Abbey Road - Front Cover | Abbey Road - Back Cover |
Abbey Road - Rare Mis-aligned Apple See close-up detail of this sleeve below |
Label | Apple | ||||||||
Catalogue No. | PCS 7088 | ||||||||
Matrix No.'s |
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Release date | 26th September 1969 | ||||||||
Total time | 47:07 | ||||||||
U.K. Album Chart Detail : |
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Detail : | The Beatles twelfth official album release, but the LAST that was actually recorded by them. The advance sales for this release in the U.K. totalled 190,000, taking it straight to number 1. After just six weeks it had sold 4,000,000, and by the end of the year, 5,000,000 worldwide. It took another 10 years to double that figure, when by 1980 it topped 10 million. It would have been number 1 for 18 weeks consecutively, but for the 1 week that the Rolling Stones album, "Let It Bleed" took over the top slot.
The album was of course, named after the London road in St. John's Wood that
The cover photograph was taken Friday 8th August 1969 by Iain Macmillan at 10 o'clock in the morning.
The "Abbey Road" album came without a title on the front cover, and no lyric sheet ... being quite simple, it just had one
photograph on the front, and one on the rear. In America "Abbey Road" won a Grammy for "Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording".
Also recorded during the Abbey Road sessions, The album was also part of "The Beatles Collection" 13 album box set (see Beatles Collection).
In January 1979 a picture disc version of Abbey Road was planned, but very few copies were released before the project
was abandoned, and the release withdrawn.
On 19th October 1987 this album had it's first release on C.D. which was published in stereo, with a catalogue number of
CDP 746 446 2
The C.D. was also part of "The Beatles Box" 15 C.D. box set (see Beatles C.D. Box).
09/09/09 (Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine) - the album was re-released as part of the Beatles In Stereo Remasters collection.
Digital Downloads
Tape Media
Prior to 1973: In November 1987 the album was re-released on cassette tape - Catalogue number - TC-PCS 7088 (Originally released November 1969).
Finally it should be noted that it was at the end of these sessions that came the date that |
Track | Composer | Recording Information | Time |
Come Together | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 21st July 1969 - 9 takes Overdubs 22nd July 1969 onto take 9 Overdubs 23rd July 1969 onto take 9 Overdubs 25th July 1969 onto take 9 Overdubs 29th July 1969 onto take 9 Overdubs 30th July 1969 onto take 9 Final mix - take 9. |
4:16 |
Something | Harrison | Recorded 25th February 1969 - Demo take 1 Recording 16th April 1969 - 13 takes (backing track only) Re-made 2nd May 1969 - 36 takes (new 1-36) Overdubs 5th May 1969 onto take 36 Overdubs 11th July 1969 onto take 36 creating take 37 Overdubs 16th July 1969 onto take 36 creating takes 38 & 39 Overdubs 15th August 1969 onto take 39 Final mix - take 39. |
2:59 |
Maxwell's Silver Hammer | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 9th July 1969 - 21 takes Overdubs 10th July 1969 onto take 21 Overdubs 11th July 1969 onto take 21 Overdubs 6th August 1969 onto take 21 creating takes 22-27 Final mix - take 27. |
3:24 |
Oh ! Darling | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 20th April 1969 - 26 takes Overdubs 26th April 1969 onto take 26 Overdubs 17th July 1969 onto take 16 (!) Overdubs 18th July 1969 onto take 26 Overdubs 22nd July 1969 onto take 26 The final vocal - 23rd July 1969 onto take 26 Overdubs 8th August 1969 onto take 26 Overdubs 11th August 1969 onto take 26 Final mix - take 26. |
3:26 |
Octopus's Garden | Starkey | Recorded 26th April 1969 - 32 takes Overdubs 29th April 1969 onto take 32 Overdubs 17th July 1969 onto take 32 Overdubs 18th July 1969 onto take 32 Final mix - take 32. |
2:48 |
I Want You (She's So Heavy) | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 22nd February 1969 - 35 takes Mixing 23rd february 1969 takes 9, 20 & 32 together for new "take 1" Overdubs 18th April 1969 onto take 1 Overdubs 20th April 1969 onto take 1 Overdubs 8th August 1969 onto take 1 Overdubs 11th August 1969 onto take 1 Final mix - "take 1" |
7:44 |
Track | Composer | Recording Information | Time |
Here Comes The Sun | Harrison | Recorded 7th July 1969 - 13 takes (backing track only) Vocal overdubs 8th July 1969 onto take 13 creating takes 14-15 Overdubs 16th July 1969 onto take 15 Overdubs 6th August 1969 onto take 15 Overdubs 11th August 1969 onto take 15 Overdubs 15th August 1969 onto take 15 Moog overdub 19th August 1969 onto take 15 Final mix - take 15. |
3:04 |
