Jump to content

Abbey Road: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Y45ed (talk | contribs)
751 edits
No edit summary
Y45ed (talk | contribs)
751 edits
Line 92: Line 92:
{{Main|Octopus's Garden}}
{{Main|Octopus's Garden}}


[[Ringo Starr]] wrote and sang one song for the album, "Octopus's Garden", his second (and last) solo composition released on a Beatles album. It was inspired by a trip to [[Sardinia]] aboard [[Peter Sellers]]' yacht that occurred when Starr left the band for two weeks with his family during the sessions for ''The Beatles''. While there, he composed the song, which is arguably his most successful writing effort. While Starr had the lyrics nearly completed, the song's melodic structure was partly written in the studio by Harrison (as can be seen in the ''Let It Be'' film), although Harrison gave full songwriting credit to Starr. (Harrison and Starr would later collaborate on Starr's solo singles "[[It Don't Come Easy]]" and "[[Photograph (Ringo Starr song)|Photograph]]").
As was the case with most of the Beatles' albums, [[Ringo Starr]] sang one song for the album, "Octopus's Garden", his second (and last) solo composition released on any album by the band. It was inspired by a trip to [[Sardinia]] aboard [[Peter Sellers]]' yacht that occurred when Starr left the band for two weeks with his family during the sessions for ''The Beatles''. While there, he composed the song, which is arguably his most successful writing effort. While Starr had the lyrics nearly completed, the song's melodic structure was partly written in the studio by Harrison (as can be seen in the ''Let It Be'' film), although Harrison gave full songwriting credit to Starr. (Harrison and Starr would later collaborate on Starr's solo singles "[[It Don't Come Easy]]" and "[[Photograph (Ringo Starr song)|Photograph]]").


===="I Want You (She's So Heavy)"====
===="I Want You (She's So Heavy)"====

Revision as of 20:01, 11 November 2013

This article is about the album by the Beatles. For the recording studio, see Abbey Road Studios. For the street, see Abbey Road, London. For other uses, see Abbey Road (disambiguation).

Untitled

Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band the Beatles. It is their last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band's dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Road began in April 1969, and the album was released on 26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.

While Abbey Road is a rock album, it also incorporates genres such as blues, pop, and progressive rock.[2] The album was released amid tensions within the band. Although it was a commercial success, it received mixed reviews from music critics who found its music inauthentic and criticized the production's artificial effects. Since its initial reception, the album has been viewed by many critics as the Beatles' greatest work and is ranked by several publications as one of the greatest albums of all time. Abbey Road remains their best-selling album.

Composition and recording

Background

"Because"
Because was sung by Paul, George and John and features overdubs of the vocals making 9 vocals in all for this track.
"Come Together"
Come Together was released as a Double A-side single with Something in both the US and UK and is the first track off the album.
"Something"
Something was released on a Double A-side single with Come Together and was written by George Harrison.
Problems playing these files? See media help.

After the near-disastrous sessions for the proposed Get Back album (later released as Let It Be), Paul McCartney suggested to music producer George Martin that the group get together and make an album "the way we used to",[3] free of the conflict that began following the death of Brian Epstein and carrying over to the sessions for the "White Album". Martin agreed, stipulating that he must be allowed to do the album his way. This would be the last time the band would record with Martin.[4] In their interviews for The Beatles Anthology, the surviving band members stated that, although none of them ever made the distinction of calling it the "last album", they all felt at the time this would very likely be the final Beatles product and therefore agreed to set aside their differences and "go out on a high note".

With the Let It Be album partly finished, the sessions for Abbey Road began in April, as the single "The Ballad of John and Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe" was completed. In fact, recording sessions of John Lennon's "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" had already started in February 1969 in Trident Studios, with Billy Preston on the organ—only three weeks after the Get Back sessions. Photos from these sessions are included in the book Get Back, which came along with the Let It Be album but not in the Let It Be film. McCartney is clean-shaven and Lennon has started to let his beard grow.

Most of the album was recorded between 2 July and 1 August 1969. After the album was finished and released, the Get Back / Let It Be project was re-examined. More work was done on the album, including the recording of additional music (see Let It Be). Thus, though the bulk of Let It Be was recorded prior to Abbey Road, the latter was released first, and Abbey Road was the last album properly started by the Beatles before they disbanded. Lennon was on hiatus from the group and working with the Plastic Ono Band during the September 1969 lead-up to Abbey Road's release, which was effectively the first official sign of the Beatles' impending dissolution.

