Apple Records art director John Kosh, the man who turned the shots into an album cover, says that since the album would follow the White Album, he first came up with the idea of having four separate portraits of the group against a black background for contrast. “They were kind of falling apart, and that was supposed to be their swan song,” he says. “So a ‘black’ album was my answer to the White Album. It was supposed to be the last thing they were going to do. Was I wrong!”

But then Abbey Road replaced Get Back on the release schedule (by the time Get Back was unveiled it had a new title, Let It Be). Kosh had to come up with a new cover in a matter of two days. “We had a deadline,” he said. “We had to go to press and the album was late and you just had to deal with it.”

Given that the album was titled Abbey Road, Kosh decided to use the shots taken on the street of the same name and not to use the band’s name on the cover. According to Kosh, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, all signed off on the idea. 

The most iconic image of the four was taken by the late Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan. “They walked across the zebra crossing six times,” he said and apparently the whole thing only took about ten minutes. 

The story was first reported by Rolling Stone.

The post The Secrets of the “Abbey Road” Cover appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

According to Pitchfork, the massive anniversary box set will include new mono and stereo mixes of Arthur, bonus tracks, demo, and rehearsal recordings, and the long-lost solo album from guitarist Dave Davies that he made amid the studio sessions for Arthur. According to Rolling Stone, the box set will also contain a book with essays about The Kinks, new interviews with members of the group, photos from the time period and the script for a proposed Arthur play.

The album was super innovative at the time with the group’s decision to tell a story across its tracks. Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is about a British carpet-layer, who moves to Australia after World War II.

Is there a tour in The Kinks future? It remains to be seen. 

The post The Kinks Celebrate 50th Anniversary With Massive Box Set appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The new video marks David Bowie’s hit single’s 50th anniversary, as well as the  50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s lunar landing.

The reimagining of the 1969 video hails from helmer Tim Pope.

According to Bowie’s official website, “The video features never before released footage of David Bowie performing “Space Oddity” at his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997.” 

“It is directed by Tim Pope, and includes footage shot and directed by Eduaord Lock, the founder and choreographer of the Montreal dance troupe La La La Human Steps, for the on-screen backdrop of Bowie’s 1990 Sound & Vision tour,” the website adds. 

The brand new “Space Oddity” video fitting premiered at a NASA event at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

Did you know that the BBC used the track to soundtrack their coverage of the historic moment of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lunar landing?

Check it out here!

The post David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Marks 50th Anniversary appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

Apple Records art director John Kosh, the man who turned the shots into an album cover, says that since the album would follow the White Album, he first came up with the idea of having four separate portraits of the group against a black background for contrast. “They were kind of falling apart, and that was supposed to be their swan song,” he says. “So a ‘black’ album was my answer to the White Album. It was supposed to be the last thing they were going to do. Was I wrong!”

But then Abbey Road replaced Get Back on the release schedule (by the time Get Back was unveiled it had a new title, Let It Be). Kosh had to come up with a new cover in a matter of two days. “We had a deadline,” he said. “We had to go to press and the album was late and you just had to deal with it.”

Given that the album was titled Abbey Road, Kosh decided to use the shots taken on the street of the same name and not to use the band’s name on the cover. According to Kosh, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison, all signed off on the idea. 

The most iconic image of the four was taken by the late Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan. “They walked across the zebra crossing six times,” he said and apparently the whole thing only took about ten minutes. 

The story was first reported by Rolling Stone.

The post The Secrets of the “Abbey Road” Cover appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

According to Pitchfork, the massive anniversary box set will include new mono and stereo mixes of Arthur, bonus tracks, demo, and rehearsal recordings, and the long-lost solo album from guitarist Dave Davies that he made amid the studio sessions for Arthur. According to Rolling Stone, the box set will also contain a book with essays about The Kinks, new interviews with members of the group, photos from the time period and the script for a proposed Arthur play.

The album was super innovative at the time with the group’s decision to tell a story across its tracks. Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) is about a British carpet-layer, who moves to Australia after World War II.

Is there a tour in The Kinks future? It remains to be seen. 

The post The Kinks Celebrate 50th Anniversary With Massive Box Set appeared first on Hot Pop Today.

The new video marks David Bowie’s hit single’s 50th anniversary, as well as the  50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s lunar landing.

The reimagining of the 1969 video hails from helmer Tim Pope.

According to Bowie’s official website, “The video features never before released footage of David Bowie performing “Space Oddity” at his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 1997.” 

“It is directed by Tim Pope, and includes footage shot and directed by Eduaord Lock, the founder and choreographer of the Montreal dance troupe La La La Human Steps, for the on-screen backdrop of Bowie’s 1990 Sound & Vision tour,” the website adds. 

The brand new “Space Oddity” video fitting premiered at a NASA event at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center.

Did you know that the BBC used the track to soundtrack their coverage of the historic moment of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lunar landing?

Check it out here!

The post David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Marks 50th Anniversary appeared first on Hot Pop Today.