Secrets Of Abbey Road Studios Unlocked

The secrets of Abbey Road Studios, where many of The Beatles' albums were recorded and home to many of music's extraordinary moments, are being unlocked for the first time.

Thanks to Google technology, fans will be able to experience the London studios, where everyone from John Lennon to Pink Floyd and Elton John have made music.

Some 150 different, 360-degree panoramic images - as well as interactive gadgets and archive - are available giving an insight into the magic.

Giles Martin, the son of George Martin who signed The Beatles and produced many of their albums, is a producer at the studios and says it's a very special place.

"Everyone's recorded here from Ella Fitzgerald to Radiohead and the Beatles," he said.

"My father started recording with the Beatles in 1962, and when they were recording Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds down in Studio 2, John disappeared for a while and they found him on the roof of Abbey Road looking up at the stars!

"It has an incredibly legacy which (will) hopefully go on for many years."

Engineer Mirek Stiles, the studios' head of audio products, says artists get something extra from recording here.

"It's an inspiration thing, when you're in a room or an environment which evokes such history I think it's quite powerful and can set you off on a path that another room or building wouldn't.

"So it's a unique experience for anyone coming into this building."

For the last 80 years, Abbey Road has been a hive of creativity where artists have gravitated - not just because of its heritage (of which there is an awful lot) - but also due to its ground-breaking innovation and technology.

For the half a million fans who make the pilgrimage to the studios every year, the famous zebra crossing featured on The Beatles album cover is about as near as they could get before now.

The website follows on from Google's success in using streetview technology to visit places the public may not be able to experience for themselves, including the Pyramids of Giza, as well as exploring museums and art galleries in the Google Cultural Institute.