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 - "beetles" (beetlles) and "rhythm" (beat).
4. "From Me To You"
The Beatles named 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 a "new disease" that was sweeping 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 come.
23. Bands with guitars are out of fashion.
The Beatles auditioned for Decca Records on January 1, 1962, but were turned down because "groups 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.
In mid-1969, The Beatles recorded their last joint album, which was called Abbey Road. Many consider it the best album of the famous four, despite the fact that later Lennon spoke of it extremely negatively. Recording of the disc took place in an atmosphere of open hostility between all members of the group, but despite this (or maybe because of this), many of the songs on the album have a cheerful and joyful sound.
The album's working title was "Everest"; it was even suggested that the band would have to travel to the Himalayas for the cover photo. But they, of course, had neither the time nor the inclination. When asked where they wanted to be photographed, Paul McCartney replied: "Why not take it on a regular street." He quickly threw a draft of the future cover on a piece of paper. Meanwhile, John Lennon and Yoko Ono agreed with their friend, 30-year-old English photographer Ian Macmillan.
Ian Macmillan at that time was little known. He graduated high school in 1954, then for some time worked as an apprentice manager in a small firm. Since 1959, Macmillan became a photographer, in the early 1960s, his photographs began to appear in the English press. In the mid-sixties, he met and became friends with Yoko Ono, who in turn introduced him to Lennon.
The famous photograph was taken on August 8, 1969, around half past eleven. “I remember we hired a policeman to stop the traffic while I climbed up the stepladder and took pictures,” recalled Ian Macmillan, “I took a couple of photos of The Beatles crossing the street in one direction. Then we passed the crowded cars, and they went in the other direction - I took a few more pictures. In the end, I chose the fifth shot out of 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."
This photo has become the most popular in the music world - even more famous than the photo of The Beatles by Richard Avedon, which is one of the twenty most expensive photos in the world. Every year, thousands of fans gather at the now famous pedestrian crossing. Everyone dreams of taking a picture a la the Beatles, although it is not so easy: Abbey Road is a rather busy street, and no one stops traffic for the sake of tourists.
Anna Gruzdeva
The cover of the Beatles' famous Abbey Road album (Stephanie / flickr.com) The famous Abbey Road pedestrian crossing (Gary Denham / flickr.com) The Abbey Road studio entrance (Peter Bruening / flickr.com) The Abbey Road studio building (james/flickr.com) Passers-by parody the Beatles at the Abbey Road crosswalk (Bruno/flickr.com) Engyles/flickr.com Engyles/flickr.com Engyles/flickr.com
In the capital of Great Britain - London, in the St. John's Wood area there is a popular and important building in world music. It's about about the Abbey Road recording studio, located on the street of the same name.
The name of the street in the Westminster district is translated as "Road to the Abbey". Here, in the 19th century, the headquarters of the British Horse Artillery stationed its soldiers. The street at that time was the road to the monastery of Kilburn, which in its day belonged to a monastic order and was in the status of an abbey.
Abbey Road Studio Building (james/flickr.com)
The building was founded in 1830, and a few years later it became an exquisite decoration of the district and received its serial number - No. 3.
For a hundred years, the house was owned, replacing each other, by four owners. In 1914 the building was converted into a hotel complex. Its residents were not from ordinary people and were very significant figures in history. One of them was John Arthur Mondy Gregory, a connoisseur of music and everything connected with it. He brought to the apartment musical instruments and, enjoying listening to his favorite gramophone records, he liked to independently accompany the compositions he listened to on the drum kit. His life did not turn out in the best way - because of illegal trade, he was sent to prison.
In 1929, the building was bought by the developer Francis Meyer. He was involved in construction and real estate transactions. However, he did not have time to leave his mark on the history of this house, since soon after good shopping, he also very successfully sold it to Electric And Musical Industries Ltd. EMI, anticipating the dawn of the recording industry, built the world's first highly specialized studio, where music was recorded at a high level using modern technologies.
The famous Abbey Road crosswalk (Gary Denham / flickr.com)
The reconstruction of the building into a studio was carried out in 1930. The owners paid £100,000 to implement their idea.
The administration of London did not allow changing the appearance of the building and its appearance remained the same, an elegant decoration of the city. Internal work did not greatly affect the old decoration. Minor repairs were required to the 16 rooms of the old building, ventilation systems and studio recording equipment were also installed.
By November 12, 1931, three studios, several offices and rooms for a quiet pastime, where musicians could relax, opened their doors to beginners and experienced musicians. At the same time, a recording studio was opened. The process itself was filmed and presented to the general public as a documentary.
