One of the most iconic albums in music, Abbey Road by The Beatles , released on September 26, 1969, was the group's penultimate release. Legendary, the work was marked by an iconic cover still recreated in pop culture today, songs that have become classics, and technological innovations that were unprecedented at the time. It also brought to light the conflicts between the band members.
Abbey Road cover
To this day one of the most famous album covers, Abbey Road shows the British quartet crossing the street in front of the EMI studio on Abbey Road. The idea came from Paul McCartney , who also suggested that the photo session be quick.
The session lasted less than ten minutes, and photographer Iain Macmillan managed to get a total of six photos of McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr , and George Harrison.
The bassist and vocalist chose the photo that shows him out of sync with the rest of the band, holding a cigarette, and barefoot.
The album cover transformed the location into a tourist attraction that people still visit when they are in London. The pedestrian crossing was even declared an official "site of special interest" in the United Kingdom.
Abbey Road songs
The album features 11 songs in total, all written by McCartney/Lennon with the exception of "Something" and "Here Comes The Sun," which were written by George Harrison, and "Octopus's Garden," by Ringo Starr.
The album was produced by George Martin and is still considered one of the most carefully crafted and discussed Beatles productions.
Technological innovations
One of the technological resources used at the time on the album was the Moog synthesizer, which was beginning to be used on a larger scale within rock music. It makes it possible for virtually any sound to be generated electronically. The Moog can be heard in songs such as "Here Comes the Sun," "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," and "Because."
This was the first Beatles album to be released only in stereo, and not in mono, as was common until then. For their work on Abbey Road , sound engineers Geoff Emerick and Phillip McDonald won a Grammy.
Conflicts between members during Abbey Road
The album is considered one of the group's best, and it came during one of the most turbulent times for the band members.
After the death of manager Brian Epstein, Paul McCartney suggested that Lee Eastman, a successful lawyer and father of Linda Eastman , take over the business, but the other Beatles, suspicious and aiming for greater protection of everyone's legacy, suggested that Allen Klein (who worked with the Rolling Stones ) should have the job. McCartney disagreed because Klein charged a fee he considered exorbitant.
After the band's breakup, Eastman became Paul's lawyer for his solo career, and Allen Klein was sued for allegedly stealing from the Beatles. The remaining Beatles maintained a contract with Klein until 1977.
When the album was released, Lennon had already left the group, although his departure was only publicly announced after McCartney also left the following year.
John Lennon and Abbey Road
Despite the album's immense success and its status as one of the best ever recorded, John Lennon disliked Abbey Road.
In a 1971 interview with Rolling Stone USA, he spoke about the details of Abbey Road that made him lose interest in the album. "I appreciate side A, but I don't like that operatic pop style of the other side," he stated.
“Perhaps precisely because it seems like a bunch of stitched-together patches, rather than complete songs,” Lennon continued. “Everyone praises Abbey Road so much. But none of the songs had anything to do with each other (…) No common thread, just the fact that we put them together.”