The album's two halves were a compromise; Lennon wanted to release a traditional album with separate, unrelated songs, while McCartney and Martin wanted to continue their thematic approach from Sgt. Pepper's with a medley. Lennon ultimately disliked Abbey Road as a whole and felt that it lacked authenticity, while calling McCartney's contributions "[music] for the grannies to dig" and not "real songs."[5] Musicologist Walter Everett interprets that most of the medley's lyrics deal with "selfishness and self-gratification—the financial complaints in 'You Never Give Me Your Money,' the miserliness of Mr. Mustard, the holding back of the pillow in 'Carry That Weight,' the desire that some second person will visit the singer's dreams—perhaps the 'one sweet dream' of 'You Never Give Me Your Money'?—in 'The End.'" Everett adds that the medley's "selfish moments" are played in the context of the tonal centre of A, while "generosity" is expressed in songs where C major is central. The medley concludes with a "great compromise in the 'negotiations'" in "The End", which serves as a structurally balanced coda. In response to the repeated C-major choruses of "love you", McCartney sings in realization that there is as much self-gratifying love ("the love you take") as there is of the generous love ("the love you make"), in A major and C major, respectively.[6]

Side one

"Come Together"

Main article: Come Together

The album opener "Come Together" was a Lennon contribution. The chorus was inspired by a song Lennon originally wrote for Timothy Leary's campaign for governor of California titled "Let's Get It Together". A rough version of this can be heard in outtakes from Lennon's second bed-in event in Canada.

It has been speculated that the verses, described by Lennon as intentionally obscure, refer cryptically to each of the Beatles (e.g. "he's one holy roller" allegedly refers to the spiritually inclined George Harrison); however, it has also been suggested that the song has only a single "pariah-like protagonist" and Lennon was "painting another sardonic self-portrait".[7] The song was later the subject of a lawsuit brought against Lennon by Morris Levy because the opening line in "Come Together"—"Here come old flat-top"—was admittedly lifted from a line in Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me". A settlement was reached in 1973 whereby Lennon promised to record three songs from Levy's publishing catalogue for his next album.[8]

"Come Together" was later released as a double A-side single with "Something".[9] In the liner notes to the Love album Martin described the track as a personal favourite.

"Something"

Main article: Something

The second track on the album later became Harrison's first A-side single. Basing the first line of the song on "Something in the Way She Moves" from James Taylor's 1968 Apple Records album James Taylor, Harrison wrote "Something" during the The Beatles sessions.[10] After the lyrics were refined during the Let It Be sessions (tapes reveal Lennon giving Harrison some songwriting advice during its composition), the song was initially given to Joe Cocker, but was subsequently recorded for Abbey Road. "Something" was Lennon's favourite song on the album, and McCartney considered it the best song Harrison had written. Frank Sinatra once commented that "Something" was his favourite Lennon-McCartney song[11] (though the song was actually Harrison's) and "the greatest love song ever written".[12] The song was released as a double A-side single with "Come Together".

"Something" became the first Beatles number one single that was not a Lennon–McCartney composition; it was also the first single from an already released album.[citation needed]

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

Main article: Maxwell's Silver Hammer

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer", McCartney's first song on the album, was first performed by the Beatles during the Let It Be sessions (as can be seen in the Let It Be film). Paul wrote the song after his trip to India in 1968. He wanted to record it for The Beatles but it was turned down as "too complicated."[7]

According to Geoff Emerick's book, Here, There and Everywhere, Lennon said the song was "more of Paul's granny music", and refused to participate in the recording of the song. Harrison was also tired of the song. "We had to play it over and over again until Paul liked it. It was a real drag", said Harrison. Starr was more sympathetic to the song. "It was granny music" he said "but we needed stuff like that on our album so other people would listen to it".[13]

"Oh! Darling"

Main article: Oh! Darling

When recording "Oh! Darling", McCartney attempted recording only once a day. He said, "When we were recording 'Oh! Darling' I came into the studios early every day for a week to sing it by myself because at first my voice was too clear. I wanted it to sound as though I'd been performing it on stage all week."[14] Lennon was of the opinion that it was the type of song that he should have sung the lead on, remarking that it was more his style.[15] On the Anthology 3 compilation, Lennon can be heard singing the lead on an ad-libbed verse regarding the news that Yoko Ono's divorce from previous husband Anthony Cox had been finalized.[citation needed]

