The groundfloor and basement of this property was owned by Ringo Starr, who lived here from early 1965. After the birth of his son, Zak, Ringo and his wife moved out and he let the property to Paul McCartney. McCartney used it as a demo studio and a base close to the Abbey Road Studios less than two miles away.
1966 - 1967 The flat was then leased to Jimi Hendrix, his manager Chas Chandler and their girlfriends, soon after Hendrix's arrival in the UK in the autumn of 1966. Parts of Hendrix's first album 'Are You Experienced' were written here. Depending on which story you believe, he was evicted by Starr for either throwing white wash on the walls, or painting the walls black!
1968 - 1969
Following the break up of John Lennon's marriage to Cynthia, he moved into the property in July 1968. Throughout this period John completed work with the rest of the group on the White Album. It was in the basement that the notorious naked Two Virgins LP cover was photographed and then on 18th October ’68 the police raided the flat discovering small amounts of cannabis leading to his and Yoko Ono's arrest.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono leaving Marylebone Magistrates Court after being charged with cannabis possession and obstructing police. Lennon later pleaded guilty and took sole responsibility fearing Ono's deportation, and was fined £150.
Plaque unveiled on October 23rd 2010
Mark Lewisohn, Beatles historian, speaking to the BBC:-
"The period in 1968 when John and Yoko lived at 34 Montagu Square was full of incident and interest, and it's fitting that John's occupancy should be marked in the month he would have turned 70.
"With two other Beatles and Jimi Hendrix also living here in the space of three eventful years, it's hard to think of any other London flat that better embodies the enduring fascination with that period."
Abbey Road - The Beatles The final studio album by the band, recorded at the EMI studios in 1969 (the studios were renamed 'Abbey Road Studios' in 1970). The front cover (above) is the only original UK released Beatles album without the name of the band or album title. The cover design, a photograph of the band traversing a zebra crossing outside the studios, was based on sketches by Paul McCartney. The photograph was taken around 11:30am on Friday August 8th 1969.
Photographer Iain Macmillan recalls the shoot:-
"I remember we hired a policeman to hold up the traffic while I was up on a step ladder taking the pictures,the whole idea, I must say, was Paul McCartney's. A few days before the shoot, he drew a sketch of how he imagined the cover, which we executed almost exactly that day.
I took a couple of shots of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road one way, we then let some of the traffic go by and then they walked across the road the other way, and I took a few more shots. The one eventually chosen for the cover was number five of six. It was the only one that had their legs in a perfect 'V' formation, which is what I wanted stylistically."
The white Volkswagen Beetle on the left belonged to residents of the flats opposite who were away on holiday, the number plate (LMW 281F) was repeatedly stolen following the albums release. The man standing on the pavement on the right was Paul Cole an American tourist unaware he had been photographed until he saw the album cover some months later. The men in white further up the road on the left, were decorators subsequently identified as Alan Flanagan, Steve Millwood and Derek Seagrove.
Abbey Road, St John's Wood, London (Nov 2nd 2011)
I'm captured taking this photograph on The Abbey Road Webcam (below)
The Abbey Road sign, is often stolen and is subsequently replaced infrequently, when it is replaced it doesn't take long for it to be adorned with graffiti, before going missing again...
In New York in 1966, Jimi Hendrix met Chas Chandler, bass player with The Animals, who was on the lookout out for talent to manage and produce. Chandler convinced Hendrix to go to London where he joined forces with musicians Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience. While there, Hendrix built up quite a following, not least among England's rock royalty. Members of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Eric Clapton were all great admirers of Hendrix's work. The Jimi Hendrix Experience released three critically acclaimed albums: 'Are You Experienced', 'Axis: Bold As Love' and 'Electric Ladyland'.
In the four years (on and off) that he lived and played in London, he would stay in any number of hotel rooms, furnished flats and boltholes. One of these was a flat at 23 Brook Street, where he lived with his girlfriend Kathy Etchingham – next door to the house where Handel had lived and where he composed Messiah.
Brook Street, Mayfair, London
Jimi Hendrix's blue plaque on the left at No.23, with Handel's on the right at No.25
March 31st 1967 was the first day of a UK tour where The Jimi Hendrix Experience were opening for the Walker Brothers, also on the bill were Cat Stevens and Engelbert Hupperdinck. The venue - The Finsbury Park Astoria (Finsbury Park, North London)
As the band were bottom of the bill, Jimi's manager Chas Chandler was keen to find a way of making sure his young guitar prodigy stood out. There followed a discussion backstage amongst the small Hendrix entourage including a young journalist Keith Altham and a publicist working for Chandler, Tony Garland.
