If These Walls Could Sing

This is just excellent on so many levels. First, Mary McCartney did a great job with this - and then beyond that it's just history. It's musical monument - there are so many great artists that contributed to this - they share great Ariana memories - and it again just a walk through time. Well done - very enjoyable. And now I'm just going to ramble for a couple of hundred more words - because no one can write a good review unless it's at least six hundred words long. It's not enough to say you really like it, or it was great - you need to ramble on for a while and say a type a bunch of stuff that no one will ever read.

This is a great piece of history, and it is amazing to see all of the great performers that recorded here. From EMI records to the new name Abbey Road. These walls witnessed the beginning of the Beatles, from when their first meeting /audition with George Martin, to their unforgettable walk (now a landmark) and their album titled Abbey Road. I loved the interviews and memories of Paul McCartney, Elton John, Giles Martin, Pink Floyd, Liam Gallagher, etc. One thing I didnt know, was all the amazing George Lucas' movie scores that were recorded here.

All and all, an amazing show, and i think the tittle is perfect if only "These walls could sing".

Great job Mary!

Filmmaker Mary McCartney does a solid job showing the breadth of legendary musicians who recorded at Abbey Road Studios, but it's no surprise that the Beatles provide the gravitational pull to this 2022 documentary, especially since Mary is Paul's daughter and an accomplished photographer in her own right. Paul is prominently interviewed as is Ringo Starr. While they share that it was a special space for them during their salad days, the film doesn't delve that much into why it was special other than the association with the Beatles. There are nice archival clips of recording sessions stretching almost seven decades, and this will clearly hold interest to musical historians, but the sum felt more episodic than revelatory.

Although this is pitched as a documentary about Abbey Road, I think it is much more "simply" a documentary about how music is made. And it is a very informative documentary about how music is made. So if you have an interest in music, but no specific interest in Abbey Road, do give it a go. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Even at "only" 90 minutes, this documentary is perfectly paced, with unrushed recollections from many musicians.

I'm not sure it's worth subscribing to Disney+ purely to see this, but I found it to be one of the more interesting things they had to offer in January 2023. Hope you enjoy it too, if you decide to give it a go.

After attending an advance screening of Mary McCartney's If These Walls Could Sing, I was reminded of that old adage "the recording studio doesn't make the artist, the artist makes the studio."

While that isn't strictly true - there are numerous excerpts regarding the unique timbre of Studio 2 - it is the unique cast of characters who recorded at Abbey Road which make it the name it is today. The Beatles, Cliff Richard, Pink Floyd to name a few.

It is to McCartney's credit as a director that she gives ample focus to the players, both through interviews and archival footage/recordings, while also reminding viewers of the omnipotent force that is the studio itself.

She uses beautiful shots of the studio rooms empty in modern times, which flow nicely into the archival footage. The interviews were especially popular with the audience, with a Liam Gallagher segment regarding Oasis' ill-fated Be Here Now recording sessions drawing a lot of laughs.

The one complaint I have is that at 90 minutes, it almost felt too short. McCartney stated in a post-viewing audience Q&A that her initial rough cut was two and a half hours long. I said to her afterwards that I would love to see more of this material released. (Maybe a podcast is in the cards?)

If Walls is about crediting artists for making the most of their surroundings and drawing influence from those that came before, then I think we must credit Mary McCartney for making a great film using the same methods. I can only hope that this is just the first in a series of music films from McCartney, and not a one-off. If These Walls Could Sing premieres on December 16th on Disney+