Friday 14 July 2006

I am the walrus...goo goo goo joob

Here's the infamous Abbey Road cover by a little known band called The Beatles:



And here is yours truly at the very same pedestrian crossing:



Note that I am wearing shoes in the photograph, so there is no need to worry loyal readers; I am not dead. Here's me sitting on the steps of Abbey Road Studios:



Here's a house which I was told was Paul McCartney's old house -- at 9 Cavendish Avenue, St. Johns Wood (5 minute walk from Abbey Road)...



...and then when I got home and googled for the address, I discovered that he lived at 7 Cavendish Avenue. So I have a nice shot of his old neighbour's house :)

Finally, here's the rooftop in Savile Row where the Beatles did their infamous "rooftop concert" in 1970 (also the apparent location of the final gig by the Be Sharps):



All sacred sites for big Beatles fans like myself (well, except Macca's next door neighbour...but you can forgive me for that one).

4 comments:

  1. Good stuff Jiggy. Nice pics. And I think you can be excused for accidently photographing number 9, instead of number 7 - it is, after all, one of Barney Gumble's, er, I mean, The Beatles most notorious songs ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome shots! That must have been fantastic to visit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks guys.

    They were fantastic places to visit. Who would have thought that after being in 2 of the best cities in the world (Paris and London) and seeing such landmarks as Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triomphe, Notre Dame, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace... that a pedestrian crossing would end up being one of the highlights of the trip?

    A Beatles tourguide who I met at the Abbey Road crossing actually made a funny comment; apparently, a lot of the locals who drive near the crossing (and have to stop while Beatles fans get their photos taken) have no idea about the significance of the crossing -- I believe he deduced this from the curious looks on their faces.

    I don't understand how people can be completely oblivious to the fact that a 20th century icon is right under their noses. Some maybe argue that they were just a band, but most will agree that their influence and effect on the world transcends their musical contribution.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Paul McCartney lived at 7 Cavendish Avenue, not at 9 Cavendish Avenue which belongs or belonged (if they have sold it) to the Astor family who lent it to me for six months shortly after acquiring it, in 1970. That's when I met Paul and his step-daughter Heather - I never met Linda although her daughter Heather would often take my son (who was about one and a half years old) home to number 7 to play with him.

    ReplyDelete

Sing some harmonies here: