The Beatles News

(1/22/03, 10 a.m. ET) -- The Beatles' 1969 Abbey Road album cover has been airbrushed by politically correct poster companies in the United States to remove a cigarette held in Paul McCartney's hand, BBC reports.

The original album cover shows the four Beatles crossing the famed road--McCartney is barefoot, third in line, and holding a cigarette.

The airbrushing was done without the permission of either McCartney or Apple Records, which owns the rights to the image. An Apple spokesman told BBC, "We have never agreed to anything like this. It seems these poster companies got a little carried away."

The classic photograph was taken near Abbey Road Studios in north London, and became one of the group's most controversial covers. Photographer Iain Macmillan had only 10 minutes to take the picture. To get the shot, he balanced on a stepladder and took six photos of the Beatles walking the black-and-white pedestrian crossing.

McCartney had reportedly come up with the original idea for the album cover, and had presented Macmillan with a sketch of it. The specific details of the photo served as fodder for the myth that McCartney had died in a car accident and had been replaced by a look-alike. John Lennon, wearing a white suit, was supposed to symbolize the preacher heading the funeral procession, while the barefoot McCartney represented the corpse. In addition, McCartney was out of step with the rest of the groupmates, who led with their left feet while McCartney led with his right. Also adding fuel to the rumor mill was the fact that McCartney was holding a cigarette in his right hand when he was left-handed.

-- Sue Falco, New York

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