SLOUGH, ENGLAND:
When it comes to making a musical splash, British bands have had quite the year. In August, we had Oasis gloriously give birth to hope by announcing a reunion before promptly diving headfirst into a soul-crushing ticket saga. Last week, in the aftermath of Liam Payne’s death, One Direction fans have stirred and have driven every single 1D album back onto the charts. And now, even though the ashes of Beatlemania were swept away decades ago, the Beatles, too have somehow wormed their way onto the charts.

That’s right. According to Forbes, the Beatles album Abbey Road – the cover of which famously features the group strolling along a zebra crossing – has reappeared on the Vinyl Albums charts. With over 35 million monthly streamers on Spotify, the Beatles may not be the tiniest blip on your radar, but they are a presence in the lives of – literally – millions of other people.

The biggest question, of course, is: who are these mystery people still buying vinyl albums? Lord only knows. Stone age music consumption habits, however, are a debate for another day. What is more prudent is that despite the stringent efforts of Spotify, YouTube and, of course, those studious makers of vinyl albums, the collective magic of Liverpudlian lads John, Paul, George and Ringo – or the Fab Four, if you will – continues to fall on stubbornly deaf ears.