Successful work of the studio
The successful work of the studio began with the recording of classical, orchestral compositions. Here the masterpieces of the London Symphony Orchestra and great meters were born.
During the Second World War, Abbey Road gathered propaganda facts from the UK and the BBC. But music has always sounded within these walls: the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong were recorded.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War opened the door for sound engineers to Berlin, where they studied in detail the technical innovations of the Third Reich in recording using a tape recorder. New technical discoveries in this area have helped to improve studio equipment.
In 1953, experts worked on broadcasting a recording of the coronation of Elizabeth II herself.
The Beatles and Abbey Road
Golden time is associated with the appearance in the life of the studio of the young producer George Martin. In 1950, simultaneously with his arrival, the popularity of rock and roll grew, the first hit parades appeared, and, of course, the already famous studio was directly involved in the birth of compositions that fell in love with the general public.
Abbey Road Studio Entrance (Peter Bruening / flickr.com)
We can say that the results of the work of Abbey Road have always become hits for all time. 1962 became a key year in the history of the studio. At this time, George Martin met the Liverpool Four, later the world-famous Beatles.
The meeting of these people greatly changed both their lives and the musical community around the world. Martin, having become the producer of this group, records all her work within the walls of Abbey Road. Their very first and at the same time popular album, recorded at this studio for 24 hours, called “Please Give Me Pleasure” did not give up its positions in the national chart for 6 months.
According to the members of the Beatles, the atmosphere of the studio helped them a lot when creating music.
The Beatles' Abbey Road album
The most important event in the life of the studio and the Beatles was the release of the album in 1969 under the name Abbey Road. This is how the leaders of the group and the producer himself decided to pay tribute to the place where their very fruitful and world-famous life flowed. On the cover of the album is a photograph of the band members crossing the road on a pedestrian crossing near the studio.
Passers-by parody the Beatles at the Abbey Road crosswalk (Bruno / flickr.com)
This transition later became a gathering place for all the Beatles, each of whom so wanted to take such a photo as a keepsake.
Even today, a webcam installed on the Abbey Road studios captures people crossing the road on the famous pedestrian, just like the Fab Four did.
Eat great amount various film and paper sources dedicated to the world famous Abbey Road Studios. They will be of interest to those who yearn to get to know her better.
Those who wish to visit this historical place can get to the studio from the St. John's Wood branches of the Jubilee Line in just 6 minutes.
I want to warn you right away that I took all the information from open sources and something from my own memory. I can assume that people from among the real fans of the Beatles are very jealous of the history of the group and the details associated with it. I apologize if I made any inaccuracies.
2. For starters, I want to show a diagram of how to get to this place in London. You need to take the metro to St. John's Wood station (link to the metro map) and go down about 400 meters to Abbey Road:
3. We leave the subway. This is what the station looks like:
3. We go down the Grove End Road. On the left side drew attention to the hospital of St.John and St.Elizabeth. To the left, the window of the hospital dining room overlooks the planted flowers on the hill. What care for the sick:
4. At the intersection of Abbey Road and Grove End there is a memorial to the famous sculptor Edward Onslow Ford:
5. The memorial offers a view of the very passage where the Beatles and just tourists are constantly crowded:
6. Everyone wants to get themselves in the frame at the transition:
7. And back in 1969, during a photo shoot of the Beatles, everything was different:
8. There are many legends about the history of this cover and photography. Why is Paul barefoot, why is John in white, etc. There is a lot of information on the net, here are a couple of links to these topics and:
9. Well, according to tradition, photos with me are clickable. In order to add my LJ as a friend, you can click on my cool scarf:
10. Let's look at the transition closer. They say (write) that he was slightly shifted from his historical place. Read the details on Wikipedia:
11. Well, we continue to admire the creativity of enthusiastic:
12. Asians have always been famous for plastic:
13. Look, the same guy as in the first photos. Although a lot of time has passed. Everyone walks and walks along the transition. Enjoys and angers car drivers:
14. Let's take a break from the Beatles for a while and go a little further along Abbey Road. Literally 200 meters away is a very beautiful Baptist church Abbey Road Baptist Church:
15. Pay attention to the car behind the fence. The parishioners arrived
16. Well, we'll go back, because we haven't looked at another Abbey Road Studios legend:
17. She continues to work today thanks to her popularity:
Very famous world musicians recorded here. From Russia, in 2006, the group Mashina Vremya recorded their album Time Machine here. Andrei Makarevich spoke very flatteringly about the work on the album at that time.
