
Side 1 of Abbey Road was all about John, who wanted a more
traditional LP, and for this writer, it remains one of those perfect album sides
(give or a take an "Octopus's Garden"). Side 2 is a Paul thing and
continues in a manner reflective of Sgt. Pepper, seemingly picking up where
Pepper left off. Consisting of snippets of songs and compositions that weren't
on The White Album, the Abbey Road medley is the most ambitious collective work
the Beatles ever tackled. Beginning with track 3, "You Never Give Me Your
Money," the production of the medley took from May 6 through August 23 (the Beatles rehearsed "She
Came in Through the Bathroom Window" during the Let It Be sessions on January
22; feel free to add that into the timeline).
"You Never Give Me Your Money" contains the medley's binding theme. Opening with a piano intro that ends the
side sixteen minutes later, Paul creates a mini-medley with piano, biting
guitar solos, nursery rhyme vocals, and a mix of honky-tonk and vaudeville.
"Sun King," is a trippy Lennon track originally titled "Here Comes the Sun King," a play on Harrison's piece. Multiple layers of vocals and harmony include a bit of often incomprehensible Spanish lyrics.
"Mean Mr. Mustard" features Ringo's impeccable backbeat,
though Lennon referred to the track as "a bit of crap I wrote in India" (when did
Lennon ever really like anything he'd written?). John's snarky existentialism, or
is it pessimism, is on full display in "Polythene Pam," on which Harrison's solo dominates. Bar "Why Don’t We Do It In the Road," "Polythene Pam" is the Beatles' quirkiest, most sexually motivated track, and as Lennon explained, is about a groupie and her sexual
escapades in a plastic bag. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" is an upbeat pop
single with a contagious chorus (covered by Joe Cocker in 1970). Paul purportedly wrote the track after a burglary in his home.
From there, "Golden Slumbers," based on the 17th Century
poem, "Cradle Song" by Thomas Dekker, is an orchestral masterpiece. Violas,
cellos, trumpets, and trombones showcase a lullaby that McCartney etches deep
into one's soul. It's still a Beatles' song that brings me to tears, more so now
than ever.
Bringing it full circle, which of course is the genius of
the medley, is a reprise of "You Never Give Me Your Money." The Beatles come
together for a final sing-a-long chorus and a broken guitar riff leads
emotionally into "The End," which includes Ringo's only drum solo and features the
magic of the Beatles when in perfect harmony. Killer guitar solos, a propulsive backbeat, and an intricate song structure make for one of the great moments in recorded musical history.
Amazingly, The New York Times called Abbey Road and the medley an "unmitigated
disaster." Rolling Stone said it was "complicated instead of complex." Nonetheless, the LP topped the charts for 12 weeks and remains one of Rolling
Stone's top ten albums; guess they changed their minds.
No comments:
Post a Comment