Post by Amadeus on Aug 28, 2015 19:27:43 GMT
Sometimes when you're a Beatles fanatic, it's hard to separate the music from the drama you know was going on around it. For example, the band were already split up by the time the LP was released. And although it was an unspoken thought that this would be the last album and let's do a really good one, Phil MacDonald remembers the sessions as being, for the most part very tense with lots of slights, banging instruments down, walking out, arguments etc...
particularly around the recording of 'Maxwell's..' where Paul made the lads do take after take after take and telling them how to play it and on and on. But when they did a run through of George's beautiful 'All things Must Pass', Paul in particular did such a rubbish attempt at it. When you hear it, the bass line is so uninvolved with the song. No effort whatsoever put into it. And that song was a million times better than 'Maxwell's...'
But taken a face value, it's a very brilliant positive sounding album. Starting with the album cover right off the top. It's a beautiful sunny day and that's the image I have in my head when I start to listen to it.
Is it their best album? I don't know. They're all so different from each other. Is it a perfect album? Almost. But I find the sequencing of side one to be a little bit clunky. I wonder if 'Here Comes The Sun' should've been the kick off track. Although it does perfectly raise the mood after the assault of the doom riffing 'She's So Heavy'.
It's a very shiny sounding album. Very well crafted, especially side two. Largely a Paul and George Martin Effort. It's a very grand, epic conclusion to a seven and a half year recording career. Paul is the one who continued on in that vein somewhat with his little mini-epics and recurring musical themes which are at their peak on RAM. Even the slightly lame album 'Wild Life' had a bit of the reprise thing going on. I love that sort of thing. So I love the epic nature of the medley with the sound effects and the recurring ..'Give Me Your Money' theme during 'Carry That Weight'.
Could the group have survived beyond this album? It's hard to say. If the Beatles had of accepted 'Cold Turkey' as a single, it might have went on a bit longer but because they said no to Cold Turkey, Lennon said 'bugger you, I'll put it out myself!' and that became the first ever John Lennon written song (according to writing credits). Lennon and McCartney was no more.
About the music itself. The versatility is again astounding. They showed that they totally owned the swamp/funk stage with 'Come Together'. Is there a more bass heavy song? I liked the vocal on the Anthology LP and kind of sometimes wish that Lennon sang it like that on the good version.
George wrote two of his greatest songs for this one. It's too bad that 'All Things Must Pass' didn't get included. maybe in place of 'Maxwell...'. Although, 'Maxwell...' features one of the best early uses of the new Moog. Very tastefully done. The Moog is beautiful in 'Here Comes The Sun' as well.
And they were still a great playing band. All the songs on here are played very tight. And Ringo has no problem with those 5/4 mesasures in the middle eight. Same with the tricky bits of 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun'. He was/is terribly under rated in his ability to play tricky bits.
I even like Ringo's song. I don't know why everybody knocks it so. And nice country riffing by George on that one.
Paul once again proves that he is rock's greatest, most versatile vocalist over songs like 'Oh Darling', '....Money' etc...
And I was thrilled to know that the sludge/doom/stoner riff of 'She's So Heavy' predated Black Sabbath's doomy self titled track by five or six months. That's a whole genre out of that riff!
If it's taken as what it really is; The Beatles final album, under the circumstances they could NOT have done any better. It's a brilliant album and we all secretly love the fact that they split before they could become embarrassing.
My favorite Beatles album is the White album but I would rate 'With The Beatles', 'Sgt. Pepper' and 'Abbey Road' as being the definitive Beatles albums. Most bands have one like Dark Side Of The Moon or Close To The Edge but the Beatles have three.
And that's the undiluted truth as I see it.
particularly around the recording of 'Maxwell's..' where Paul made the lads do take after take after take and telling them how to play it and on and on. But when they did a run through of George's beautiful 'All things Must Pass', Paul in particular did such a rubbish attempt at it. When you hear it, the bass line is so uninvolved with the song. No effort whatsoever put into it. And that song was a million times better than 'Maxwell's...'
But taken a face value, it's a very brilliant positive sounding album. Starting with the album cover right off the top. It's a beautiful sunny day and that's the image I have in my head when I start to listen to it.
Is it their best album? I don't know. They're all so different from each other. Is it a perfect album? Almost. But I find the sequencing of side one to be a little bit clunky. I wonder if 'Here Comes The Sun' should've been the kick off track. Although it does perfectly raise the mood after the assault of the doom riffing 'She's So Heavy'.
It's a very shiny sounding album. Very well crafted, especially side two. Largely a Paul and George Martin Effort. It's a very grand, epic conclusion to a seven and a half year recording career. Paul is the one who continued on in that vein somewhat with his little mini-epics and recurring musical themes which are at their peak on RAM. Even the slightly lame album 'Wild Life' had a bit of the reprise thing going on. I love that sort of thing. So I love the epic nature of the medley with the sound effects and the recurring ..'Give Me Your Money' theme during 'Carry That Weight'.
Could the group have survived beyond this album? It's hard to say. If the Beatles had of accepted 'Cold Turkey' as a single, it might have went on a bit longer but because they said no to Cold Turkey, Lennon said 'bugger you, I'll put it out myself!' and that became the first ever John Lennon written song (according to writing credits). Lennon and McCartney was no more.
About the music itself. The versatility is again astounding. They showed that they totally owned the swamp/funk stage with 'Come Together'. Is there a more bass heavy song? I liked the vocal on the Anthology LP and kind of sometimes wish that Lennon sang it like that on the good version.
George wrote two of his greatest songs for this one. It's too bad that 'All Things Must Pass' didn't get included. maybe in place of 'Maxwell...'. Although, 'Maxwell...' features one of the best early uses of the new Moog. Very tastefully done. The Moog is beautiful in 'Here Comes The Sun' as well.
And they were still a great playing band. All the songs on here are played very tight. And Ringo has no problem with those 5/4 mesasures in the middle eight. Same with the tricky bits of 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun'. He was/is terribly under rated in his ability to play tricky bits.
I even like Ringo's song. I don't know why everybody knocks it so. And nice country riffing by George on that one.
Paul once again proves that he is rock's greatest, most versatile vocalist over songs like 'Oh Darling', '....Money' etc...
And I was thrilled to know that the sludge/doom/stoner riff of 'She's So Heavy' predated Black Sabbath's doomy self titled track by five or six months. That's a whole genre out of that riff!
If it's taken as what it really is; The Beatles final album, under the circumstances they could NOT have done any better. It's a brilliant album and we all secretly love the fact that they split before they could become embarrassing.
My favorite Beatles album is the White album but I would rate 'With The Beatles', 'Sgt. Pepper' and 'Abbey Road' as being the definitive Beatles albums. Most bands have one like Dark Side Of The Moon or Close To The Edge but the Beatles have three.
And that's the undiluted truth as I see it.