"Octopus's Garden"

Main article: Octopus's Garden

As was the case with most of the Beatles' albums, Ringo Starr sang one song for the album, "Octopus's Garden", his second (and last) solo composition released on any album by the band. It was inspired by a trip to Sardinia aboard Peter Sellers' yacht that occurred when Starr left the band for two weeks with his family during the sessions for The Beatles. While there, he composed the song, which is arguably his most successful writing effort. While Starr had the lyrics nearly completed, the song's melodic structure was partly written in the studio by Harrison (as can be seen in the Let It Be film), although Harrison gave full songwriting credit to Starr. (Harrison and Starr would later collaborate on Starr's solo singles "It Don't Come Easy" and "Photograph").

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)"

Main article: I Want You (She's So Heavy)

"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is a combination of two different recording attempts. The first attempt occurred almost immediately after the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in February 1969 and featuring Billy Preston on keyboards. This was subsequently combined with a second version made during the Abbey Road sessions proper, and when edited together ran nearly 8 minutes long, making it the Beatles' second-longest released song ("Revolution 9" being the longest). Perhaps more than any other Beatles song, "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" reveals a pronounced progressive rock influence, with its unusual length and structure, repeating guitar riff, and white noise effects; the "I Want You" section has a straightforward blues structure. It also features one of the earliest uses of a Moog synthesizer to create the white-noise (or "wind") effect heard near the end of the track. During the final edit, as the guitar riff and white noise effect continued, Lennon told engineer Emerick to "cut it right there" at the 7:44 mark, creating a sudden, jarring silence which concluded the first side of Abbey Road (the recording tape would have run out within 20 seconds as it was).[16] The final overdub session for "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" would be the last time that all four Beatles worked in the studio together.

Side two

"Here Comes the Sun"

Main article: Here Comes the Sun

"Here Comes the Sun" is Harrison's second song on the album and one of his best known; it was written in Eric Clapton's garden in Surrey, England.[17] The basic track was recorded on 7 July 1969, where Harrison sang lead, played acoustic guitar and played the Moog synthesizer; McCartney provided backing vocals and played bass; and Starr played the drums.[16] While not released as a single, the song has become a radio staple.

"Because"

Main article: Because (The Beatles song)

"Because" features a Moog synthesizer, played by Harrison. The chords in the song were inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", in a roundabout way: Lennon said he "was lying on the sofa in our house, listening to Yoko play Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' on the piano. Suddenly, I said, 'Can you play those chords backward?' She did, and I wrote 'Because' around them."[18] "Because" features three-part harmonies by Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, which were then triple-tracked to give the effect of nine voices.

Medley

The climax of the album is a 16-minute medley consisting of several short songs, both finished and unfinished, blended into a suite by McCartney and Martin.[19] Most of the songs were written (and originally recorded in demo form) during sessions for The White Album and Get Back/Let It Be sessions.[citation needed]

"You Never Give Me Your Money" is the first song. Written by McCartney, it is based on his feelings towards Allen Klein and what McCartney viewed as Klein's empty promises.[20] It slowly and quietly transitions into "Sun King" (which, like "Because", showcases Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison's triple-tracked harmonies), "Mean Mr. Mustard" (written during the Beatles' trip to India), and "Polythene Pam", all three contributed by Lennon. These in turn are followed by four McCartney songs, "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" (written after a fan entered McCartney's residence via his bathroom window),[21] "Golden Slumbers" (based on lyrics from Thomas Dekker's 17th-century poem), "Carry That Weight" (reprising elements from "You Never Give Me Your Money", and featuring chorus vocals from all four Beatles), and the climax, "The End".

