I have conflicted feelings about Abbey Road. Abbey Road represented the technological triumph of the immaculately produced high concept album, over the primative low fidelity production values of garage bands whose primary currency of trade was the the 45 rpm single.

That being said, I'm still in awe of Abbey Road as a musical statement. The complex vocals arrangements on the album are so delicate and ethereal they sounded celestial in origin. It's amazing to think that in the course of five short years, the Beatles had evolved from teen idol "boy band" status to zeitgeists who elevated rock and roll to high art.

My favorite Beatles album is still the white one but that's a completely different discussion.

The most perfect album they did probably, it's very difficult to criticise any of it.

I agree. It's my favorite album of all time. Period. That said, I've heard it criticized on the basis of Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus' Garden!

Probably some rock snobs. :D

There's plenty of variety on this anyway. And I think Octopus' Garden is perhaps better than Yellow Submarine, and Maxwell's Silver Hammer is as good as Good Day Sunshine at least and compares ok to When I'm 64.

There's not one uninteresting second of I want You (She's So Heavy)

It's amazing how much damage Maxwell's Silver Hammer does to what people think of this album given how much work Paul put into getting it "just right". It does break their stride, though...

Abbey Road is my third favorite Beatles album, after Sgt. Pepper and Revolver. It just has such a fresh production to pretty much the entire thing and it really stands out. Even when they are mucking about in Octopus's Garden and with Maxwell, it always sounds nice at the very least. I'll admit, though, that there are times when I listen to Come Together/Something, then flip the record over and just listen to the second side instead.

I Want You (She's So Heavy) is awesome. It ends the first side on a perfect note and just really just brings that part of the album all together. I find it almost hypnotic and times flies when I listen to it.

I always thought Abbey Road was kind of a letdown. They had made some of the most pivotal rock albums of all time, and then seemed to take a step backward with this one.

I personally really like Abbey Road. Feel that with Sgt. Pepper they were trying to prove they could innovate, and keep with the times. With the White Album they were seeking a culmination of everything they stood for. Abbey Road, however, has nothing to prove, so they just remain relaxed, and just wrote songs.

Shame 'Let it Be' had to exist. Think Abbey Road would have been a much better bowing out.

Well Abbey Road was the last recorded music they did I thought? Let It Be was the last released but that's just an accident of how things came about I suppose.

I just look at music as music than as part of influence or history or whatever. And as music I like it and that's all that matters to me.

I can't ever decide what album I like best. Revolver or Abbey Road.
It's an absolute gem, that's for sure. Love it.
Songs of this album I like least are probably Maxwell's Silver Hammer and Octopus's Garden. They're fun songs, they're not bad. But they sort of distort the 'groove' that goes on througout these albums. I never liked the 'funny' Beatles songs. Like O-bla-di or Back in the USSR.

I love Come Together.
Come Together drags you right into the album. Probably one of the best riffs ever :)

The lighter pop songs provide variety and I like that. Variety can help me enjoy an album more.

I usually don't like too much 'lightness' :D

Not a big Beatles fan but this album is one I do like. I do like some songs from this album. I like Come Together and Something. They are great songs

PROMISED MYSELF THAT I WOULD LEARN THE GUITAR PARTS TO THIS TRACK YEARS AGO. I STILL HAVENT :mad:

this!

never liked it that much, tbh

i prefer the raw mixes of several songs on "Anthology" - Mean Mr. Mustard, The Sun King

I like the production on Abbey Road, it all builds up to that ending which is more convincing than the end of Sgt Pepper for me (the crescendo and long chord I find a bit over the top).

I like Revolver the most, it is really just a top notch album overall.. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band comes second and then Abbey Road third.

"Rubber Soul" is my fave, followed by Sgt. Pepper's then White Album

The last track in particular (and maybe the Ringo one) lets Rubber Soul down a bit for me. Some of the Revolver tracks may not have lasted so well for me since I first heard it in the early-mid 90s.

i used to have a high regard for Revolver - it seems to have diminished over the years, as the songwriting is not that good, IMHO

i still, however, think Here, There and Everywhere to be the best Paul Beatles song

In comparison I probably prefer For No One from that album. Here, There and Everywhere is a nice song of course, though the way it is done sounds a bit syrupy for me now.

