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Abbey Road: 40 Years On

It was 40 years ago (almost) today that the Beatles took the short jaunt, hastily captured on film, that spawned one of the most famous and celebrated record covers of all time.

More than 12 million album sales later, Abbey Road's famous cover picture (and indeed some of its songs) has – as you can see here – spawned dozens of imitations around the world.

Beatles fans are preparing to celebrate the album, with thousands expected to make a pilgrimage to the zebra crossing that John, Paul, George and Ringo bestrode outside the Abbey Road recording studios on 8 August 1969.

It's hardly a long and winding road: more a few yards of black and white tarmac in a nondescript north London high street. Photographer Ian Macmillan, who died in 2006, recalled that he had spent only 10 minutes up a stepladder snatching a handful of pictures of the band...

Read entire article at Independent (UK)