"The End" is notable for featuring Starr's only drum solo in the Beatles' catalogue (the drums are mixed across two tracks in "true stereo" — in a similar way to the studio single version of Get Back). Normally, even though mixes were in stereo, the drums were mixed in mono, locked together with other instruments and often panned hard left or right in the stereo picture. Fifty-four seconds into the song are 18 bars of lead guitar: the first two bars are played by McCartney, the second two by Harrison, and the third two by Lennon, with the sequence repeating.[22] Each has a distinctive style which McCartney felt reflected their personalities: McCartney's playing is in a somewhat rigid staccato style; Harrison's is melodic with pronounced string bends and Lennon's is rhythmic, stinging and had the heaviest distortion. Immediately after Lennon's third solo, the piano chords of the final part of the song begin. The song ends with the memorable final line, "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". Underlying those lyrics is a remarkable and sophisticated metric modulation in which the piano's 8th note chords (the 1& 2& 3& 4& under "And in the end...") become the triplets (1&a 2&a 3&a 4&a) which establish a new tempo for "equal to the love..." resulting in a dramatic slowing of tempo for the final bars over which Harrison plays a short, lyrical solo.[citation needed]

An alternative version of the song, with Harrison's lead guitar solo played against McCartney's (with Starr's drum solo heard in the background), appears on the Anthology 3 album.

"Her Majesty"

Main article: Her Majesty (song)

"Her Majesty", tacked on the end, was included in a rough mix of the side two medley, appearing between "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene Pam". McCartney disliked the way the medley sounded when it included "Her Majesty", so he had it cut out of the tape. However, second engineer John Kurlander had been instructed never to throw out anything, so after McCartney left, he picked it up off the floor, spliced 14 seconds of red leader tape onto the reel, and then spliced in "Her Majesty" onto the leader tape. The tape box bore an instruction to leave "Her Majesty" off the final product, but the next day when Malcolm Davies at Apple received the tape, he (also trained not to throw anything away) cut a playback lacquer of the whole sequence, including "Her Majesty". The Beatles liked this effect and included it on the album. Original US and UK pressings of Abbey Road do not list "Her Majesty" on the album's cover nor on the record label, making it a hidden track.

"Her Majesty" opens with the final, crashing chord of "Mean Mr. Mustard", while the final note of "Her Majesty" remained buried in the mix of "Polythene Pam". This is the result of "Her Majesty" being snipped off the reel during a rough mix of the medley. The medley was subsequently mixed again from scratch although "Her Majesty" was not touched again and still appears in its rough mix on the album.

Commercial performance

Abbey Road was a massive commercial success.[23] It sold four million copies in its first two months of release.[6] In the UK, the album debuted straight at number 1. Abbey Road spent its first 11 weeks in the UK charts at number 1, before being displaced to number 2 for one week by the Rolling Stones debuting at the top with Let It Bleed. However, the following week—which was the week of Christmas—Abbey Road returned to the top for another 6 weeks, completing 17 weeks at the top. In all it spent 92 weeks inside the UK Top 75, and 16 years later on 31 October 1987, when it was released worldwide on CD, it reached number 30. In the UK Abbey Road was the best-selling album of 1969 and the fourth best-selling of the entire 1960s, and the eighth best-selling album of 1970.

Reaction in the US was similar. The album debuted at number 178, then moved to number 4 and in its third week to number 1, spending 11 non-consecutive weeks at the top. Abbey Road spent a total of 129 weeks in the Billboard 200, re-entering the chart at number 69 on 14 November 1987. It was the NARM best selling album of 1969[24] and was number 4 on Billboard magazine's top LPs of 1970 year-end chart. Abbey Road was certified 12x platinum by the RIAA in 2001.

In June 1970, Allen Klein reported that US sales of Abbey Road were about 5 million.[25] When the Beatles disbanded, the album had sold over 7 million copies worldwide. According to EMI, its worldwide sales reached 7.6 million copies in October 1972. This was also the first Beatles' album to reach the 10-million mark in worldwide sales, in 1980.[citation needed] By 1992, Abbey Road had sold nine million copies.[6] It remains the band's best-selling album.[23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[26]
The A.V. ClubA[27]
Consequence of Sound[28]
The Daily Telegraph[29]
Down Beat[30]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[31]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[32]
Paste100/100[33]
Pitchfork Media10/10[34]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide[35]

Abbey Road received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics,[36] who criticized the production's artificial sounds and viewed its music as inauthentic.[23] William Mann of the London Times said that the album will "be called gimmicky by people by who want a record to sound exactly like a live performance." Ed Ward of Rolling Stone called it "complicated instead of complex" and felt that the Moog synthesizer "disembodies and artificializes" the band's sound, adding that they "create a sound that could not possibly exist outside the studio."[23] Although he found its 15-minute medley their "most impressive music" since Rubber Soul, Nik Cohn of The New York Times said that, "individually", the album's songs are "nothing special."[37] Albert Goldman of Life magazine wrote that Abbey Road "is not one of the Beatles' great albums" and, despite some "lovely" phrases and "stirring" segues, side two's suite "seems symbolic of the Beatles' latest phase, which might be described as the round-the-clock production of disposable music effects."[38]

