It's only fitting that my first music review should be of the very first album I ever bought for myself, waaaayyy back in (or around) 1977. I will not disclose my exact age then, but I will say I was wrapping up my first round of the dental torture known as orthodontia, as that should give you a reasonable clue.
The youngest of seven children, I was highly influenced by my older brothers' taste in music. It seems my older sisters spent their money on things like clothes and makeup, and therefore had no impact on my musical education. Either I was an exceptionally pleasant child or, more likely, my brothers were extremely tolerant, because I spent quite a bit of time hanging around and listening to their music. To them, I owe my nearly life-long love of The Beatles, Jethro Tull, Yes, and Led Zeppelin. (Also Mozart, but that was from those long hours of practicing his sonatas at the piano, and that's an entirely different topic.)
At any rate, I scraped up the requisite $10 (actually, I can't remember the exact amount, I just remember it seemed huge) and made my first-ever record purchase at the Strawberry's in Boston's Kenmore Square. The album was Abbey Road.
I won't pretend I understood even a tenth of the content of the album. I just liked the way it sounded. I adored the goofy songs, "Octopus's Garden" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer," especially the latter, because I, too, was a "quizzical Joan" and I took it as a warning not to be too serious. But I loved the range of sounds on this album just as much. It's funny to think now of why I liked it then.
When I bought this album I was too young to know ,or really even care, about who the Beatles were and what their impact on popular music was. Buying this album set me on a journey to find out, though, because I was so captivated by it that I wanted to own everything they ever recorded. So it was that later I heard the rumor-mill stories about the significance of Paul's bare feet on the cover, which tied in nicely with the "Paul is dead," message supposedly buried in "Revolution Number Nine" on the White Album. I was oblivious to all of the controversy surrounding this album, most of which had nothing to do with the music.
And what music! Here's the track listing:
Come Together
The lyric to this song was used to great effect recently for some kind of online investing firm or something -- just delivered in a monotone by a bevy of different business people doing different things. It still makes no sense (although I did once read an interpretation that purported to explain it all), but somehow or other the flow of images and groove of the music just pull you along, and until you arrive at, "Come together/ right now/over me." I still love the hook to this song, it's one of the best McCartney ever wrote.
Something
A George Harrison gem, totally different in tone, content, and style from "Come Together". This is not a deep song, and its accessibility is well-suited to its minimal style during the verses. It doesn't really rock until Harrison opens it up on the solo. You have to love how Harrison milks every note there. This song still makes me sad, because I remember hearing it on the radio while reading a very sad scene in E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, and so the sound of that rising guitar is forever entwined with sorrow for me.
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Probably the goofiest song the Beatles ever wrote, including "Rocky Raccoon." What were they thinking? I don't know, but this is just a romp about a serial killer with deadly charisma and an unusual weapon of choice. The fact that the music is so light-hearted and bouncy is a perfect counterpoint to the subject matter. Even as a mere pup I appreciated the irony there.
Oh! Darling
Opens with a great bass line that anchors the piece, which is about as close as the Beatles ever get to the Blues. I have a special fondness for this one because I can actually hammer out a passable version on the piano. It's simple, it's got great screaming vocals from Paul (I think?), and it gets you in the gut. What's not to like? Not to mention, yet another complete shift in gears from the previous three tracks.
Octopus's Garden
Cool, Ringo gets to sing. A real fluff piece, as opposed to the social commentary/irony dished up by "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Light and frothy, a little love song. I'm still not sure, even after all these years, about Ringo's delivery. He just sounds so congested, but that's his voice. It adds a sort of boffo quality to song. If John or Paul had tried this, I don't think they could've pulled it off as well. I'll always love the line, "We could be so happy, you and I/No one there to tell us what to do..." Why? It's the teenager's fantasy, of course!
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
OK, Mom, if you're reading this, this is not what you want to hear, but this was the ultimate make-out song. That awesome repetitive bass line, the almost stuttering, sparse vocals, the ascending guitar solos... *sigh*. You could sink right down into this song and lose a good 10 minutes of your life with no regrets. This song closed out the first side of the album, and the only thing that was sub-par about it was its abrupt ending.
