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Ranking of all tunes on Abbey Road
27 July 2019
3.55am
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knowhereman
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Holy s**t, this is gonna be one toughie... 

1. You Never Give Me Your Money
2. Here Comes The Sun
3. Come Together
4. Something  
5. Maxwell's Silver Hammer - I ranked this song, this high? I must be a maniac you say? Nah, I just like this song because it's catchy. ahdn_ringo_09
6. Octopus's Garden - RINGO NAILS IT
7. Golden Slumbers
8. The End
9. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
10. Polythene Pam
11. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
12. Carry That Weight
13. Because
14. Mean Mr Mustard
15. Sun King
16. Oh! Darling
17. Her Majesty - Absolute tease by Paul, makes me wanting more which makes me sad, because I don't get any. paul-mccartney

Eh, was tough but I kind of just stuck with my gut on this one. It depends on my mood, love all these songs really. 

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50yearslate, Tangerine, CakeMaestor, vonbontee

"Was she told when she was young
That pain would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back
To earn his day of leisure?"

- John Lennon, "Girl"

28 July 2019
9.06am
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CakeMaestor
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I would've placed "I Want Her (She's So Heavy)" first, but nice to know that another individual really loves "You Never Give Me Your Money " aside from myself.

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knowhereman

We do a little trolling

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8 August 2019
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Jules
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17) Mean Mr. Mustard - as part of the medley, it makes sense as a great transition. also as part of the medley, it makes sense they didn't stretched it any longer. 5/10

16) Her Majesty - I love it for what it is, would've been better if it was complete. 5/10

15) Octopus's Garden - the boys' arrangement saves the song, but Ringo wasn't an outstanding composer. 6/10

14) Maxwell's Silver Hammer - I actually like this track, it's very funny, I love Paul's sense of humour, but it doesn't flow well with the tracks on side A. 6/10

13) Something - one of George's best composition, but I think it's a bit overrated. it takes its time, and that's good, but it's not my kind of love song. 6/10

12) She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - a nice rock track with a lot of attitude and a great melody, that elevates the medley a lot. but, you know, it's Abbey Road , it's not my favorite song on the album. 7/10

11) Oh! Darling - Paul's vocals show commitment and the 3 time progression is genius. the guitar motiv is weak though, and the lyrics are generic. yet I love it, I wouldn't skip it but I believe it could've been better if it was smoother on the ears. 7/10

10) Come Together - one of John's sharpest lyrical moments and I love it as an intro track. but I've always had a problem with the transition between the verses and the chorus. I don't know why, but it doesn't flow, the scale is different and there's no connection. apart from that, Paul's bass and Ringo's drumming are on point. 7/10

9) Polythene Pam - underrated as few. one of the most rocking moment on the Beatles' catalogue. the solos are great and the drumming is very good. very good song on the medley, yet I'd agree is not as memorable, but I think that after Mean Mr. Mustard, it is certainly an improvement, and the album benefits a lot from it, even if inadvertently. 7/10

8) Because - one of the many diverse songs The Beatles made. it is a Here Comes The Sun reprise, a You Never Give Me Your Money precursor and the vocal harmonies are orgasmic. of course there are better tracks because, again, it's Abbey Road , but I love it. without the album, maybe it falls flat, but the song lacking drums and the baroque piano shows that The Beatles where concerned with one thing: the artistic outcome of the songs, and not with a formula. 8/10

7) Sun King - I don't understand the dismissiveness upon this track. I can't. it's beautiful, and a very much deserved break to chill out. a very original chord progression, with a determined pace that has an even more beautiful guitar melody. lyrics of course are lacking and it is short, and undeveloped, but a hidden gem that I've always liked more than most people. also, listening high is freaking amazing. 8/10

6) Carry That Weight - chilling. grandiloquent. gorgeous. probably the most representative track on the album, it has Golden Slumber on it, it has You Never Give Me Your Money in it, and it prepares the listener towards The End . George Martin's work on the string section is perfect. and when I say perfect I mean perfect. 9/10

5) Here Comes The Sun - a classic, and with reason. it's an uplifting side B opener, that introduces us to George's softer side, if Something didn't do that already. the progression is odd, but for the better, the guitar is a nice choice, and it all together sounds beautiful, if there ever was a word that could describe such godly arrangements. 9/10

4) I Want You (She's So Heavy) - apart from the very long ending, it's surely the best attempt Beatles ever had to play blues. the lyrics are short with a purpose, "an attempt at minimalistic writing", John said, and I believe him. to me, the part that makes this track so great, is the middle verse, where they don't even sing and John plays that amazing guitar melody that mimics the vocal part. it's genius, and remastered it sounds like heaven. 9/10