In a more enthusiastic review, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice said that the album "captivates me as might be expected" and found it "flawed but fine."[39] John Mendelsohn, writing for Rolling Stone, called it "breathtakingly recorded" and praised side two especially, equating it to "the whole of Sgt. Pepper" and stating, "That the Beatles can unify seemingly countless musical fragments and lyrical doodlings into a uniformly wonderful suite ... seems potent testimony that no, they've far from lost it, and no, they haven't stopped trying."[40]

Retrospect

Many critics have since cited Abbey Road as the Beatles' greatest album.[41] In a retrospective review, Nicole Pensiero of PopMatters called it "an amazingly cohesive piece of music, innovative and timeless."[1] Mark Kemp of Paste viewed the album as "among The Beatles' finest works, even if it foreshadows the cigarette-lighter-waving arena rock that technically skilled but critically maligned artists from Journey to Meatloaf would belabor throughout the '70s and '80s."[33] Neil McCormack of The Daily Telegraph dubbed it the Beatles' "last love letter to the world" and praised its "big, modern sound", calling it "lush, rich, smooth, epic, emotional and utterly gorgeous".[29] Allmusic's Richie Unterberger felt that the album shared Sgt. Pepper's "faux-conceptual forms", but had "stronger compositions", and wrote of its standing in the band's catalog, "Whether Abbey Road is the Beatles' best work is debatable, but it's certainly the most immaculately produced (with the possible exception of Sgt. Pepper) and most tightly constructed."[26]

Abbey Road received high rankings in several 'best albums in history' polls by critics and publications.[42][43][44] Time included it in their 2006 list of the All-Time 100 Albums.[45] In 2009, readers of Rolling Stone named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album.[42][46] In 2012, the magazine ranked it number 14 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[47]

Production notes

Abbey Road, The Beatles (partially) and Let It Be were the only Beatles albums to be recorded on professional eight-track reel to reel tape machines, rather than the four-track machines that were used for prior Beatles albums starting with the single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in 1963 and the album A Hard Day's Night in 1964. EMI's management had not approved the use of their then-new 3M eight-track deck until shortly after the sessions for their 1968 single "Hey Jude". Also, the Moog is prominently featured, not merely as a background effect but sometimes playing a central role, as in "Because" where it is used for the middle 8. It is also prominent on "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" (played using a ribbon strip) and "Here Comes the Sun". The instrument was introduced to the band by Harrison who, earlier in 1969, had used one to create his Electronic Sound album.

Abbey Road was also the first and only Beatles album to be entirely recorded through a solid state transistor mixing desk as opposed to thermionic valve.

One of the assistant engineers working on the album was a then-unknown Alan Parsons. He went on to engineer Pink Floyd's landmark album The Dark Side of the Moon and produce many popular albums himself with the Alan Parsons Project. John Kurlander also assisted on many of the sessions, and went on to become a successful engineer and producer, most noteworthy for his success on the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Album sleeve

The sleeve was designed by Apple Records creative director Kosh.[48] It is the only original UK Beatles album sleeve to show neither the artist name nor the album title on its front cover.

Imagery

The zebra crossing with EMI studios in the background on 25 September 1969
Abbey Road on 22 August 2010

The front cover design, a photograph of the group traversing a zebra crossing, was based on sketched ideas by McCartney,[49] and taken on 8 August 1969 outside EMI Studios on Abbey Road. At around 11:30 that morning, photographer Iain Macmillan was given only ten minutes to take the photo whilst he stood on a step-ladder and a policeman held up the traffic.[48]

In the scene, the group walk across the street in single file from left to right, with Lennon leading, followed by Starr, McCartney, and Harrison. McCartney is barefoot. With the exception of Harrison, the group are wearing suits designed by Tommy Nutter.[50] To the left of the picture, parked next to the zebra crossing, is a white Volkswagen Beetle motor-car which belonged to one of the people living in the block of flats across from the recording studio. After the album was released, the number plate (LMW 281F) was stolen repeatedly from the car. In 1986, the car was sold at auction for £2,530[51][52] and in 2001 was on display in a museum in Germany.[53] The man standing on the pavement to the right of the picture is Paul Cole (c. 1911 – 13 February 2008),[54] an American tourist unaware he had been photographed until he saw the album cover months later.[54]