Because | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 1st August 1969 - 23 takes Vocal overdubs 4th August 1969 onto take 16 Moog overdubs 5th August 1969 onto take 16 Final mix - take 16. |
2:45 |
You Never Give Me Your Money | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 6th May 1969 - 36 takes Overdub 1st July 1969 onto take 30 Overdubs 11th July 1969 onto take 30 Overdubs 15th July 1969 onto take 30 Overdubs 30th July 1969 onto take 30 creating takes 37-42 Overdubs 30th July 1969 onto take 40 Overdubs 31st July 1969 onto take 30 (!) Final mix - take 30. |
3:59 |
Sun King | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 24th July 1969 - 35 takes (together with "Mustard") Vocal overdubs 25th July 1969 onto take 35 Overdubs 29th July 1969 onto take 35 Final mix - take 35. |
2:30 |
Mean Mr. Mustard | Lennon-McCartney | 1:06 | |
Polythene Pam | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 25th July 1969 - 39 takes Overdubs 28th July 1969 onto take 39 creating take 40 Overdubs 30th July 1969 onto take 40 Final mix - take 40. |
1:20 |
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window | Lennon-McCartney | 1:51 | |
Golden Slumbers | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 2nd July 1969 - 15 takes (as one track) Overdubs 3rd July 1969 onto takes 13 & 15, creating 2 takes (16-17) Overdubs 4th July 1969 onto take 17 Overdubs 30th July 1969 onto take 17 Overdubs 31st July 1969 onto take 17 Overdubs 15th August 1969 onto take 17 Final mix - take 17. |
1:31 |
Carry That Weight | Lennon-McCartney | 1:37 | |
The End | Lennon-McCartney | Recorded 23rd July 1969 - 7 takes (backing track only) Vocal overdubs 5th August 1969 onto take 7 Overdubs 7th August 1969 onto take 7 Overdubs 8th August 1969 onto take 7 Overdubs 15th August 1969 onto take 7 Overdubs 18th August 1969 onto take 7 Final mix - take 7. |
2:04 |
20 seconds of silence which is then followed by ... a track NOT listed on the sleeve ... | |||
Her Majesty | "uncredited" | Recorded 2nd July 1969 - 3 takes Final mix - take 3. |
0:23 |
First pressings (1969)
The standard dark green Apple label.
The label does NOT have "Sold in the U.K..." statement.
The inner sleeves are black.
Abbey Road - WITHOUT "Her Majesty" Credit. |
RARE First Pressing Sleeve Variant ! (1969)
There is a rare first pressing sleeve variant (shown at the top of the page, and detail below), which has a mis-aligned apple on the rear of the cover under the side one track list. Below is enlarged detail of such a sleeve.
Note that the apple is actually in the same place on the brickwork, it's the background picture that has slightly moved.
The front cover is also slightly more zoomed in !
Abbey Road - Rare Sleeve Variant with mis-aligned apple. |
Allegedly, first pressings can come in black or white inner sleeves, and without or with a credit for
"Her Majesty".
But ... the black inner was de rigeur for the time, and "Her Majesty" was an innovative "secret" track on the end, and
therefore would not originally be intended to be on the sleeve. So make your own mind up which is a "first pressing".
Neither of my copies have "Her Majesty" listed anywhere.
Second pressings (1969)
The standard dark green Apple label.
The label does NOT have "Sold in the U.K..." statement.
The label now DOES include reference to the track Her Majesty.
The inner sleeves are black or white.
Abbey Road - Label Showing "Her Majesty" Credit. |
With this album release, there were no 1973 and 1982 re-pressings.
Export Pressing (1978)
Green vinyl edition.
In 1978 a "Green" vinyl version was pressed here by Parlophone/EMI in the UK for EXPORT purposes only.
Abbey Road - Green Vinyl Set Abbey Road - Label Detail
This album was not supposed to be available to purchase in UK record stores.
This album is on the custom Apple Label with 'Apple Records' label rim and 'Mfd in UK' label text.
The catalogue number, PCS 7088 is stamped in the trail out groove, together with the matrix YEX 749.
The album comes in a plain white inner sleeve and is housed in a fully laminated sleeve displaying the Apple logo,
together with an official 'Made in England' sticker on the reverse of the sleeve, next to the Apple Logo.
Third Pressings (1995)
Standard Apple label.
The sleeve has a printed statement which reads:
"This album has been Direct Metal Mastered From a Digitally Re-mastered Original Tape to give the best possible sound quality"
This release is (surprisingly) on a lightweight vinyl.
19th October 1987 - The first C.D. release on catalogue number CD-PCS 7088 (International number CDP 7 46446 2).
Although digitally remastered, as is standard on EMI product of the time, there are no bonus tracks.
27th September 2019 - A superb boxed set: Abbey Road - 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition