Image copyright Reuters
The iconic Abbey Road photo of the Beatles is 50 years old. The author of one of the most recognizable photographs in the world, Ian Macmillan, took it on August 8, 1969.
The picture shows John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison crossing Abbey Road in St. John's Wood. They go to house number 3, where the recording studio is located (in fact, from several shots, the photographer chose the one where the musicians are walking in the direction from studios).
Subsequently, the photo became the cover of the album of the same name, which was released in September 1969. The Abbey Road album cover photo was chosen by Paul McCartney. He also came up with the idea for the cover.
Photographer Ian McMillan was allowed only 10 minutes to shoot. He did six takes, balancing on a stepladder while the Beatles crossed the street back and forth on a zebra.
Abbey Road Studios' Instagram features a selection of celebrity photographs taken at the famous crossing.
Many legends are associated with photography, and the pedestrian crossing itself has become a place of pilgrimage for tourists copying the gait of the legendary Liverpool Four.
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According to one of the legends, the album had the working title "Everest", in honor of the cigarettes of the same name, which the studio engineer Jeff Emerick smoked, but during the discussion of the cover of the future record, Paul McCartney said that he would have to go to the mountains for photography and stated that it was easier and safer name the album after the street outside the window. The rest of the Beatles agreed.
Image copyright Natalie CulmoneMcCartney not only came up with the idea for the cover, but also did a pencil sketch. On the appointed day, the band members showed up for the shoot in Tommy Nutter costumes - all except for George Harrison, who opted for a more "hippie" look. At first, Paul McCartney posed in sandals, but then took them off and remained barefoot.
Image copyright Jenna Mary PoppThe fact that McCartney has no shoes on, his eyes are closed, and he is out of step with the others, gave impetus to the birth of another urban legend: the message about the recent death of the musician is encrypted on the cover. He is allegedly part of the funeral procession, led by John Lennon - a priest in white robes, and closes George Harrison - an undertaker in work clothes.
Image copyright Julio AndradeConspiracy theorists even "read" the registration number of the Volkswagen Beetle that slowed down at the crossing - LMW 281F, seeing in it the abbreviation meaning "Linda is crying", referring to Linda McCartney, and reading the second part of the number as 28 IF (28 if) Paul would be 28 years old if he were alive. The fact that Paul McCartney was actually 27 years old at the time of recording did not bother conspiracy theorists.
The crossing itself remains to date the only "zebra" that can be observed on the Internet in real time.
The Beatles are a symbol of modern pop culture and music industry, perhaps even more significant than such musical "monsters" as Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Michael Jackson. And The Beatles - the best-selling music brand in history (more than 1 billion records sold worldwide) - forever changed the music world.
1. John Lennon originally named the group differently
John Lennon founded the group in 1957 and named it the Quarry Men. Later, he invited Paul McCartney to the group, who brought in George Harrison. Ringo Starr became the last of the "big four" after he replaced Peter Best as drummer.
2. Quarry Men, Johnny and the Moondogs...
The band changed its name many times before settling on the name
The Beatles. In addition to the Quarry Men, the group also went by the names Johnny and the Moondogs, Rainbows and British Everly Brothers.
3. "Beetles" (beetlles) and "Rhythm" (beat)
Although no one can say exactly where the group's final name came from, most fans believe that John Lennon suggested the name after Buddy Holly's American Crickets. Other sources emphasize that the name deliberately combined 2 words - "bugs" (beetlles) and "rhythm" (beat).
4. "From Me To You"
The Beatles called their first UK single "From Me To You", taking the idea from the letters section of the British magazine NME, then called "From You to Us". They wrote this song on a bus while on tour supporting Helen Shapiro.
5. There was nothing before Elvis
John Lennon was very fond of cats. He had ten pets when he lived in Weybridge with his first wife, Cynthia. His mother had a cat named Elvis as the woman was a big fan of Elvis Presley. Not surprisingly, Lennon later claimed that "there was nothing before Elvis."
6 Abbey Road
The band originally wanted to name the song "Abbey Road" "Everest". But when their record company invited the band to visit the Himalayas to shoot a video there, the Beatles decided to rename the song after the street where the recording studio was located.
7. Hit for the main competitors
Very few people know the fact that John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote the first hit for their main rivals, the Rolling Stones. "I Wanna Be Your Man" was released in 1963 and peaked at number twelfth on the UK Singles Chart.
