Abbey Road

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abbey Road
The Beatles' studio album

Publication
(s)

September 26, 1969 ( UK ) ,
0October 1, 1969 ( US )

Label (s) Apple / EMI / Universal Music Group

Format (s)

LP , CD , MC , download

Genre (s)

Rock , symphonic rock

Title (number)

17th

running time

47 min 26 s

occupation

production

George Martin

Studio (s)

chronology
Yellow Submarine
(1969) 		Abbey Road Germany / USA:

Hey Jude
(1970) Great Britain:

Let It Be
(1970)

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the British group The Beatles , released on September 26, 1969 in Great Britain and Germany. In Great Britain it was their twelfth album, including the compilation album. In Germany it was their 15th album including the compilation albums. It was released in the US on October 1, 1969, where it was their 18th album.

The album was named after the street of the same name in the London borough of St. John's Wood in the City of Westminster district, where the EMI recording studios are located, where most of their recordings were made. Abbey Road is the last album the Beatles recorded together.

Emergence

Lyrics of the song The End . Blackboard at the Hard Rock Cafe in Munich
EMI Recording Studios , 1969
Abbey Road street sign in London

The album was created during the phase in which the Beatles were separating. After the disharmonious studio recordings and the filming of the Get-Back project ended, the collaboration between the four musicians was temporarily put on hold in February. On March 12, 1969, Paul McCartney married the photographer Linda Eastman in London. John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married on March 20th at the British Consulate in Gibraltar .

John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Amsterdam

Since November 1968, the couple released avant-garde albums and devoted themselves to numerous art projects as well as their peace campaign. John Lennon seemed to put his interest in the Beatles in the background, but on May 29, 1969 the Beatles single The Ballad of John and Yoko , recorded exclusively by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, was released, which should not be part of the new album and was her 17th and final number one hit in the UK and her 10th number one hit in Germany.

In the spring of 1969, the Beatles 'business problems escalated when Dick James and his partner Charles Silver bought their shares in Northern Songs Ltd. without the group members' knowledge . , which included the Lennon / McCartney composition rights, to Associated Television Corporation (ATV). In the course of the repurchase efforts, it emerged that Paul McCartney had increased his stake without John Lennon's knowledge. Lennon, Harrison and Starr caused additional unrest on May 8, 1969, when they appointed businessman Allen Klein as the new Beatles manager against McCartney's will. Despite personal and business differences, the Beatles began recording a new album on April 16, 1969.

The album was the last George Martin produced with the Beatles, and it was also the last album all four Beatles worked on together as a group. The previously recorded album Let It Be was completed after violent internal disputes in March / April 1970 by the then very respected producer Phil Spector and was only released after the official separation of the Beatles. Despite the increasing number of personal and business differences, the will prevailed in the group to record another album together after the unpleasant work on Let It Be .

George Martin said: " Let It Be was such an unfortunate record that I really thought it would mark the end of the Beatles, and expected never to work with them again, 'It's a shame it has to end like this'', I thought. So I was quite surprised when Paul called me and asked, 'We're making a new record - would you like to produce it?' - 'Only if you let me do the same as before' was my spontaneous answer. 'That's exactly what we're going to do,' he said. - 'John is there too?' - 'Yes, word of honor.' It turned out to be a very nice record, I think it was because everyone thought it would be the last. "

During the recording sessions on July 21st, her former sound engineer Geoff Emerick , who had left the Beatles while recording the White Album , got back on track. In his autobiography he reports that the band members tried very hard to spread a positive mood towards him and George Martin, but also to each other and to treat each other with respect. In his opinion, this strange mood is also reflected in the sound of the album, which in this respect differs significantly from all other albums by the band. The sound quality is also significantly better than any other Beatles recordings.

EMI TG mixing console, similar to that for the production of Abbey Road was used

Between May 6 and July 1, 1969, the Beatles temporarily stopped work on their new album. John Lennon and Yoko Ono suffered a traffic accident in Scotland in June 1969 , so they did not return to Abbey Road Studios until July 9th . While Yoko Ono, who was more severely injured than Lennon, watched the recordings from a bed in the studio, John Lennon held back musically until July 21st due to his health, so Maxwell's Silver Hammer , which he didn't appreciate anyway, as well as Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight and Here Comes the Sun were recorded without him.