3) The End - the ultimate Beatles' closer. just an incredible idea, given that it was their last recorded album together and it is at the end of the album. a very good goodbye song, given that it includes a drum solo and three guitar solos from each member of the band. the last note repeating piano seems to have inspired Queen's entire sound, if that makes any sense, and the last lyric is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. 9/10

2) Golden Slumbers - just gorgeous. the most gorgeous song I've ever heard coming from them. it is short, because it is honest, and it comes from the most profound place in Paul's blessed heart. piano, strings, drums. it sounds like the most inspired arrangement I've heard in a single minute and 20 seconds. the album wouldn't be the same without it, and if it was 30 second shorter, it would still be one of my favourites. such a romantic song, with so much energy coming from such simple chord progressions. I don't know, it's just that it shows how much they could achieve if they where given the right mood. 10/10

1) You Never Give Me Your Money - it has three sections. each one more beautiful than the last, and more beautiful that the one after it. how's that even possible? just perfect, with sharp lyrics on every corner, even when they don't make any sense. it gives away every secret The Beatles ever had about writing music, and it just sounds like them at their most inspired. compare this four lines: "You Never Give Me Your Money - you only give me your funny paper", "out of college, money spent - see no future, pay no rent", "step on the gas and wipe that tear away - one sweet dream came true today" and "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - all good children go to Heaven". I'll tell you what they all have in common: simplicity and genius. 10/10

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the twist

8 August 2019
7.58pm
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I disagree with this ranking a lot, but this is really well thought out.

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8 August 2019
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CakeMaestor
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@Jules your's is certainly quite an odd ranking, but nice to see your first post ranking your favorite "Abbey Road " tunes.

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Jules

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13 December 2019
12.22pm
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lovelyritametermaid
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This is literally the most difficult and most stressful thing I have ever done (along with ranking the songs on the White Album ): 

  1. Something
  2. Here Comes The Sun  
  3. Because
  4. Come Together
  5. Oh! Darling  
  6. The End  
  7. Golden Slumbers
  8. You Never Give Me Your Money
  9. Sun King
  10. I Want You (She's So Heavy) 

11 Mean Mr. Mustard

  1. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
  2. Carry That Weight  
  3. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
  4. Her Majesty  
  5. Polythene Pam
  6. Octopus’s Garden

"....When I cannot sing my heart, I can only speak my mind...." 

"....This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no fooling around...."

 ||She/They ||

25 February 2020
11.10pm
the_walrus_was_ringo
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1. Something - a brilliant, beautiful George track!

2. Come together - great, rocking tune. Funny lyrics as well, just as a bonus!

3. I want you (she's so heavy) - such a fantastic composition from john!

4. You Never Give Me Your Money - my favourite from the medley. Beautiful in some parts, rocking in others. All fits together perfectly!

5. Here Comes The Sun - just such a beautiful beginning to side 2. One of George's best.

6. Because - just such a beautiful track, with fantastic 3 part harmony. One of John's best.

7. Octopus's Garden - Ringo didn't compose a lot, but boy, is this one fun!

8. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - pretty funny little rocker from Paul.

9. Polythene Pam - pretty cool song

10. Oh! Darling - such a great paul rocker. love it!

11. Maxwell's Silver Hammer - my favourite as a kid. Fun song. 

12. Mean Mr Mustard - funny little song from John.

13. Sun King - beautiful

14. Carry That Weight - nice tune

15. The end - a great way to go out as a band, but lacks a real tune

16. Golden Slumbers - not really memorable in any way

17. Her Majesty - does this really count as a song?

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lovelyritametermaid
5 March 2020
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Dingle Lad
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What is happening? And tell me how you've been.

5 March 2020
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Vera Chuck and Dave
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Well, I (somehow) managed to come up with a ranking for The White Album , let's give this a shot:

  1. Here Comes The Sun
  2. Something
  3. Oh! Darling
  4. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
  5. Octopus's Garden
  6. I Want You (She's So Heavy)
  7. Because
  8. Golden Slumbers
  9. Carry That Weight
  10. You Never Give Me Your Money
  11. The End
  12. Polythene Pam
  13. Sun King
  14. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
  15. Come Together (overexposure from classic rock radio has sort of ruined this song for me)
  16. Her Majesty
  17. Mean Mr. Mustard

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23 April 2020
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amyjanelennon
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well, this is where I sit today. There is really only one stinker on the album

Best to least best

1. Here Comes The Sun

2. Something

3. Come Together

4. I Want You/She's so Heavy

5. Because

6. You Never Give Me Your Money

7. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window

8. Polythene Pam

9. The End

10. Oh! Darling

11. Mean Mr. Mustard

12. Sun King

13. Octopus's Garden

14. Carry That Weight

15. Golden Slumbers

16. Her Majesty

17. Maxwell's Silver Hammer

"'I Dig a Pygmy', by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids... Phase One, in which Doris gets her oats!"

