As young Dhani Harrison tagged along with his father George, Abbey Road Studios became a constant presence in his life. But although Harrison has long been familiar with the legendary studio, he had never recorded there. So when his group thenewno2 were tapped to score Beautiful Creatures, Harrison and bandmates Paul Hicks and Jonathan Sadoff ventured to Abbey Road for an experience full of firsts.
“I spent my whole life in and out of Abbey Road. Paul really spent a lot of his life there, 12 years mixing and engineering,” Harrison tells Rolling Stone. “Recording at Abbey Road was emotional: My first time recording there, my first time hearing something we composed for an orchestra of that size and my first major Hollywood film soundtrack.” But Harrison didn’t let the weight of the experience damper his creative vision, tapping guests like Ben Harper, the Duke Spirit’s Leila Moss and Paul’s father Tony (of the Hollies) for the project while staging grandiose arrangements. “I was able to put a 54-piece orchestra in Studio 2, which is really weird,” he said. “It’s where my dad spent a lot of his formative years, as well as Paul’s dad, who recorded in Studio 1.”
To listen to their new song called “Never Too Late” (featuring Leila Moss and Thorunn Antonia), go to Rolling Stone.