Abbey Road is characterized by complex compositions. The piece You Never Give Me Your Money , with which the medley begins, should be mentioned here. This McCartney composition consists of very contrasting parts. The first two stanzas are harmoniously structured in the form of a fifth case sequence , which can also be found in many jazz standards . The piano introduction anticipates the vocal melody. This is followed by a vaudeville- like swing part. In Carry That Weight , the penultimate piece of the medley, the verse from You Never Give Me Your Money is taken up again; this gives the seemingly arbitrary stringing together of song fragments in structure - a "unity" is created. The end of the medley is the piece The End . Other important songs on the album are Lennon's Come Together and Because , arranged with vocal harmonies , for which John Lennon was inspired by Beethoven's moonlight sonata . Lead guitarist George Harrison also contributed the two songs Here Comes the Sun and Something , which in retrospect became his most popular Beatles compositions (alongside While My Guitar Gently Weeps ). Octopus's Garden is Ringo Starr's second and final composition to be released on a Beatles album. For some songs of that time was new Moog synthesizer uses such as for the whistle at the end chorus in Here Comes the Sun . A Moog synthesizer also ends the highly repetitive I Want You (She's So Heavy) with white noise , the A side of the LP ends abruptly. The synthesizer came from the private collection of George Harrison, with whom he recorded his second solo album Electronic Sound , and was installed at Abbey Road Studios in early August 1969 for the recordings for the album.

Moog synthesizer

On August 19, 1969, the last recordings ( Here Comes the Sun ) were made, on August 20, 1969, the four of the Beatles were in the studio for the last time and mixed I Want You (She's So Heavy) , two days later they took place at Tittenhurst Park took the last joint photos, two of which were used for Hey Jude's album cover . The last mixes for the album took place on August 25, 1969. During the recordings for the album, various studio musicians were used, even if the decisive contributions were made by the Beatles themselves.

The medley on the second page of the album, consisting of three Lennon and five McCartney compositions, was put together at the suggestion of Paul McCartney. The B-side, which Lennon didn’t like anyway, was almost completely compiled by George Martin and Paul McCartney, and Lennon was only active in an advisory capacity. George Martin said: “Paul and I put together the second, the long page. We wanted to try again to do something hand and foot, like with Sgt. Pepper . John was absolutely against what we were doing on the second side of Abbey Road . "

John Lennon: “Personally, I don't think much of strings and such bells and whistles. I was never particularly fond of this pop opera stuff. I like three-minute recordings, as short as commercials. ”According to sound engineer Phil McDonald, Lennon temporarily considered separating his songs from McCartney's songs on the album, but this was never realized.

On September 8, 1969, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison (Ringo Starr was in the hospital for an examination that day) met for a meeting on Savile Row . In order to be able to inform Starr of the results later, the meeting was recorded on tape. Topics included a possible new single before Christmas and the Abbey Road follow-up album . Lennon suggested that he, McCartney and Harrison should each claim four songs and Starr two songs, he also wished that Lennon / McCartney authorship should end. The recording of the meeting was published 50 years later and refuted the assumption that the Beatles had already known during the recording that Abbey Road would be their last album.

In July 1969 John Lennon had successfully released his first solo single Give Peace a Chance under the name Plastic Ono Band . On September 13, 1969, John Lennon had his first live performance with the Plastic Ono Band, at a rock and roll revival festival in Toronto ; on that day he told his accompanists Eric Clapton , Klaus Voormann and manager Allen Klein that he had decided to leave the Beatles. On September 20, 1969, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr signed a new royalty agreement in London with EMI and Capitol Records . When McCartney suggested during this meeting that he should give a series of live concerts with the Beatles for the first time since 1966, John Lennon instead declared his departure from the group, which he did not make public at Allen Klein's request.

Paul McCartney: “I said, 'I think we should do little gigs again - basically we're a great little band. We should go in search of our roots. Maybe we'll break it up then, or we'll come to the conclusion that we still have it. ' John looked me in the eye and said, 'I think you're stupid. Actually, I didn't want to tell you until after we signed the contract with Capitol. I'm leaving the band. [...] You mean you will get out? That’s about it with the Beatles. ' Only later, when we slowly digested the fact, were we really upset. "

John Lennon: “Then we were in the office discussing something with Paul and Paul was talking something - that we should do something and so on, and I just said 'no, no, no' to whatever he suggested. Paul asked: 'What do you actually want?' And I replied, 'I mean the group is over. I get off!' I started the band. And I dissolved them. As simple as that […]. But finally I found the courage to tell the others that I - I quote - wanted a divorce. "

George Harrison: “Now the group had got to a point where they were suffocating us. It placed too many restrictions on us […]. I would have liked to have left myself. Without the band, I saw a far better future for myself. It wasn't fun anymore and it was time to go [...]. "

Ringo Starr: “We held the group together to finish Abbey Road . But basically it was all over by then. After we finally decided to split up, I felt relieved [...]. "

