It’s not an easy thing writing ops, you know. Oh, no. It can be infuriating, dull and hard to be inspired. Frankly, the only reason I continue is the joy of putting question marks where they obviously don’t belong, and I’m even beginning to tire of that. Wel?l, nearly. So what I’m trying to say, in a roundabout, inaccurate, incomprehensible and ? downright silly way is that Abbey Road is very good. Good enough to inspire me to right another very nearly, but not quite, wholly unremarkable opinion. Lucky you!
This, despite the fact that it was released before the album Let It Be, was the last recorded work of the Beatles. And a hell of a way to go out as well, this is probably their finest work. Except for those other two. But seriously folks, this is one of the greatest albums ever, and that’s including Bob Dylan and Radiohead.
Diverse is the best word to describe the content, it ranges from the hard I Want You ( She’s so Heavy), to the soft and beautiful Something. Her Majesty, a twenty second novelty kinda number, is the
only blot on the copybook.
Come Together makes for immediate listening, the strong drum ‘n’ beat makes it compelling enough, the clever/odd lyrics make it a classic. It sees Lennon going for a heavier sound, while Paul opts for gentler sounds on tracks such as Golden Slumbers. Their songwriting partnership had long since stopped being as, how shall I put it, cooperative as before, and on this album they’re on planets at times in term of sound.
George Harrison’s Something is the highlight for me, a beautiful song, much like Sad Eyed Lady Of the Lowlands which completely worships and expresses the feelings he has for one woman, who ends up leaving him a few years later. Shit. Makes you wonder what he would have accomplished if he hadn’t been in a group with two of the most prolific songwriters of all time. I prefer the anthology version though, it’s just George and a guitar an just intensifies the emotion in the song.
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer is just a bit too clever for it’s little boots. It’s a bit of a novelty at first, but it becomes a tad annoying after a while. Listenable though.
Oh! Darling and Octopus’s Garden are strong enough, Oh! Darling in particular is a great fusion of instruments, everybody just supplements each other, a top example of how a proper band play together. Oasis take not ( they’re probably going to release the bloody song now). Octopus’s Garden sees Ringo getting up off his arse and stumbling to the microphone. Who cares if it’s a tad shallow and a dollop too novelty, it’s still great fun.
I Want You ( She’s So Heavy) is an over long but nonetheless tremendously good song. As I said before, it’s pretty heavy for the Beatles. The guitar, which takes centre stage, the lyrics aren’t quite I’m Only bleeding, is wonderfully modest, it sounds great and doesn’t need to unnecessarily solo just to show off.
Which brings us to another gentle George Harrison song. Here Comes The Sun really does bring the thoughts of lovely hot, fun past summers. Until you realise you’re just thinking of a Thomas Cook ad. Lovely riff and great vocals from the world’s most underrated Beatle.
The three singing Beatles harmonize on Because, a pretty mellow and, indeed, stoned song. You hear nine voices as the existing vocals are overdubbed twice, which makes for pretty good listening as nothing much else happens in the background.
The best songs come in more than one part. Just look at Bohemian Rhapsody, Paranoid Android and, er, all those other ones. And You Never Give Me Your Money is no exception. It starts off with a standard ( in a good way) piano, but then burts into life with the rest of the instruments kicking in. One of the hidden gems.
Yet another song that can be only described as quite stoned, Sun King sees more harmonizing which is really quite beautiful. Not very long but short and very sweet.
Which can also be said of the next two songs. Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam are quick. Upbeat and brilliant pieces of music. Which is always nice to hear. It can’t be Spirit and Highlands everyday of the week.
She Came In Through the Bathroom is in the same vein as the two previous songs, but surpasses them both. Look out again for amazingly modest guitar work. Golden Slumbers is a different kettle of fish altogether, Paul plays his piano and puts as much energy into a verse as he can muster. Just a bit over a minute but makes more of an impact than an album of Nu-metal rubbish.
Carry That Weight is basically a reprise of YNGMYM with a few bits thrown in, but brilliant bits all the same. The End is a pretty perfect song, the guitar playing Beatles take it in turns to play a bar each of a perfect solo, then fade out…
Until you hear the twenty seconds or so of Her Majesty. Not really there long enough to make an impression.
So, to conclude, Abbey Road is a flawless ( discounting the flaws) piece of music which everyone would do well to go out and buy. Now. I’M WAITING. 5-4-3…
Oh, and by the way, the answer is that they had all left their collective dress sense over there.
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2007 Beatles 64p value on specially designed 'Abbey Road' design envelope. Bears the 64p ... more
'Abbey Road' stamp and a special 'Abbey Road' guitar shaped postmark for the first day of issue. Limited edition of just 1000 pieces worldwide, nice Beatles commem...
Postage & Packaging: £2.50 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: One of my favourite Beatles albums, full of life, soul and fantastic vocals Disadvantages: There isn't a big McCartney love song (we do get the next best thing though) and Ringo sings!
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