On the "B" side, the songs are just as diverse and strong: Here Comes The Sun
Curse you, Michael Jackson, for buying out the rights to the Beatle's music and then allowing this beautiful little song to be used to shill window cleaner and a host of other products. The original, nearly acoustic in its simplicity, is such a great song, and now no one can hear it without thinking of the product tie-ins. Nicely hopeful lyrics talk about the renewal of the earth after a long winter, and you know that it's all a metaphor for repairing a damaged relationship. Or maybe it's just talking about spring. Who knows?
Because
A strange, trippy little tune. The lyric talks about things that turn you on or make you high, with a lot of vocalized cadences. It's all really just preparation, a kind of musical palate cleansing for the next set of tunes, which are separately titled but form a remarkable medley:
Note that all of the following songs are pretty short: You Never Give Me Your Money
This song appears here and then reprises later in "Carry That Weight." Here, it's the simple plaintive cry of the neglected lover, or the shut-out, would-be lover. Usual Beatles stuff accompanies: memorable tune, great bass line.
Sun King
OK, this one is just weird. It's not a companion piece to "Here Comes the Sun" in any way that I can see. It lapses into Spanish at one point, something about a parasol? I have no idea. Musically it fits in the medley but I'm at a loss to explain why it was included. This picks up the slow tempo a bit.
Mean Mr. Mustard
A slice-of-life description of a homeless man ("sleeps in the park/shaves in the dark/ sleeps in a hole in the road...) Why we are being exposed to this is beyond me. Musically, it's a bit of a monotone, with again a slighter faster tempo than the piece before it.
Polythene Pam
"Oh you should see Polythene Pam/ she's so good looking/ but she looks like a man..." This song rips the covers off and stomps. It's a nod to the "old days" of rock, ending with a cynical "yeah, yeah, yeah." This song is also very short, well under a minute.
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
Sacrilege, but I actually think Joe Cocker's cover of this tune is even better than the original. The lyrics are a confusing jumble of drug use, exotic dancing, and police work, somehow, but it all makes sense as a love story. Sort of. Musically this is just a great rock song, starting out with a bang on that terrific opening line and never losing steam.
McCartney's voice is a bit too thin, whereas Cocker has got that great gravelly depth that really gave this song an extra kick.
Golden Slumbers
A sweet, melancholy lullaby that is far too short, accompanied by sweeping strings: Once there was a way
to get back homeward
Once there was a way
to get back home
Sleep little darling, do not cry
and I will sing a lullaby...
The chorus is simply glorious, emerging from the softness of the verse into a full-throated cry over just the right amount of bass. This segues perfectly into:
Carry That Weight
Yet another classic, and a rare use of brass on this album. I'm not fond of brass in rock and roll (Phil Collins, are you listening?) but here it's OK as it gives another dimension on those emphasized beats. The lyric is another repetitive warning: "You're gonna carry that weight a long time." We hear a bit of "You never give your money" here again, too, but in a much harder-rocking version.
The End
Even given the great musical extravaganza that has preceded this tiny little song, this will always be one of my favorites. It features a bit of harmony and some nice strings:
And in the end
the love you take
is equal to the love
you make
Her Majesty
I'm not sure how this works on the CD, but on the album, you had to let the needle run practically into the cardboard at the center to hear this coda: it's just a nearly a cappella ditty, really, but it's cute and provides an up note to end the album on:
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
but she doesn't have a lot to say
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
but she changes from day to day
I want to tell her that I love her a lot
but I gotta get a belly full of wine
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl
some day I'm gonna make her mine
oh yeah
some day I'm gonna make her mine
Well, if you've made it this far, I commend you. I realize this write-up is short on analysis and "meaning", but honestly I think the best approach to this music is an open one, don't go looking for social significance here. There's no "Give Peace A Chance" or "Instant Karma" on this album, and that, along with the exquisite musicianship, is one reason for its enduring popularity. I suppose the "B" side could be viewed as social commentary, but if so it's rather thin. It's much easier to accept it as a statement about interpersonal relationships, both intimate and casual.
For folks who are familiar only with the Beatle's early works, Abbey Road is a must-listen. Go on, and see what all the fuss was about, thirty years ago. It sure wasn't about "Love Me Do."
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