Recorded: 22 February - 19 August 1969
Producers: George Martin, Chris Thomas, Glyn Johns
Engineers: Geoff Emerick, Phil McDonald, Jeff Jarratt, Glyn Johns, Barry Sheffield, Tony Clark
Released: 26 September 1969 (UK), 1 October 1969 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, guitar, piano, electric piano, Hammond organ, Moog, white noise generator, tambourine, maracas, handclaps
Paul McCartney: vocals, guitar, bass, piano, electric piano, harmonium, Hammond organ, Moog, wind chimes, tape loops, handclaps
George Harrison: vocals, guitar, bass, harmonium, Moog, handclaps
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, bongos, congas, maracas, cowbell, timpani, tambourine, anvil, handclaps, effects
George Martin: Lowrey organ, Hammond organ, electric harpsichord
Billy Preston: Hammond organ
Tracklisting:
Come Together
Something
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Oh! Darling
Octopus's Garden
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
Here Comes The Sun
Because
You Never Give Me Your Money
Sun King
Mean Mr Mustard
Polythene Pam
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Her Majesty
The Beatles' last-recorded album was a triumph. Coming after the difficult Let It Be sessions, the group pulled together for a final collection of songs that rank among their best.
It is commonly thought that The Beatles knew that Abbey Road would be their final album, and wanted to present a fitting farewell to the world. However, the group members denied that they intended to split after its completion, despite a realisation that their time together was drawing to a close.
Nobody knew for sure that it was going to be the last album – but everybody felt it was. The Beatles had gone through so much and for such a long time. They'd been incarcerated with each other for nearly a decade, and I was surprised that they had lasted as long as they did. I wasn't at all surprised that they'd split up because they all wanted to lead their own lives – and I did, too. It was a release for me as well.
Anthology
Abbey Road was completed on 25 August 1969, almost a month before John Lennon told the other Beatles that he wished to leave the group. His decision was made on 12 September, just before the Plastic Ono Band performed at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, and he told the rest of the group at a meeting a week later.
The album was recorded at a time when The Beatles' Apple empire was fast unravelling, with vast quantities of money being haemorrhaged by bad business decisions and a lack of direction. The controversial business manager Allen Klein was moving in to gain control of The Beatles' affairs, despite Paul McCartney's best efforts of resistance.
'Funny paper' - that's what we get. We get bits of paper saying how much is earned and what this and that is, but we never actually get it in pounds, shillings and pence. We've all got a big house and a car and an office, but to actually get the money we've earned seems impossible.
Anthology
The problems of Apple found their way into two songs in particular: You Never Give Me Your Money, Here Comes The Sun and Carry That Weight.
Here Comes The Sun was written at the time when Apple was getting like school, where we had to go and be businessmen: 'sign this' and 'sign that'. Anyway, it seems as if winter in England goes on forever; by the time spring comes you really deserve it. So one day I decided I was going to sag off Apple and I went over to Eric Clapton's house. The relief of not having to go and see all those dopey accountants was wonderful, and I walked around the garden with one of Eric's acoustic guitars and wrote Here Comes The Sun.
Anthology
Although it was later interpreted as a self-referential comment on The Beatles' legacy, Paul McCartney wrote Carry That Weight about the soured atmosphere at Apple after Allen Klein's arrival.
It was 'heavy'. 'Heavy' was a very operative word at that time - 'Heavy, man' - but now it actually felt heavy. That's what Carry That Weight was about: not the light, rather easy-going heaviness, albeit witty and sometimes cruel, but with an edge you could exist within and which always had a place for you to be. In this heaviness there was no place to be. It was serious, paranoid heaviness and it was just very uncomfortable.
Many Years From Now, Barry Miles
Related articles:
- UK LP: Abbey Road
- US LP: Abbey Road
- McCartney hopes Abbey Road can be saved after EMI announces sale
- The Abbey Road cover photography session
- National Trust considers campaign to buy Abbey Road Studios
Didnt Mal Evans play the Anvil... not Ringo?
Mal Evans played the anvil during rehearsals at Twickenham, as seen in the Let It Be film. In the studio some months later, when they were making Abbey Road, it was Ringo.
Actually, it seems that it was Mal. This quote from Geoff Emerick in a track-by-track walkthrough, interviewed by Joe Bosso, Thu 10 Sep 2009:
"For the hammer bits, we actually had to rent a proper blacksmith's anvil. The thing weighed a ton, as did the hammer used to strike it. Ringo tried but he just couldn't hoist the hammer in a way that allowed him to hit the anvil with the correct timing, so Mal Evans [one of The Beatles' roadies], who was a large man, he wound up doing it."
