The image on my home page is from the famous Beatles rooftop concert from 1969. By 1969 The Beatles sadly had had enough of each other. I believe they were still close bandmates, they just wanted to pursue other interests/genres of music.
The concert took place on the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at 3 Savile Row, in London’s office and fashion district. Billy Preston sat in on keyboards and the collective played a 42-minute set which was shut down by the London Metro Police. The rooftop concert was apparently a new-song showcase and they played the following:
- Get Back (thrice and aptly closed the set with v3)
- Don’t Let Me Down (twice)
- I’ve Got a Feeling (twice)
- One After 909
- Dig a Pony
- God Save the Queen, traditional arr.
The rooftop concert was the end of an era for The Beatles. They were (to me) ultimately a rock-and-roll band that saw its peak during the British U.S. invasion. In the beginning, they were a 1-4-5 blues band playing in rough corner pubs where it’s alleged that they were ruffians who scuffled on more than one occasion. In 1962 they auditioned for EMI Records’ producer George Martin. Martin signed The Beatles and helped shape their pop rock writings that took the world by storm. I believe The Beatles to be one of the most prolific songwriting groups — all 4 of them wrote — of the 1960s. Their range of genres was extensive spanning rock, blues, pop, folk, far-east influenced psychedelia, and album rock. For me, they were pure rock and roll from the rooftop and seeing them play this concert was my introduction to guitar-oriented rock and roll by 4 musicians at the top of their game. Most importantly, they knew “space” in music. By space I mean they knew how to stay in their collective sound lanes not bleeding into where the other players in the group were making sound.
They Rooftop Music ‘What’ and ‘Why’
So, this is where Rooftop Music name comes from. I do not aspire to be Apple Records. Rather, my area of specialty, that I hope to help local musicians with, is live music recordings. When you are rehearsing, it’s so much fun and you think you sound amazing. Truth is, you really don’t know how you truly sound without recording your rehearsals. Same goes for how you think you look onstage. In recording and videoing your rehearsals you get a different — more realistic — perspective on your collective or solo act. Ultimately, this is why Rooftop Music.
If you’re looking for a high-end studio with hundreds of thousands of dollars in outboard gear, you should pass me by. If you’re looking for a comfortable space to rehearse and be your free-wheeling band, solo or duo group, come on over, my rates are favorable and the studio is turnkey. I have a 16-channel recording setup that we can track your rehearsal with. All 16 channels are pre-amped to capture the best input signals. I can give you a mix (and also individual tracks) of what you can expect to sound like at a live gig. I can also give you a video of your rehearsal for your website and social media accounts.