MELODY MAKERS (IF THESE WALLS COULD SING)

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Mary McCartney's Disney+ documentary 'If These Walls Could Sing' has a very simple pitch.

Let's celebrate London's Abbey Road Studios because it's a very special place.

The studios are, of course, special.

After all, they're synonymous with the band that made her father famous, The Beatles - even inspiring the title of one of their albums.

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But over the years Pink Floyd, Elton John, Shirley Bassey, Jimmy Page, Burt Bacharach, Cliff Richard, Kanye West, Kate Bush, Nile Rodgers, the film composer John Williams and Oasis have recorded there.

So McCartney has assembled most of them to wax lyrical about the world's most famous recording studio.

The result is a pleasant 86 minute stroll through the studio's history, celebrating the great music that was recorded there and the people who shaped it.

We learn Abbey Road was initially built for classical music recording, with its first occupant Sir Edward Elgar conducting the London Symphony Orchestra there in 1931.

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With access to some of Britain's best sound technicians, the studios recorded the celebrated cellist Jacqueline du Pre and there's footage to prove it.

And with a little help from dad's friends, McCartney, a photographer by trade, delivers a no frills documentary where talking heads speak reverentially about the venue and she mixes their anecdotes with footage and photographs of the studios over the years.

Visually it is a very conservative, flat affair.

And oddly it is the spoken word that occasionally elevates the film, with certain anecdotes standing out.

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Elton John and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page recall their times recording there as session musicians.

However it is the latter's account of recording the 007 theme 'Goldfinger' with Shirley Bassey as a session guitarist that leaps out - particularly his dramatic description of the reason why she had to belt out that long final note.

We hear how Cilla Black was rigourously put through her paces by Burt Bacharach during the recording of the theme to the Michael Caine movie 'Alfie,' with his perfectionism making her sing it 31 times.

Noel and Liam Gallagher address, in separate interviews of course, the legend that Oasis were  once kicked out of the studio.

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But as fascinating or amusing as these are, you kind of wish McCartney's magical mystery tour around Abbey Road had a bit more visual spark.

As you would expect, a good bit of the film is devoted to The Beatles with Paul recalling the creation of one of his most celebrated songs 'Blackbird' over archive and George Martin's son Giles playing John Lennon's original master tape vocals of 'A Day In The Life'.

Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour, interviewed separately of course, fondly recall recording 'Dark Side of the Moon' there.

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But there really isn't much to offer beyond a few interesting, nostalgic titbits.

McCartney engages Celeste to round off proceedings with a song, to illustrate Abbey Road's importance to the next generation.

However if Disney+ ever decides to do a sequel to 'If These Walls Could Sing' in 10 years time with more of today's stars, giving the film a bit more visual spark wouldn't go amiss.

('If These Walls Could Sing' was made available for streaming on Disney+ on January 6, 2023)