George Martin: “They had practically been locked up for over ten years, and actually I was astonished that they had endured each other for so long. So I wasn't at all surprised that they split up because everyone wanted to lead their own life - not least myself. It was a liberation for me too. "

Six days after Lennon announced his departure, the album Abbey Road was released, on the famous cover of which the Beatles cross the zebra crossing of London's Abbey Road. Abbey Road debuted at number one on the UK charts a week after its release, where it remained for 18 weeks. It was the Beatles' tenth number one album in the UK. In Germany it was the ninth album by the Beatles that reached number one on the charts. There were over 190,000 pre-orders for the album in the UK. In the US, Abbey Road also reached number one on the US charts, where it remained for eleven weeks, making it their 13th number one album. In February 2001, the album was certified multi-platinum in the US for twelve million copies. The single Something / Come Together was released from the album on October 6, 1969 , in the USA it became her 18th number one hit, in Germany her eleventh number one hit. George Harrison had his first single A-side with the Beatles with Something .

The album was released in a stereo version only . A mono version of Abbey Road was released in Brazil , but it was only a downmixed stereo version and no separate mono version of its own. Other - unused - recording versions / mixes of the songs Octopus's Garden , Maxwell's Silver Hammer , Come Together , Because and The End can be found on the album Anthology 3 . There is a lot of unreleased material on the September 2019 re-release of the Abbey Road album .

Today, Abbey Road is not only considered to be one of the most musically mature Beatles albums, but also ranked 14th in its list of the 500 best albums of all time by the American music magazine Rolling Stone .

Title and cover design

Abbey Road in London on September 25, 1969 - with a white VW Beetle
Abbey Road, 1997
Abbey Road, 2010

In the early stages of work on the album, McCartney had the idea of naming the album Everest - after the cigarette brand of the sound engineer Geoff Emerick , on the cover of which the silhouette of Mount Everest was depicted. For the cover, the proposal was made to fly to the Himalayas and photograph the group there. As the album neared completion, the band members found that they didn't feel like doing it and that it would be more convenient to just walk out the door, take the photo there and then name the album Abbey Road .

The album cover shows the Beatles walking one behind the other on the zebra crossing in front of Abbey Road Studios in London and is one of the most famous covers of the Beatles. The designer of the album cover is John Kosh. It is the only cover of a Beatles studio album that does not show the band name or album title. The picture was taken by Iain MacMillan on August 8, 1969 at 10 a.m. (3 Abbey Road, Grove End Road). In the background is a white VW Beetle on the left side of the road, which was also made famous by the album cover. On May 8, 1999, Eckberth von Witzleben bought the Beetle for 34,160  marks (adjusted for purchasing power in today's currency: around 23,300 euros) in order to exhibit the vehicle in the VW Museum in Wolfsburg . On the right side of the street, in the background, you can see the American tourist Paul Cole, who happened to be standing on the side of the road and watching the footage. The picture was cited by supporters of the " Paul is dead " conspiracy theory as alleged evidence - among other things, because McCartney is the only one to go barefoot, or because he is the only one with his right foot in front. In the original photo, Paul McCartney has a cigarette in his hand (and still in his right hand, even though he is left-handed), which was retouched on later images of the picture .

Paul McCartney said of the cover: “The intersection was right outside the door and we had an idea. 'Let's just go out there, call a photographer and walk across the intersection. We'll be over in half an hour. ' We were pretty late on schedule and the cover always has to be done before the music. So we grabbed photographer Ian Macmillan, gave him thirty minutes and walked back and forth on the intersection. "

There are numerous imitations of this image. Among other things, Paul McCartney used a re-enactment of this image for his 1993 album Paul Is Live . Countless Beatles fans also visit this cult site and take their pictures while crossing the zebra crossing. The Red Hot Chili Peppers brought out an EP in 1988 , on the cover of which they are shown almost naked during this crossing (The Abbey Road EP) .

A webcam has been set up on the official website of Abbey Road Studios that shows the zebra crossing around the clock. On December 22nd, 2010 the British Minister for Tourism and Heritage Protection, John Penrose, announced that the zebra crossing had been listed .

The fact that, due to exit restrictions and travel bans in the course of the Corona crisis, only a few people frequented the zebra crossing, was used at the beginning of the week that began on Monday, March 22, 2020 to repaint the zebra crossing.

