Abbey Road "we didn't need to write the band's name on the cover ... They were the most famous band in the world". The front cover design, a photograph of the group on a zebra crossing, was based on ideas sketched by McCartney, and taken on 8 August 1969 outside EMI Studios in Abbey Road. At 11:35 that morning, photographer Iain Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo whilst he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up traffic behind the camera. Macmillan took six photographs, which McCartney later examined with a magnifying glass before deciding which of
The Beatles at Abbey Road sessions. The event was hosted by studio manager Ken Townsend and the shows took place three times a day. Its staging reflected the elevation of Abbey Road (formerly EMI Studios) to the level of an English cultural location, as well as the enduring popularity of the Beatles, more than ten years after their break-up. "The Beatles at Abbey Road" was a commercial success, with 22,000 tickets sold. The program marked the first time that the studios had been opened to the public, and was announced by EMI in June 1983. Visitors were offered the chance to experience Studio 2 as