18. Entrance:
19. The same porch 1969:
20. They didn’t let me inside:
22. A few more places where fans love to leave their footprints here. Brickwork studio fence:
24. And the gate supports:
26. Another attraction is the studio webcam:
It is directed to the Abbey Road pedestrian crossing. If you go to the studio's website, you can see what's happening online. Here is a link to the camera: http://www.abbeyroad.com/Crossing. Picture delay about 2 minutes.
28. And finally, a bench, which indicates in which area of London the famous crossing is located:
In conclusion, I propose to watch my video, the frames of which were shot in parallel with the photos of this post:
That's all. See previous parts
After extremely unsuccessful recording sessions for the planned album get back(later renamed to Let It Be- 1970) Paul McCartney suggested that producer George Martin get together and record an album "like in the old days", without those quarrels and omissions that began with the work on the record The Beatles(aka White Album). Martin agreed on the condition that everything would be "as it was before", and the end result was Abbey Road. Work on it took place from February to August 1969.
The Beatles' twelfth album was originally named Everest: such cigarettes were smoked by one of the engineers of the studio, Jeff Emerick. The mountains depicted on the pack really liked the group.
But the name had to be changed: none of the team members wanted to go to Nepal for a photo shoot. We got out of this situation very simply and, as it turned out later, very successfully.
Cover design by creative director Apple Records John Kosh. Abbey Road- the only British album of the Beatles, on the cover of which neither the artist nor the name is indicated. The record company EMI warned that the record would not be sold without this information. Kosh clarified that they "didn't have to put the band's name on the cover... They were the most famous band in the world."
A couple of days before the shoot, Ian was given a sketch by Paul McCartney showing what it should look like.
On an unusually hot August 8, around half past eleven, Ian Macmillan, a freelance photographer and friend of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, arrived at the studio building on Abbey Road. The Beatles were waiting for him on the porch.
In stock, Macmillan had only 10 minutes to take the desired photograph. Especially for this, the police blocked the site of the already busy Abbey Road in those days. Using a Hasselblad camera with a 50mm f22 wide angle lens at 1/500th of a second, Ian took the first 3 photos while standing on a stepladder.
After that, I had to stop and let some of the cars pass and only then shoot the remaining 3.
Paul keeps the flip flops when they return, but leaves them on the sidewalk for the rest of the photo shoot.
McCartney examined all the photographs with a magnifying glass before deciding which one would make the cover. The selection settled on the fifth shot, in which the group is crossing the street from left to right, Lennon leading the procession, followed by Starr, McCartney and Harrison. McCartney walks barefoot and out of step with the others. It also featured Alan Flanagan, Steve Millwood and Derek Seagrove, decorating the studio and returning from lunch. They can be found in the frame on the far left.
Parked to the left, a white Volkswagen Beetle belonged to one of the residents of the apartment building across from the studio. After the release of the album, the license plate (LMW 281F) was stolen several times. In 1986, the car was sold at Sotheby's to an American billionaire for £2,530, and in 2001 it was exhibited in a German museum.
It is believed that the person standing on the sidewalk to the right of the crossing is Paul Cole, an American tourist. He was tired of going to museums: he just decided to stand and see what was happening around while his wife was examining museum exhibits. Paul got into a conversation with the policeman who was in the car. While they were talking, the tourist noticed that several people had gathered at the pedestrian crossing and four of them began to walk back and forth along the zebra: “Some weirdos! Who walks around London barefoot? Paul Cole noticed himself on the cover of the album only a few years later.
Shortly before the release of the album Abbey Road The American newspaper Rat Subterranean News published an article that claimed that Paul McCartney died in a car accident in 1966 and that the current "Paul" was actually William Campbell. And the picture became a new "proof" of the conspiracy theory. The number on the Volkswagen LMW 281F that was in the picture was read as "Paul would be 28 years old if he was alive" (and it does not matter that Paul turned 27 in 1969). And the whole composition personifies the funeral procession - ahead John in white as a priest, at the end George in all jeans as an undertaker, and Paul himself with his eyes closed, barefoot, a cigarette in his hand (the expression "a cigarette is a nail from a coffin"), and even walking out of step with the others.
McCartney always denied these allusions, saying that it was nonsense: “We wore ordinary clothes. I was barefoot because it was hot. And the Volkswagen just happened to be there.” In 1993, Paul released a live album Paul Is Live, the cover of which parodied and Abbey Road, and the "evidence" of his own death "found" on it.
The image of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road has become one of the most famous and copied in history. For example, Red Hot Chili Peppers took it as a prototype for the cover. Abbey Road EP.
In 2010, the crossing was given Category II status for its "cultural and historical significance"; Abbey Road Studios had received similar status a few months earlier. There is a special site on which the famous transition has been broadcast in real time since 2011.
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