Track list

page 1
No. song author Lead vocals length
01 Come together Lennon / McCartney Lennon 4:20
02 Something Harrison Harrison 3:02
03 Maxwell's Silver Hammer Lennon / McCartney McCartney 3:28
04th Oh! Darling Lennon / McCartney McCartney 3:27
05 Octopus's Garden Starkey Rigid 2:51
06th I Want You (She's So Heavy) Lennon / McCartney Lennon 7:47
Page 2
No. song author Lead vocals length
07th Here comes the sun Harrison Harrison 3:06
08th Because Lennon / McCartney Lennon, McCartney
and Harrison 		2:46
09 You Never Give Me Your Money Lennon / McCartney McCartney 4:03
10 Sun King Lennon / McCartney Lennon 2:26
11 Mean Mr. Mustard Lennon / McCartney Lennon 1:07
12 Polythene Pam Lennon / McCartney Lennon 1:13
13 She Came In Through the Bathroom Window Lennon / McCartney McCartney 1:59
14th Golden slumbers Lennon / McCartney McCartney 1:32
15th Carry That Weight Lennon / McCartney McCartney, Lennon,
Harrison and Starr 		1:36
16 the end Lennon / McCartney McCartney 2:05
17th Your Majesty Lennon / McCartney McCartney 0:23
The lengths of the songs are based on the 2009 CD version.

There are 20 seconds of silence between the 16th and 17th tracks. Her Majesty was originally inserted between Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam . McCartney didn't like the title at this point and the song was removed. A sound engineer then cut the song out of the medley. However, since the instruction existed never to destroy recordings of the Beatles, he added an empty tape of 23 seconds to the end of the tape, to which he in turn added the tape snippet with Her Majesty . The group liked this hidden little song at this point so much that they left it there.

Re-releases

  • On October 20, 1987, the album Abbey Road was first released on CD. The mastering was next George Martin from the sound engineer of the Abbey Road Studios monitored Mike Jarrett. A four-page booklet is enclosed with the CD.
  • On September 9, 2009 the album was released remastered in a stereo mix on CD and as part of the Beatles Stereo Box Set . The CD, re-released in 2009, was remastered by Guy Massey and Steve Rooke. The fold-out CD cardboard cover was redesigned by Drew Lorimer. The CD also comes with a 16-page booklet that contains photos of the Beatles and information on the album by Kevin Howlett and Mike Heatley as well as information about the recordings by Allan Rouse and Kevin Howlett. The CD contains documentation in QuickTime format, consisting of video clips and modified images from the studio sessions; Accompanied by played music tracks, outtakes or studio conversations from the album.
  • The remastered stereo vinyl long-playing record was released in November 2012 with the The Beatles Remastered Vinyl Box Set .
  • The first release in download format took place on November 16, 2010 on iTunes , from December 24, 2015 the album was also available from other providers and streaming services.

50th anniversary edition

For the 50th anniversary, on September 27, 2019, the album Abbey Road was re-released. It reached No. 1 on the charts directly in the UK , setting a record: no album has returned with a larger time interval ranked first The record of 49 years and 125 days previously held by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was narrowly exceeded at 49 years and 252 days.

Giles Martin remixed the album with sound engineer Sam Okell. The Abbey Road album was the most present for Giles Martin in his youth as he and his sister each owned a copy. Martin said about the work on the album:

“ Abbey Road sounded a lot better, a lot more modern than Sergeant Pepper , was the most ' hi-fi ' of any Beatles album. It was a tough nut to crack, hard work - not quite as hard as down in a mine, but hard to get it right. "

The recordings of the sessions were mixed by Giles Martin, Sam Okell and Chris Sheldon. The album was mastered by Miles Showell, the recordings of the sessions were mastered by Alex Wharton, the 5.1 version of the album by Emily Lazar. The audio restoration was carried out by Simon Gibson.

The box set includes the following songs as outtakes / demos that were not used for the album: Goodbye (Home Demo) , The Ballad of John and Yoko (Take 7) , Old Brown Shoe (Take 2) and Come and Get It (Studio Demo) .

The album was released in six different physical formats:

Super Deluxe Box (3 CDs / Blu-ray)

The three CDs and the Blu-ray Disc are placed in a 104-page hardcover book (31.5 cm × 31.5 cm), which is in turn in a cardboard slipcase. The book was designed by Darren Evans and contains forewords by Paul McCartney (Foreword) and Giles Martin (Introduction) , extensive background information on the album and cover, data on the recordings and the individual songs, photographs of the handwritten original texts, photos taken during of the recording sessions, as well as further information and descriptions from Kevin Howlett, who was assisted by Mike Heatley.

