tkitna
I'll Be On My Way
Posts: 214
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Post by tkitna on Sept 5, 2015 10:17:14 GMT
Abbey Road
The lads rally and give us this timeless classic. It was no secret that the ‘Let It Be’ sessions didn’t come off as the boys planned and they weren’t happy nor proud of the effort. Realizing that the end was eminent and knowing they didn’t want it to end like that, they put their differences aside for one last time to put forth an effort that would show the world why they were the greatest band to ever be assembled.
Come Together - I admit that this is not one of my favorite songs. I’m not saying its bad and I realize its one of their most famous songs ever, its just that it doesn’t grab me for some reason. It starts off with one of the most innovative drum riffs ever and the people that cap on Ringo need to shut up already. Awesome stuff. Love the bass and guitar in the beginning too. Johns voice sounds great. 0.50 love Pauls deeper backgrounds. 1:10 love that guitar tone. 2:02 organ sounds awesome here. 2:13 like the guitar solo tone here also. 2:30 don’t know who does it, but one of them slides their finger down the guitar strings and its my favorite part of the song. 3:12 really like the simple guitar solo. Johns exaggerated ‘Yeahs’ at the end are sweet too and the ending is an alright fade out. Good song, but one that I could care less if I hear or not.
Something - George gives us one of his strongest songs as a Beatle to date. A nice, slower, love song that would do anybody proud. I like the drum fill, bass, guitar beginning. Great way to start a song. Speaking of the bass, its awesome sounding. George’s smooth voice is a welcome touch to the song. 0:27 like the organ here. 0:33 the crash cymbal buildup at the end of the bar is so important to the song, that I cant even begin to explain. It would fall way short without it. 0:42 strings added. 1:14 the middle portion here is nothing short of amazing. I love the buildup and emotion. George almost pleads to us. Love it. The violin plucks throughout this part are neat too. Hard to pick out, but cool nontheless. 1:42 what a nice guitar solo. I like the tone and the execution. Ringos drumming is top notch throughout also. Sometimes I can find myself becoming a little sick of this song, but it was nice to hear because it reminded me how damn good it really is. George outdid himself on this one.
Maxwells Silver Hammer - Every album has a sore spot it seems and this is Abbey Roads. This song sucks and is easily one of my least favorite Beatle songs ever. Besides Paul, I think the other band members felt the same way. Pauls voice sounds good enough and I like the piano and Ringos drums in the beginning. The anvil makes the song sillier than it already is if that’s possible. I do like the guitar tone throughout. 0:51 the Moog or whatever keyboard effect here adds to the frustration. It sounds dumb. 1:20 Paul laughing is the best part of the song. 1:34 like the inclusion of the acoustic here. 2:31 love the ‘Maxwell must go free’ backgrounds here. 3:16 backgrounds are silly and sound awful. Song couldn’t end quick enough for me.
Oh! Darling - Love Pauls voice here. Guitar tone on the strums sounds great. Bass is strong. 0:15 harmonies are top notch. Ringo is awesome throughout the entire song. 0:54 Pauls high ‘Oooooh’ here is great. 1:04 please do me a favor and listen to Ringo here. Please. 1:08 Pauls voice,,,,what more can I say? I love the piano here too. 1:52 best part of the song. Love how Pauls emphasizes that bar. This is a nice song for Paul to showcase his amazing vocal ability, but I get bored of it pretty quick. When the last few guitar notes are plucked, I sigh in relief.
Octopus’s Garden - Here’s a rather silly number that George and Ringo kind of collaborated on during the writing process. Its enjoyable enough and it kind of hinders on the same vein as ‘Yellow Submarine’, but its more widely accepted for some reason. Not crazy about the opening guitar tone. Ringos drums sound good. His voice,,,eh, its Ringo. The bass is stellar as usual. 0:31 piano is awesome here. 0:42 the large chorus, background vocals sound kind of silly to me. 0:54 I do like the background ‘Ohh’s’ and ‘Ahh’s’ though. 1:32 like the guitar solo, but the underwater effects kind of kills any momentum it builds. All in all, it’s a silly, fun song that hangs on the neutral side for me.
I Want You (She’s So Heavy) - I hate this song. Just thought I’d toss that out there. I like the guitars in the beginning. Johns voice sounds good. Ringos drum are great as is the bass. 0:56 speaking of bass, I love this part. 1:57 organ is killer here. 2:24 tempo change is the best part of the song. I do like the guitar here also. 4:32 something is said in the background, but I cant make it out. The song just keeps going on and on and on. Its so long and monotonous that I can hardly stand it. The abrupt ending is one of the most welcome things my ears have ever heard.
