The Beatles
The date: August 8th, 1969. The location: a pedestrian crossing outside of Abbey Road Studios. The importance: it is here that the famous cover photograph of Abbey Road is being taken; not in the Himalaya Mountains as had been suggested, but on an ordinary street crosswalk.
But the ones in the photo are not ordinary. Many would say that they are the greatest band of all time. But had you known them five years earlier, you might not even recognize them. George Harrison has grown his dark brown hair long, and sports a full beard. Paul McCartney has let his once clean-cut hairsyle become messy.
Ringo Starr has swept his hair back, and now pairs two thick sideburns with a moustache. John Lennon now has a shaggy beard to go with his long brown hair.
Their looks have changed. And so has the music.
What had once been a one-dimensional band, producing predominantly love songs and ballads, has grown into a mature group of artists; each contributing diverse interests and ideas to create a band the likes of which have never been seen. Despite the major tensions in the band, they have gathered to work on their penultimate album. That album is Abbey Road.
(end of present tense intro)
While Abbey Road was, indeed, the second to last album released, it was actually the last album started. Most people agree that Abbey Road exhibits the growth that The Beatles had experienced since their early days. They still wrote about love, but it was no longer in short, two-minute tracks. Their skill and mastery of rhythm and melody were at their peak. Quite obviously, The Beatles had evolved into more intelligent and creative songwriters.
There has always been a mystique around the famed Abbey Road album. It is greatly due to the strange cover photo. Is Paul dead? If not, then why is he out of step with the others? Why is he barefooted? Why are his eyes closed? Isn't it possible that John symbolizes God, Ringo the undertaker, Paul the corpse, and George the gravedigger? These questions and more abound when looking at the details of the cover. Whether they have any truth to them is unknown.
The music itself, however, is the main focus of this album. The track listing is as follows:
1. Come Together - 4:20
2. Something - 3:03
3. Maxwell's Silver Hammer - 3:27
4. Oh! Darling - 3:26
5. Octopus's Garden - 2:51
6. I Want You (She's So Heavy) - 7:47
7. Here Comes the Sun - 3:05
8. Because - 2:45
9. You Never Give Me Your Money - 4:02
10. Sun King - 2:26
11. Mean Mr. Mustard - 1:06
12. Polythene Pam - 1:12
13. She Came in Through the Bathroom Window - 1:57
14. Golden Slumbers - 1:31
15. Carry That Weight - 1:36
16. The End - 2:19
17. Her Majesty - 0:23
Time to press play.
1. "Come Together"
The first track begins in a strange way. The sounds are difficult to comprehend, but according to what I've read, John Lennon mutters "Shoot me," followed by hand claps. The fading in and fading out of the pattering drums adds an interesting effect. The lyrics, like in many songs of the later part of The Beatles' career, are bizarre. But somehow, they make sense.
"He say 'One and one and one is three'
Got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see"
The first line is actually true (1+1+1=3), and the second is a clever pun. Overall, a classic song.
5/5
2. "Something"
In my opinion, this is George Harrison's finest song. The bass is great through the whole song. Sometimes, I wish this song were a bit longer, since it's so slow and graceful.
5/5
3. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
John Lennon once described this song as McCartney's "granny-style" music. I see what he means. This track is really nothing of what would be considered a classic, fantastic work of music. But I like it. While it is a ballad about a serial killer, its tune is bouncy and upbeat. Not great, but a fun song, nonetheless.
3.5/5
4. "Oh! Darling"
With this song, the album switches to a slower, more bluesy pace. "Oh! Darling" is an interesting song. McCartney exerts extra passion into it. The bass controlls most of the melody while the guitar adds accents to each measure.
4/5
5. "Octopus's Garden"
Many serious Beatles fans believe this song, like "Yellow Submarine" on Revolver, should have been left off the album entirely. But I disagree. One, it gives Ringo some time in the spotlight, and two, it shows that The Beatles never took themselves too seriously. They were focused musicians, but they liked to have some fun every once in a while. And what's more fun than an octopus's garden? I can't think of anything. Seriously. What could be better than this?
3.5/5
6. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"
This is a marathon of a song, with a rather pessimistic dreariness to it. The entire song is basically the same idea, said over and over.