Music Monday: Abbey Road

I haven’t done a “Music Monday” post in a while, and this one is a little different. Usually, I pick a song, talk about it, and then provide some performance notes, sheet music, lead sheets, and videos. This time, I want to talk about an entire album: The Beatles’ 1969 classic, “Abbey Road.”

Last year was Abbey Road’s 50th anniversary. To celebrate, Apple (The Beatles’ label, not the computer company) released a deluxe special edition that included a re-mixed version of the album, a bunch of studio outtakes and unreleased songs, a Blu-Ray with a hi-res audio of the album along with the promo film to the track “Something,” and a nice glossy booklet with photos and tons of information about the album. In today’s Music Monday, I want to review the album as a whole and this re-mix in particular.

The Album

This was the last album The Beatles recorded, though not the last Beatles album released. In the preceding year, the group had been to India and returned with a lot of songs, many of which turned up on their so-called “White Album.” The next project the band embarked on was a “fly-on-the-wall” movie showing them at work writing and rehearsing for an album that would be released at the same time the movie hit theaters. However, this didn’t go quite as planned. While the band generally got along just fine during filming, there were some testy moments in part because they got fed up of having cameras following them around. That project was shelved, and was eventually released in 1970 as the movie/album “Let It Be.” Then one of the lads suggested going back into the studio to record an album like they used to. No flashy effects (as on Sgt. Pepper) or big productions. That album became Abbey Road.

This album is perhaps the pinnacle of George Harrison’s career as a Beatle. The two songs he contributes are, in my opinion, the best on the album. And that’s saying something considering the high quality of most of the songs. For years George had been trying to prove himself worthy to stand alongside Lennon/McCartney as a composer. Here he earned that position. So let’s do a quick track-by-track breakdown.

Come Together: John Lennon’s song opens the album with a cool bass riff and John’s near a cappella vocal. The lyric is classic Lennon word play with a catchy chorus. Simple but effective. Billy Preston plays keyboards on this song and throughout the album.

Something: George’s first contribution to the album, and, I think, the best song of the entire set. The cherry on the cake for me, though, is George Martin’s string arrangement. Beautifully understated, yet it adds atmosphere and brings out the best in the composition. George’s guitar solo is also one of his finest. Of particular interest is the fact that the vocal harmonies are performed by George and Paul. John wasn’t able to make the session, so George, Paul, and Ringo are the only Beatles on the track. Oh, and Paul’s bass playing on this song is amazing. He later thought he may have over-played, but I don’t think so.

Maxwell’s Silver Hammer: This is a pretty dark song about a guy who goes around murdering people with his hammer, set to a jaunty “When I’m Sixty-Four”-style tune. This is very much a McCartney piece, one that John was not fond of. I can’t say it’s in my list of Paul’s greatest, but it’s not bad.

Oh! Darling: A song by Paul in the style of 50s slow rock, but with a scorching vocal that surprised my youngest daughter when she first heard it. Paul always comes across as the balladeer with the sweet voice, but he is (or at least was) capable of these incredible raw, gutsy performances that few in his day could match. John later commented that he (John) could have done better. Love you John, but… no. Sorry.

Octopus’s Garden: Even Ringo got a song on the album! Only the second time Ringo managed to write a song worthy of a Beatles’ album, and this is probably the best of the two. It’s a simple children’s song, but it’s got a good tune and George provides a nice solo in the middle. I remember singing this when I was in primary school (aged 5 or 6) and not knowing until years later that it was actually a Beatles song!

I Want You (She’s So Heavy): Another John composition that is about as 1969 as a song can sound. If you listen to Janice Joplin at Woodstock, you’ll know what I mean. Not my favorite Lennon song, and the seemingly endless repeat of the guitar riff at the end does feel a bit much, even with the background effects and organ building to a crescendo.

Here Comes the Sun: George’s second contribution to the album. What can I say? The song is a classic, and easily the second-best song of the album. Happy, optimistic, catchy, and elegantly done.

Because: John’s song featuring a close three-part harmony lead by John, Paul, and George. No auto-tune, just three guys who could sing very well, and whose voices blended wonderfully. It’s a lovely song too, based, I believe, on Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.”