Here's my rankings

#1 Revolver
#2 Abbey Road
#3 Sgt. Pepper’s
#4 Help
#5 Rubber Soul
#6 Magical Mystery Tour
#7 The White Album
#8 Hard Day’s Night
#9 Let it Be
#10 Beatles for Sale
#11 Please, Please Me
#12 With the Beatles
#13 Yellow Submarine

rate the album?! i gues it's be 8/10, it's a great album but not that great!! i'll only rate an album 10/10 it all the songs in it touches my souls and throbs my heart!!

Abbey Road is probably my fav.

"Here comes the sun king..."

My absolute favorite Beatles album. I love "The End" the guitar work is incredible!

The musical talent of John Lennon was ridiculous. Shame he was shot, we could of gotten so much more out of him. A true musical genius.

Definitely one of their better albums. One I listen to a lot actually, though I prefer Sgt Pepper over this one.

He deliberatley sang PP emphasising a strong scouse accent so you were meant to notice it.

Thanks for you review!

I think some people here find their joy in bashing legendary music albums and saying they prefer lesser known stuff. :)

1) This album deserves better than 8/10 (as long as 5/10 means an average album).
2) The End is nowhere close to being the best track on this album.

Legendary or famous doesn't necessarily mean it's better than anything released before it. Besides, Abbey Road was their second to last album they released, i'm sure there's something "legendary" about any of the previous albums.

I wasnt saying Abbey Road is Beatles' finest record. I was saying it is a groundbreaking album that deserves all its critical acclaim and commercial success. I was disagreeing with, what was in my opinion, low rating and also with the opinion that The End dominates the rest of the album.

How was it groundbreaking if it wasn't even one of their first albums?

Since when is 8/10 a low rating?

What is that got to do with anything?

It has everything to do with it...

If Abbey Road were one of the first Beatles releases, I would agree that it was a groundbreaking success. Though, with albums such as Sgt Pepper and Revolver coming before it, I can't agree that Abbey Road had really that much to do with how influential they were in terms of pioneering.

I am not gonna argue with you. I have already told my opinion.

I could tell you that Revolver is not groundbreaking because it came after Rubber Soul.
I could tell you that Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart Clubs Band is not groundbreaking because it came after Magical Mystery Tour.

But I dont care...

Bottom (and top) line is: Abbey Road is a masterpiece in my book.

Actually I am wrong. Magical Mystery Tour came after Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club. Oh well... It doesnt really matter to me anyway.

I have no problem accepting that you think Abbey Road is a masterpiece. But there's no way it could be groundbreaking if it's working off the ground that was already created by albums before it.

funny this thread has come back up. I've had a bit of a flame with someone on a Beatle website about this album. Here's a flavour.
"You come on a Beatles fan forum* accuse John of blatantly cheating on 4 songs on one album (without proving it) and you tell me to deal with it, whats your next trick ? tell me my Mother was a whore and ask me to deal with that haha"

"Ok mate heres the deal, the Beatles are my gods, my heroes, they were Beethovens of the 60's....you can tell me all day long that you dont like them or their music and I will accept that as music is subjective, you can tell me that the Beatles are sh*t, I will accept that that is your opinion, but if you come on here (a great Beatles forum) and tell me that John plagiarised 4 songs on Abbey Road you'd better be able to f***ing well prove it, and thats just it, you cant, you have offered no proof whatsoever, just your opinion, the melodies of Sun King and Albatross (both of which I have loved since 1969) are completely different...completely."

"you have come on a Beatle fan forum and said that 4 of Johns songs on imo THE greatest album ever made (in not just my opinion but endless pro's opinions) are sh*tty rip offs , and yet you cant show me the parts of the melody that John stole"

*I've been on it for a year btw.