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1. Zgrada na čijem su krovu svirali 2. Britanska biblioteka 3. „Abbey Road“ sudio 1. The building that hosted their rooftop concert 2. The British Library 3. Abbey Road Studios
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Indica Gallery Beginning at the end – Yoko Ono and the fate- ful meeting at the Indica Gallery, which was unluckily backed by Paul McCartney. It was a counterculture art gallery in Mason’s Yard (off Duke Street) from 1965 to 1967, located in the basement of the Indica Book- shop. Paul McCartney was a friend of the three own- ers. The first “underground” newspaper, Internation- al Times, was founded there. And a young man called Marc Feld - who changed his name to Bolan - ran er- rands for the owners. In the mid-Sixties, when Swing- ing London was just about the hippest city on the plan- et, Indica, the capital’s first conceptual art gallery, was just about the coolest place to be. And it was of course inevitable that Yoko Ono would just happen to exhibit there and that John Lennon would just happen to at- tend her November 1966 exhibition Unfinished Paint- ings and Objects. “Indica was a very special place, the only cutting-edge gallery at the time and it was fantas- tic. Today’s British artists should know that, in a way, it all started there,” Yoko Ono said recently. Abbey Road It was in the summer of 1969 that the Beatles came together in a studio for the last time, to record a new album that would turn out to be their last chronologi- cally. It was named after London’s famous Abbey Road Studios, where the album was recorded. Multiple pho- tos of the band’s members crossing the street at the legendary zebra crossing in front of the studio were shot on 8 th August, 1969. The London police closed the road for 10 minutes, which was enough for pho- tographer Ian McMillan to capture the image, while standing on the top rung of a ladder. So, this is proba- bly the world’s most famous zebra crossing and a great opportunity to take photos and irritate local drivers – though you should keep in mind that it is still just a pedestrian crossing.
The studio where the Beatles came together for the last time to record what would turn out to be one of their best albums is another story. Abbey Road is per- haps the world’s most famous recording studio, which for the past 90 years has been the musical home not only to the Beatles, but also to the likes of Pink Floyd, Shirley Bassey, Ella Fitzgerald, Oasis, Radiohead, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, Adele and many others. The Beatles recorded 190 of their 210 songs there be- tween 1962-1970, working with producer George Mar- tin. It is possible to visit the studio today, where you can leave a message on their famous graffiti wall and buy something from the shop. 3 Savile Row John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr gave their last joint performance on 30 th January, 1969. on the rooftop of record company Apple in central London. John had wanted them to go up to the roof, with someone having said that it pro- vided a beautiful view of the West End. But not every- one was thrilled by the loud music, nor the traffic con- gestion chaos, and after just 42 minutes the London police forced the Beatles from the roof of the building at 3 Savile Row. They never again performed together, with John quitting the band in the middle of that same year, though Paul only made that news public in 1970. The British Library The British Library houses a fantastic collection of Beatles memorabilia, including old photographs of orig- inal band members Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. Other items on display include newspaper headlines, birthday cards, original lyrics scribbled on napkins. Represent- ing a real treat for fans are three manuscripts that were hand written by John Lennon and include the lyrics to Strawberry Fields Forever. The Library, which is locat- ed at 96 Euston Road, is free to enter.
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