CD 1: Remix 2019

  1. Come Together - 4:20
  2. Something - 3:02
  3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer - 3:28
  4. Oh! Darling - 3:27
  5. Octopus's Garden - 2:51
  6. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - 7:47
  7. Here Comes the Sun - 3:06
  8. Because - 2:46
  9. You Never Give Me Your Money - 4:03
  10. Sun King - 2:26
  11. Mean Mr. Mustard - 1:06
  12. Polythene Pam - 1:13
  13. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window - 1:59
  14. Golden Slumbers - 1:31
  15. Carry That Weight - 1:36
  16. The End - 2:22
  17. Her Majesty - 0:25

CD 2: Sessions

  1. I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Trident Recording Session & Reduction Mix] - 7:00
  2. Goodbye (Home Demo) - 2:24
  3. Something (Studio Demo) - 3:37
  4. The Ballad of John and Yoko (Take 7) - 3:38
  5. Old Brown Shoe (Take 2) - 3:16
  6. Oh! Darling (Take 4) - 3:31
  7. Octopus's Garden (Take 9) - 1:43
  8. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36) - 5:18
  9. Her Majesty (takes 1-3) - 1:34
  10. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Takes 1-3 / Medley) - 3:21
  11. Here Comes the Sun (Take 9) - 3:41
  12. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Take 12) - 4:44

CD 3: Sessions

  1. Come Together (Take 5) - 3:30
  2. The End (Take 3) - 2:11
  3. Come and Get It (Studio Demo) - 2:43
  4. Sun King (Take 20) - 3:14
  5. Mean Mr. Mustard (Take 20) - 1:34
  6. Polythene Pam (Take 27) - 1:39
  7. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (Take 27) - 2:06
  8. Because (Take 1 / Instrumental) - 3:08
  9. The Long One (Trial Edit & Mix: 'You Never Give Me Your Money', 'Sun King' / 'Mean Mr Mustard', 'Her Majesty', 'Polythene Pam' / 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window', ' Golden Slumbers' / 'Carry That Weight', 'The End') - 16:10
  10. Something (Take 39 / Instrumental / Strings Only) - 2:42
  11. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Take 17 / Instrumental / Strings & Brass Only) - 3:17

CD 4: Blu-Ray

  • 2019 Dolby ATMOS album mix
  • 2019 DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 album mix
  • 2019 album mix in high resolution PCM stereo


Deluxe LP Version (3 LPs)

The cardboard box contains the album Abbey Road (2019 Mix) as well as two other albums (Abbey Road Sessions) , which are together as a double album in a record sleeve. The cover of the second album shows the Beatles crossing the zebra crossing from the right side of the street. The single and double albums were pressed onto 180 gram vinyl. The box is accompanied by a leaflet in LP format containing the forewords by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin as well as information from Kevin Howlett.

page 1

  1. Come together
  2. Something
  3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
  4. Oh! Darling
  5. Octopus's Garden
  6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Page 2

  1. Here comes the sun
  2. Because
  3. You Never Give Me Your Money
  4. Sun King
  5. Mean Mr. Mustard
  6. Polythene Pam
  7. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window
  8. Golden slumbers
  9. Carry That Weight
  10. the end
  11. Your Majesty

Page 3

  1. I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Trident Recording Session & Reduction Mix]
  2. Goodbye (Home Demo)
  3. Something (Studio Demo)
  4. The Ballad of John and Yoko (Take 7)
  5. Old Brown Shoe (Take 2)

page 4

  1. Oh! Darling (Take 4)
  2. Octopus's Garden (Take 9)
  3. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36)
  4. Her Majesty (takes 1-3)
  5. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Takes 1-3 / Medley)
  6. Here Comes the Sun (Take 9)
  7. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Take 12)

page 5

  1. Come Together (Take 5)
  2. The End (Take 3)
  3. Come and Get It (Studio Demo)
  4. Sun King (Take 20)
  5. Mean Mr. Mustard (Take 20)
  6. Polythene Pam (Take 27)
  7. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (Take 27)
  8. Because (Take 1 / Instrumental)

page 6

  1. The Long One (Trial Edit & Mix: 'You Never Give Me Your Money', 'Sun King' / 'Mean Mr Mustard', 'Her Majesty', 'Polythene Pam' / 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window', ' Golden Slumbers' / 'Carry That Weight', 'The End')
  2. Something (Take 39 / Instrumental / Strings Only)
  3. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Take 17 / Instrumental / Strings & Brass Only)


Deluxe CD Version (2 CDs)

The Deluxe Edition is enclosed in a cardboard box, which contains a 40-page booklet with a foreword by Paul McCartney and a foreword by Giles Martin, background information on the album and cover, data on the recordings and the individual songs as well as various images. The two CDs are in a flip cover.

