August 8, 1969

[Old School]

J

ohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr managed to ?Come Together? to pose for one last album cover 52 years ago today. Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan shot just six frames of the world?s most famous band traversing the striped ?zebra crossing? outside their EMI Studios recording space in London. Picture five became both the quintessential work of Macmillan?s career and, arguably, the most iconic image in music history ? after the Fab Four received pushback from studio executives. ?Abbey Road? is unique among The Beatles? 12 albums in that the title and band?s name are absent from the front cover.

The Beatles toyed with the idea of calling ?Abbey Road? by the intimidating moniker ?Everest.? If they had followed that creative path, it?s less likely that a shoeless McCartney would have graced the cover ? on that summer Friday, he felt constricted by his tight sandals. While the lockstep musicians are front and center, the street background also includes four private citizens: a trio of local interior decorators seen behind McCartney and an American tourist near Lennon.

 

[The Joker]

Thanks. I've never seen this before.

 

[Old School]

Thanks. I've never seen this before.

You should get out more.

 

[Cie]

Cool pic and story. Never seen it before, nor did I have a clue abbey road is a real street

 

[kickserv]

nor did I have a clue abbey road is a real street

I have been there once, there were a ton of people taking pictures. It is a big tourist destination for obvious reasons.


During the London lockdown resulting from COVID-19, the road got some much needed renovations......







Abbey Road Live Cam

https://www.earthcam.com/world/england/london/abbeyroad/?cam=abbeyroad_uk

 

[kickserv]

the street background also includes four private citizens: a trio of local interior decorators seen behind McCartney and an American tourist near Lennon.

"In addition to the iconic four figures of The Beatles walking across the street on arguably the most popular album cover in history, there is also an American tourist named Paul Cole who made it onto the cover as well. Standing on the sidewalk, visible near John Lennon's head, he was standing there conversing with a policeman in his vehicle when he spotted four ?kooks,? as he called them, walking across the street. He chose to stay outside instead of accompanying his wife on the next stop of a London tour that they were on. Many months later, when his wife, a church organist, purchased a copy of ?Abbey Road? to learn a song that was requested for a wedding, he then recognized the event that he witnessed in London on the front cover of the album and then spotted himself there. This occurrence has later been dubbed "the greatest photobomb ever!"



Agreed......that was one epic "photo bomb":com:



Note: Paul Cole died in 2008 (age 96).

 

[kickserv]

Paul Cole in 2004.......

 

[The Joker]

there were a ton of people taking pictures. It is a big tourist destination

You've gotta be shittin' me!

 

[kickserv]

You've gotta be shittin' me!

yep, it's a fact.

 

[JOSHNAUDI]

Makes sense that kick knows all about boy bands

Tell us about this pic next

 

[kickserv]

Tell us about this pic next

That image was supposed to be on the Madjack T-shirt, but at the last minute Jack changed his mind.

 

[The Joker]

Makes sense that kick knows all about boy bands

Tell us about this pic next

ATM4L

 

[JOSHNAUDI]

ATM4L

:0003:0003:0003

 

[REFLOG]

J

ohn Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr managed to ?Come Together? to pose for one last album cover 52 years ago today. Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan shot just six frames of the world?s most famous band traversing the striped ?zebra crossing? outside their EMI Studios recording space in London. Picture five became both the quintessential work of Macmillan?s career and, arguably, the most iconic image in music history ? after the Fab Four received pushback from studio executives. ?Abbey Road? is unique among The Beatles? 12 albums in that the title and band?s name are absent from the front cover.

The Beatles toyed with the idea of calling ?Abbey Road? by the intimidating moniker ?Everest.? If they had followed that creative path, it?s less likely that a shoeless McCartney would have graced the cover ? on that summer Friday, he felt constricted by his tight sandals. While the lockstep musicians are front and center, the street background also includes four private citizens: a trio of local interior decorators seen behind McCartney and an American tourist near Lennon.