8. Good Morning Good Morning
John Lennon wrote "Good Morning Good Morning" after being infuriated by a Kellogg cereal commercial.
9 Billboard Hot Record Breakers
During the week of April 4, 1964, as many as twelve Beatles songs were included in the top 100 Billboard Hot singles, including the compositions of this group occupied the first five lines. This record has not been broken so far, for fifty-two years.
10. The Beatles sold 178 million records.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Beatles have sold 178 million records in the United States. That's more than any other artist in US music history.
11. "Got to Get You into My Life"
1966 the song "Got to Get You into My Life" appeared. It was originally thought to be about a girl, but McCartney later claimed in an interview that the song was actually about marijuana.
12. Hey Jude
If you listen carefully to the words of the legendary song "Hey Jude", you can hear how Paul swore dirty, making a mistake during the recording of the song.
13. "New disease"
Many people mistakenly believe that the term "Beatlemania" first appeared in 1963 after a review in the Daily Mirror. However, the term was actually invented by Canadian Sandy Gardiner and first appeared in the Ottawa Journal in November 1963, where the word was used to describe the "new disease" that was taking over the globe.
14. ... well, if they themselves ask
Mae West initially turned down an offer to have her picture on the album cover of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", but she changed her mind after receiving a private letter from the band. Other famous women on the cover are Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple.
15. "Something" is the greatest love song
Frank Sinatra has often publicly expressed his admiration for the band, and once said that "Something" is the greatest love song ever written.
16. Help! and "Strawberry Fields Forever"
John Lennon said that the only real songs he ever wrote were "Help!" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". He claimed that these were the only songs he wrote based on his own experiences and not just imagining himself in certain situations.
17. Beatles Records Publicly Burned in the South
In March 1966, John Lennon noticed that Christianity was in decline and that the Beatles had become more popular than Jesus. His remarks led to protests in the American South, where the band's records were publicly burned. The protests have even spread to other countries such as Mexico, South Africa and Spain.
18. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. All four of its members were also inducted into the hall of fame individually from 1994 to 2015.
19. The Beatles hold the record for hits...
As of 2016, the Beatles still hold the record for most hits (20) to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey are tied for second with 18 songs each. The Beatles also hold the record for the most number one albums in the US and UK.
20. Unfulfilled dream
The members of The Beatles were so passionate about Tolkien's work that they wanted to star in the film "The Lord of the Rings", where the director was supposed to be Stanley Kubrick. Fortunately, Kubrick and his record company did not find this idea attractive, and a few decades later, Peter Jackson created his famous cinematic masterpieces.
21. The Beatles broke up because of...
No one knows 100 percent why the Beatles broke up. When Paul McCartney was asked why the band broke up, he claimed it was due to "personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all, he enjoys spending time with his family much more".
22. Missed Opportunity
The closest the band came to a reunion after their split in 1970 was at Eric Clapton's wedding when he married Patti Boyd in 1979. George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr played together at the wedding, but John Lennon did not attend.
23. Bands with guitars are out of fashion.
The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records on January 1, 1962, but were turned down because "bands with guitars are out of style" and also because "the band members lack talent". The Decca label instead chose a band called the Tremeloes, who no one remembers today. This is widely considered to be the biggest mistake in twentieth century music history.
24. The Beatles bought an island...
In 1967, when the Beatles were at the peak of their drug addiction, they decided to buy their own island. Throwing in cash, the band members bought a beautiful private island in Greece where they wanted to live together, away from screaming fans. Unfortunately, when the group broke up, the island was also sold.
25. Beatles songs heal
Some scientists have suggested that several Beatles songs could help children with autism and other disabilities. In particular, they refer to the songs "Here Comes The Sun", "Octopus's Garden", "Yellow Submarine", "Hello Goodbye", "Blackbird" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
Not so long ago, it appeared on the Web, which, of course, will be of interest to all fans of this group.
I wanted to look at England through a webcam, since I can’t go. Through a webcam search engine, I found an intersection on Abbey Road in London.
Cars scurry back and forth. I feel like my head is spinning. Ah, I guessed - it's because they drive on the left side.