CD 1:

  • Abbey Road (2019 Mix)

CD 2:

  1. Come Together (Take 5) - 3:30
  2. Something (Studio Demo) - 3:37
  3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer (Take 12) - 4:44
  4. Oh! Darling (Take 4) - 3:31
  5. Octopus's Garden (Take 9) - 1:43
  6. I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Trident Recording Session & Reduction Mix] - 7:00
  7. Here Comes the Sun (Take 9) - 3:41
  8. Because (Take 1 / Instrumental) - 3:08
  9. You Never Give Me Your Money (Take 36) - 5:18
  10. Sun King (Take 20) - 3:14
  11. Mean Mr. Mustard (Take 20) - 1:34
  12. Polythene Pam (Take 27) - 1:39
  13. She Came In Through the Bathroom Window (Take 27) - 2:06
  14. Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight (Takes 1-3 / Medley) - 3:21
  15. The End (Take 3) - 2:11
  16. Her Majesty (takes 1-3) - 1:36

CD version

The CD Abbey Road (2019 Mix) is in a hinged cardboard cover with a 20-page booklet.

LP version

The 2019 mix was pressed onto 180 gram vinyl.

LP - Picture Disc

The album (2019 Mix) as a picture disc .

Limited special editions

From the late 1970s, the Abbey Road album was pressed as a picture disc or in colored vinyl in several countries :

  • December 1978: Picture Disc (catalog number: Capitol SEAX 11900), USA
  • January 1979: Picture Disc (catalog number: EMI 5C P062-04243), the Netherlands , not identical to the USA version
  • February 1979: Picture Disc (catalog number: ODEON EAS-90072), Japan
  • May 1979: Green Vinyl (Catalog Number: Parlophone PCS 7088), Great Britain
  • 1979: Green vinyl (catalog number: EMI DC 8 C 066 04 243), France

Recording dates

The recordings for the album took place between February 22 and August 19, 1969 mainly in Abbey Road Studios (Studio 1, 2 and 3) and partly in Olympic Sound Studios and Trident Studios under the production direction of George Martin . The recording engineers were mainly Geoff Emerick , Phil McDonald, Glyn Johns , Tony Clark, Ken Scott and Jeff Jarrat. The assistant sound engineers were John Kurlander, Richard Langham, Richard Lush, Nick Webb, Steve Vaughan, Barry Sheffield, Chris Blair, and Alan Parsons . In addition to George Martin, guest musicians played six songs. On August 20, 1969, all four Beatles were with their producer George Martin at the same time in a recording studio and mixed the song I Want You (She's So Heavy) .

During the recording of the album Abbey Road , the Beatles sometimes did not act as a single musical group , but recorded some songs alone or with part of the group:

