Abbey Road Studios — London

Abbey Road Studios at 3 Abbey Road in St John's Wood is the most famous recording studio in the world. Built in 1931 by the Gramophone Company (later EMI), the studio's three rooms have hosted an almost incomprehensible concentration of landmark recordings — from Elgar's early classical sessions through the Beatles' entire catalogue, Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Radiohead's The Bends (1995), and Adele's 21 (2011). The Beatles recorded virtually all of their studio work at Abbey Road between 1962 and 1970, and their relationship with the studio and its engineers — particularly George Martin and Geoff Emerick — defined the modern concept of the recording studio as a creative instrument.

The studio's three rooms serve different purposes: Studio One is one of the largest recording rooms in the world, used primarily for orchestral and film score sessions; Studio Two is where the Beatles worked and remains the most famous recording room on earth; Studio Three is a smaller room used for overdubs and mixing. The studio pioneered numerous recording techniques during the Beatles era, including automatic double tracking (ADT), invented by engineer Ken Townsend, and the tape loops and experimental techniques used on Revolver (1966) and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967).

Abbey Road Studios continues to operate as a world-class recording facility. The zebra crossing outside the studio — featured on the cover of the Beatles' Abbey Road (1969) — is the most photographed pedestrian crossing in the world and a Grade II listed structure. The studio is not generally open to the public, though occasional tours and open days are held. The studio's exterior wall, covered in fan graffiti, is regularly repainted.