What was the first number one recorded at Abbey Road?
Abbey Road. You see the words, and one band comes to mind. The Beatles put the studio on the map, that’s for sure. Anyone doomed to live somewhere near the West London location will know that well as every minute of every day sees a swarm of fans blocking up that road crossing in the signature poses. But while it’s the Fab Four you first think of, they weren’t the first through the doors.
The legacy of Abbey Road goes far beyond The Beatles. It stretches out both before them and after them. In the years preceding that titular record, the studio has been the home to many more hits. Still today, artists jump at the chance to work within its hallowed halls. Radiohead recorded ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ there. Oasis made ‘Stand By Me’ there. Acts like Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Florence and the Machine, Massive Attack, and hoards more have all booked into the iconic space and recorded masterpieces there. Even after the Beatles had split, the studio drew each member back in for their solo projects – so it clearly has something special.
But even long before The Beatles, Abbey Road had a great reputation and brought in international talent. Back then, it was called EMI instead. It was only renamed in the 1970s actually, following on from the success of the album. So really, it was the reputation of EMI that was strong, going all the way back to the 1930s when it first open its doors.
All sorts was made there. Full orchestras would come in to be put on discs to be played on gramophones. Iconic figures like Glenn Miller put it on the map first, followed by Cliff Richard being the first to introduce the space to the rock and roll crowd, around the same time that George Martin began producing skiffle and rock records there. That’s how it would then come around to The Beatles, who would record pretty much every piece of music they ever made right there.
But a key piece of history is missing here. While the studio made hit after hit, one of them had to be first.
What was the first number one recorded at Abbey Road?
After a long and varied history already, the studio’s first number-one came in late 1953. The track was ‘O mein Papa’, a German track originally written in 1939 by Paul Burkhard for a musical.
Over a decade later, British trumpet player Eddie Calvert would find that track and take a liking to it. Axing the lyrics, he recorded an instrumental take on the song at Abbey Road, which earned him international success. The version soared to the top ten in America and landed right at number one in the UK, giving the studio its first chart-topper.
But that was just the start. In 1963, a staggering 15 out of all 19 UK number-one singles were recorded at Abbey Road. Once its reputation as a rock and roll hot spot took off, and once the sound was sweeping the nation, there was no stopping the studio.