  • All Things Must Pass : George Harrison recorded the song as a demo on his birthday.
  • The Ballad of John and Yoko : John Lennon and Paul McCartney recorded the song as a couple because George Harrison and Ringo Starr were not available.
  • Old Brown Shoe : George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney. Ringo Starr was still busy filming The Magic Christian .
  • Her Majesty : Paul McCartney
  • Here Comes the Sun : George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
  • Maxwell's Silver Hammer , Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight : Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr
  • Come and Get It and Goodbye : Paul McCartney recorded the demos alone.
  • Because : John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison
No. song Recording date Producer / sound engineer Studio Cast / guest musician Sound carrier (first release)
01 I Want You (She's So Heavy) Feb. 22, 1969,
Apr. 18, 20, 1969,
0Aug. 8 + 11, 1969 		Chris Thomas,
George Martin,
Barry Sheffield,
Jeff Jarrat,
Geoff Emerick,
Phil McDonald 		Trident Studios, Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3 Abbey Road
02 All Things Must Pass ,
Old Brown Shoe (demo) and Something (demo) 		Feb 25, 1969 George Harrison,
Ken Scott 		Abbey Road Studio (studio number unknown)
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, vocals
 Anthology 3
03 Goodbye Feb. 1969 Paul McCartney Home Studio (Cavendish Avenue)
  • Paul McCartney: lead guitar, vocals
 Abbey Road (Super Deluxe Edition 2019)
04th The Ballad of John and Yoko Apr. 14, 1969 George Martin,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, drums, piano , maracas , backing vocals
 Single A-Side and Abbey Road (Super Deluxe Edition 2019)
05 Old Brown Shoe April 16-18, 1969 George Martin,
Chris Thomas,
Jeff Jarratt 		Abbey Road Studio 3
  • John Lennon: piano, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, drums, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, organ , vocals
 Single B-side of The Ballad of John and Yoko and Abbey Road (Super Deluxe Edition 2019)
06th Something April 16, 1969,
0May 2 + 5, 1969,
July 11 + 16, 1969,
August 15, 1969 		George Martin,
Chris Thomas,
Glyn Johns,
Jeff Jarrat,
Geoff Emerick,
Phil McDonald 		Olympic Sound Studios, Abbey Road Studio 1 and 2
  • John Lennon: rhythm guitar
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Billy Preston: Hammond organ
  • Musicians not listed: violin : 12, viola : 4, cello : 4, double bass : 1
 Abbey Road
07th Oh! Darling April 20 + 26, 1969,
July 17, 18 + 22, 1969,
August 11, 1969 		George Martin,
Chris Thomas,
Jeff Jarrat,
Phil McDonald 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: bass, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums
  • Billy Preston: Organ
 Abbey Road
08th Octopus's Garden April 26 + 29, 1969,
July 17 + 18, 1969 		George Martin,
Chris Thomas,
Jeff Jarrat,
Phil McDonald 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: rhythm guitar
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, percussion, effects, vocals
 Abbey Road
09 You Never Give Me Your Money 0May 6, 1969,
0July 1, 15, 30 + 31, 1969,
0August 5, 1969 		George Martin,
Glyn Johns,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Olympic Sound Studios, Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, lead guitar, wind chimes , tape loops, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
Abbey Road
10 Your Majesty 02nd July 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: acoustic guitar, vocals
 Abbey Road
11 Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight 0July 2–4, 30 + 31, 1969,
August 15, 1969 		George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 Abbey Road
12 Here comes the sun 07, 8 + 16 July 1969,
06, 15 + 19 August 1969 		George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • Paul McCartney: Bass, clapping hands, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: acoustic guitar, Moog synthesizer, clapping hands, vocals
  • Ringo Starr: clapping hands, drums
  • Musicians not listed: viola : 4, cello : 4, double bass : 1, flute : 6, clarinet : 3
 Abbey Road
13 Maxwell's Silver Hammer 09-11 July 1969,
06 Aug 1969 		George Martin,
Phil McDonald 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • Paul McCartney: lead guitar, piano, Moog synthesizer, vocals
  • George Harrison: bass, lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, anvil , backing vocals
  • George Martin: Organ
Abbey Road
14th Come together July 21-23, 25, 29 + 30, 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, clapping hands, tambourine, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, electric piano, Moog synthesizer, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar and rhythm guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, maracas
 Abbey Road
15th the end July 23, 1969,
0Aug 5, 7, 8, 15 + 18, 1969 		George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 1 and 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, lead guitar, piano, vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine
  • Musicians not listed: violin : 12, viola : 4, cello : 4, double bass : 1, French horn : 4, trumpet : 3, trombone : 2
 Abbey Road
16 Come and Get It July 24, 1969 Paul McCartney,
Phil McDonald 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • Paul McCartney: bass, piano, drums, maracas, vocals
 Anthology 3
17th Ain't she sweet July 24, 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2
  • John Lennon: lead guitar (?), Vocals
  • Paul McCartney: Bass (?)
  • George Harrison: lead guitar (?)
  • Ringo Starr: drums
 Anthology 3
18th Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard July 24, 25 + 29, 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, piano, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine, maracas
  • George Martin: Organ
Abbey Road
19th Polythene Pam / She Came In Through the Bathroom Window July 25, 28 + 30, 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: acoustic guitar, vocals, backing vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, vocals, backing vocals
  • George Harrison: lead guitar
  • Ringo Starr: drums, tambourine, percussion, maracas
 Abbey Road
20th Because 01st, 4th + 5th Aug. 1969 George Martin,
Phil McDonald,
Geoff Emerick 		Abbey Road Studio 2 and 3
  • John Lennon: lead guitar, vocals
  • Paul McCartney: bass, vocals
  • George Harrison: Moog synthesizer, vocals
 Abbey Road

Chart positions of the album

album Release Date Best placement in the charts Label catalog no.
Type title GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany
Studio album Abbey Road 26 Sep 1969 Oct. 1, 1969 26 Sep 1969 1 1 1 Apple
PCS 7088 		Apple
SO 383 		Apple
1C 062-04 243
Studio album
CD first release 		Abbey Road Oct 20, 1987 Oct 20, 1987 Oct 1987 30th 69 - Parlophone
CDP 7 46446 2 		Capitol
CDP 7 46446 2 		EMI
CDP 7 46446 2
Studio album
remastered CD re-release 		Abbey Road Sep 9 2009 Sep 9 2009 Sep 9 2009 6th 3 41 Apple / EMI
3824682 		Apple / Capitol
3824682 		Apple / EMI
3824682
Studio album Abbey Road (Anniversary Edition) 27 Sep 2019 27 Sep 2019 27 Sep 2019 1 3 2 Apple / Universal
CD: 602508007439

