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Abbey Road (1990)

The Beatles - Abbey Road (1990) Audio CD

A fair review of the The Beatles "Abbey Road (1990)" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Beatles reviews here, or go back to the The Beatles tabs.

Band: The Beatles
Title: Abbey Road (1990)
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Come Together 2: Something 3: Maxwell's Silver Hammer 4: Oh! Darling 5: Octopus's Garden 6: I Want You (She's So Heavy) 7: Here Comes the Sun 8: Because 9: You Never Give Me Your Money 10: Sun King 11: Mean Mr. Mustard 12: Polythene Pam 13: She Came in Throught the Bathroom Window 14: Golden Slumbers 15: Carry That Weight 16: End 17: Her Majesty 18: Abbey Road Mini-Documentary [Multimedia]

Remastered - Awful sound
Unless your stereo has the ability to combine both, do buy the mono, or origional stereo if available!!. Most definitely don't bother with the remastered version(S) they have vocals on one side of the room and the music on the other.

Another GREAT Beatles CD!
Soon, I'll have them all. I'm slowly buying all of the recently released remastered Beatles CD's from Amazon. Help, and Abby Road were first on my list. Any Beatles fan should understand the way I feel about the way the Beatles changed music as we knew it back in the day. I was lucky enough to have an older sister who took me to see the Beatles in Germany in 1964. I was only 10 years old and had no idea that the group I was watching would have such a profound impact on Rock and Roll in the years to come. I will however remember that the first record albums I ever purchased (while still in Germany) were "Meet the Beatles" and "Help". I still have those thick, plastic Mono albums, and I'll never part with them. The clarity and perfection of these remastered CD's earn my highest rating!.

Note for Mac users (warning: some geek speak)
So if you have an Intel mac, you'll be prompted to install Rosetta (code translator) if you haven't already. The included Mac application that plays the documentary video (and maybe does other things; I don't know) is a PPC application (not universal binary). It's pretty easy. However, I don't want Rosetta on my machine and it seems like a pretty major oversight that the application included on this CD is not a universal binary. Macs have been running on intel processors for years now.

HOWEVER, if you browse the directory structure, you'll find Quicktime files. One is the documentary, the other the credits (which are almost as long!). I was able to open the quicktime file, and (under Snow Leopard/QuickTime X) I was able to 'share to iTunes' and then sync it to my iPod. The same can probably be done under Quicktime 7/Leopard if you have QuickTime Pro. So, it's a little trouble, but it is possible to get both the music and the documentary on an iPod. I don't know if there's other content in the application that I'm missing. . . but I'm happy to have gotten this far.

And. . . the remastering sounds incredible. It's subtle but completely breathtaking at the same time. If you like/love this album, the remastered version is a must-have.

Abbey Road studios, St. John's Wood, (North Central) London.
The follow-up to the White Album couldn't have been more different (they were never predictable anyway) and who could know when it was released that it was to be their last album (Let It Be, though released the following Spring, was recorded over nine months prior to Abbey Road's Autumn 1969 release). Polished, enthusiastic and the Beatles' masterpiece. Everyone shines in a truly groundbreaking effort that still captures the imagination 40+ years later. Much credit must also go to their producer, (Sir) George Martin. The Beatles had a sound (to go along with their wonderful songwriting) that no one else came close to. Throughout the Beatles career his contributions are truly noteworthy. And the final album, their most complex and textured, finds a most rewarding result. 'Something', 'Come Together', 'Here Comes The Sun', 'Oh! Darling' and of course, what has simply come to be known as, Side Two, only furthers the Beatles legend. Ringo's only recorded drum solo is followed by Paul, George and John (in that order) stretching out their guitars on, 'The End'. The remastering shows clearly that a lot of layered sound is now brought out. For example, I've been listening to this album for years and only now do I notice someone saying, 'Look out', just before the solo in, 'Come Together'. A must-have even for the casual fan.

Fitting swansong for a legendary band
'Abbey Road' is the most unified, coherent Beatles' album since 'Sgt Pepper', both in the strength of the individual songs and the way the entire album fits together. After the disunity and infighting of the Get Back sessions, The Beatles were able to put their differences aside to create one final masterpiece. Also, despite their personal and creative tensions, the album feels much more like the work of a genuine band than the White Album or 'Let It Be', with a return to the detailed harmonies and arrangements of the band's mid-60's work.

Stylistically, The Beatles are once again looking forward and anticipating new trends. Recorded in 1969, much of 'Abbey Road' has what might be termed a "Seventies Rock" feel, with an emphasis on heavier blues-based rock, intelligent ballads, and even hints of prog-rock. The heavier production and instrumentation (especially the Moog synth) also seems more reminiscent of Seventies Rock.

It's been suggested that McCartney began taking over The Beatles toward the end, but on 'Abbey Road' it's Lennon and particularly Harrison who really stand out.

'Come Together': arguably Lennon's best late 60's song, one of the clear examples of the heavier music and production on the album. The claustrophobic verses are balanced by a short, ringing chorus.

'Something': outstanding ballad. Harrison really pulled out the big guns for this album, with his two contributions arguably his two best songs. Simple but intelligent lyrics, and a beautiful melody that never descends into sappiness. Great shift into the heavier, singalong bridge.

'Maxwell's Silver Hammer': a bit reminiscent of 'Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da', this love-it-or-hate-it McCartney singalong is a bit of a throwaway compared to other songs here. Apparently the recording of this song was tense, but you'd never know it from the enthusiastic harmonies and backup singing in the infectious chorus.

'Oh Darling': a McCartney holdover from the Get Back sessions and sounds like it. A really raw, stomping rock song with throat-ripping vocals.

'Octopus' Garden': fun singalong written and sung by Ringo. In contrast to the world-weary, hangdog vocals he often used, Ringo is more upbeat here, delivering a strong performance that suits the kiddie nature of the song. Solid backup harmonies are another highlight.

'I Want You': the most obvious example of the Seventies Rock Influence. The first part is heavy, bluesy rock; this is followed by a very extended fadeout that becomes swamped in layers of production and white noise, before abruptly ending. Almost prog-rock in execution.

'Here Comes The Sun': another Harrison classic that reminds me of 'If I Needed Someone'. There is the same jangling guitar riff and beautiful harmonies to this mid-tempo song.

'Because': Lennon ballad famous for its multiple overdubbed harmonies. There is again a Seventies Rock feel in the heavy use of synths and keyboards, but this song is all about the voices.

The album then moves into the extended mini-rock-opera that rounds out the second half. This was an innovative way to tie together a variety of loose ends from the Get Back sessions, and it works. Few of these songs would have amounted to much on their own, but nearly all of them contain great riffs and melodies, and work perfectly as short bridging pieces. Since 'Golden Slumbers'/'Carry That Weight' reference the first song of the medley 'You Never Give Me Your Money', there is the real sense of an opera coming full circle and finishing how it began.

This is followed, appropriately, by 'The End'. I never found 'Her Majesty' particularly good, and feel it detracts from the rock opera closing.

So 'Abbey Road' was a great way for The Beatles to go out. Unlike Get Back, there is little evidence of the tension that was beginning to tear the band apart. With all four members making strong contributions, and the personal differences put aside for the sake of the music, 'Abbey Road' is undoubtedly one of the best Beatles albums. .

You can see a complete list of all The Beatles discography, or go back to the The Beatles tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.