Allan Rouse, an archivist who played a key role in remastering the Beatles Anthology double-album in 1995, has died.
The news was confirmed by Giles Martin, the son of iconic Beatles producer George. No cause of death has been given, but Martin reports Rouse had been looked after during an illness by his wife Fiona.
He says in a statement: “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.”
Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Beatle widows Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison also paid tribute to the late engineer.
They say: “Allan 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.”
Rouse joined Abbey Road Studio as an engineer in 1972. His name can be found on many of the archive projects by the Beatles over the last 20 years.
Meanwhile, the Beatles Sessions Tour kicks off in Liverpool’s Echo Arena on March 30. The live show will see a cast of 45 recreate the Fab Four’s Abbey Road studio experience onstage.
The Sessions UK Tour
Mar 30: Liverpool, Echo Arena
Apr 01: London, Royal Albert Hall – SOLD OUT
Apr 06: Brighton, Centre
Apr 30: Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena
May 04: - Nottingham, Capital FM Arena
May 06: Newcastle, Metro Radio Arena
May 07: Glasgow, The SSE Hydro
May 08: Manchester, Arena
May 10: Aberdeen, Exhibition & Conference Centre (AECC)
May 12: Leeds, First Direct Arena
May 13: Birmingham, Barclaycard Arena
May 14: London, The SSE Arena Wembley
May 15: London, The O2
