The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in 1967, might be a better collection of songs than Abbey Road, released two years later.

Last weekend at the Imperial Theatre, however, the talented musicians of Ed Turner & Number 9 re-created Abbey Road even better than they did the Sgt. Pepper's album two years ago.

That's saying a lot, because I absolutely loved their performance of Sgt. Pepper's .

Abbey Road , especially the final tracks, is a complicated musical offering, but Number 9 brought it off almost note for note.

The obnoxious guy who kept shouting, "Damn, you guys are good," was correct in his evaluation, though his exclamations did get a bit boring after the first five or six times. I hope somebody got him home safely.

This was the first year that Mr. Turner's core group and guest musicians and dancers staged shows on consecutive nights, Friday and Saturday. Both sold out.

That makes five concerts Number 9 has sold out, most likely a record for a group in the Imperial's 90-plus-year history. The 12 Bands of Christmas concerts long have been sellouts, but they consist of different groups.

Even better, the Beatles tributes, sponsored and promoted by the Columbia County Exchange Club, have raised $125,000 for area charities.

Think about that: This civic group in Columbia County, with the help of Mr. Turner's buddies, who donate their time and talents, has raised one-eighth of a million dollars for Richmond and Columbia county charities.

First, let me heap praise on the members of Number 9: Mr. Turner, one of the most knowledgeable music journalists I've known, singing while playing expertly at his black-and-white keys; Chip McDonald, almost lost within himself playing soaring guitar solos; Jamie Jones, whom I'm known since he was about 14, performing those effortless drum rolls and driving the band with his amazing energy; Kirkwood Deal, who sits in the background at his tiny table re-creating cool computer-generated sounds while pounding tambourines on his chest; Jeff Johnston, whose comic facial expressions are surpassed only by his dynamic guitar breaks and wonderful voice; Tim Arbisi, who draws your attention with his juggling of musical "eggs" and his brilliant bass guitar breaks; and the incomparable Roger Davis, who has one of the best voices ever to come out of a town known for its great singers.

Mr. Davis' version of Paul McCartney's My Love, performed in the first set of Friday evening, was one of the best performances of the night, aided by the guest horns and strings section directed by Laura Tomlin.

Abbey Road was one of the saddest creations of The Beatles (John Lennon, Mr. McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison), because by the time it was recorded, several group members were upset with one another and barely speaking.

They knew it would be their last professional time together, and they poured their musical skills into making it special.

With the Number 9 band performing the same songs, though, it was easy from their physical interplay onstage and facial expressions to see how much they love performing together and respect one another.

One of my favorite Beatles songs performed by Number 9 was From Me to You . It has these lines, "If there's anything that you want. If there's anything I can do. Just call on me and I'll send it along, with love from me to you."

That's what Number 9 did. They sent musical vibes to their appreciative audiences, and, in return, completely deserved the standing ovations expressed out of love from us to them.

Don Rhodes has written about country music for 38 years. He can be reached at (706) 823-3214 or at don.rhodes@morris.com.