Information about the creation and the recording of Abbey Road has been well documented, with the group coming off what they saw as the failure of the Let It Be sessions. From this they decided that with the tensions within the group and the general unrest, most notably from George Harrison, they would try and create one final album that would return to some of the roots of their earlier albums, although this became somewhat subverted throughout the recording process. The story behind the cover is also well known with Paul McCartney walking barefoot and out of sync with the rest of the group, which some claim is an indication of the Paul is dead theory, but was simply Paul losing track of himself and being perhaps just not caring too much about the photo.

The recordings began in April 1969, making it the final album recording by the group, although Let It Be would be released later in 1970, which I am entirely thankful for. This for me makes this album all the more important in terms of the Beatles catalogue, and I would probably place it as my third favourite album, after The White Album and Revolver. The album itself is made up of two parts, the first being the more traditional separate tracks running from Come Together to Because, and then the second constituting a medley of tracks from You Never Give Me Your Money to The End, although Her Majesty does come in at the end as a bonus track. This for me makes it the more interesting listen, as the medley part helps to create a sense of unity and fluidity within the album that was perhaps for some part within Let It Be, which despite containing a lot of strong material, did feel a bit disjointed.

Despite there being only two George Harrison songs on the album, I feel that at this point in the Beatles reign he was becoming a stronger member of the group and his material was reaching a level of quality that some of his earlier songs lacked. This is perhaps most evident in his first solo album All Things Must Pass, which showcased some of the material that he had hanging around after the dissolution of The Beatles. The album though is dominated by Paul McCartney and John Lennon, who take writing credits on fourteen of the seventeen tracks, with the former probably most evident in the vocal department. The dominance of McCartney on the album though is perhaps a reflection of the dominance he is claimed to have tried to push in the studio, a major reason for the unrest, but if this was the case, the strength of the material is not affected. In fact I feel that this separation within the group helped to make it the album it became, perhaps in a similar vein to The White Album, where tensions were also high.

1. Come Together *****

This for me is the best Lennon piece on the album, encompassing a great piece of production that creates a very sinister tone to the song, which although perhaps in contrast to the rest of the album is a great opening track. The lyrics a suitable obscure with lines that perhaps don’t make sense when listening closely, but make up for that in sheer suggestion and creativity. The song has a number of builds and falls that make for quite a dynamic track that still remains quite low key and understated, with some great Lennon vocals that fit the lyrics and backing perfectly. The little ‘shoot me’ bits chucked in around the song can be heard more clearly on the Anthology release, which I would equally suggest for anyone with even a passing interest in the album.

2. Something *****

This is a great Harrison track that features, as with most of his songs of the Beatles era, a nice little guitar line and bass part that for me makes the song. The lyrics are some of his best, and the quiet nature of the song fits in well with the previous track and really does help to differentiate the first half of the album with the second. But for me the best version of this song has to be the Anthology version, which features Harrison alone with his guitar, which for me is how this song should be played, especially the main lift in the track which is done to perfection on there.

3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer ****

This is a fun little track that although not to the standard of the previous tracks in terms of lyrics and power, does stick in your mind. The song features a jaunty rhythm and backing that is dominated by a piano/keyboard part and recurring drum and symbol beat. The hammer sounds during the chorus though for me detract from the track and make it slightly too over the top, but the Anthology version (something I will probably return to many times) does not include this, which for me is to its benefit.

4. Oh! Darling ****

This is a moderate track and coupled with the next track makes for a slightly weaker patch, as this song does feel too repetitive. The dynamics of the song though are good, and although some of you may think that I am coming to this too often, the Anthology version, a more rough and ready version that falls into disarray is a better listen, with greater variety.

5. Octopus’s Garden ****

As with most Ringo tracks, Don’t Pass Me By not included, this is the weakest piece on the album, making for a dull overly silly piece that doesn’t even come within a mile of the better tracks on the album. It has its moments, with some nice guitar work, but the lyrics it can never really achieve much more.

6. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) *****

This is a track that many will simply skip, but for me this 7.47 near epic track is a classic, consisting of only three lines, its simplicity is its gift. This in truth is more of an instrumental track dominated by the guitar, which in the end leads to an abrupt end when Lennon decided that the track had gone on long enough. The instrumentation at first seems incessant, changes as they switch to the She’s So Heavy part, something that continues throughout and means that no momentum is lost and the song retains its hold on you.

