Abbey Road 50th anniversary today

The Beatles' Abbey Road album might have been released in September 1969 but it was very much later in the year that the record reached our shores in Penang. Never on time, always late. Such was life in the 60s and 70s. Anyway, Abbey Road was the very first long-playing record that I bought with my own money: from the pocket money that I had saved up through the weeks. 

If I remember correctly, records such as this were selling at around $10 per title then. But it was a herculean task saving up enough to buy them. So it was with pride that I rode my bicycle - or did I ride the bus? - to the Wing Hing Record Store in Campbell Street to select my very first purchase. An overload of audio and visual senses when I arrived at Wing Hing to find records on sale everywhere...12-inch records on the right side of the shop and also the centre aisle, while the seven-inch ones were displayed on the left side of the shop. Towards the back was the counter as well as a Lenco turntable which the proprietor used to test the records for his clients. After making my purchase, it was a quick and impatient trip back home to place MY record on the family record player.

Today, Abbey Road, the remastered version, is making an appearance in music stores around the world to celebrate its 50th anniversary. The original record was produced by George Martin and it was his son, Giles Martin, who would be overseeing the remastering of Abbey Road and giving it a new digital sound. Ironically, this release also marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles playing together for the last time because soon after the record came out in 1969, the break-up of the group was announced.

Incidentally, the release of the remastered Abbey Road comes in many formats: an all-CD version of four compact discs, a three-vinyl record version that included two records of session recordings, a one-vinyl record version and finally, a one-vinyl picture record version. For me, the decision was very simple: I want the three-vinyl record version of Abbey Road. Several weeks ago, I made a pre-order and ended up buying it from Amazon.com's French store. Everything was in French and until today, I still don't know how I managed to navigate around that website successfully and place my order. Needless to say, I'm waiting impatiently for my copy to arrive. Gosh, I'm sure to feel like a 16-year-old again! 

Editorial review from Amazon.com
This limited edition Deluxe vinyl box set features all 40 tracks from the Super Deluxe collection on three 180-gram vinyl LPs. The album’s new stereo mix LP is packaged in a faithfully replicated sleeve, with the two Sessions LPs paired in their own jacket, presented with a four-page insert in a lift-top box. Giles Martin, working with Sam Okell, from the original eight-track session tapes, was guided by the album’s original mix supervised by his father, George Martin

Album 1: 

Side One: Come together (4:20), Something (3:02), Maxwell's silver hammer (3:28), Oh! Darling (3:27), Octopus's garden (2:50), I want you (she's so heavy) (7:47)
Side Two: Here comes the sun (3:05), Because (2:45), You never give me your money (4:02), Sun king (2:26), Mean Mr Mustard (1:06), Polythene Pam (1:12), She came in through the bathroom window (1:58), Golden slumbers (1:31), Carry that weight (1:36), The end (2:21), Her Majesty (0:25)

Album 2: 

Side One: I want you (she's so heavy) (Trident recording session & reduction mix) (6:59), Goodbye (home demo) (2:23), Something (studio demo) (3:37), The ballad of John and Yoko (Take 7) (3:37), Old brown shoe (Take 2) (3:15)
Side Two: Oh! Darling (Take 4) (3:30), Octopus's garden (Take 9) (1:43), You never give me your money (Take 36) (5:17), Her Majesty (Takes 1-3) (1:33), Golden slumbers / Carry that weight (Takes 1-3 / Medley) (3:20), Here comes the sun (Take 9) (3:41), Maxwell's silver hammer (Take 12) (4:44)

Album 3:

Side One: Come Together (Take 5) (3:30), The end (Take 3) (2:11), Come and get it (Studio Demo) (2:42), Sun king (Take 20) (3:14), Mean Mr Mustard (Take 20) (1:34), Polythene Pam (Take 27) (1:39), She came in through the bathroom window (Take 27) (2:06), Because (Take 1 / Instrumental) (3:07)
Side Two: The Long One (comprising of ‘You never give me your money’, ’Sun king’/’Mean Mr Mustard’, ‘Her Majesty’, ‘Polythene Pam’/’She came in through the bathroom window’, ’Golden slumbers’/ ’Carry that weight’, ’The end’) (16:10), Something (Take 39 / Instrumental / Strings Only) (2:41), Golden slumbers / Carry that weight (Take 17 / Instrumental / Strings & Brass Only) (3:17)