Abbey Road Ward Councilor Lindsey hall says that since the year 2000, there were 22 accidents at the Abbey Road Crossing. She adds, “Maybe it’s time to end this once and for all and move the zebra crossing.” Another government official, Judith Warner stated, “I have asked our transport department if the crossing is in the most appropriate place.” A spokesman for Westminster City Council debated, “There is nothing to indicate any more cause for concern than any other road.”

(continued below)

Well here’s a silly suggestions, how about a traffic light? Break out your calculators and figure out how much money the Beatles bring in tourism. Now subtract the cost of a traffic light that would give fans half a minute to snap a photo. Still a big number.

And, do you think that fans aren’t going to still cross the road if the stripes aren’t painted there? It’s not like they are the same stripes as the original album cover anyway. The tourist attraction is the spot in the road, not the paint on the pavement.

This all just after the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the photographing of the Abbey Road album cover. Thousands of fans visited the spot on the anniversary. The Beatles tribute band “Sgt Peppers Only Dartboard Band” dressed in replica clothing and crossed the road to recreate the famous pose.

Photographer Iain Macmillan took the original photograph. He was chosen because of work he had done for Yoko. The photographer only had about fifteen minutes to take the album cover photograph. He stood on a ladder in the middle of the road and snapped only about 8 photos of the John, Ringo, Paul and George crossing in front of Abbey Road Studio while a policemen held traffic.

There was no writing on the album cover. Not even the band’s name. Creative director at Apple records, Josh Kosh, insisted the Beatles were the most famous group on earth and they did not need their name on the cover. The record company said they’d never sell albums unless they said who the band was. I suppose it all worked out all right in the end.

- Beatles Geek Pete

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Government Moving Beatles Abbey Road Crossing?

The four Beatles walked across the road outside the Abbey Road Studios, at 11.35am on August 8 1969, for the album cover photo of their last recorded album.

While brainstorming for a title and cover concept for their final album, the Beatles thought it should be something grand. They came up with “Everest” after looking a the packet of Everest cigarettes that belonged to their recording engineer Geoff Emerik. The world-famous Beatles planned to end big and and take a trip to Mount Everest to photograph themselves in front of the world-famous mountain.

Outakes of the Beatles Abbey Road Photo Shoot Below…

Abbey Road Album Cover Outtakes

But, the recording process dragged on for longer than the soon-to-be-spit Beatles patience. So John Lennon sarcastically quipped, instead of calling it Everest and flying to bloody Mount Everest, why don’t we just call it Abbey Road and take the picture in front of Abbey Road. Paul McCartney, the planner, sketched the Beatles road crossing image in stick figures and the plan was set.

Photographer Iain Macmillan was chosen because of work he had done for Yoko. He was only given about 15 minutes to get the shot. Standing on a ladder in the road, He took only about eight pictures of the Beatles crossing in front of Abbey Road Studio while a policemen held traffic.

The Volkswagen Beetle that was coincidentally parked in front of the studio belong to someone who lived on the street. The car was sold in 1986 auction for only $23,000 and is currently on display at the Volkswagen museum in Germany.

The man standing on the sidewalk learing at the Beatles is Paul Cole, an American tourist who was waiting for his wife who was lingering in a museum. Cole remembers, “I just happened to look up, and I saw those guys walking across the street like a line of ducks. A bunch of kooks, I called them, because they were rather radical-looking at that time. You didn’t walk around in London barefoot.”

The man who stepped into history didn’t know he was in the shot until a year later when his wife was learning “Something” on the organ. Trying to convince his children that it was him on the Beatles new album cover, he told them to get out the magnifying glass. Paul Cole died just last year at 96 years old.

Unusual for an album cover, there is no writing. Not even the name of the band. Josh Kosh, creative director at Apple records, insisted the Beatles were the most popular band in the world and didn’t need their name on the cover. EMI said they would never sell albums if they didn’t say who the band was. I guess it worked out selling OK in the end anyway.

- Beatles Geek Pete
For more Beatles News and cool Beatles Merchandise, visit my blog!

