ABBEY ROAD

First issued on 26th September, 1969 Abbey Road was the final Beatles album to be recorded but
not their last to be released. Let It Be, though mainly recorded in January, 1969 was finally
released in May, 1970 alongside the film of the same name.

Following the 'live' nature of the "Let It Be" recordings, for Abbey Road. Interestingly, 12 of the
songs that appeared on the finished album were played during the filmed rehearsals and sessions
for "Let It Be" back in January.

For the first time on a Beatles album, the front cover contained neither the group's name nor the
album title just that iconic photograph taken on the zebra crossing near the entrance to the
studios in London NW8 in August 1969.
"The last section of Abbey Road you know I still think is for me one of the finest pieces we put
together."

RINGO

"I think before the Abbey Road sessions it was like we should put down the boxing gloves and
try and just get it together and really make a very special album."

PAUL

Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It is their
last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band's
dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Road began in April 1969, and the album was released on
26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.

Abbey Road is widely regarded as one of The Beatles' most tightly constructed albums,
although the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. Abbey Road was
released to near universal acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all
time. In 2012, Abbey Road was voted 14th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500
Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2009, readers of the magazine also named Abbey Road the
greatest Beatles album.
The last Beatles album to be recorded, Abbey Road was a fitting swan song for the group,
echoing some of the faux-conceptual forms of Sgt. Pepper, but featuring stronger compositions
and more rock-oriented ensemble work. The group was still pushing forward in all facets of its
art, whether devising some of the greatest harmonies to be heard on any rock record,
constructing a medley of songs/vignettes that covered much of side two, adding subtle touches
of Moog synthesizer, or crafting furious guitar-heavy rock . George Harrison also blossomed
into a major songwriter, contributing the buoyant "Here Comes the Sun" and the supremely
melodic ballad "Something," the latter of which became the first Harrison-penned Beatles hit.

1. The title
ABBEY ROAD ALBUM ARTWORK

The original title for the album “Everest” (after a brand of cigarettes smoked by Geoff
Emerick, one of the engineers). The packets had a silhouette of Mount Everest on them and
The Beatles liked the imagery. However, the idea was dropped as none of The Beatles wanted
to travel to Nepal for a cover shoot.
 2. Suggestion for the cover shot

Initially, the band intended to take a private plane over to the foothills of Mount Everest to shoot
the cover photograph. But as they became ever more impatient to finish the album, Paul
McCartney suggested they just go outside, take the photo there and name the album after the
street.
3. Time and place

The photo was taken on 8th August 1969 outside EMI Studios on Abbey Road. At around
11:30 that morning, freelance photographer Iain Macmillan, who was a friend to John Lennon
and Yoko Ono, was given only ten minutes to take the photo whilst he stood on a step-ladder
and a policeman held up the traffic.
4. The cover picture was taken about 6 times.
The band crossed the road a number of times while Iain Macmillan photographed them. Shortly
after the shoot, Paul chose the fifth one for the album cover.
5. Fashion

They all wore suits designed by Tommy Nutter, except for Harrison
6. Conspiracy theory
The procession of The Beatles across the zebra crossing, according to conspiracy theorists,
represents Paul’s funeral. They think that John Lennon’s white suit symbolized the color of
mourning in some Eastern religions while Ringo Starr is donned the more traditional black.
What they neglect to point out, however, is that George Harrison is wearing denim, the color of
mourning in Canada.
7. Paul’s feet are bare
Paul McCartney wore sandals for the first two shots, but afterwards took them off and walked
barefoot. This action became one of the ‘clues’ in the Paul Is Dead myth, which began in
September 1969. McCartney later explained that he began the shoot wearing sandals but
because it was a hot day, he kicked them off.
8. The “LMW 28IF” license plate

There’s a white Volkswagen Beetle in the background with the plate number “LMW 28IF” – 28
being the age conspiracy theorists say Paul would have been IF he hadn’t ‘died’. In fact, Paul
was 27 when Abbey Road was released – but fortunately for the theorists, Indian mystics count
a person’s age from conception, not birth, in which case Paul would have indeed been 28 at
the time. Besides, the band were famously followers of the Indian guru, Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi. It has also been suggested that the LMW stands for ‘Linda McCartney Weeps’ – referring
to his new wife whom he had married earlier that year.

9. The Beetle in the background of the Abbey Road cover kept getting its plates stolen!

After the album was released, the number plate of the Volkswagen Beetle, which belonged to
one of the people living in the block of flats across from the recording studio was repeatedly
stolen from the car.
10. The Volkswagen Beetle was sold in 1986

The car was taken in Wolfsburg at the VW Factory in 2003.

In 1986, the car was sold at auction for £2,530 ($3,652) and in 2001 was on display in a
museum in Germany.
11. The black police van
Black Police van in the background

Parked on the side of the road is a black police van, which is said to symbolize authorities who
kept silent about Paul’s fatal fender-bender. Say what you will the tenuousness of these
symbols—there’s no denying that van is keeping mum.

12. The man pictured in the background

The man standing on the pavement to the right of the picture is an American tourist named
Paul Cole. He was accidentally included in the album as he watched the foursome one by one
cross the street while on vacation in London and thought they were just four “kooks.” Paul Cole
was totally unaware he had been photographed until he saw the album cover months later. He
also admitted that he never heard Abbey Road.
13. The spectators
You can barely see them, but on the left pavement, further back, stand three decorators,
subsequently identified as Alan Flanagan, Steve Millwood and Derek Seagrove. They were
doing a decorating job in Abbey Road studios and were coming back after a lunch break when
the picture was taken. They hung around just to be nosey and were all captured for posterity
on the cover photograph.
14. No title
Abbey Road is the only original UK Beatles album sleeve to show neither the artist name nor
the album title on its front cover, which was Kosh’s idea, despite EMI claiming the record would
not sell without this information. He later explained that “we didn’t need to write the band’s
name on the cover… They were the most famous band in the world.”