios at Abbey Road.
Another outstanding movie of the eighties was A Room With A View starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Denholm Elliott in an adaptation of E.M. Forster’s novel. Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, it was described by US critics as ‘the best film they ever made’. The score was written by Richard Robbins and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Score.
Probably the most critically acclaimed movie of the decade also had its score recorded at Abbey Road. The Last Emperor won a total of nine Academy Awards (Oscars) in 1988 including Best Music Original Score for composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Byrne. The film went on to receive the Golden Globe for Best Score and the Grammy Award for Best Album in 1989 among a plethora of industry accolades in the UK and US.
Other major movies include Shirley Valentine, White Heat, A Man For All Seasons, Willow, Othello, Ladyhawke and Greystoke.