7. Here Comes The Sun *****

This is such a great track and another Harrison classic, with a very light backing and quite happy vocal and lyrics. This feels so fresh even today, and this helps it to slide into this album with ease and still manage to shine. Compared to the previous track, this seems miles apart in terms of style and it is, but both hold their positives, with this sitting not quite as a ballad, as it retains a certain degree of obscurity in the movement of the track and instrumentation, which contains the unusual parts that make a lot of Harrison tracks.

8. Because ****

I have never really liked this track and it is the one that probably lead to many seeing this as over-produced as it feels to fake and lifeless, taking away some of the magic that makes many Beatles tracks and simply looking at odd ways of presenting a lyric. The lyrics themselves are nice enough but don’t really rank up there, and perhaps if they did it would improve the track. But then this does really mark the end of the singular tracks and it does act quite well as a transition, as it is very haunting and quiet, but not much else.

9. You Never Give Me Your Money *****

This is the beginning of what is often called the Abbey Road Medley, which runs from tracks nine to sixteen. This track is great with some really nice changes and dynamics going from a slower vocal piece to a slightly more powerful narrative part and back again. This marks the beginning of what I see as the second half of the album and it is a great one to boot.

10. Sun King *****

This is a slight reflection of Here Comes The Sun and holds a few similarities to it, but as a track in its own right it is a nice easy going piece with some more quite vocals and slightly haunting lyrics. In some ways I feel this track sums up what this album is about, a more laid back affair that is simply The Beatles making a great album.

11. Mean Mr Mustard ****

This is the beginning of a more obvious medley that has some nice jaunty backing and slightly surreal narrative lyrics about the eponymous character of the song title. In terms of progression the lyrics help to move into the next song with the mention of his sister Pam, but as seen in the Anthology, this was not always the case.

12. Polythene Pam *****

This is a more rock based number that follows straight on from the previous track and does continue in a similar fashion to the lyrics of the previous track. This is a great central track in the middle of this trio of songs that flows near perfectly together.

13. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window *****

At the business end of this medley within a medley, we have this great track that contains some nice lyrics that although not entirely logical and continuous, do make for a nice track and my favourite of the trio. The Anthology version though I feel is even better, although it is more of a single track in its own right and wouldn’t have slide so easily at the end of the medley, as the arrangement changed so much.

14. Golden Slumbers *****

This is the beginning of another trio of tracks that really spill into one. This though is more of an introduction and has some great vocal work by McCartney to help to build you up and prepare you for the finale, which at the time was thought to be the last that would be heard of the Beatles in terms of studio material.

15. Carry That Weight *****

This flows from the next track with a nice drum beat and really builds on the last track by introducing more of an epic feeling song with harmonics and orchestral parts along with a nice guitar part that is really indicative of the rest of the album. Although not on the same lines as Hey Jude, this is close in terms of the structure of the final part of the song.

16. The End *****

For me although this fits in well with the rest of the album and features some really nice guitar and drum work, it is not really indicative of the rest of the band’s work and makes for a slightly strange assumed end to The Beatles. This is a really good strong end to a strong album though, and considering what is seen on the Anthology release, this track improved immensely and the last few lines which many see as the overriding message of the Beatles, I won’t spoil it, does actually making for quite a good finish.

17. Her Majesty ****

This is a ‘hidden’ track that was simply a song that was meant for the Mean Mr Mustard to She Came In Through The Bathroom Window, but was found not to suit the piece particularly well. But one of the engineers quite liked the track so he kept it and put it onto the end of the reel for the album and this was the result. It begins with the symbol from Mean Mr Mustard and is simply Paul with his acoustic guitar singing a silly little track about the Queen.

Overall then, this is a great album that should be right up there with everyone’s favourite Beatles album as it is one of their best and for me better than the slightly overrated Sgt Pepper’s, which although is a great album does not really sit at the peak of the Beatles catalogue. If you want to bolster a Beatles collection then look no further, and for those that want to start one, this would not be my first recommendation, but it wouldn’t be a bad one either.