18 March 2025
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sir walter raleigh
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As always the Medley would be first on any list of songs I could possibly make but Ill do a ranking track for track despite being insistent on never breaking it apart. 

She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - The final cadence of The End is one of the best snippets of music ever recorded, but I think the drop into SCITtBW tops it. The shift into Ringo's mammoth sized pocket, the "oohs" and "ahhs," George's guitar fills are probably the finest playing of his Beatles career. Paul and John on the middle eight is one of their best duets. This song moves like a well oiled machine, effortlessly gliding between sections. In the context of the Medley its genuinely spiritual. 

Sun King - My favorite guitar riff ever. The instrumental alone makes in the most psychedelic song ever, but the lyrics are so subtly masterful. Glorious harmonies slowly unveil the Sun King ; and despite saying very little, you cling tightly to every word until you are led into a puddle of nonesense, that still carries and air of coolness and mystery. George Martin on the organ, such an underrated keys player, I always figured it was Billy Preston. The combination of the creative and prominent vocal arrangement with his organ part is the ultimate blaket for the swirling guitar part to lie in. 

Here Comes The Sun - what else can you say about this song. The synth part is so clean, it fits the song so well you barely notice that it is there. Of course its just another thing they were way ahead on. The song would be one of the greatest ever recorded with nothing but George and his acoustic guitar, instead its ornamented to perfection and we are better for it. 

You Never Give Me Your Money - Paul sits down in front of me at the piano and asks me what song to play. He's got some good ones, Id choose this. Georgous piano part paired with really psychedelic vocal inflections that shift ahd evolve throughout the song. Of course Ringo's drumming is a standout, Abbey Road is probably his strongest overal album. "Oh that magic feeling, nowhere to go" into the "ahhs" is so signature Beatles. Thats the best part of the song and up there with any moment from the Medley, or any Beatles song for that matter. 

I Want You (She's So Heavy) - John's vocal and George's guitar break are the standouts. The breakdown before "she's so" is actually pretty heavy, especially as the song progresses they start absolutely laying it down. Billy Preston and Paul both demolishing throughout.

Golden Slumbers - another Paul piano classic. Just an achingly beautiful song. Its a testament to his songwriting ability that this song sounds like its 1000 years old. 

Oh! Darling - to play karaoke on the hardest possible difficulty choose this song. One of a kind vocal performance, I think if you're ranking it based on that its probably the top choice of Paul's entire career. In a word: Spectacular. 

Something - George Harrison being in the Beatles is a full blown miracle. And while George has one of the finest moments of his career in every aspect, the most outstanding aspect of Something is the chemistry between the four of them as musicians. Pristine performances all around paired with immaculate production. 

Come Together - Despite being universally known and loved, its one of the most bizarre songs I've ever heard. Its so incredibly psychedelic, yet due to its popularity it almost defines the genre of "classic rock" even though there is very little that sounds like this before or after it. (And yes I know John ripped off Chuck Berry here.)

Octopus Garden - Over the years people have been trying to make their music sound 'watery'using any kind of gear you can imagine. I think George nails it here, ripping off one of his greatest riffs into a leslie. Its a great mix of rhythm and lead, harmony and melody, sound and silence. The guitar part alone elevates thisnsong really high on the list but I also just like the song. Its really great. 

The End - ok, I had to mention the final cadence as the very first thing because I knew the song as a whole wouldn't land at the top. The "oh yeah," the drum solo, and the guitar battle do very little for me to be honest. I don't think thats an unpopular opinion. Of course I embrace the comfort of hearing those sections again and again, becoming deeply familiar with them through the years. But its the ending of this song that I have to drop everything and let the song surround me. That single lyric is so legendary, and then the playout is such a great George moment. This is the best example of how he's able to puch so far above his technical weight as a guitarist. Every note chosen and placed perfectly. The definition of good phrasing. Don't care what anybody says about George, I think any other guitar player in history would fall short of the bar George set with that take. 

