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From Star Wars soundtracks to The Beatles, the historic Abbey Road studios has played a key role in some of the most influential music of all time.

Now, as part of their year-long 80th anniversary celebrations, the iconic recording studios in North London have been letting the public in for a series of talks.

The Gramophone Company bought the Georgian townhouse for £100,000 in 1929, before opening it as a state-of-the-art recording studio in November 1931.

Sir Edward Elgar conducted London Symphony Orchestra at the opening ceremony, and it was mainly used for classical recordings for the first few decades.

(Image: Getty)

(Image: Getty)

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A long list of classic movie soundtracks have also been recorded at Abbey Road over the years, including five Star Wars films starting with Empire Strikes Back, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Raiders of The Lost Ark.

It was even used for propaganda recordings for the British Government during the Second World War, while the first British artist to record a No.1 hit single there was Eddie Calvert in 1954.

But ever since 1958, when Cliff Richard recorded first European rock'n'roll single "Move It" there, Abbey Road has been intertwined in rock music history.

The Beatles are unquestionably the act most associated with Abbey Road, with the band having recorded 90 per cent of their output there with legendary producer George Martin at the helm.

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(Image: Reuters)

(Image: Getty)

(Image: Reuters)

The band's first proper session in 1962 resulted in their first hit single Love Me Do while their final stint in 1969 saw them record their swansong album Abbey Road, named in tribute to the studio that had helped form their sound.

The album's sleeve provided Abbey Road's most famous moment in the spotlight, featuring the Fab Four walking in line over the zebra crossing outside the studio.

The zebra crossing has become a tourist honeypot with visitors looking to replicate the album cover scene themselves - so much so that English Heritage has given it listed status.

The Volkswagen Beetle parked next to the zebra crossing on the album sleeve belonged to one of the people living in a flat across from the recording studio.

(Image: Mirrorpix/Alisdair MacDonald) (Image: Mirrorpix) (Image: AFP) (Image: PA) (Image: Redfearns)

After the album came out, the number plate was stolen repeatedly from the car. In 1986, the car was sold at an auction for $23,000 and is currently on display at the Volkswagen museum in Wolfsburg, Germany.

As well as revolutionising popular culture, the Beatles' time at Abbey Road saw the group help pioneer many new studio techniques, with such innovations as flanging (a delay effect) and eight-track recording appearing first on Fab Four records.

It's not all about the moptops, though: Pink Floyd's multi-million selling Dark Side of the Moon, Radiohead’s breakthrough album The Bends and Oasis’s height of Britpop long-player Be Here Now are among the other notable records to have been cut at the studio.

(Image: Mirrorpix)

(Image: Getty) (Image: Mirrorpix)

(Image: Mirrorpix)

(Image: Mirrorpix) (Image: Mirrorpix) (Image: Mirrorpix)

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All of that rich history is in sharp focus at the special 80th anniversary talks presented in studio 2 by Brian Kehew and Kevin Ryan, the authors of the definitive book Recording the Beatles.

Kehew and Ryan’s ‘80 Years of Recording at Abbey Road Studios’ talk explores the studios’ decades of landmark recordings, its technology and creativity.

With over 20 years of research into EMI history, Ryan and Kehew have uncovered many secrets of the studios and will use rare archive photos, film and audio, showing changes to the studio and equipment.

Original vintage equipment will also be on display - including some of the very instruments, microphones, and studio hardware used to create classic tracks.

Visitors will have the opportunity to explore and take photographs in Studio Two, where seminal acts like The Beatles, Oasis, The Hollies, The Shadows, Pink Floyd, Kate Bush and Elbow have recorded.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Mirrorpix/Bill Kennedy) (Image: Harry Page/Mirrorpix) (Image: Getty)

Three sold-out talks have already taken place so the organisers have added further dates on 23, 24 and 25 March to cope with the demand for this rare glimpse into the hidden world of Abbey Road Studios.

Be warned, though - the tickets aren't cheap at £75 and you won't get to tour the whole studios complex, though there should be more than enough to see to satisfy music lovers.

To finish our own dip into Abbey Road's extraordinary history, here are some shots of the studio equipment over the years.

(Image: Science Museum/Getty)

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