“Abbey Road”, the last album recorded by The Beatles, enters the UK charts at number one. The LP would go on to be the group’s biggest seller in Britain, although “The Beatles” (the white album) sold more in North America.
Then in 2019…
“Abbey Road” returned to number one in the UK nearly fifty years after it first topped the British album charts. The gap of 49 years and 252 days set a new UK chart record for an album’s return to number one. “It’s hard to believe that Abbey Road still holds up after all these years,” tweeted Sir Paul McCartney, “but then again, it’s a bloody cool album.”
Original release
The album debuted at number one on October 4, 1969, and spent 11 weeks at the top. It fell to number two just before Christmas, but returned to the top for six more weeks.
50th anniversary release
The album returned to number one in 2019 with a deluxe reissue that included previously unheard material from the recording sessions. This set a new UK chart record for the longest time between number one appearances by the same album.