Abbey Road

"The Beatles recording journey had gone through many twists and turns, learning curves and thrilling rides. Here we were--still wondering at the magic of it all." Paul McCartney.This is another worthwhile anniversary release of a classic Beatles album. The packaging is similar to the "Sgt. Pepper's" and the "White Album" anniversary releases. The thick, glossy slipcase (with complete track list on the back cover) holds an equally thick hardcover book. The front and back inside covers each hold two discs, which are inside glossy cardboard jackets with a track list on the back covers.The book (with sewn in binding) has a Forward by Paul McCartney, an Introduction by Giles Martin, plus chapters by Beatles historian Ken Howlett--"The Route To Abbey Road", "Track By Track", "The Cover", and "The Arrival Of Abbey Road". David Hepworth has a chapter titled "And In The End". The track by track text (which includes info on the "Sessions" tracks) is usually two pages for each song and is both interesting and informative. Also included are many rare photos from the sessions (including Linda McCartney's photographs), plus repros of handwritten lyrics, recording data sheets, and tape boxes--everything adding to the feel of that time period. The presentation is up to high standards for such an important album as this.The music. Besides the 2019 mix of the original album, the session tracks too have good sound. If you're familiar with the last reissue of this album, the sound isn't to far from that version to my ears--everything seems to be in the right place in the mix. The 23 outtakes sound every bit as good as the album. The Blue-Ray disc is well worth having--the quality--in Dolby Atmos 5.1 master audio and High Resolution Stereo Mix--is a good addition to this set.Disc 1 is the original album which is familiar to most all of us so no real comment is needed. Discs 2 and 3 have the outtakes, and this is where the fun begins. The tracks are in chronological order which is a good thing--no guessing about the recording sequence. There's some studio chat from the group and they sound like they're having a good time in the studio--joking around a bit. Several of the outtakes are close to the finished songs in feel as we know them. But there's also some goodies that make these sessions worth hearing.A few things I like: Included are takes of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", "Something" (with a different feel from the tune we know), "Old Brown Shoe", "Here Comes The Sun" (also with a different feel from the album track), "Come Together", "Sun King", plus a demo of "Come And Get It" (made famous by that great band Badfinger), and three instrumental tracks--which give insight into how the music came together. Also give a listen to "The Long One" which includes eight shorter songs heard on the album, which gives some perspective on the finished album. But there's other good things included and everyone will have their own favorites--to each his own.I have to say for me that this album has always been near the top of Beatles albums. It's the one I find myself reaching for unless I need a dose of early Beatles. The outtakes plus a really nice book with informative essays and rare photos makes this another good addition alongside the previous anniversary sets--even at ninety bucks or so--which seems a bit high. But when you slip the book out of its slipcase and see the quality, and when you hear the all the music, the price tag slips back into your head. This is a worthwhile purchase for "Abbey Road" and/ or Beatles fans in general.And for "Abbey Road" fans, check out Bruce Spizer's latest book about "Abbey Road". It's similar to his other books on the "Sgt. Pepper's" and the "White Album" releases.

ESSENTIAL ALBUM!!! One of rock's greatest albums by the Fab Four. It's one of my personal favorites & it's a rare thing when I don't play it. The album hit #1 on the charts & deservedly so. Without a weak moment, this album flows from beginning to end; the Beatles once again proving their prowess in the studio. This was actually the last album that the Beatles recorded but, due to the untimely disappearance of Phil Spector, Let It Be was the last album released.Abbey Road had two incredible hits released from it, "Come Together" which topped the charts #1 & "Something" which peaked at #3 (what???). Somewhat of a surprise was that wasn't a McCartney penned tune released as a single, though Sir Paul tried everything he could to get "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" released as one. But, let's face it, as light as the song sounds, mass murderers isn't great subject manner for lyrics. "Oh! Darling" was the song that should have released as a single. It's in 6/8 time & is a kind of throwback to old rock 'n' roll. McCartney's vocals on this song are some of the grittiest he ever recorded. "Oh! Darling" was one of the best album tracks on any Beatles album. "Octopus's Garden", written by Ringo, is non-essential. Then, what was side 1 on the vinyl record, closed with Lennon's "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", a great bluesy riff & solid vocals makes this a must-hear song. With it's heavy riff-laden slow fadeout makes it a perfect song ending that side of the record. This part of the album was a concession to Lennon's desires to record a straight ahead rock album.The other side of that coin is that side two was to be McCartney's side with his desire to make a more continuous rock-suite, this didn't quite happen but many of the songs do segue from one to the next. This side began with Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun". It's one of his best songs & could have been released as a single. "Because" is a slow song with a lot of three part harmony. It's some of their best harmony work ever recorded. It's amazing in light of the fact that when each one recorded his vocal, the other two weren't even present. The proper part of the rock suite begins with "You Never Give Me Your Money". This theme would recur on a later song on Abbey Road; this is where McCartney began incorporating this idea into his music, he would use it time & again in his solo recordings. "Sun King" follows next & was originally titled "Here Comes the Sun King", Lennon used some faux foreign language words to give it the feel that he wanted. Two more Lennon fragments follow, "Mean Mr. Mustard" & "Polythene Pam". Both have humorous lyrics, the latter one I found to be very comical. Lennon was a master of lyrics, able to be humorous & insightful at the same time. A McCartney song is next, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window", it's a nonsensical title but the line "she could steal but she could not rob" is a classic. "Golden Slumbers" is a beautiful McCartney composition though he did nick some of the lyrics from a 400 year old poem by Thomas Dekker. "Carry That Weight" follow & is a great singalong, the musical & lyrical theme from "You Never Give Me Your Money" is repeated here. What was listed as the final song in the initial Abbey Road release is "The End". The title is a prophetical one & one of the most adventurous things they ever did. We get a short drum solo from Ringo, the only one that was recorded, there's an incredible three guitar lead where McCartney, Lennon & Harrison take turns playing their riffs, then we get to the slow ending. Lennon commented on the line written by McCartney, "the love you take is equal to the love you make", Lennon thought that was one of the best lyrics that McCartney ever wrote. This is all followed by "Her Majesty" the shortest Beatles song recorded. It was really a throwaway but was saved by an engineer & spliced on to the end of "The End" because it had been instructed to never throw away anything that had been recorded.Unless you're from somewhere else (say, a galaxy far, far away) then you've heard this album. One of the most creative pieces of music in the annals of rock 'n' roll!