Legacy

The image of the Beatles on the crossing has become one of the most famous and imitated in recording history.[48] The crossing is a popular destination for Beatles fans[48] and there is a live webcam featuring it. In December 2010, the crossing was given grade II listed status for its "cultural and historical importance"; the Abbey Road studios themselves had been given similar status earlier in the year.[55] In 2013, Kolkata Police launched a traffic safety awareness advertisement, using the cover and having a caption, "If they can, why can't you?".[56][57]

Cover versions

The songs on Abbey Road have been covered many times (see the song articles for more details) and the album itself has been covered in its entirety.

One month after Abbey Road's release, George Benson recorded a cover version of the album called The Other Side of Abbey Road. Later in 1969 Booker T. & the M.G.'s recorded McLemore Avenue (the location of Stax Records) which covered the Abbey Road songs and had a similar cover photo.[58]

Additionally, several artists have covered some or all of the side B medley, including Phil Collins (for the Martin/Beatles tribute album In My Life), Soundgarden, Dream Theater, the String Cheese Incident, Transatlantic, the Punkles, Tenacious D, Umphrey's Mcgee, 70 Volt Parade, Furthur and Jukebox the Ghost.

Furthur played the entire Abbey Road album during its Spring Tour 2011. It began with a "Come Together" opener at Boston on March 4, 2011 and ended with the Abbey Road medley in New York City on March 15, 2011. "Her Majesty" was worked into the show's encore. Each song the band played from Abbey Road was played in the same order, although on different days, as on the original Beatles album.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Lennon–McCartney, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Come Together"Lennon4:20
2."Something" (George Harrison)Harrison3:03
3."Maxwell's Silver Hammer"McCartney3:27
4."Oh! Darling"McCartney3:26
5."Octopus's Garden" (Richard Starkey)Starr2:51
6."I Want You (She's So Heavy)"Lennon7:47
Side two
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Here Comes the Sun" (George Harrison)George Harrison3:05
2."Because"Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison2:45
3."You Never Give Me Your Money"McCartney4:02
4."Sun King"Lennon, with McCartney and Harrison2:26
5."Mean Mr. Mustard"Lennon1:06
6."Polythene Pam"Lennon1:12
7."She Came In Through the Bathroom Window"McCartney1:57
8."Golden Slumbers"McCartney1:31
9."Carry That Weight"McCartney, Lennon, Harrison, and Starr1:36
10."The End"McCartney2:05
11."Her Majesty"McCartney0:23
Notes
  • "Her Majesty" appears as a hidden track. Between "The End" and "Her Majesty" is 14 seconds of silence. Later releases of the album included the song on the track listing.
  • Some cassette tape versions in the UK and US had "Come Together" and "Here Comes the Sun" swapped so that Harrison's composition opens the album.
  • Tracks 3 through 7 on side two are sometimes noted as one song (medley) called "The Abbey Road Medley".
  • Tracks 8 through 10 on side two are sometimes noted as one song called "The Golden Slumbers Medley".

Personnel

According to Mark Lewisohn,[49] Alan W. Pollack[59] and Barry Miles.[60]

The Beatles
Additional musicians
Production

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[93] Diamond 500,000^
Australia (ARIA)[94] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[95] Diamond 1,000,000^
France (SNEP)[97] Gold 379,800[96]
Germany (BVMI)[98] Platinum 500,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[99] 5× Platinum 75,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[100] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[101] 12× Platinum 12,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

† BPI certification awarded only for sales since 1994.[102]

Release history

Country Date Label Format Catalogue number
United Kingdom 26 September 1969 Apple (Parlophone) LP PCS 7088
United States 1 October 1969 Apple, Capitol LP SO 383
Japan 21 May 1983 Toshiba-EMI Compact Disc CP35-3016
Worldwide reissue 10 October 1987 Apple, Parlophone, EMI CD CDP 7 46446 2
Japan 11 March 1998 Toshiba-EMI CD TOCP 51122
Japan 21 January 2004 Toshiba-EMI Remastered LP TOJP 60142
Worldwide reissue 9 September 2009 Apple, Parlophone, EMI Remastered CD 0946 3 82468 24

