Why did the Chicken cross the road?
August 1, 2009 4:45 PM Subscribe
The Beatles 'most famous' album cover inspires dozens of imitations
Those Molecular Biology Of The Cell folks are some cool cats.
posted by zer0render at 4:53 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by zer0render at 4:53 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Booker T and the MGs, with their McLemore Avenue, FTW. Those guys are strutting just as good as they play, and note: no "crosswalk" bullshit for those bad boys. Nuh-uh. They're jaywalking down in Memphis.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:58 PM on August 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:58 PM on August 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
I've always loved the Be Sharps' cover for their album, Bigger Than Jesus.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 5:03 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 5:03 PM on August 1, 2009
I would have thought that "Sgt. Pepper" would be their most famous album cover. But, this was cool.
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:11 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:11 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
Wow, whoever does the graphics for that paper's website should be shot. Not only for the poor quality of those images, but also for repeating six of those covers. Perhaps if the paper had waited another seven days til the fortieth anniversary, it might be a much more worthwhile story. Otherwise, weak.
posted by Sova at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Sova at 5:12 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
I would have thought that "Sgt. Pepper" would be their most famous album cover.
Funny, when I saw "The Beatles 'most famous' album cover" headline, I immediately thought of The White Album. Seems like the most boldly radical one, anyway, from a record jacket design standpoint, and somehow I would've thought that might translate into 'most famous'.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:23 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Funny, when I saw "The Beatles 'most famous' album cover" headline, I immediately thought of The White Album. Seems like the most boldly radical one, anyway, from a record jacket design standpoint, and somehow I would've thought that might translate into 'most famous'.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:23 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I thought of their notorious butcher cover.
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:34 PM on August 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 5:34 PM on August 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
I would have thought that "Sgt. Pepper" would be their most famous album cover.
Funny, when I saw "The Beatles 'most famous' album cover" headline, I immediately thought of The White Album.
Honestly, I am weird enough that my first thought was the infamous original "Butcher Cover" for Yesterday and Today.
My dad had that Molecular Biology textbook, and took great pleasure in explaining to 7-year-old me why it was funny.
posted by doift at 5:35 PM on August 1, 2009
Funny, when I saw "The Beatles 'most famous' album cover" headline, I immediately thought of The White Album.
Honestly, I am weird enough that my first thought was the infamous original "Butcher Cover" for Yesterday and Today.
My dad had that Molecular Biology textbook, and took great pleasure in explaining to 7-year-old me why it was funny.
posted by doift at 5:35 PM on August 1, 2009
I think many of those were too literally like the original--it was surprisingly dull seeing them all together like that.
posted by not that girl at 5:45 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by not that girl at 5:45 PM on August 1, 2009
Very little creativity there. Nobody has done even most basic of meme mutation, other than changing who the characters are. Like, what if you have the drivers be the guys and they are running down little old ladies. Or make the guys the stripes with the audience walking on them. Or make the guys the cars parked on the road and some tiny driverless cars "walking" across. Or whatever. Switch it up a little, is all I'm sayin'.
posted by DU at 5:47 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by DU at 5:47 PM on August 1, 2009
when I saw "The Beatles 'most famous' album cover" headline, I immediately thought of The White Album.
How much more famous could it be? None. None more famous.
posted by DU at 5:48 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
How much more famous could it be? None. None more famous.
posted by DU at 5:48 PM on August 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
I'm with Astro Zombie. The ineffectively-suppressed "Yesterday and Today" cover with doll parts and meat needs more homages.
posted by wendell at 6:11 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by wendell at 6:11 PM on August 1, 2009
Switch it up a little, is all I'm sayin'.
I see it: the crosswalk crossers are being picked up by a tractor beam from a flying saucer. Inside the saucer's portal window we can see aliens, who've already chopped up the Beatles (à la the infamous "butcher" cover) and are eating them. The same fate, of course, awaits the copycat band currently being beamed up.
That's not gonna happen to Booker T and the MGs, though, cause the aliens would get their ass kicked in Memphis.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:16 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I see it: the crosswalk crossers are being picked up by a tractor beam from a flying saucer. Inside the saucer's portal window we can see aliens, who've already chopped up the Beatles (à la the infamous "butcher" cover) and are eating them. The same fate, of course, awaits the copycat band currently being beamed up.
