Beatles Abbey Road cigarette airbrushed

BBC ^ | 01/22/03

[socal_parrot]

Beatles Abbey Road cigarette airbrushed

The Beatles were all heavy smokers in the 1960s

United States poster companies have airbrushed the classic Beatles Abbey Road album cover to remove a cigarette from Paul McCartney's hand.

The move was made without the permission of either McCartney or Apple Records, which owns the rights to the image.

It seems these poster companies got a little carried away

Apple Records spokesman

The original copy shows a barefoot McCartney third in line on the famous road crossing holding a cigarette.

But politically correct US poster companies have airbrushed out the offending cigarette, to the delight of anti-smoking campaigners.

"We have never agreed to anything like this," said an Apple spokesman.

"It seems these poster companies got a little carried away.

McCartney came up with the original idea for the sleeve

"They shouldn't have done what they have, but there isn't much we can do about it now."

The move comes 14 months after guitarist George Harrison died from cancer, which he blamed on smoking.

All of the Beatles were heavy smokers during the 1960s and 70s.

The 1969 image has been a poster classic since it was taken near Abbey Road studios in north London, where the group recorded most of their music.

The shot is one of pop's most controversial album covers.

Photographer Iain Macmillan was given just ten minutes to take the picture outside the studios.

He balanced on a stepladder and took six photographs of the four walking across a zebra crossing.

Death myth

It was McCartney who selected the cover shot.

He had, in fact, come up with the original idea for the sleeve and had presented Macmillan with a sketch for it.

A myth suggesting that Paul McCartney had died in a car crash and been replaced by a look-a-like grew up around the picture soon after it was released.

Clues could supposedly be found in the image.

The white-suited John Lennon symbolised the preacher heading the funeral procession, while the bare-footed McCartney was the corpse.

According to the rumours, proof positive of the impostor theory was the fact that Paul was holding a cigarette in his right hand, despite being left-handed.

[Kerberos]

"If you take another look at the album cover, you'll find the "fifth" beetle. This should end that controversy about the fifth Beatle? "

Was there a controversy? I thought Murry the K was the fifth Beatle.

[demsux]

Good, that damn cover made me start smoking

[Argh]

The move comes 14 months after guitarist George Harrison died from cancer, which he blamed on smoking.

Excuse me, I can't read the whole thread just now, I'm listening to Mozart, but did George lay this blame after he died? Just wondering...

[EternalVigilance]

The main character in the Orwell classic '1984', spent his days working for the Party...constantly changing the past...rewriting newpapers, books, records, etc...they were so good at it that there was never any proof that the past was any different than what the government said the past was. It got so bad they even set out to scrub the unedited version out of people's brains!

Chalk one up for Big Brother...

[KnutCase]

I guess my attempt at humor fell flat. Check album cover again.

[7beuties]

I heard that it was not a cigarette at all, that it was a chalk for the outline of Paul's corpse.

[Cultural Jihad]

;)

[Kerberos]

"I guess my attempt at humor fell flat. Check album cover again. "

Not really, it was a good attempt. :-)

[lds23]

Next thing you know they'll be airbrushing out George's pants:

[Kerberos]

"These people need to start minding their own business and get a life of their own! "

Unfortunatly there are about as many on the right as there are on the left who could stand to practice that.

[KnutCase]

Whoever took George's pants also took the fifth beetle.

[philo]

also if I recall the license plate on the volkswagen beetle
was 28IF. His age at the time.

[Dajjal]

BTTT

[fulica]

It is hard not to see that, but it has always amazed me how the supporters of the paul is dead theory prefer the less obvious clues.

[philetus]

You mean "what guy, theres was nobody beside me"