The Abbey Road sleeve is one of the most powerful images in all of rock. The famous zebra crossing photo has been copied by countless artists from The Simpsons to Red Hot Chili Peppers to Sir Paul McCartney himself with his Paul Is Live album.
But how soon did this iconic record cover begin to attract imitators? Very soon indeed it seems. Abbey Road hit the shelves in September 1969 and as early as January 1970 a self-titled LP by Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts appeared showing no fewer than 17 photos on the back cover mimicking the Fabs’ record.
Despite the 50s rock & roll revival style name Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts were actually an also-ran British blues boom outfit with jug band overtones. Just three months after release, I’m saying this was the first Abbey Road pastiche – unless you know different.
Meanwhile let’s see how many Abbey Road tributes/parodies we can come up with.
http://i.imgur.com/spypPB8.jpg
And here’s the front cover of that Brett Marvin & the Thunderbolts LP
http://i.imgur.com/Hd1n1J3.jpg
I suppose I should leave this here for reference:
http://i.imgur.com/sEFfSsl.jpg
that back cover is awful – you’d think they would have rotated those pictures so you didn’t have to rotate the cover.
Thank you for leaving your comments on Trip Advisor. Your concerns have been passed on to the management.
But yes, I thought it was pretty crappy artwork too. The red lettering is impossible to read.
I can only assume Brett and the boys had no idea of what was to come.
I think BM&TT may have specialised in crappy album covers. I had their Ten-Legged Friend which was awful. Luckily the band themselves were a really-good-time live act.
Yes, Brett Marvin and the Thunderbolts were a strange proposition. Neither fish nor fowl, that retro name held them back from the start in my opinion, certainly on record.
To this day I have to remind myself they were not a Sha Na Na style 50s revival act whenever I hear or see the name.
https://www.snapgalleries.com/exhibitions/beatles-and-bystanders-the-abbey-road-sessions/
This might be worth a look.
And to think it was nearly called Everest – Would people be trekking up the Himalayas to pay tribute if that had happened?
Incidentally, it seems a bit of revisionism has gone on with the decision.
Do you believe Macca:
While we were in the studio, our engineer Geoff Emerick always used to smoke cigarettes called Everest, so the album was going to be calledEverest. We never really liked that, but we couldn’t think of anything else to call it. Then one day I said, ‘I’ve got it!’ ( – I don’t know how I thought of it – ) ‘Abbey Road!’ It’s the studio we’re in, which is fabulous, and it sounds a bit like a monastery.”
Or Geoff Emerick:
But the band decided they didn’t want to trek to the top of Mount Everest to shoot the cover,” says Emerick, with a laugh. “So Ringo said, ‘Why don’t we just shoot the cover outside and call it Abbey Road?’ Like many a Ringo suggestion, it won out.”
I got this last year for 50p:
http://i1350.photobucket.com/albums/p773/minibreakfast/hinge20amp20bracket20003_zpswgbe6t2o.jpg
It contains an extraordinary (and very funny) version of This Is My Lovely Day, which sadly isn’t on youtube, but can be found on one of my 2014 cloudcasts if you’re so inclined.
Thanks mini, will check it out.
To save you the hell of listening to me waffling on about records, I popped the track onto youtube. I think you’ll agree it’s quite, erm, ‘distinctive’.
Thanks MB. It is a mighty song whichever way you slice it., even when sung by blokes pretending to be old ladies.
From Bless The Bride a stage musical no one remembers now but it was a big deal in the late 40s.
Booker T and the MGs did McLemore Avenue, named after the road the Stax studios were on. Brilliant instrumentals of the Abbey Road album months after it came out:
https://goo.gl/photos/tYuW8nTAnGu8VRss8
https://youtu.be/Uh64EZdF5p8
Gah, I can never get these to work! Sorry.
The Shadows recorded at Abbey Road before the Beatles were even a twinkle in Brian Epstein’ eye, but even they felt moved to mimic the sleeve.
They went to the trouble of placing a VW on the sleeve, but the artwork was, let’s face it, rubbish.
http://i.imgur.com/hpE8fAM.jpg
Of course the tributes continue. Give it a couple of minutes and someone will take the photo opportunity.
http://www.abbeyroad.com/Crossing
There’s something wonderful about that, isn’t there?
I sometimes watch it in the middle of the night UK time when everyone’s gone home and marvel at the number of high end Mercs and BMWs passing through NW6 at 3am.
And they say the country is on its arse.
I’m just amazed at how tolerant the motorists seem to be.
Especially the bus drivers and taxi drivers
And not one but two of your belisha beacons.
Introduced in 1934 and named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1893–1957), the Minister of Transport.
According to Wiki, they had them in Australia and NZ for a while too.
It’s always easy to spot the later Abbey Road tributes. They have the zig-zag line painted on the road, which didn’t exist in 1969
Ah, the Aussie ones would have been rubbish JC, you know that.
Like the Aussie Lollipop ladies, who use flags!
That (the Abbey Road crossing live feed) is wonderful.
The NME have done this already.
http://www.nme.com/photos/-abbey-road-31-tributes-and-parodies/269514#/photo/14
I have a copy of Sesame Road. Natch.
Thanks Beany. The Benny Hill LP is the weirdest of all.