Album Cover for the Beatles Abbey Road

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The Beatles Abbey Road Album Cover Photo 40 Years Old

The Beatles clothing line will include fashion elements like a 60s inspired paisley print with a modern edge, the Beatles iconic font, and silhouettes of the Beatles from Help. The navy-colored Harrington jacket will have an interior with the Beatles faces in pop art colors. (Trivia alert: The Harrington Jacket was named after Rodney Harrington which was Ryan O’Neal’s character on the 1960s TV show Peyton Place.)

Ben Sherman’s creative director Mark Maidment says, “This is an ideal time for us to bring a new Beatles clothing collection to market, our own evolution into a complete lifestyle brand has meant that we can more strongly emphasize quality fabrics and authentic style. The classic Beatles imagery resonates with all consumers at all levels.”

The Benn Sherman company was founded in 1963 by Arthur Bernard Sugarman. He was the owner of a shirt factory who had realized that early 1960s London jazz fans were eagerly buying the American button-down shirts worn by visiting American jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Oscar Peterson. At the time, the English could only buy the shirts from official importers who had cornered this growing fashion market.

Sugarman, a one time American citizen, decided to produce a version of these shirts in England. The 60s English mods responded immediately, particularly because Sugarman was using better fabric than the imported shirts. He created the Ben Sherman Originals label. Today, The Ben Sherman brand is one of the most popular men’s casual wear brands in England.

Caroline Mickler, who is the official Beatles licensing representative, believes, “Ben Sherman and The Beatles are a perfect match, combining a genuine British heritage with powerful, worldwide brand recognition. She adds, “With The Beatles Clothing Collection Ben Sherman has brought together its real feel for The Beatles and their iconic status with a highly individual, highly sophisticated approach to these classic clothing styles. The market is very excited about this collaboration – and so are we.”

- Beatles Geek Pete
Shop for Beatles Clothing and read more Beatles News on my blog.
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New Beatles Clothing Line by Ben Sherman

McCartney’s Buddha-like drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. told the Boston Globe that Sir Paul somehow manages to play as if he were still that teenager with the mop top haircut back in Liverpool. McCartney’s Drummer adds that Sir Paul does not need to tour but he is playing live because he wants to. According to Laboriel, Paul loves to tour and it keeps him young, every time he sits down he’s reborn, he’s like a seventeen year old who is thrilled to be there in the moment.

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Get Paul McCartney Tour Tickets!
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A few songs into the Fenway Park set McCartney removed his Beatle-ish jacket to reveal Larry-King-ish red suspenders. Later in the show he joked about having a weak heart and not being able to continue with the stadium-shaking Live and Let Die firework explosions. All kidding aside the ex-Beatle still goes out on tour with the enthusiasm of a much younger man. Few aging rock stars show this much freshness in their performances. McCartney obviously loves his chosen profession.

In addition to “Live and Let Die”, McCartney rocked out his Les Paul to the Wings classic “Let Me Roll It”. He ended the hard rocker with a bit of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady”. After the song Paul retold the story of how the Sgt. Pepper album had come out on a Friday and by Sunday he had seen Hendrix play in a club. Hendrix surprised the Beatle with his own Hendrix rendition of the Sgt. Pepper Reprise.

The Paul McCartney Fenway Park show also had quieter moments when the band left McCartney to do his solo acoustic guitar finger picking. McCartney introduced the White Album classic “Blackbird” as a tribute he had written in the sixties to the American Civil Rights Movement. He also performed the touching “Here Today” which he described as an imaginary conversation with his late friend John Lennon. George Harrison also had his moment when McCartney performed George’s “Something” on a Ukelele that the late Beatle had given Paul. I guess Ringo will have to wait until he passes for McCartney to dedicate a song to him in concert.

- Beatles Geek Pete
Read more Beatles News and Find cool Beatles Merchandise on my blog.

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Paul McCartney Hits Home Run at Fenway Park

Michael Jackson is Not Giving Beatles Songs Back to Paul

From CNN… First the rumor went around that Michael Jackson was leaving the Beatles catalog to Paul McCartney in his will. Then the rumor was that McCartney was upset that Jackson didn’t leave the Beatles catalog to the Beatle in his will.

Neither is true, said McCartney in a posting on his Web site.

“Some time ago, the media came up with the idea that Michael Jackson was going to leave his share in the Beatles songs to me in his will which was completely made up and something I didn’t believe for a second,” McCartney said.

“Now the report is that I am devastated to find that he didn’t leave the songs to me. This is completely untrue,” he added…

http://whtq.com/blogs/rock_news/2009/07/mccartney-michael-jackson-was.html

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Paul McCartney Returned to the Ed Sullivan Theatre to Rock Letterman

The big news last night wasn’t that former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney was on the David Letterman show.
It wasn’t that it was a return for Paul to the Ed Sullivan Theater where the Beatles rocked America and where Letterman’s show is now taped. It wasn’t that he did a performance on top of the marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater, for an impromptu late afternoon concert for summer tourists and New Yorkers….

http://whtq.com/blogs/rock_news/2009/07/mccartney-michael-jackson-was.html

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Michael Jackson’s Death Will Not Effect Beatles Rock Band Set List

Is there any cause for concern that the final set list for Beatles Rock Band will be compromised by Michael Jackson’s death? How did MJ get into the Rock Band title for The Beatles, in the first place? If in case you still weren’t aware, the King of Pop only happened to own the song catalog of The Beatles via ATV, at least until his untimely demise…

http://www.qj.net/Jackson-s-death-won-t-affect-The-Beatles-Rock-Band-set-list/pg/49/aid/132943

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New York Rock Station WNEW looks back on The Beatles Free As a Bird

If you like the Beatles, then you’ll love this video. Of course, if you like the Beatles, then you’ve almost certainly already seen it. See how many references to Beatles songs you can find … there are reportedly 80 to 100 for the discerning eye …

http://www.wnew.com/2009/06/video-classics-free-as-a-bird-the-beatles.html

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New York Rock Startion WNEW looks back on the Golden Slumbers Medley

The other three members of the group accepted Paul McCartney’s suggestion that they record an album ‘the way they used to’, free of all the strife. Knowing that it would likely be their last, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr committed fully to the project, wanting the band to ‘go out on a high note’. Thus it came to pass that their album, Abbey Road, was born…

http://www.wnew.com/2009/07/video-classics-golden-slumbers-medley-the-beatles.html

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- Beatle Geek Pete
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Beatles & Michael Jackson, Beatles Rock Band, McCartney Rocks Letterman, More Beatles News …

Listen to George Harrison’s Greatest Hits on Amazon

“Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison is a gathering of material that takes us far into the territory that was ultimately a place unique to George Harrison,” writes Warren Zanes in his liner notes essay for the new collection.

This collection is the first to span Harrison’s entire solo recording career, including the #1 Billboard Pop singles “My Sweet Lord,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth),” and “Got My Mind Set On You.” Let It Roll also features live recordings of three timeless Harrison-penned Beatles songs, “Something,” “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” and “Here Comes The Sun,” from his 1971 all-star Concert For Bangladesh benefit at Madison Square Garden.

“The keyhole into the world of George Harrison is the music itself. Yet his songs and the accomplishments for which he’s remembered are inextricably bound-and those accomplishments are, without question, eclectic in scope,” Zanes writes.

George Harrison is a twice-inducted member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and as a member of The Beatles, and an 11-time Grammy Award winner for his recordings with The Beatles, Traveling Wilburys, and as a solo artist. On April 14, Harrison was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles.

Let it Roll is an excellent catalog of songs which show just how talented an artist George was. It skillfully shows just how much he grew as a songwriter over the years and what an inventive, musically rich musician he was. The tracks were personally picked by George’s widow Oliva. The hits collection was painstakingly remixed by Giles Martin (George Martin’s Son).

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Beatles Gifts .com

- Pete the Beatle Geek

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George Harrison Releases Remixed Greatest Hits Collection