Here are the pedestrians. Grouped and standing at the pedestrian crossing. Drivers in England are polite - they stop, let pedestrians pass, but they do not go. They will come to the road, then they will depart. Or they will cross the transition, and then return back. I think maybe the tourists... They don't know which way to go? Strange behaviour, isn't it? That's where I got interested. I kept watching. Below are screenshots from the computer.
Finally, two pedestrians grew bolder and went. One ran out onto the road and takes a picture of the second one walking along the zebra. Weird, I think. Who has already guessed - shut up!
I was even more surprised when the third flock of pedestrians began to be photographed. This phenomenon excited my brain. I began to look for various options for such behavior, called my husband, daughter. Marvel, I say, how people behave strangely. At the family council, we made two assumptions:
1. This is some kind of English flash mob. People take pictures at pedestrian crossings, then upload the pictures somewhere.
2. On the side where the lens is looking, there is some kind of landmark against which they are photographed, and on the transition - because this is a convenient shooting point, perhaps the center of the frame.
Well, I think I found a couple of explanations and that's enough, I was satisfied. But the camera did not turn off.
On the second day, sorting through the mail, reading my bookmarks, I find this - a webcam on Abbey Road.
This second day just shook me! People are more actively photographed. In sequence. "What is this being done?" - explodes from inexplicable surprise and incomprehensible my brain. A little less, but still surprising behavior of drivers. Cars don't just let pedestrians through: they are patient! are waiting! when the last ones take a photo and no one beeps!!! I feel like imbued with respect for English drivers.
Suddenly I see how another group of pedestrians is evenly distributed along the pedestrian crossing and "freezes" in their procession - as if a freeze frame. Hands in a swing in different directions, legs take a wide step. "STOP! I’ve seen this somewhere before, ”I think, and my hands are already typing this strange Abbey Road street in the search engine, but what is it there ?!
Here's what I found about this strange street with strange pedestrians.
Of course, one of the main attractions of Abbey Road is the recording studio of the same name. The studio is known for the fact that such world-famous bands as the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Shadows, Mike Oldfield, Duran Duran and others recorded their musical masterpieces within its walls.
Legendary rock band The Beatles named their latest album after the recording studio, which is located on Abbey Road and has the same name. The Abbey Road studio is still in operation today. Keane, Oasis, U2, Leningrad and Patrizio Buanne visit its walls to record their hits.
A large number of fans visit the famous street and recording studio every day, leaving graffiti on the fence and taking pictures at the famous pedestrian crossing, which is depicted on the cover of the Beatles' latest album. Incidentally, the Abbey Road crossing has been awarded Grade II status by English Heritage, which means that the crossing is under state protection.
And here, by the way, the morning tourist. Vermya in the lower left corner. The fact that the tourist photographs is precisely the entrance to the record company.
Yeah, and promise me you won't laugh too hard, okay? The inscription above the photo "Web camera on Abbey Road (a street in London). The street became famous after the Beatles' album of the same name" did not tell me anything until I found this picture. what can I say, my thinking is figurative, I think in pictures. And the words ... but what difference does it make what they write there ... the main thing is what I see :)))
That was such an amazing day for me at the beginning of December. My husband said that when we were in London we would also take a picture at the Abbey Road crosswalk.
You can see the street through the webcam
Almost everyone knows what the 12th album of the legendary band looks like, which became the last collaboration of all four members of the British quartet. Photos from the shooting for the cover of this album have appeared on the network, which we hope you will be interested in seeing:
Paul McCartney sketched out how he envisions the cover: 
A photo session with musicians crossing London's Abbey Road took place on August 8, 1969. 
This, already then one of the busiest sections of the road, was blocked by police especially for the Beatles for 10 minutes. During this time, photographer Ian McMillan filmed the musicians from the stairs and took a total of 6 photographs, one of which became the cover of the album. 
In the lens of Ian Macmillan, as well as on the cover of the album "Abbey Road" got a random passerby named Paul Cole, who came to London on vacation from Florida (USA). He later said that at that time the members of the group seemed to him just crazy. He noticed himself on the cover only a few years after the release of the Beatles album. The American had to work hard to prove to his friends and relatives that it was he who was depicted on the cover, and not someone else. 
The Volkswagen Beetle with license plate LMW281F, which stands near the pedestrian crossing, belonged to a resident of one of the nearby houses. After the album "Abbey Road" was released, the license plate was repeatedly stolen. In 1986, the car was put up for auction by Sotheby's. It was bought by a collector from the United States, paying 2,530 pounds sterling (about 4 thousand dollars) for an unwitting participant in a photo shoot. 
In the picture, many saw "evidence" of the death of Paul McCartney and his replacement with a double. Supporters of the theory perceived the composition as a symbolic image of his "funeral": the musician, depicted with his eyes closed, walks barefoot, out of step with the rest of the band. In his right hand he holds a cigarette (although everyone knows that he is left-handed), in which many considered the existing expression "A cigarette is a nail from the coffin." By the way, on the cover of the album, published by a domestic music label, John Lennon, not Paul McCartney, is depicted barefoot. 
Almost 43 years ago the Beatles crossed a zebra street in north London. The famous photo shoot on Abbey Road began at 11:30 am on August 8, 1969 and lasted only 10 minutes.
To commemorate the Beatles' trip to the recording studio, photographer Ian McMillan ( Iain Macmillan) took only 6 frames. The rest of the photos were taken by Mel Evans and Linda McCartney...
Photographer Ian McMillan had ten minutes to take a picture: this section of the street was specially blocked by the police, since Abbey Road was already one of the busiest in London at that time. McMillan filmed the group from the stairs and took six shots, one of which made it onto the cover.
Ian received this sketch from Paul McCartney a few days before filming. The thumbnail shows where to shoot and what the photo should look like. Yen added his sketch in the top right corner to confirm the layout.
Let's follow the order in which Ian McMillan took the pictures:
Photo 1 - The Beatles begin their session across the street from Abbey Road Studios. Paul McCartney is still in sandals. The VW Beetle is present until the end of the session, but the police van is not yet visible.
Photo 2 - Paul continues to walk in his flip-flops, but by the next frame he has left them on the pavement.
Photo 3 - A queue of cars and a bus appears. Paul is already walking barefoot.
Photo 4 - Another bus is waiting for the Beatles to cross the road.
Photo 5 - Friend, famous photo from the cover where they keep pace. A police van appeared. This photo has been edited for use on the cover. The original photo has not been published.
In 2011, the album cover was ranked 26th in the list of the best album covers of all time, according to readers of the online publication. Music Radar
This is the same photo as above, but with a slightly different tint. 2009 remastered version of the photo.
Photo 6. Last shot of the session. Another bus is visible in the distance.
During his lifetime, Macmillan said in an interview: "I took several pictures of The Beatles crossing the street in one direction. Then we let the cars pass and went the other way - I took a few more pictures. In the end, I chose the fifth shot from six. It was the only shot where the legs of all four were in an inverted "V" shape, which is what I was aiming for."
The car "Volkswagen Beetle" with the number LMW281F, standing near the crossing, belonged to a resident of one of the neighboring houses. After the release of the album, the plate with the number was repeatedly stolen. In 1986, the car was sold at Sotheby's to an American collector for £2,530.
White suit of The Beatles leader John Lennon was sold at the auction house Braswell Galleries in the US for 46 thousand dollars. It was in these clothes that the legendary musician was captured on the cover of the Abbey Road album.
The white suit, in which Lennon is photographed crossing a pedestrian zebra outside the Abbey Road recording studio in London, was custom-made in 1969 by Russian-born French designer Edmond (Ted) Lapidus.
A random passer-by onlooker (Paul Cole, a resident of Florida), who got into the camera lens while on vacation in London, became widely known. He later said that at that time the musicians seemed to him like crazy people.
Paul Cole himself noticed himself on the cover of the album only a year later, and he had to convince his relatives that it was he, and not anyone else.
In a 2004 interview with the Scripps newspaper, Mr Cole said amazing story…
In the 1960s, Paul Cole ran a small shop in Deerfield Beach, Florida. Worked a lot, rested little. In 1969, his wife persuaded him to take a vacation and rush to London for a week. Paul agreed.
While in London, his wife dragged him to numerous museums and exhibitions, which very quickly bored Paul. Refusing to enter another museum, he said to his wife: “Honey, we have already visited ten museums! If you want to enter the eleventh, then without me.” His wife granted his desire and left him to chill outside. Paul found shade as he turned onto Abbey Road, which was lined with trees on both sides.
