THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON RECORDING CONSOLE REALIZED
$1.8 MILLION AT BONHAMS’ ROCK MEMORABILIA SALE

Achieved world record price for recording console

Far surpassed expected price of $700,000

NEW YORK--An Abbey Road Studios EMI TG12345 MK IV recording console sold for $1,807,500 including premium at Bonhams' TCM Presents...Rock and Roll Through the Lens sale in New York on 27 March 2017. The achieved price far surpassed the expected price of $700,000.

The console was used extensively between 1971 and 1983 in studio two, and was used to its full potential by rock royalty Pink Floyd to record their landmark album, The Dark Side of the Moon. Recently voted the Number One Rock Album of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine, the album remained on the charts for 741 weeks. The Dark Side of the Moon was released to critical acclaim in 1973 and was the turning point in the band’s commercial success. Launched against a backdrop of the Vietnam War, the recent moon landings and a departure from the era of flower power, this album echoed the popular consciousness of the time.

One of only two custom made by EMI engineers, the console was commissioned as an update for the MK II model. Considered as ‘the greatest console ever constructed,’ by Brian Gibson, the world authority on TG consoles and an ex-engineer from Abbey Road, Pink Floyd utilized this desk with producer Alan Parsons to create a timeless ten track album full of atmospheric soundscapes that explored the evolution of neo-psychedelic art rock and jazz and blues-rock, and was testament to the superior engineering of this equipment.

In its time at Abbey Road, the console was used by some of the greatest names in pop and rock history including; Paul McCartney and Wings, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Kate Bush. The console is in full working order, and is accompanied by a letter of provenance from Ken Townsend, former Abbey Road Studio Manager and a copy of the album The Dark Side of the Moon (1973).

Katherine Schofield, Head of Entertainment Memorabilia in London commented: “The world record price of this important item of music engineering only confirms the military precision of EMI craftsmanship and the powerhouse persona of Abbey Road Studio. The intense bidding seen in the room and on the phone speaks to its association with one of the UK’s most relevant and successful bands, Pink Floyd, and highlights the fact that this is far from being any ordinary console.”

The sale of the Abbey Road console comes ahead of the May 13 opening of The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.