> Wikipedia article
> Mutopia

A(nother) “vanity search” finds a nice quote from Martyn Ware on a Norwegian web page (scroll down).
Had it not been for the sound and the collaboration with the string arranger John Wesley Barker, that record would never have sounded like that.

Heaven 17 are currently on Tour performing Penthouse & Pavement

> Sign The Petition
12:18 25/2/10 UPDATE:
Over the last three days we have heard firstly that EMI have decided not to sell the studios, and secondly that the studios are to become grade two listed.
This is most definitely cause for celebration – we have made our voices heard, and have sent a strong message to those who control the studio's destiny.
To all intents and purposes our campaign has succeeded. Abbey Road is set to remain in EMI's hands and continue to function as a recording studio for the time being. Due to the listing by English Heritage, it specifically cannot ever be redeveloped into flats. Our worst fears have been allayed.

from: saveabbeyroadstudios.org/archives/126

11:18 20/2/10 UPDATE:
In response to:

“This is what happens when people stop buying music, which is made in such inspirational musical hubs and "share" it instead. If this isn't a prime example of the effects of File-Sharing, then I don't know what is.”

I wrote:

That old chestnut!
<< The internet / file sharing etc has killed the music industry... >>
blah blah - nope, actually incorrect.
Yes, most of the record companies had a blind spot when it came to the web. Whereas musicians and punters alike saw it as the answer to many prayers. In fact, income generated from sales online and the ability for musicians to have their music heard has increased enormously because of the net. The dissemination and spread of music is truly global. No?

I download music. I share music. Always have, even before the net, we copied - we shared. Before that, we went into record shops on a Saturday morning and listened in booths. That's the way we work towards purchasing the stuff. Thanks to Last.fm and other music sites I have found music that I really that I would have never discovered otherwise. Then buy! Somebody do me for piracy please, then I can show my stacks of CDs I've bought and wouldn't have done otherwise.

Look at your average HMV. What there drives sales? Nothing but artwork and end of aisle promotions (which incidentally cost the record companies, i.e. the musicians advances on sales a fortune - end of aisle display is rented). Remember the issue of the RRP on CDs? The public opinion failed and we all gave in to the poppy cock message given by the big companies at the time.

The record companies lost the plot along time ago, with notable exceptions. Remember The Artist Formerly Known As and what he exposed about Warner Bros? And how about Courtney Love (despite what judgments you make about her music and addiction) when she so aptly described the 'Music Business' and the refuge of failed business men's offspring. You know the story, "my son, you must be as successful as me" (your hyper successful and highly driven dad) and son fails repeatedly, school, then business school, then first placement until eventually he falls as low as he can go and ends running a record company. (Possibly due to a bottomless drug budget from Daddy's wealth)

What's happened here is that Terra Firma is charging EMI for borrowing the money to buy EMI when EMI was failing at the time it was bought. What's that if not kicking someone when they're down?

File sharing. Nah, don't wash. If we all give EMI £, where does it go?

> File-Sharing to thank! discussion

07:08 20/2/10 UPDATE: I wrote on the Facebook Group Wall -

What a 'public' outpouring. (As I write 07:08 20.2.10) 14,485 members now in this group. And this isn't the only Group or conduit of expression. People from ALL walks of life. Each with a relationship of some kind with the best studios in the world react to the prospect of Abbey Road Studios closing. I wonder, does Mr Hands know about this Group. I was interested to read about EMI here: www.terrafirma.com/portfolio.html Seems a long way from reality in many ways. We've seen the financial system nearly fall over of late. Banks lending irresponsibly, only to be bailed out by States using our money. Now we the people have said time and time again, "we will pay to Save Abbey Road". To me, a musician, EMI is just another bank. A record deal is nothing other than a loan against sales. In some cases, the record company lose money as the banks have, by irresponsible lending. The heartless amputation of Abbey Road from EMI (not the first time either) is indicative of the breakdown in the workflow and crisis of capital. The studios are a means of production, some rightly remind us they can make music another way. Of course we can. And we have been. But without exception, every practitioner of music, e.g audio engineer, producer, musician, conductor, film director, listener is touched by Abbey Road Studios. In most cases we look to Abbey Road as the proto-studio. It's acoustic are unique. Paul McCartney measured the Control Room of Studio 2 with laser to reproduce the dimensions to finest detail in his new West Sussex studio in the 80's, apparently it simply wasn't as good. I was mightily touched to see Ken Townsend say this when he signed the Petition, "I worked at Abbey Road for over forty years initially as an engineer and 20 as the manager. It is a national heritage which must stay as a studio. It is still operating very successfully. If it was not retained as a studio my lifelong work would have been in vain". Ken took Abbey Road from being an EMI Department to an independent studio. Up to that point all the equipment had to be built by EMI unless they couldn't, so bespoke long travel faders dominated. We even had to use EMI Tape. Ken and his colleagues installed all new studios, pulled it up to another level and created the best studios in the world once again. Here we are now at another junction in the studios history. As Ken did then, we must now be sensitive and cautious. Let's not lose sight of what Abbey Road is and always will be, the finest recording facility in the world.
No to the museum. No to individual self interest.

