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Next to the white paint streaks that mark the pedestrian crossing on Abbey Road – a site protected since 2010 for its cultural and historical significance – it tells the Beatles facts, talks about the band's musical journey and gets more and more excited.
Kramer, 40, is here because of "Abbey Road," the flagship album that the group released on September 26, 1969 – 50 years ago, Thursday.
It would be the group's last studio album ("Let it Be", released in 1970, had already been recorded), as John Lennon had announced to his teammates that he was leaving shortly before. his exit.
To mark this special occasion, an anniversary edition of "Abbey Road" will appear again on September 27th. Produced by Giles Martin, whose father, George, was the Beatles' friend and producer, it will contain excerpts and additional elements. .
Giles Martin told CNN that his father thought "Abbey Road" would be the group's last album. He added, "I think the Beatles knew things were evolving, I think they were looking for a way out and that they had all become more individual because the creatives want to be creative and that they are all creative. they all want to do different things. "
Imitate the Fab Four
The tree-lined street in the upscale neighborhood of St. John's Wood, London, lends its name to the 1969 album. Half a century later, "Abbey Road" continues to reach music lovers: in September afternoon, tourists from Puerto Rico, Italy, the Philippines and the United States crowd around the crossing.
Most of them take this opportunity to go out on the street and try to recreate the famous cover of their album – one suspects the inconvenience of the drivers that they are still waiting for.
But this much-loved photo of the four members of the group who walks on the road – taken on a stool by Iain Macmillan, a friend of John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono – might never have taken place. The album originally called "Everest", according to a brand of cigarettes. If that had been the case, the tourists would now have a very different journey.
Beatles fans flock to Abbey Road
Far from the Himalayas, Kramer, 40, an engineer based in Orlando, Florida, makes a short trip to London with his wife, Vanessa, and tells CNN: "I've always wanted to go for a walk like a million other tourists .
"And I'm a big fan of the Beatles, I have everything they've ever recorded, no memorable memories, just music, I think it's the most important memory I can have." . "
Referring to the cover of the album, he jokes that the trees have grown "a little" since 1969 and that he can not see a Volkswagen Beetle – the car in the back shot of the photo.
Others are more familiar with the layout of the road. Tito Maffeo, 26, of Rome, is accompanied by his Italian compatriots Marco Vatellone and Matteo Arena. Maffeo, who lived in the area, said, "It's a lovely place, it's a pleasure to see a lot of people coming here for some kind of pilgrimage.
"I'm not a fan of the Beatles, but I have to count what they actually did for the history of music."
Karen Abramson, a photographer who grew up in the hometown of The Beatles in Liverpool, is much more of a group of Beatles. She has an original copy of "Abbey Road", met Paul McCartney and even has an autographed guitar – none of whose children are allowed to approach.
After posing for a photo during her first visit to Abbey Road, she told CNN: "I'm here today because I could not stop my traffic on Abbey. Road to have a photo …
"I am a chick of the 60s, I grew up in Liverpool at the time of the Beatles … I went to the theater school in front of where they were at the time. So, the Beatles mean a lot to me. "
Despite her enthusiasm, she acknowledges that the crossing does not do it for everyone: "It's so famous, but my girlfriend lives here and she says it's the most annoying crossing in the world because we can not go anywhere on the other hand, you can not drive anywhere. "
"Symbol of freedom"
Richard Porter, a mega-fan who has been touring London Beatles Walks since 1992 and meets all the Beatles except John Lennon, knows Abbey Road better than most others.
During his weekly tours, which peaked this year due to his birthday celebrations, he saw members of his group propose to their partners a midway crossing – until now, a success in 100%.
He also saw people lying in the middle of the road and others strolling naked, like the Red Hot Chili Peppers on the cover of their "Abbey Road EP".
One of the guide's favorite stories is about a North Korean tourist who managed to travel to South Korea, where he discovered the Beatles and became hooked. Porter says, "When he arrived at Abbey Road, he burst into tears – that was too much for him. (That was) the symbol of freedom, I suppose."
Porter added: "Abbey Road is the place that everyone wants to see … You can not tour the Beatles in London without seeing Abbey Road.
"It would be like doing the royal tour and not doing Buckingham Palace."
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