Sunday 19 June 2011

Tenth Stop: 3 Saville Row, London, UK



On 30th of January 1969 the Beatles played their last public performance on the roof of Apple Records HQ at Number 3 Savile Row, London. They played for over forty minutes, and would have played for longer, if it hadn't been for complaints about noise from some of the other tenants in Savile Row.

Ninth Stop: Royal Albert Hall, London, UK



The Royal Albert Hall is one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, recognisable all over the world. Since its opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from every kind of performance genre have appeared on its stage.

Eric Clapton has become synonymous with the Albert Hall as it has played host to his concerts almost annually for over 20 years. The Albert Hall was also the venue for Clapton's band Cream's farewell concerts in 1968 and reunion shows in 2005. Eric also instigated the Concert for George; this was held at the Albert Hall on 29 November 2002 to pay tribute to his life-long friend George Harrison.

British rock band Led Zeppelin performed a show 9 January 1970 at the hall, and the show was released in its entirety in the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD boxed set.

The Beatles song "A Day In The Life" mentions the Royal Albert Hall, as does the character Nowhere Man in the Beatles' movie Yellow Submarine.

Eighth Stop: Draft of Instant Karma's Lyric, Hard Rock Cafe, London, UK


"Instant Karma!" is a song written by John Lennon, released as a single in 1970 on Apple Records, catalogue Apple 1003 in the UK, Apple 1818 in the US. It is the third solo single issued by Lennon, and it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 on Canada's Singles Chart and #5 on the British singles chart. The song's first appearance on album was the 1975 compilation Shaved Fish. In the U.S., the song peaked at #3 as The Beatles' single "Let It Be" was rising to #1. While both songs competed for position in the Top 3, the Beatles officially announced their dissolution (Wikipedia, 2011).

Seventh Stop: 22 Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill, London, UK



Early on September 18, 1970, Jimi Hendrix died in London. He had spent the latter part of the previous evening at a party and was picked up at close to 03:00 by girlfriend Monika Dannemann and driven to her flat at the Samarkand Hotel, 22 Lansdowne Crescent, Notting Hill. From autopsy data and statements by friends about the evening of September 17, it has been estimated that he died sometime after 03:00, possibly before 04:00, but also possibly later, though no estimate was made at the autopsy, or inquest (Wikipedia, 2011)

Sixth Stop: The Cavern Club, Liverpool, UK



The Cavern Club is a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England. Opened on Wednesday 16 January 1957, the club had their first performance by The Beatles on 9 February 1961,[1] and where Brian Epstein first saw The Beatles performing on 9 November 1961. In the decade that followed, a wide variety of popular acts appeared at the club, including The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Kinks, Elton John, Queen, The Who and John Lee Hooker (Wikipedia, 2011).

Fifth Stop: 23 Heddon Street, London, UK; The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars



The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (often shortened to Ziggy Stardust) is a 1972 concept album by English rock musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom[2] and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music Charts. The album cover photograph was taken outside furriers "K. West" at 23 Heddon Street, London, W1. The post office in the background (now "The Living Room, W1" bar) was the site of London's first nightclub, The Cave of the Golden Calf, which opened in 1912 (Wikipedia, 2011).

Fourth Stop: John & Yoko's Bed-In, Amsterdam Hilton Hotel



Knowing their March 20, 1969 marriage would be a huge press event, John and Yoko decided to use the publicity to promote world peace. They spent their honeymoon in the presidential suite (Room 702 at the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel for a week between March 25 and 31, inviting the world's press into their hotel room every day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. After their other stunts, such as the nude cover of the Two Virgins album, the press were expecting them to be having sex, but instead the couple were sitting in bed—in John's words "like angels"—talking about peace with signs over their bed reading "Hair Peace" and "Bed Peace". After seven days, they flew to Vienna, Austria, where they held a Bagism press conference (Wikipedia, 2011).

Third Stop: The Battersea Power Station, London, UK



Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station's celebrity owes to numerous cultural appearances, which include a shot in The Beatles' 1965 movie Help! and being used in the cover art of Pink Floyd's 1977 album Animals. The station ceased generating electricity in 1983, but over the past 50 years it has become one of the best known landmarks in London and is Grade II* listed (Wikipedia, 2011).

Second Stop: Jim Morrison's Grave, Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France


Morrison died on July 3, 1971. In the official account of his death, he was found in a Paris apartment bathtub by Pamela Courson (his long-term girlfriend). Pursuant to French law, no autopsy was performed because the medical examiner claimed to have found no evidence of foul play. The absence of an official autopsy has left many questions regarding Morrison's cause of death. Morrison is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, one of the city's most visited tourist attractions (Wikipedia, 2011).

First Stop: Abbey Road, London, UK

Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner. It is most notable for being the venue in the 1960s for innovative recording techniques adopted by The Beatles, Badfinger, Pink Floyd and others (Wikipedia, 2011). More pictures see: