Somebody spoke and i went into a dream

Hello hello!

Has it already been a week since the last update?! Jeez, time is flying by way too fast here! (insert crying Emoticon)

Here's what you Americans have been missing:

On Thursday Caity and I woke up waay too early to head to the Victoria Theatre to get tickets to see Wicked that evening.  We left the flat around 7:30 a.m. to get to the theatre at 8; mind you, the ticket booth doesn't open until 10.  So we sat around for two hours, talking, laughing, and we even met an old lady who sat down next to us after she got ran over by a motorcycle.  She was battling back and forth with herself whether to show up to work or not.  Her final thought was no, so she headed back home.  She's even getting married in three weeks too and was complaining about the bruise she's gonna get on her cheek. I liked that old lady.

Anyways, enough about the old lady.  After what felt like days and days we finally got the tickets! First in line baby!  We walked back home, took a short nap, and headed to class at 2.  After class, we headed to the flat, then to the theatre!  I was super excited because I've heard like all the Wicked songs a thousand times cause everyone and their mother has seen the show, so I couldn't wait to see it myself!  It ended up being AMAZING!  I love it so much.  And I finally know what all the songs mean now!  Wicked is definitely in my top favorite shows.  I wanna see it again ASAPPP!

Friday and Saturday I think were pretty boring.  We didn't do much.  Played too much DrawSomething, ate too much food.  Walked around Piccadilly Circus and Leceister Square You know, the usual.

Then.. bum bum BUM.. SUNDAY!  Oh wow, Sunday was one for the record books, lemme tell ya. If you've seen my Facebook or Twitter at any time or hour during the days leading up to Sunday, then you should know.  I got to live the dream of Beatles-crazed fans around the world and step foot into Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios!!!!!  For those of you who don't know, this is a HUGE deal.  They've never opened up their doors to the public before.  The only way you can get into that building is if you work there, are a recording artist/actor, or by personal invite.  And this isn't JUST a recording studio, it's probably the most famous recording studio in the world.  So saying that I was beyond estatic to be able to go inside is a complete understatement.

You're proably wondering how Caity and I managed to get in.  Quite simply, we bought the tickets online about two months ago.  This year is Abbey Road Studios' 80th year as a recording studio, so they wanted to open it up to the public.  There were, I think, 6 showings with about 100 people in each one.  So, doors opened at 10 a.m. and they took us straight to Studio 2.  It was really strict.  We got a wristband upon entering, there were people standing along the hallways while we were walking to the studio, and we couldn't take any pictures until we were inside Studio 2.  Caity and I got yelled at for taking a picture of the sign that said Studio 2 that was right outside of the studio.  It was nuts!

THROUGH the gates!

nbd.

All men over the age of 50.

Don't be too jealous :)

Oopsy, got yelled at.

So, once we were in the studio, we had an hour to roam around the room, take pictures and buy some merch.  They also had musical equipment all around the walls of the studio.  Things like microphones the Beatles used, the infamous pinaos you can hear in a majority of their songs, the oldest mixer in the world, and insane things like that.  I was serisously having the time of my life.  The presentation started at 11 and rain until about 1:45.  The presenters are authors of a book called Recording the Beatles, and they really knew there stuff!  The presentation started fron the very beginning and goes through the history of Abbey Road.  They knew some really cool things I've never known about some of the Beatles songs.

Studio 2!

The "curve bender"

again, nbd.

:)

The Beatles made it clear in the studio that this was their mike.   They didn't let anyone else use it.

Some really cool things I learned:
Back in the 60's, artists rarely went into the control room.  Their producer quit, so they got thrown a new young guy who didn't mind their crazy hours.  The Beatles went into the control room and the producer was like, "You guys aren't supposed to be in here!  The next thing you know, you'll be making music in the mechanical room!".  Paul took that quite literally.  The mechanical room is a small 12x8 foot room right next to the control room.  They lugged up the drums, amps, guitars and anything else they needed, and proceeded to record Yer Blues in the mechanical room.  They liked the sound because all the music spilled into all the mikes and the singing mashed into all the other mikes.  It gives it a very different sound.  In the presentation it made me laugh because it said "The Beatles- Yer Blues. Mechanical Room Studio 2a".

Normally, you plug your guitars into the amp, which plug into the sound board (or whatever it's called).  But the Beatles wanted a different sound for Revolution, so instead, they just plugged their guitars right into the sound board in the control room.  It gives it that loud sound that you get when your speakers are blown in your car.  Personally, I've always wondered how they got Revolution to sound differently than other songs with guitars, and I was so excited to find out!

For Blackbird, Paul wanted a very distant sound.  So he was like, okay you put the mike at the top of the stairs, and I'll go to the bottom and sing from there.  So Paul walked down 2 or 3 sets of stairs, sat down in a chair and started singing.  While he was singing, he was absentmindly tapping on a book.  When they played it back, he realized the tapping he was doing so they did another take with him purpousfully tapping on the book.  People have always thought it was a scratch in the record or something, because it does sound like that. But the truth is out!  So in Blackbird, Paul is playing a book.

One of my favorite things during the whole thing was when the presenters brought a few people to three different pianos.  I knew exactly what was about to happen and I was practically peeing my pants I was so excited.  He like "okay, on the count of three, hit the notes with the red tape on them".  All three of those chords combined makes up the last chord of A Day in the Life!!! OMG It was SOOO cool to hear it real life.  They did it about 3 or 4 times and each time I was just giddy with excitement.

The first piano to the left, the one stright ahead and the grand are the 3 pianos that made up the last chord in A Day in the Life. 

If you go listen to Lady Madonna, the piano has an old time-y sound, which is the first one on the right.  If you go listen to Fool on the Hill, it's played by the piano straight ahead.   Obvisouly, the Beatles used the pianos thousands of times in hundreds of songs, but those are a few examples!

Studio 2 from the top of the stairs!

The stero recorded the Beatles used! There's only 3 in existence and they're all at Abbey Road!

Touching Ringo's ashtray.  Notice that it's drumset height.

The infamous stairs

And the infamous red chairs!  Hmm..wonder which one Paul sat in..?

After the amazing 2 and a half hours int he studio, Caity and I went to the bar/food bar to grab a drink and sit in the gardens for a little while, just like the Beatles did many times I'm sure.  After than we had to say bye to Abbey Road Studios :(  It was probablly one of the saddest things of my life because I know I will never have the opportunity to walk into that sacred building again.  But the experience was 100% completely amazing.  I just wish my mommy could have experienced it with me!

Studio 2 from the outside

Oh hey there Caity.

The gardens

:)

Just a mere civilan again.

One last shot infront of Abbey Road!

And back to reality.

So these past few days have been very lame compaired to the best day of my lifeeeeeeeeee. #melodramatic.  Well on Tuesday I had my last sexualities class of the semester, and last week was my last marketing class, so I have been to class since Thursday.  But today Caity and I went ot go see Les Mis!  It was really cool.  They sing throughout the whole show, and it was really good!  I'm thinking about picking up the book and reading it over Spring Break!  Then tomorrow I have a Theatre presentation, then I'm done with that class!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.. Caity and I are seeing PAUL MCCARTNEY tomorrow!!!!!!  He's playing at The Royal Albert Hall!! Caity is just about to die she's so excited.  And I can't wait to see him for a second time! :)  It's been a crazy, wonderful, unreal Beatles week!! 

Also, my mom and dad are coming to visit next week!  They arrive on the first and I'm so excited to see them (and spend money on me)  :) hehe.  I'll keep y'all posted!!

Cheers!