Because - I have to be in the right mood for this song because sometimes it feels a little bit too self indulgent. In rare instances the lyrics come across as shallow and insignificant while the harmonies feel meandering and tiresome. When it connects in the right moment though, it opens up a cosmic canvas the likes of which I've seldom heard. And the synth part is always awesome. 

Carry That Weight - this one has the YNGMYM reprise that is so so good followed by and incredible guitar interlude. The main section of the song is fine. 

Polythene Pam - This one is a lot of fun, my favorite part is probably the ad libs on the outro, along with, and I'll keep repeating it because its true of every song on this album, great drum work from Ringo, great bass work from Paul and great guitar work from George. 

Maxwell' Silver Hammer - A trend in this list is elevating songs based on single moments. I think its more fair for Carry That Weight ot The End because they are a part of the Medley, and each of those moments carry so much more context than just the song that it is a part of, although those two songs do set the stage well for the grand moments. Maxwell's has the "Silver Hammer" breaks. The one with the synth and the one with the 3 part harmony are both oustanding. The context for it however, is several meandering verses. Paul just doesn't have quite enough of an edge here to pull off the juxtaposition between cheerful instrumental and dark lyrics, something that he accomplishes so well in so many songs, contrasting moods between his music and lyrics. Zevon does the cheerful killing song better with Excitable Boy. 

Mean Mr. Mustard - I honestly like this song better than everything above it until Octopus, so I don't know why I'm putting it so low, but I think its because it doesn't have any one moment that stands up to the ones mentioned above. Its a reliable, high floor low ceiling tune and Abbey Road is all about bursting through the ceiling into the stars. 

Her Majesty - Its nice. Paul has better acoustic demos from so many other periods, its place in Beatles lore is iconic but its placement on Abbey Road is a blemish. It adds to the story and intrigue of the album but takes away some of the magic. 

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"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

19 March 2025
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sigh butterfly
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Hey @sir walter raleigh Nice AR ranking and song reviews. You Never Give Me Your Money has always been a standout for me as well. When I climbed off the ship in Liverpool and saw the Liver Bird, I was quietly singing One sweet dream came true today (yes it did). a-hard-days-night-paul-8 

I see you have dropped a new album. I'll be checking out NowThen this weekend...

a59cc6c8f887cf3c50f9e0a2eaa0a7f0.jpgImage Enlarger

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You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead

19 March 2025
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sir walter raleigh
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sigh butterfly said
Hey @sir walter raleigh Nice AR ranking and song reviews. You Never Give Me Your Money has always been a standout for me as well. When I climbed off the ship in Liverpool and saw the Liver Bird, I was quietly singing One sweet dream came true today (yes it did). a-hard-days-night-paul-8 

I see you have dropped a new album. I'll be checking out NowThen this weekend...

a59cc6c8f887cf3c50f9e0a2eaa0a7f0.jpgImage Enlarger

  

Now Then and Is This Thing On? If you like what you hear there's 2 new albums for you to check out. 

"The pump don't work cause the vandals took the handles!"

-Bob Dylan, Subterranean Homesick Blues

"We could ride and surf together while our love would grow"

-Brian Wilson, Surfer Girl

23 March 2025
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Frédéric Dufour
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  1. Something (A+)
    The song that proves George became a songwriter as good as John and Paul. George's best guitar solo. Masterpiece.
  2. Here Comes The Sun (A+)
    Luminous, timeless  and universal. George's best acoustic guitar riff. Masterpiece.
  3. Come Together (A)
    Great song by John with great performance by Paul on bass and Ringo on drum. A classic.
  4. The Medley (B+)
    The sum is greater than the parts. Great job by Paul. Not a Masterpiece as some consider it, but very good. 
  5. I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (B+)
    Innovative, Intense, heavy, experimental. Very good.
  6. Because   (B+)
    A very moving songs with great vocal performance by John, Paul and George. Not forgetting the Moog synthesiser played by George H. Very Good.
  7. Octopus’s Garden (B)
    A very good song with insiping lyrics by Ringo. Nice guitar parts by George who helped Ringo with the music. Very good.
  8. Oh! Darling  (C+)
    Very good performance vocal by Paul, but the song is average 
  9. Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (D)
     Paul try something that did't work with this one.

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sir walter raleigh
 
I became a real Beatles fan in 2008 after attending Paul's concert in Quebec City.

Favorite Album: Revolver and The White Album
 Favorite song by John : Strawberry Fields Forever || Favorite song by Paul : Eleanor Rigby
Favorite song by George : While My Guitar Gently Weeps

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