That's not gonna happen to Booker T and the MGs, though, cause the aliens would get their ass kicked in Memphis.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:16 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I also thought of "Sgt Pepper's" before I clicked the link. Huh.
posted by blucevalo at 6:51 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by blucevalo at 6:51 PM on August 1, 2009
okay, i would definitely say that it is at best the 3rd most famous beatles album cover (the FPP does put most famous in quotes, for what it's worth). it is probably the most imitated, because sgt. pepper's is too hard to imitate and the white album is too easy.
barely related: on the wall of the kitchen of the rental house where my band lived in we had a 3x3 grid of whipped cream and other delights album covers with this in the middle.
posted by snofoam at 7:07 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
barely related: on the wall of the kitchen of the rental house where my band lived in we had a 3x3 grid of whipped cream and other delights album covers with this in the middle.
posted by snofoam at 7:07 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I would just like to say that the George Benson album "The Other Side of Abbey Road" is awesome.
posted by mattoxic at 7:29 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by mattoxic at 7:29 PM on August 1, 2009
I see it: the crosswalk crossers are being picked up by a tractor beam from a flying saucer. Inside the saucer's portal window we can see aliens, who've already chopped up the Beatles (à la the infamous "butcher" cover) and are eating them. The same fate, of course, awaits the copycat band currently being beamed up.
That's not gonna happen to Booker T and the MGs, though, cause the aliens would get their ass kicked in Memphis.
That's not a saucer its the Mothership. And that alien in the window? Bootsy.
posted by Sailormom at 7:49 PM on August 1, 2009
That's not gonna happen to Booker T and the MGs, though, cause the aliens would get their ass kicked in Memphis.
That's not a saucer its the Mothership. And that alien in the window? Bootsy.
posted by Sailormom at 7:49 PM on August 1, 2009
Really, if you've not listened to McLemore Avenue, you should. Brilliant interpretive work done in four ... well ... movements, really. Benson's The Other Side ... is almost as wonderful, but there is just something profound about how Booker T. and the MGs approach the challenge. It's one thing to do a damn good cover of a classic song ... it's a whole other bag of awesome to do a damn good cover of an entire album end-to-end.
posted by grabbingsand at 8:15 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by grabbingsand at 8:15 PM on August 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
BASS!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:29 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:29 PM on August 1, 2009
I think it's pretty interesting how many of those covers replicated the VW Beetle on the left side-- other than the bold stripes of a London crosswalk, it seems to be the most consistent background element.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:47 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by shakespeherian at 8:47 PM on August 1, 2009
And I'm the only one who thought Meet the Beatles when I first heard "most famous album cover,' apparently.
posted by jabberjaw at 9:39 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by jabberjaw at 9:39 PM on August 1, 2009
What's up with the zig-zag lane marker in some of the images? Is that a recent London thing?
posted by unmake at 10:45 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by unmake at 10:45 PM on August 1, 2009
I'm far too lazy to research it the way the Mail article has, but I've seen any number of homages to the "With the Beatles" (US title "Meet the Beatles") cover as well. So many in fact that I wouldn't take any bets that Abbey Road's been done more.
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:56 PM on August 1, 2009
posted by George_Spiggott at 10:56 PM on August 1, 2009
sorry double post
posted by zorro astor at 2:09 AM on August 2, 2009
posted by zorro astor at 2:09 AM on August 2, 2009
What's up with the zig-zag lane marker in some of the images?
The zig-zag is to let drivers know tha they're approaching a pedestrian crossing where pedestrians have right of way. They've been around since at least the 70's.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:30 AM on August 2, 2009
The zig-zag is to let drivers know tha they're approaching a pedestrian crossing where pedestrians have right of way. They've been around since at least the 70's.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 2:30 AM on August 2, 2009
Even Paul McCartney has emulated the famous Abbey Road cover of his former band
That's because Paul is a tosser. And dead.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:06 AM on August 2, 2009
That's because Paul is a tosser. And dead.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:06 AM on August 2, 2009
What's up with the zig-zag lane marker in some of the images?
It's illegal to park on the zig-zags
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:08 AM on August 2, 2009
It's illegal to park on the zig-zags
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:08 AM on August 2, 2009
... or wait, or overtake.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:09 AM on August 2, 2009
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:09 AM on August 2, 2009
What's up with the zig-zag lane marker in some of the images?
They have them outside schools, so presumably a school was built on Abbey Road.
posted by Acey at 7:00 AM on August 2, 2009
I likely would have thought of Sgt. Pepper's, too, or the butcher cover. What I can glean from this thread is that no one likes the cover of Magical Mystery Tour.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:31 AM on August 2, 2009
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:31 AM on August 2, 2009
They have them outside schools, so presumably a school was built on Abbey Road.
They aren't just outside schools; they are often right before a zebra crossing unrelated to any school.
posted by grouse at 12:20 PM on August 2, 2009
They aren't just outside schools; they are often right before a zebra crossing unrelated to any school.
posted by grouse at 12:20 PM on August 2, 2009
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posted by Askiba at 4:49 PM on August 1, 2009