Here Comes The Sun - Can we be honest with ourselves for a moment? Can we? This is probably George’s best Beatle song ever. Sure we all choose our favorites and so forth, but if push came to shove, this song would probably win in a back alley fight with the others. Its not my favorite by George, but its probably his best if that makes sense. The opening guitar sounds so good. The light hearted organ adds also. Georges smooth voice again works perfectly. The strings coming in at 0:14 are great (might be from organ). Drums sounds amazing. Bass is nice. Backgrounds are top notch. 1:36 even the ‘sun sun sun’ chorus and hanclaps work for me. The keyboards are heavy throughout. The ending is awesome too with Goerge finishing it off with the guitar. Fantastic song. George was on a roll.
Because - Love the keyboard beginning and how the guitar comes in on the other channel at 0:14. The layered harmonies are beautiful and haunting. I love Pauls voice climbing the ladder at the 0:38 mark. Bass sounds nice. 1:31 the keyboard horns sound good and it’s a reminder that we are falling right into the 70’s. Short, sweet song that I enjoy. Whenever a conversation about bands and harmonizing comes up, I always bring up this song. People don’t realize they triple tracked the harmonies so they always agree with me that the Beatles are hard to beat. Sometimes you have to be sneaky.
You Never Give Me Your Money - This has been my favorite Beatle song forever. I know its not their best, but it has so much going on that I just have always loved it. Probably because of Pauls stamp that he put on songs like this, but what can I do? Piano beginning is nice. 0:08 guitar comes in. Great. Pauls voice is fantastic. 0:32 the double tracked backgrounds blend in. 0:47 bass comes in and sounds amazing. Love it. 1:10 song totally changes. Now all of a sudden, we’re in a saloon with the beer barrel piano. The walking bass is neat. 1:31 the high pitched guitar. 1:48 legendary Beatle harmonies. Don’t ignore that guitar being played either. 2:09 if you did ignore it, here it is a little more pronounced for the buildup. 2:28 love the guitar tone here too. Pauls voice is awesome too. Love how Ringo ends the bars with a hi-hat splash. How do they think of things like that? 3:03 Paul singing here is my favorite part of the song. 3:09 the counting backgrounds are silly and a sore spot, but not every song can be perfect I suppose. I love this song.
Sun King - And I dislike this one. Too slow and boring, plus a lot of nonsense being sung. Filler. I like the guitar and bass in the beginning. 0:13 guitar is pretty. 0:52 heavenly harmonies. 1:18 I dig the organ. 1:14 Johns voice has never sounded better. All in all, I’ll pass.
Mean Mr. Mustard - Like this one a lot. Like the fuzz bass in the beginning and Ringos drums. 0:09 nice use of the tambourine. Electric guitar tone is good. Backgrounds are nice. Paul can really be heard here. Nice short tune.
Polythene Pam - Love this tune and wish there was more of it. It really drives hard and I love Ringos drumming. Guitar sounds great in the beginning. Johns voice is good, but the background vocals are sublime. Bass is decent. 0:43 Love the tambourine/woodblock hit here. 0:48 really dig the guitar solo. Not the best, but sounds good. Cowbell throughout also. The buildup into the next song is great. Awesome bit of music there.
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Like Pauls voice. I also love Ringo on the hi-hats here. Love the acoustic and electric being played at the sametime. Love the backgrounds too. Bass sounds good. 0:30 like the lead guitar here. 0:51 congos being played in the background. Never heard that before. Wonder what makes the cracking noise in the background? Another nice little song.
Golden Slumbers - Paul could have made this song into another ‘Let It Be’ , ‘Hey Jude’ type song if he really wanted. I truly feel that way. If he extended this into an entire song, it would have been a biggie. Piano beginning in nice. Strings are wonderful and huge. Pauls voice is great. Bass sounds good. 0:34 how big is that? This is good, but we only get a hint of how good it could have been. I feel cheated in some ways.
Carry That Weight - This is stupid. Not sure what this was going to be, but I’m glad theres only a short piece of it. I suppose it fits alright into the setup tune, but its nothing I would have been interested in.
Bass and drumming is alright. Piano is powerful. 0:25 like the brass. 0:35 love guitar tone here.
The End - We always talk about moments of Beatle magic. Well, this is surely one of them. What a way to end a partnership. All four of them get to showcase what they were a part of the biggest musical phenomenon in history. They go out with a little bit of fun between themselves and I cant help but to think that they each had a smile on their face when it happened. 0:19 Ringo solo. Not the greatest technically, but probably the most copied solo ever. He then throws down the beat for the John, Paul, and George to trade licks. Words cant describe the pure awesomeness. Piano and backgrounds end the song with some strings and a little bit of lead guitar. Thanks for the memories guys.
