The last Beatles album to be recorded (although Let It Be was the last to be released), Abbey Road was a fitting swan song for the group, echoing some of the faux-conceptual forms of Sgt. Pepper, but featuring stronger compositions and more rock-oriented ensemble work. The group was still pushing forward in all facets of its art, whether devising some of the greatest harmonies to be heard on any rock record (especially on "Because"), constructing a medley of songs/vignettes that covered much of side two, adding subtle touches of Moog synthesizer, or crafting furious guitar-heavy rock ("The End," "I Want You (She's So Heavy)," "Come Together"). George Harrison also blossomed into a major songwriter, contributing the buoyant "Here Comes the Sun" and the supremely melodic ballad "Something," the latter of which became the first Harrison-penned Beatles hit. Whether Abbey Road is the Beatles' best work is debatable, but it's certainly the most immaculately produced (with the possible exception of Sgt. Pepper) and most tightly constructed. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
Track List
(try tracks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 and 13)
As brighthue and lizlotz describe below, the songs especially on side 2 of the original record were two suites. Meant to be played linked to one another. As a person who lived Beatlemania in the 60's, to me that side of that record stand as the finest rock music ever made, and it was recorded basically live in the studio. 40 years and still unsurpassed
In this article they should have mentioned the production contributions on Alan Parsons on this album-- He is a legend himself. Check out his Pink Floyd-esq work. (He also produced Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon)
This & Rubber Soul are their underrated albums, as underrated as The Beatles can have. Abbey Road definitely eclipses The White Album, which gets more press.
Breivogel, Abbey Road is my favorite as well. Near-perfect songwriting, the Beatles' best vocal harmonies on record and impeccable studio production. I wish Pandora would group some of the songs together, as they were intended to be played. At the very least, some of the songs should be played in pairs. The same should be done with some songs by the Moody Blues.
My favorite Beatles album of all time. Though Lennon and MacCartney were drifting in differnet directions it still is a great finish. The songs are perfect and show how much they matured in just a few years
I agree, rydee72. The breaking up of song sequences from albums that really should be kept together is, I think, the biggest drawback of Pandora or any other automated jukebox type music delivery. Playing the songs on side 2 of Abbey Road as individual selections instead of a complete sequence is a particulary unfortunate example of this phenomenon.
Wow...I just had a flash of me and a bunch of the other theater majors in Rutgers back in 1969, sitting in a dark apartment, the wine and smoke going around very nicely, everybody just about defining the word "mellow"; if my life weren't so absolutely great today (thanks be to God for His blessed Son), I'd be real tempted to look back at those days in nostalgia and regret
I remember the whole "Paul is Dead" thing...wow, did we have a WHOOOOLE bunch of really great discussions over that one (especially after a few medicinal inhalations, wink, wink). Boy, that was fun...I just wonder how many extra albums they sold because of all that fuss.
Kinda makes you wonder what Paul (or some really clever imposter...hey, it could happen) thinks about having been dead all these years. :-)
As for the whole "Paul is dead" thing, here's my theory: Someone interpreted a song as hinting that one of the Beatles had dies, and started spreading rumors. The Beatles heard, and ran with it before the alarms went off.
Elizabeth- Yeah,it was said Paul was dead. Paul was dressed like he was going to be buried, barefoot, and was out of step with the others. The rest were dressed as a priest, a mourner, and George was a shabby gravedigger. One of the lisensce plates read 28 1F, Paul would have been 28 if he lived. On the back of the album, there is a picture of a wall reading "The Beatles/ Abbey Road." There are thirteen dots on the wall, but only 8 are shown that make a number 3. There are 4 Beatles, unless...
weren't there like rumors that one of them was dead and there were clues or something on this album? i know that the rumors weren't true even if they existed. but someone told me you like had to listen to it backwards or something. =)
Woderful Album. In spite of how much tension and resentment had built up by the time they recorded this album, once again the music is perfect.
Sounds best on vinyl.
This album does not get its due among Beatles albums. People give The White Album too much credit. While the debate about the best Beatles album will always rage, the order is
1. Sgt. Pepper
2. Revolver (highlights better than Sgt. Pepper, but not as good an album as a whole)
3. Abbey Road
Just because The White Album has a lot of different/unusual stuff doesn't mean it's all good.
Abbey Road is a moving final effort from the greatest band the world's ever seen. Side one of the original LP ended with "I Want You", John Lennon's strident tribute to Yoko Ono. During the final edit, as the guitar riff continued on and on, Lennon told engineer Geoff Emerick to "cut the tape right there" at the 7:44 mark, creating a sudden, jarring silence which concluded side one.
Side two is almost entirely comprised of a medley of song fragments (tracks 9-16). The theme from "You Never..." is repeated several times, leading up to "The End", which contains Ringo Starr's only extended drum solo in the Beatles catalogue. Over this drum solo, John, Paul, and George, each come in with individual guitar solos, bringing us to the final chords, as the album comes to a close.
That is, except for "Her Majesty", the first "hidden track" ever. A fragment that didn't fit well in its original position between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam", "her Majesty" was moved to the end of the tape by a second engineer who had been ordered never to throw anything away. The band liked it, and there it stays, 14 seconds after the rest of the album.
This album is up there with Dark Side of the Moon, Exile On Main Street, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Born to Run, and Who's Next. These albums demand multiple listenings. "Abbey Road" is a work of art because, among other things, it has several repeated themes. For instance, the looping guitar phrase from "She's So Heavy" is repeated in a slightly different key (and a harpsichord sound) at the beginning of "Because." And the "You Never Give Me Your Money"'s theme comes back in "Carry That Weight.
You guys like this album but Paul and John weren't that happy about Beatles' things at the time. As their writing got stronger, their tension caused them to erroneously believe their songs were weaker.