2CD: 602577915079
CDBox: 0602577921124
LPBox: 602508007446

Apple / Universal
CD: 602508007439

2CD: 602577915079
CDBox: 0602577921124
LPBox: 602508007446

Apple / Universal
CD: 602508007439

2CD: 602577915079
CDBox: 0602577921124
LPBox: 602508007446

Single releases

single Release Date Best placement in the charts Label catalog no.
A side / B side GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany GB United KingdomUnited Kingdom US United StatesUnited States DE GermanyGermany
Something / Come Together Oct. 31, 1969 Oct 6, 1969 Oct 8, 1969 04th 03/ 10 01 S5 Apple R5814 Apple 2654 Apple 1C 006-04266

In June 1970, the further single Oh! Was released in Portugal (catalog number: ODEON 8E 006-04 423 M) and Japan (catalog number: Apple AR 2520) . Darling / Here Comes the Sun decoupled from the album.

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region Award Sales
Awards for music sales
(country / region, Award, Sales)
Argentina (CAPIF) Argentina (CAPIF) Diamond record icon.svg diamond 500,000
Australia (ARIA) Australia (ARIA) Platinum record icon.svg 3 × platinum 210,000
France (SNEP) France (SNEP) Gold record icon.svgGold (Original)
+ Gold record icon.svgGold (Remastered) 		150,000
Germany (BVMI) Germany (BVMI) Platinum record icon.svg platinum 500,000
Italy (FIMI) Italy (FIMI) Platinum record icon.svg platinum 50,000
Canada (MC) Canada (MC) Diamond record icon.svg diamond 1,000,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) New Zealand (RMNZ) Platinum record icon.svg 5 × platinum 75,000
United States (RIAA) United States (RIAA) Diamond record icon.svgPlatinum record icon.svg 12 × platinum 12,000,000
United Kingdom (BPI) United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum record icon.svg 2 × platinum 600,000
All in all Gold record icon.svg2 × gold
Platinum record icon.svg14 × platinum
Diamond record icon.svg3 × diamond
 15,085,000

Main article: The Beatles / Music Sales Awards

literature

Web links

Commons : Abbey Road  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Abbey Road - Overview. Retrieved July 18, 2012 .
  2. ↑ Allen for Apple . In: Der Spiegel . No. 31 , 1969 ( online ).
  3. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 337.
  4. ^ Ian MacDonald: Revolution in the Head . Chicago 2007, p. 365 f.
  5. ↑ Knight: I Want You (She's So Heavy). In: beatlesbible.com. March 15, 2008, accessed May 14, 2020 .
  6. ^ The Beatles Anthology. P. 388.
  7. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 338.
  8. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 340.
  9. ^ Mark Lewisohn: The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years . ISBN 0-600-61207-4 , p. 193.
  10. ^ Meeting of the Beatles on September 8, 1969
  11. ↑ Lennon's announcement on September 13, 1969 that he would leave the Beatles
  12. ↑ a b The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 347.
  13. ↑ a b c The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 348.
  14. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 342.
  15. ↑ Multi-platinum award
  16. ^ Mono version of Abbey Road
  17. ↑ Joe Levy (Ed.): Rolling Stone. The 500 best albums of all time . (Original edition: Rolling Stone. The 500 Greatest Albums of all Time . Wenner Media 2005). Translation: Karin Hofmann. Wiesbaden: White Star Verlag, 2011, p. 33.
  18. ↑ John Lennon's Beetle only brought in 34160 marks. In: Berliner Kurier . May 9, 1999, accessed January 16, 2017 .
  19. ↑ Legendary Record Sleeves: Mission Overcover. In: Spiegel Online , accessed on January 16, 2017.
  20. ^ The Beatles: The Beatles Anthology . ISBN 3-550-07132-9 , p. 341
  21. ↑ Webcam. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Abbey Road crossing gets heritage protection. Retrieved January 16, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Abbey Road zebra crossing repainted orf.at, March 27, 2020, accessed March 27, 2020.
  24. ↑ Download the Beatles songs
  25. ↑ Streaming the Beatles songs
  26. ↑ Information about the Anniversary Edition
  27. ↑ More information about the Anniversary Edition
  28. ↑ bam / AFP: The Beatles: "Abbey Road" storms the charts again after 50 years. In: Spiegel Online . October 5, 2019, accessed May 14, 2020 .
  29. ↑ Interview with Giles Martin
  30. ↑ Abbey Road USA-Picture Disc
  31. ↑ Abbey Road Netherlands-Picture Disc
  32. ↑ Abbey Road Japan-Picture Disc
  33. ↑ Abbey Road UK - Green Vinyl
  34. ↑ Abbey Road France - Green vinyl
  35. ↑ Single: Oh! Darling / Here Comes the Sun - Portugal
  36. ↑ Single: Oh! Darling / Here Comes the Sun - Japan