The Beatles’ final studio LP, “Abbey Road,” was issued in the UK on this date in 1969 and five days later on 10/1/69 in America. After the acrimony of the White Album and the still-unreleased “Get Back” (the title was later changed to “Let It Be” - the drama around that LP led to the dissolution of the band), there was an unspoken acknowledgement this would be their last time in the studio as a group. ***ADDENDUM: An audio tape recently surfaced which casts doubt on this. John, Paul and George had apparently discussed recording another album after “Abbey Road.” Nothing came of it, and because of that and other issues (like John’s heroin addiction, and...well, Yoko), Lennon quit the band.*** So they put their differences mostly aside and gave it one last college try. The front cover is iconic. John was dressed in all white (the preacher), Ringo in all black (the undertaker), Paul was barefoot, out of step and holding a cigarette in his non-dominant hand (surely this was a body double - he was supposedly dead, right?) and George in all denim (the gravedigger). A cottage industry sprung up around the whole “Paul is dead” hoax. The boys strung together a handful of incomplete songs and turned them into a 15 minute+ medley to finish side 2. There was even a hidden track! George proved his songwriting was on a level with Lennon and McCartney’s efforts. Ringo was...well, Ringo. “Abbey Road” was, for me and many others, the Beatles’ finest effort. It was their last studio album, but not their final album release. The “Get Back”/“Let It Be” LP awaited...
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