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Pensiero, Nicole (23 March 2004). "The Beatles: Abbey Road". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  2. ^ James E. Perone. The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. p. 215.
  3. ^ "Abbey Road". Smackbomb.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "The Beatles Abbey Road album". beatles-history.net. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  5. ^ Stark 2009, p. 307.
  6. ^ a b c Everett 1999, p. 271.
  7. ^ a b Gould 2008, p. 575.
  8. ^ Wenner, Jann. Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970 (2000): 90
  9. ^ Wallgren 1982, p. 57.
  10. ^ Gould 2008, p. 576.
  11. ^ Abowitz, Richard (13 December 2006). "Sinatra, Elvis and The Beatles". Los Angeles Times.
  12. ^ "George Harrison: The Quiet Beatle". BBC News. 30 November 2001.
  13. ^ Emerick & Massey 2006, p. 281.
  14. ^ Beatles 2000, p. 339.
  15. ^ Sheff, David. All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (2010): 203
  16. ^ a b Lewisohn, Mark. The Beatles Recording Sessions (1988): 178
  17. ^ "Here Comes The Sun". About.com:Oldies Music. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  18. ^ Sheff 2000, p. 191.
  19. ^ Lewisohn, Mark. The Beatles: Recording Sessions (1988): 183.
  20. ^ Miles, Barry. Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now (1997) p. 556
  21. ^ Turner 1994, p. 198.
  22. ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 361.
  23. ^ a b c d Stark 2009, p. 308.
  24. ^ "NARM Awards" Billboard 6 March 1971: N27
  25. ^ Dove, Ian. "Beatlemania Returns As 'Let It Be' Clicks" Billboard 6 June 1970: 1
  26. ^ a b Unterberger, Richie. "Abbey Road – The Beatles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  27. ^ Klosterman, Chuck (8 September 2009). "Chuck Klosterman Repeats The Beatles". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 26 May 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Album Review: The Beatles – Abbey Road [Remastered] « Consequence of Sound
  29. ^ a b McCormick, Neil (8 September 2009). "The Beatles – Abbey Road, review". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  30. ^ "Review: Abbey Road". Down Beat. Chicago. 22 January 1970. Archived from the original on 22 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  31. ^ Larkin 2006, p. 489.
  32. ^ The Beatles | Album Guide | Rolling Stone Music
  33. ^ a b Kemp, Mark (8 September 2009). "The Beatles: The Long and Winding Repertoire". Retrieved 6 January 2013. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  34. ^ Richardson, Mark (10 September 2009). "The Beatles: Abbey Road". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  35. ^ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (Editors). The Rolling Stone Record Guide, 1st edition, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979, p. 27.
  36. ^ Gould 2008, p. 593.
  37. ^ Cohn, Nik (5 October 1969). "The Beatles: For 15 Minutes, Tremendous". The New York Times. Hi Fi and Recordings section, p. HF13. Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  38. ^ Goldman, Albert (21 November 1969). "Beatles: Nostaglia, Irony". Life. Chicago: 22. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  39. ^ Christgau, Robert (1969). "In Memory of the Dave Clark Five". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 25 February 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  40. ^ Mendelsohn, John (15 November 1969). "Abbey Road". Rolling Stone. New York. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  41. ^ Roberts 2011, p. 80.
  42. ^ a b "Celebrating 40 Years of The Beatles' "Abbey Road". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  43. ^ "2001 VH1 Cable Music Channel All Time Album Top 100". VH1. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  44. ^ "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever". Q. Archived from the original on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  45. ^ "The All-Time 100 Albums". Time. 2 November 2006. Archived from the original on 9 November 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2007. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  46. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 13 November 2007. Retrieved 19 November 2007. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  47. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Beatles, 'Abbey Road'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  48. ^ a b c d BBC article on the album cover http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8188475.stm
  49. ^ a b Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions: The Official Story of the Abbey Road Years (1962–1970). ISBN 0-681-03189-1.
  50. ^ Etherington-Smith, Meredith (18 August 1992). "Obituary: Tommy Nutter". The Independent. London. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  51. ^ McNichol, Tom (9 August 1989). "Eyewitness: The long and winding road to an icon". The Guardian. London.
  52. ^ Equivalent to £9,364 or $12,033 today
  53. ^ Rubin, Judith (16 March 2001). "Online Exclusive: Volkswagen Autostadt". Live Design.
  54. ^ a b DeYoung, Bill (15 February 2008). "Paul Cole, man on Beatles' 'Abbey Road' cover, dies". TCPalm.
  55. ^ BBC news article on listed status http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-12059385
  56. ^ "Walk like the Beatles, says Kolkata Traffic Police". Financial Express. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  57. ^ "Kolkata Police using Beatles' Abbey Road cover to educate jaywalkers". Mid Day. 19 February 2013. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  58. ^ "McLemore Avenue". allmusic.
  59. ^ "Notes on ... series". Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 10 March 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  60. ^ Miles, Barry (1997). Many Years From Now. Vintage-Random House. ISBN 978-0-7493-8658-0.