"In mid-November 2009, Terra Firma announced it would be writing down its investment in EMI by 90% (approximately €1.5 billion) after the record label... See more’s creditors Citigroup turned down a deal to restructure its debt. Hands acknowledged that the EMI deal had been a mistake when he said, “If we hadn’t done that, we’d have 90% of our funds still to invest and we’d look like complete geniuses. Instead, having written off well over a billion, we look like chumps.” - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Hands

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19/02/10 UPDATE:
Andrew Lloyd Webber has vowed to buy the Abbey Road studios at any cost to preserve its status as the home of British music.
The composer, who has an estimated fortune of £750million, wants to step in and take ownership of the studios in St John's Wood, North-West London, after troubled record group EMI put the building up for sale.
> Read full article online at the Daily Mail

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The world’s first purpose built recording facility is under threat of sale by the owners EMI. They are selling Abbey Road Studios to raise money to service their loan to Terra Firma.

• A number of celebrities and thousands of fans are expressing their feelings about what should happen to the studios. Many are under the impression that they’re being sold because the business is failing. It isn’t. The studios are a going concern.
• The National Trust is asking, “Should the National Trust save Abbey Road Studios?” Unfortunately, this idea is gathering traction.
• Many fans are suggesting that Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr should buy the studios. I don’t think this is likely or desirable, although they may wish to contribute to a fund.

My current suggestions:
1 Establish an Abbey Road Studios Trust to own and manage the complex.
2 Buy the studios from EMI.
3 Have on deposit enough funds to allow the studios to run on Interest and other income from the deposits without threat of closure ever again.
4 Ensure the current standards remain now and forever.
5 Develop new income streams, e.g. Educational use.
6 Create and maintain a public archive.

> A new Facebook Group Save Abbey Road Studios from property developers.
> Please Sign The Petition Join us in finding a way to save the historic Abbey Road Studios from being sold to property developers. We want to keep the studios operating as a recording facility for future generations.

Composing music entitled: Walks and Views in Dorset for Concert Band which comprises pieces prompted by places we visit that inspire and lift us and that have a name which is associated with music or sound in some way.

There are 3 pieces in the first Set and in the process of being scored:
1 - Houns-Tout a majestic cliff and high vantage point to view the coast westward to Portland Bill. We walk from the Scott Arms in Kingston along the ridge above Enscombe House then down from Houns-Tout towards the small horseshoe bay of Chapmans Pool. Then up the escarpment to the ridge and walk past the Marines Band Memorial along to St Aldhems Head and the unusual 13th century church of St Aldhelm.
The small square church was the first structure to be detected by radar, appearing on the cathode ray tube in the research station which developed radar in the Second World War which was situated in the field adjacent to the chapel.
2 - Badbury Rings a large hill fort occupied by ancient people affording distant views to ridges on the surrounding horizons and a station on the ancient ley lines and Roman Roads which bisect the site.
3 - Dancing Ledge the remains of quarrying for stone to build the cities of Europe and now a sun trap and rock climbing mecca. The perfect place for endless dancing and merriment accompanied by the crashing waves, foaming surf and scudding clouds.

I was prompted to write for Concert Band at the request of Pat Ryan and The Band Of The West Midlands Fire Service and hope that they thoroughly enjoy playing and recording the piece in the near future.

The Concert Band instrumentation is: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, E flat clarinet, 1st 2nd and 3rd B flat clarinets, E flat alto clarinet, B flat bass clarinet, B flat contrabass clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, 2 bassoons, 2 Horn in F, 2 B flat trumpets, 3 B flat cornets, 2 euphoniums, 2 tubas, 3 percussion (including 3 Fire Buckets)

In early December 2009, with just over a week to go before the first rehearsal, Ian Stephens, Artistic Director of the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis, e-mailed me and asked if I would be interested in a ‘challenge’ - to write the music for the songs of Nickolai of the North - an adaption by the author Lucy Daniel Raby of her best selling childrens novel. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the composer who had been initially approached to write the music was unable to do the task.

After burning the midnight oil I delivered 9 songs from the script although Lucy originally wrote 18 songs in the script. They were composed for the cast and two musicians; one playing piano, the other playing piccolo, flute, clarinet and alto saxophone

To read and hear a cast recording of the songs CLICK HERE to visit the NEW web pages and Read More...