Abbey Road

The Beatles are walking away from the studio - on Abbey Road in North London's St John's Wood - on completion of their final album. It’s awfully symbolic. www.youtube.com

‘Abbey Road’ is the last album The Beatles recorded. It was released on 26 September 1969 and shot straight to No.1 in the UK, remaining there for 11 weeks – and a further 6 after The Rolling Stones’ ‘Let It Bleed’ occupied top spot for a week. Similar feats were achieved in the States where it spent most of November 1969 to January 1970 at the summit. After the buzzkill of the ‘Get Back’ sessions, it was a “very happy” record according to producer George Martin, but everyone realised The Beatles were over when it was complete. An enduring favourite in the Fab canon, it became the first Beatles album to sell more than 10 million copies. This iconic image was shot on 8 August 1969 by Iain MacMillan. www.youtube.com

There are apparently 27 trees - a fact that's supposed to tie in with the 'Paul is dead' theory. It goes something like this: 3 (surviving Beatles) x 9 (Lennon’s significant number) = 27 (also McCartney’s age if he were alive, even though the VW numberplate says 28).

N.B. No band name, nor album title. The sleeve’s 22-year-old art director John Kosh convinced a reluctant EMI that the image would speak for itself. www.youtube.com

The bare feet were taken as another sign that Paul McCartney was dead. That’s from the tradition of burying a body without its shoes. The fact this ‘Paul doppelganger’ (one ‘William Campbell’ who “quit the police department” as told in ‘She Came In Through The Bathroom Window’) wore sandals for the first couple of shots is irrelevant. Understood?

itunes.apple.com

Some of the loopier conspiracy sites claim their are 27 lines in the road on the 'Abbey Road' cover - another 'fact' backing up the 'Paul is dead' theory. How does this back it up? Well... 3 (surviving Beatles) x 9 (Lennon’s significant number) = 27 (also McCartney’s age if he were alive, even though the VW numberplate says 28). Clear as mud.

Deranged reports suggest there are 27 streetlights on the cover. This is meant to tie in with the 'Paul is dead' theory, i.e. 3 (surviving Beatles) x 9 (Lennon’s significant number) = 27 (also McCartney’s age if he were alive, even though the VW numberplate says 28).

Photographer Iain MacMillan had 10 minutes to capture the right image, setting up at 11.35am on 8 August 1969 with a stepladder and a Hasselblad camera (with a 50mm lens). A policeman held up traffic for the duration, averting further Beatle fatalities.

The Beatles could’ve been at the foot of Everest. Inspired by engineer Geoff Emerick’s choice of smokes, there was a halfhearted plan to call the album ‘Everest’ and have a different kind of iconic cover image of the four standing in its foothills. The scheme was shelved when no one could be arsed to go to the Himalayas. Mainly because they were sick of the sight of each other. www.youtube.com

Paul is dead, of course, according to the conspiracy theorists. He is the corpse. He died after crashing his car on 9 November 1966 - having left the studio in a strop - and was replaced by a lookalike.

The ‘Paul is dead’ theorists believe this numberplate stands for Linda McCartney Weeps (because Paul would be) 28 IF (he was still alive). In fact, he would’ve been 27. Well, he was 27. If he was alive, which of course he wasn’t. The numberplate was stolen countless (probably 27) times.

The Volkswagen Beetle now resides in the Autostadt museum in Wolfsburg, Germany after going for £2,530 at auction in 1986.

This car driving directly towards Paul McCartney is yet another symbol of his death in the 'Paul is dead' theory.

Dressed in civvies, George Harrison is the gravedigger in Paul McCartney’s funeral cortege - according to the 'Paul is dead' theorists. www.youtube.com

According to the 'Paul is dead' documentation, McCartney is out of step with the rest of The Beatles because he is, well, dead.

The original crossing was moved a few yards down the road in the late 70s. There is no trace of its initial position. The history-shafting drones. Even so, the newer crossing near the junction of Abbey Road and Grove End Road was given Grade II listed status in 2010. There is now a webcam permanently trained on it so you can watch tourists flattened as they attempt to recreate the cover.

Let's consult the 'Paul is dead' ledger. Macca’s cigarette is a coffin nail, according to popular parlance. And it’s in his right hand, which is obviously absurd because he was (er, is) left-handed. Ten years ago it was discovered that US poster companies had airbrushed the cigarette out of the picture, without Apple's permission. PC gone mad. Or was it another elaborate ruse from the 'Paul is dead' committee?

As the story goes, the police van here is to represent the pursed lips of The Law, who kept Paul McCartney’s ‘death’ hushed up.

Some imaginative soul has counted 27 cars in the picture, adding grist to the 'Paul is dead' mill. How? Like this: 3 (surviving Beatles) x 9 (Lennon’s significant number) = 27 (also McCartney’s age if he were alive, even though the VW numberplate says 28).

In sombre colours and frock coat, Ringo Starr is Paul McCartney’s undertaker - according to the 'Paul is dead' theorists.

According to the 'Paul is dead' theorists, John Lennon leads the so-called funeral procession for Paul McCartney. Dressed in white, he is the preacher. www.youtube.com

As the story goes, the police van here is to represent the pursed lips of The Law, who kept Paul McCartney’s ‘death’ hushed up.

Three decorators were caught for posterity here - Alan Flanagan, Steve Millwood and Derek Seagrove. www.youtube.com

This is Paul Cole, an American tourist in his late-50s who was taking a breather while his wife visited a museum. He only realised who the “bunch of kooks” (his words) were when he inadvertently saw the sleeve months later. On his death in 2008 it was revealed Cole lived in Barefoot Bay, reigniting the ‘Paul is dead’ theories.