  61. ^ a b c Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  62. ^ "RPM – Library and Archives Canada". RPM. Retrieved 13 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  63. ^ "dutchcharts.nl The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien, dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  64. ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (PHP). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  65. ^ a b "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 1970" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  66. ^ a b a-ビートルズ "Yamachan Land (Japanese Chart Archives) > Albums Chart Daijiten > The Beatles" (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved 13 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  67. ^ "norwegiancharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  68. ^ "Swedish Charts 1969–1972" (PDF) (in Swedish). Hitsallertijden. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  69. ^ a b "Chart Stats – The Beatles – Abbey Road". UK Albums Chart. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  70. ^ "Abbey Road > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  71. ^ "Album Search: The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP) (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  72. ^ "Les Albums (CD) de 1970 par InfoDisc" (PHP) (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  73. ^ "1970s Albums Chart Archive". everyhit.com. The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  74. ^ "Billboard.BIZ – TOP POP ALBUMS OF 1970". Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  75. ^ "Hit Parade Italia – Gli album più venduti del 2009" (in Italian). hitparadeitalia.it. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  76. ^ "Chart Stats – The Beatles – Abbey Road (1987 version)". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  77. ^ "australian-charts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  78. ^ "austriancharts.at The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  79. ^ "ultratop.be The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  80. ^ "ultratop.be The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  81. ^ "danishcharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). danishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  82. ^ "finnishcharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  83. ^ "musicline.de chartverfolgung". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  84. ^ "italiancharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  85. ^ ザ・ビートルズ“リマスター”全16作トップ100入り「売上金額は23.1億円」 "All of the Beatles' "Remastered" Albums Enter the Top 100: Grossing 2,310 Million Yen In One Week". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 14 October 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  86. ^ "mexicancharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road". mexicancharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  87. ^ "portuguesecharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  88. ^ "The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  89. ^ "swedishcharts.com The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP) (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  90. ^ "The Beatles – Abbey Road – hitparade.ch" (ASP). Hung Medien (in German). Swiss Music Charts. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  91. ^ "charts.org.nz The Beatles – Abbey Road" (ASP). Hung Medien. Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  92. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "Beatles and Jay-Z Dominate Charts". Billboard.biz. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
  93. ^ "Premio Diamante: Los premiados" (in Spanish). CAPIF. Archived from the original on 18 March 2005. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  94. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  95. ^ "Canadian album certifications – The Beatles – Abbey Road". Music Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  96. ^ "Les Albums Or :" (in French). Infodisc.fr. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  97. ^ "French album certifications – The Beatles – Abbey Road" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  98. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Beatles; 'Abbey Road')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  99. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – The Beatles – Abbey Road". Recorded Music NZ.
  100. ^ "British album certifications – The Beatles – Abbey Road". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 15 September 2013. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Abbey Road in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  101. ^ "American album certifications – The Beatles – Abbey Road". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  102. ^ "Beatles albums finally go platinum". British Phonographic Industry. BBC News. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2013.

Bibliography

Preceded by Billboard 200 number one album
1 November – 26 December 1969
3–16 January 1970
24–30 January 1970 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Hair (soundtrack) by Original Broadway Cast
 Australian Kent Music Report number-one album
25 October 1969 – 1 March 1970 		Succeeded by
Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin
Preceded by
Blind Faith by Blind Faith
Let it Bleed by The Rolling Stones
 UK Albums Chart number-one album
4 October – 20 December 1969
27 December 1969 – 7 February 1970 		Succeeded by
Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones
Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

Template:Link GA

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abbey_Road&oldid=581227893"