You Never Give Me Your Money: This is the first song in what has become known as “The Medley,” since this and the following songs all flow into one another (save for a short break after “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”). It seems that John and Paul had a bunch of song fragments lying around. Instead of letting them go to waste, they decided to string them together into a medley. “You Never Give Me Your Money” is itself a medley of three song fragments–a medley within a medley! I find that opening Am7 chord haunting and very fitting. A lesson in how chord voicing makes a big difference to the mood of a piece.

Sun King: A playful John song, also featuring some exquisite three-part harmony and faux-Spanish lyrics. I mean, “Mundo paparazzi mi amore chicka ferdy parasol”?! Very Lennon.

Mean Mr. Mustard: This and the next are also John songs that appear to go together lyrically. The outtakes suggest he intended it to be a longer composition, but evidently it wasn’t working out. Good tune with some interesting chord changes.

Polythene Pam: John sings this with a very broad Liverpudlian accent that suits it well. I’ve always thought John was the superior lyricist of the band, and this short piece is a good, playful example of his skill.

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window: Not to be outdone on the strange lyric front, Paul gives us this song which, frankly, doesn’t appear to make a whole lot of sense. It’s a nice enough tune, but of particular interest is the way Paul varies the bass rhythm in the middle of the song. Very creative.

Golden Slumbers: After a short break we resume with this lullaby from Paul, based on Thomas Decker’s “Cradle Song.” Apparently, he saw the music to “Cradle Song” on his dad’s piano and, since he doesn’t read music, he made up his own version. The verses are Paul’s own words, but the chorus lyric is adapted from Decker’s song. The music is 100% McCartney, and it’s a lovely piece, enhanced by another lush George Martin string arrangement.

Carry That Weight: One of only two Beatles songs credited to all four members of the band. The reprise of “You Never Give Me Your Money” in the middle was a stroke of inspiration, since it bookends the medley nicely and sets us up for a rousing finale.

The End: A fitting title for what was supposed to be the last song on the album. Classic rock, featuring Ringo’s first drum solo, and John, Paul, and George trading guitar solos. The last lyric has often been cited as summing up The Beatles’ message: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” For a long time, I thought the band planned this as the last Beatles song on their final album. However, it appears they had planned to record another album… except they didn’t.

Her Majesty: A surprise (the original release didn’t list it on the cover) extra track that was supposed to be part of the medley (between “Mean Mr Mustard” and “Polythene Pam”). The story goes that the band decided it didn’t fit the medley so it was edited out. Not wanting to throw the excised tape away, the engineer spliced it to the end of the reel containing the final mix of the album, after the “leader” tape at the end. However, they forgot to pass the message on that the track wasn’t part of the album, so the master acetate was cut with the track included. This is a solo McCartney song where he sings and plays quasi-finger-style guitar. Some interesting chords and a nice tune. Odd words for a tribute to the monarch, however (“I want to tell her that I love her a lot, but I’ve got to get a belly full of wine”?!).

The Re-Mix

Giles Martin (son of George) and Sam Okell had previously produced re-mixes of Sgt. Pepper and the White Album for their anniversary releases, so it was no big surprise that they would be working on this one. What makes these re-mixes special is the fact that Giles takes seriously his father’s legacy and tries as best he can to preserve what George Martin was attempting to achieve with the original mix. But he then takes that further by employing modern digital equipment to bring that mix up-to-date, giving it modern production values. The result is an album that is both comfortably familiar and refreshingly new.

I understand some people feel Giles and Sam are messing with things that are best left untouched, and I get that. But I think it helps new audiences connect with the music if it has that contemporary feel to it. And I think they succeeded in what they were attempting to achieve. As with the other two albums, the re-mixed Abbey Road sounds like it was recorded only a few months ago. I am impressed with the care and attention Giles and Sam have given to these songs, and heartily recommend their work to everyone, from the die-hard fan to the curious music lover.

You don’t have to buy the entire deluxe edition to get the re-mixed album. It is also available as a stand-alone CD.

To whet your appetite, here are a couple of songs. First, a new video for “Here Comes the Sun” made specially for this project:

Next, here’s the re-mixed “Something” (audio only):

Finally, here’s the isolated vocal track for “Something.” Listen for Paul humming along to George’s guitar solo:

What are your favorite tracks from Abbey Road?

If there are songs off this album, or any other, you would like me to feature in a future “Music Monday,” let me know in the comments.