And this is a dramatization - 'Abbey Road' from the perspective of Paul Cole
Twenty meters away from him, four guys kept crossing from one side of the street to the other. This process was filmed by a photographer who periodically ran out with a ladder to the middle of the street. "Crazy, those Englishmen!" Paul thought to himself. Being a man far from popular music, he absolutely did not recognize these guys George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr And John Lennon.
As you know, the photographer took several pictures for the cover 'Abbey Road' to select one of them. So Paul Cole is present in all the pictures.
Only a year later, in 1970, Paul noticed a record with the same photograph on the shelves of music stores. Paul bought it and brought it home to show his wife and kids. "Take a magnifying glass, kids, and find your father!" he grinned.
All these years, he silently shared the glory with the Liverpool Four, appearing with them on the covers of magazines, T-shirts, posters, mugs, badges, postage stamps and other products.
Paul Cole died in 2008 in Florida, a little before the age of 96. In 1969, without knowing it, he proved the efficiency of the phrase "Right Time, Right Place".
Since then, the cover of the new album has become a legend for two reasons - no cover like this one has become the object of so many imitations, and no cover like this one has generated so many conspiracy legends.
For crazed fans with inflamed imaginations, this was the ultimate proof of the delusional legend of the time - that Paul McCartney is really dead.
According to this legend, Paul died in a car accident and was replaced by a doppelgänger. The band, legend has it, felt guilty about this deception and put on the album cover hidden signs for your fans.
Thus, even today, despite Sir Paul's pronounced health, they continue to insist that if you look closely at the images on the front and back cover, you will find symbols of death hidden there.
There is no doubt that this album meant only one death. It was not yet known to the public at that time that the Beatles were in the last stages of disintegration, and this was their last album.
Relations between the members of the group deteriorated so much that they refused to original name album Everest and photography in the Himalayas, and instead shot outside the studio - and it was the only thing they did by mutual agreement.
Die-hard fans, however, could read much more from the photographs.
1.FUNERAL
The procession of the Beatles, walking along the "zebra", means a funeral for Paul. John Lennon walks in front in a white suit and symbolizes a priest.
Ringo Star is a mourner dressed in black. George Harrison, in a scruffy shirt and jeans, represents the gravedigger. Paul is wearing an old suit and is the only one walking barefoot.
He later explained that he started filming in sandals, but later took them off as it was a very hot day. Adherents of the legend say that if this is true, then walking on hot asphalt is uncomfortable, and this once again confirms that Pol is a corpse.
2. CIGARETTE
Paul is left-handed, but here he is holding a cigarette in his right hand. Cigarettes are commonly referred to as "nails in the coffin." Thus, this is a sign that Paul's "coffin lid" is boarded up, and the man in the photo is his doppelgänger.
Paul is also out of step with the rest of the group. Everyone has a left foot in front, and Paul has a right foot, which again confirms that he is different from the others.
3. REGISTRATION NUMBER
The white Volkswagen Beetle in the background has registration number LMW 28IF. Conspiracy theorists say this means Paul would have been 28 IF he hadn't died.
Paul was actually 27 years old when "Abbey Road" was released, but fortunately for conspiracy theorists, Indian mystics calculate a person's age from conception, not birth, so in this case, Paul would indeed be 28 years old.
This is supported by the fact that the musicians were famous adherents of the Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. LMW is also believed to stand for "Linda McCartney Weeps" - referring to Paul's wife, whom he married earlier this year.
4. spectators
In the background is a small group of people dressed in white people stands on one side of the street, and a lone person stands on the other side.
Does this mean that Paul is alone and separate from the others?
5. POLICE MINIBUS
There is a black police van parked on the right side of the street, a reference to the police remaining silent on "Paul's death".
According to legend, the band's manager Brian Epstein bought this silence, and the presence of a police "bean" in the photo is another "thank you".
6.LINE OF MACHINES
You can draw a line from the Volkswagen Beetle to the three cars in front of it. If it is passed through their right wheels, it will just touch Paul's head, and according to theorists, this means that Paul received a head injury in a car accident.
7. BLOOD SPOT
A stain can be seen on the Australian version of the album. It can be seen as a bloodstain on the road, it is located between Ringo and John, indirectly confirming the version of a car accident.
Linda McCartney and Mel Evans were present throughout the session and took many photographs. Many of them have not yet been published due to litigation. But some of them are available.
Before shooting, while waiting for the police, and during the rehearsal, several photos were taken:
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