Why don’t we do Abbey road?

They finally arrive… Twenty-two years after the original stop-gap CD reissues, The Beatles’ back catalogue gets a proper overhaul. PETE NASH talks to the master of the remasters, project co-ordinator Allan Rouse

On first impression, Abbey Road head honcho Allan Rouse can come across as having a rather gruff “seen it all” and “done it all” demeanour… Which, of course, he has.

Having joined EMI straight from school in 1971, at their Manchester Square head office in London, he took up post as assistant engineer in the demo studio, during which time he frequently worked with Norman ‘Hurricane’ Smith, The Beatles’ first recording engineer. After moving across to Abbey Road Studios, his first direct involvement with any of The Beatles was as tape operator on a session for Paul McCartney’s Red Rose Speedway album in 1973.

In 1991, Allan had the enviable task of copying all of The Beatles’ master-tapes (mono, stereo, 4-track and 8-track) to digital, as a safety backup. In doing so, he became one of the few – if not the only – person to have listened to every single second of the group’s EMI studio sessions. Not even the four Beatles themselves can claim that!

This was followed by four years working with Sir George Martin as assistant and project coordinator on the TV documentary The Making Of Sgt Pepper, The Beatles Live At The BBC album and Anthology. In 1997, the Yellow Submarine film was being prepared for DVD release. With an …

by Allan Rouse
<< Back to Issue 367

You must be a subscriber to view the full article, subscribe now for full access to all online content.

Already a Magazine Subscriber? Register now for online access.

You might also like:

Login Here

Free Newsletter


Subscribe to
our email newsletter by emailing:

anna.bowen@
metropolis.co.uk