abbey road

Decades after the Beatles turned a stroll across the road -- Abbey Road, that is -- into one of the most widely copied images of the rock era, police in Calcutta, India are using the Fab Four to try and promote better traffic safety.

Vinyl aficionados are a special breed. Some feel the medium is the only one that does justice to older recordings, while others enjoy listening to even newer music on actual records instead of more modern CDs or digital formats — and both groups are well-represented in the just-released list of 2011′s top-selling vinyl albums.

Thanks to the Beatles and a photoshoot that was done one August day in 1969 Abbey Road just became protected. One of the most famous crossings in music, outside Abbey Road Studios in London, was designated a site of national importance by the British government today.