Altham remembered the fateful day: “‘The destruction thing is being done to death,’ I said. ‘You can’t do that or you’ll be accused of just copying [Pete] Townshend."
Chandler said something about doing something to steal the headlines, something outrageous.
“It’s a pity you can’t set fire to your guitar,” Altham said, “but, of course, a solid body would never burn.”
Tony Garland, was given the mission to find lighter fuel. He recalled to The Guardian: ”I went out into Seven Sisters Road [in North London] to buy lighter fluid. At first, it didn’t make sense to me – there were too many things going on to worry about lighter fluid – but it all became clear in the end.”
The guitar was sold at auction in London for £280,000 in September 2008
Jimi famously set fire to and smashed up another guitar a few months later at the Monterey Pop Festival in California, USA.
Jimi at London Heathrow Airport, August 27th 1970
Jimi Hendrix died in the early hours of September 18th 1970 in a room at the Samarkand Hotel (22 Landsdowne Crescent, Notting Hill). The basement room had been rented by his girlfriend Monika Dannemann. The cause of death noted on the coroner's report was 'inhalation of vomit after barbiturate intoxication', he was 27. The Hotel is no longer there and the building is a private residential property.
The photograph of the band was taken in October 1990, almost a year before the release of their breakthrough single 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and hugely successful album 'Nevermind'.
They were in London to record a John Peel Session for the BBC, and perform at the Astoria Theatre on October 24th.
Photographer Martyn Goodacre - "I had to meet the band (Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic) and their PR Anton Brooks at the Dalmacia hotel in Shepherds Bush. It was really a bed and breakfast and they were all staying in the basement. I dragged them outside but it was freezing so the session was quickly drawn to an end but not before I walked up and down the road looking for locations. I finally settled on a zebra crossing and a launderette. I managed to get a few solo shots before they darted back into their room to get warm. Other photographers that day had to shoot them inside"
Nirvana played gigs in London on four other occaisions:-
27/10/1989 - School Of African and Oriental Studies 03/12/1989 - Astoria Theatre 05/11/1991 - Astoria Theatre 05/12/1991 - Kilburn National
An original print of the above photograph of Nirvana and many others can be obtained from the excellent rockarchive.com
After relocating from 165 Oxford St. this site was home to one of London's most iconic and important music venues between 1964 - 1988, before the property was sold for redevelopment.
Some of the artists to perform during those years included:-
AC/DC
Adam & the Ants
Black Sabbath
Buzzcocks, the
Cure, the
Damned, the
David Bowie
Deep Purple
Dire Straits
Duran Duran
Elton John
Fleetwood Mac
Guns N Roses
Human League, the
Iron Maiden
Jam, the
Jimi Hendrix Experience, the
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers
Joy Division
Led Zeppelin
MC5
Motorhead
Pink Floyd
Pretenders, the
Rolling Stones, the
Sex Pistols, the
Simon & Garfunkel
Small Faces, the
Sparks
Squeeze
Stranglers, the
Stone Roses, the
Thin Lizzy
U2
UFO
UK Subs
Ultravox
Undertones, the
Who, the
XTC
Yardbirds, the
The site is currently 'Soho Loft' apartments.
Unveiled on March 8th 2009.
The Who played at this venue 29 times, making their debut on November 24th 1964.
This site was at one time a pub 'The Bricklayers Arms'. In Spring 1962 (following an ad placed in Jazz Week by Brian Jones) auditions / rehearsals were held upstairs for musicians to form a band that became the first incarnation of The Rolling Stones. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were present.
"I went to the Bricklayers Arms, a seedy pub in Soho, for the first time for the first rehearsal for what turned out to be the Stones. I think it was May of '62, lovely summer evening. Just off Wardour Street. Strip Alley. I get there, I've got my guitar with me. And as I get there the pub's just opened. Typical brassy blond old barmaid, not many customers, stale beer. She sees the guitar and says 'Upstairs'............. I walked up those stairs, creak creak creak. In a way, I walk up those stairs and come down a different person..."
Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull - Great Marlborough St. Soho, London - 1969
Great Marlborough St. Soho, London - Nov 7th 2011
Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg - June 27th 1973
The former Marlborough St. Magistrates Court is now The Courthouse Doubletree Hotel 19 - 21 Great Marlborough St. Soho, London
Mick Jagger was charged with cannabis possession at this court and fined £200 in 1969. Keith Richards was found guilty here in 1973 and fined £205 for possession of marijuana, heroin and mandrax, as well as a Smith and Wesson revolver and an antique shotgun, both held without a licence. Oscar Wilde also had the start of his ‘Queensbury’ case heard in the building.