Just a curious fact when the picture was shot (8/8/1969), these were the Beatles' ages (in order from left to right in the picture):
a) George - 26 (02/25/1943)
b) Paul - 27 (06/18/1942)
c) Ringo - 29 (07/07/1940)
d) John - 28 (10/09/1940)
Regards.
Oscar.
Thanks Oscar. Useful to have a reminder that Paul was 27, not 28.
"28 IF" became part of the 'Paul is dead' conspiracy, in relation to the number plate of the VW Beetle car behind the group. As in, McCartney would have been 28 IF he was still alive. Incidentally, the other part of the number plate, LMW, was taken to mean 'Linda McCartney weeps'. Crazy stuff!
Don't forget the attire, Paul is barefoot, (people are buried barefoot), John is in all white as an angel, George is a grave digger and Ringo is a preacher.
very intentional
Nonsense.
Funny is that "Red Hot Chilli Peppers" have same named album. Don't know why?
The RHCP's Abbey Road E.P. is a tribute to The Beatles' album, and the cover features a similarly posed picture of the group (naked except for socks).
See http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wnj9kett7q7q
Back when they had LP's, I always liked the back cover shot of the girl in the blue mini-dress walking by Abbey Road. So 1969.
I wonder if the model was one of the Beatle women of the era?
It wasnt a model who posed for the back of the album. the photographer, Iain McMillan, wanted the back just to be the road sign, however the girl in the blue dress walked in the shot and had no idea what was going on.. in the end they liked how the shot came out because it was interesting.. so there you have it
I just listened to the "Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab" issue of Abbey Road recently. Sounds just like the studio tapes! I haven't listened to the new remaster yet. Probably can't get any better.
I used to know this but now I can't remember: Did original copies of the album leave "Her Majesty" uncredited on the back cover? Anyone? Thanks!
Yes "Her Majesty" is uncredited on the back cover of my original Abbey Road LP!
BUT
"Her Majesty" is credited on the B-side record label!
Go figure.
Yes, I still own one. Bought it in the early '80s.
Yes, Her Majesty was left off from the back of the album on the first pressings.
My favorite song on the album is "Sun King". I like everything about it from the arrangement to the way it is performed. If you want to go to school, you get three albums: Revolver, the White Album and Abbey Road.
Another interesting fact the beatles are walking away from abbey road studios which could mark the end of their recording career
It's too bad that the technology took so long to catch up with them. They could have done some incredible things.
I listen to this album all the time. My favorites are the shorter songs.
Only problem with todays technology like cd's in general are the last songs are supposed to be medley yet they are cut song by song for easy tracking on cd so you get some annoying sudden blank killing the medley vibe. In order to bring back the medley feel to those tunes just like in records and cassette tape is simply stick them together using a nice audio software and boom! their continuous again just the way i like it.
That only happens to me if I play it in my computer rather than CD player. (And the cool thing about the computer is that I can resequence the tracks to restore "Her Majesty" to its original and rightful place in between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam"!)
The greatest album ever recorded, composed, conceptualized, performed and produced! Every track is a jewel. Even the Ringo track is a masterpiece (probably due to Harrison's imput) but a masterpiece none-the-less. The second side suite or medley, whatever you wanna call it, is the single most inspiring entity in rock history that there is! It's like a Beethoven symphony with each movement by a different composer. When it slides from "Polythene Pam' into "She Came in through the Bathroom Window" and kicks back into "You Never Give Me Your Money" during "Carry That Weight" it makes me wish I was a Beatle just so I could claim that level of genius! I've read that "I Want You (she's so heavy)" was written by Lennon to align himself with the new emerging heavy/progressive bands like Led Zeppelin. If that's true than he did it right! I dare say that it surpassed anything ever done by any "heavy" band including the great Led Zeppelin. Although I do think that it's Paul's bass playing that makes the song along with Billy Preston's playing. Indeed, Paul's bass playing overpowers almost every track...in a good way! I've also read tat Paul was primarily responsible for the second side of segued tracks. Well, thank you Paul! John always said that he hated that second side of half finished tracks thrown together, maybe a little jealousy on his part?
The reason why I Want You is so great is John's intensity. Obsession and soul.
That is what makes the song.
All the great bass and piano playing don't mean a thing if a song isn't great to begin with.
Without John's four tracks on the second side, especially Because, the segue wouldn't be the same.
"Another interesting fact the beatles are walking away from abbey road studios which could mark the end of their recording career"
Begining with I want you, all the way through to the end of the album, is unbelievably awesome. Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden however both pretty much blow. And Oh Darlin should have been sung by Lennon (even though McCartney wrote it).
Octopus's Garden has awesome Harrison guitar and cool piano and backing vocals. Maxwell's Silver Hammer has goofy sounding but very cool lyrics and cool use of the moog. It is this kind of variation that makes the Beatles so great. Yeah, those songs pretty much "blow" (my mind).