On this very day in 2019, The Beatles’ beloved 1969 album Abbey Road returned to the No. 1 spot on the UK charts. The famed rock album first hit No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart shortly after its release in September 1969. It continued to chart into the 1970s, well after the Fab Four announced that they were done for good in 1970.
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Abbey Road’s sudden surge in popularity also broke a record. That gap (of 49 years and 252 days, precisely) is actually the longest gap between No. 1 hit albums in modern music history.
So, what happened? What could cause a 50-year-old album to hit the charts with such ferocity? It’s a tale as old as time. The remaining Beatles capitalized on the fact that the 50th anniversary of the album had arrived in 2019. They released an expanded anniversary edition of Abbey Road to commemorate it. And with that release, the album catapulted to No. 1 in the UK. The Beatles’ album also peaked at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart in the US, among others.
The Reissue of ‘Abbey Road’ in 2019 Was a Record-Breaking Release, and Also a Quality One
It’s wild how quickly an album can climb the charts. The famed reissue of The Beatles’ album Abbey Road dropped on September 27, 2019. The album made it to the top of the charts mere days later. And outside of nostalgia and novelty, this reissue was actually quite a big deal.
The 2019 version of Abbey Road features a brand new stereo remix of the album by George Martin’s son, Giles Martin. New mixes in 5.1 surround and Dolby Atmos were also released with the expansion. The reissue also featured several unreleased demos, session recordings, and other goodies for diehard fans. This is a great release to listen to if you want to hear what the band’s recording process was like. It’s packed with various takes from the sessions for this album, plus quite a few studio demos and a couple of instrumental jams.
The reissue was also well-received by critics, with nearly perfect scores across the board on review aggregates.
While there’s nothing quite like listening to the original spin of Abbey Road from back in 1969, there’s something to be said about this particular series of remixes. I’d be bold enough to say it’s one of the best Beatles album reissues ever released.
Photo via ‘Abbey Road’ album cover
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