In Memory of Allan Rouse

Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Allan Rouse, who passed away yesterday and in particular Fiona his wife who cared for him with such tenderness and consideration following his illness.

Allan joined Abbey Road studios in 1972 and during his time there made an invaluable contribution towards preserving the music and legacy of The Beatles.  He worked on all the releases with extraordinary dedication and loyalty.  

We will also miss his acerbic wit that was actually part of his charm.  Allan did not suffer fools gladly but once you earned his respect he could not have been more co-operative and helpful.

Allan was a true friend of the band and of everyone at Apple, and will be remembered with great affection by those of us who were lucky enough to spend time working with him.

From Paul, Ringo, Olivia, Yoko and everyone at Apple. 

It’s very sad to hear about the passing of Allan Rouse, known as the “gate-keeper” for The Beatles at Abbey Road.  He looked after and cherished everything that was recorded by the band and my father all those years ago. Only Allan knew where everything was and only Allan was trusted with preserving the tapes and the legacy of the most successful band in the history of recorded music.

My father spent hours with Allan working through the tapes for The Beatles Anthology. From the outset my dad loved his deadpan humour. It was this, linked to his incomparable knowledge of the music, that made trawling through all of the tapes a pleasure for my father during the project.

When embarking on The Love show I worked with Allan very closely. It was he that developed the technique of using vari-speed to manually lock each four track generation. This enabled me to create the multi-channel mixes that we used to create the new surround mixes of The Beatles. Having Allan come to my room and react to the work I was doing was always a pleasure. His honesty in everything made me respect his opinions that were always based on his love and respect for the band.

More than anything else we will miss Allan as a friend. Our best wishes are with his wonderfully compassionate wife Fiona who cared so well for him during his illness. 

Giles Martin.