Her Majesty - Why is this on here? The End sets everything up to close the book, but they open it back up again for this. Its like the whole saga lost a little piece of magic due to this. I little acoustic ditty from Paul that I don’t even mind, but placing it here is just wrong.
I play this album more than any other Beatle album, because when I want to show off how good the band was, no other album seems to approach this one for some reason. Maybe it’s the studio. Its easily the cleanest produced album. Maybe because they came back with a vengeance from a dire situation that nobody thought they would recover from. Who knows. All I know is, I’m happy they decided to go out in top fashion and they accomplished that. Great album!
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henryj
For A Number Of Things
Posts: 792
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Post by henryj on Sept 5, 2015 12:54:48 GMT
Oh, we can all agree they went out on top, but I think the mess that was Let It Be helped us accept the breakup of the Beatles a little better. If you were around at the time and saw the Let It Be Movie you would know what I mean.
Nice review, tkitna. We've been waiting for it.
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Post by Bongo on Sept 5, 2015 15:26:26 GMT
I'm actually grateful they released the Let It Be Movie. Love watching them being themselves, not acting!
It's too bad, they couldn't release the Abbey Road LP after the Let It be LP!
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Post by Amadeus on Sept 6, 2015 15:11:24 GMT
It's too bad, they couldn't release the Abbey Road LP after the Let It be LP! On my Beatles playlist with all the albums and singles, Abbey Road is the last album. Let It Be is right after The White album and Yellow Sub is between MMT and The White album. Nice review too. I find it funny how much you like the album but hate the individual songs. Some sort of paradox there that could rip a hole in the space/time continuum. |
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Post by Bongo on Sept 6, 2015 21:10:26 GMT
On my Beatles playlist, Abbey Road is the last album. Let It Be is right after The White album and Yellow Sub is between MMT and The White album. Some sort of paradox there that could rip a hole in the space/time continuum. "You Can't Do That" Amadeus  ?  It's like you are running Capitol Records and putting music wherever you feel like! Talk about some sort of paradox!  |
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henryj
For A Number Of Things
Posts: 792
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Post by henryj on Sept 6, 2015 22:15:38 GMT
But, Bongo, wouldn't we all love to run Capitol Records for a week? Or a month?
And NOT into the ground! I bet I could make money for the company with my ideas.
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Post by lovelyrita1 on Mar 9, 2017 11:03:30 GMT
I'm actually grateful they released the Let It Be Movie. Love watching them being themselves, not acting! It's too bad, they couldn't release the Abbey Road LP after the Let It be LP! i agree, Abbey Rd is leagues ahead in quality to Let It Be. I hadn't played Abbey Road for ages but yesterday i got round to playing my vinyl that came with the fantastic Beatles Vinyl Collection. This is a fantastic album , my favourite part is the medley culminating with Carry that weight, i was getting tingles listening to the medley. I always loved, She's so heavy on the first side even though it has that rather silly abrupt ending.  My thoughts on Let It be is that it doesn't sound Beatles enough, it's fairly standard rock'n'roll, whereas Abbey Road proper Beatles quality. I had the same feeling when Kate Bush released The Red Shoes many years ago, it didn't sound Kate enough, more like normal pop music , i expect more from Kate if you understand me. |
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Post by lovelyrita1 on Mar 9, 2017 14:39:47 GMT
I'm actually grateful they released the Let It Be Movie. Love watching them being themselves, not acting! It's too bad, they couldn't release the Abbey Road LP after the Let It be LP! i agree, Abbey Rd is leagues ahead in quality to Let It Be. I hadn't played Abbey Road for ages but yesterday i got round to playing my vinyl that came with the fantastic Beatles Vinyl Collection. This is a fantastic album , my favourite part is the medley culminating with Carry that weight, i was getting tingles listening to the medley. I always loved, She's so heavy on the first side even though it has that rather silly abrupt ending. My thoughts on Let It be is that it doesn't sound Beatles enough, it's fairly standard rock'n'roll, whereas Abbey Road proper Beatles quality. I had the same feeling when Kate Bush released The Red Shoes many years ago, it didn't sound Kate enough, more like normal pop music , i expect more from Kate if you understand me. one tiny thing about the album was i would have liked the lyrics and a gate-fold sleeve with pictures, ok that's 2 things. Ok it originally never came with these things but Pepper is beautiful and The White album you get photo and lyrics. |
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Post by ROCKY on Mar 11, 2017 13:53:16 GMT
As for going out on top, I think after Revolver was pretty much going down hill for the Beatles as a group, if it wasn't for Sgt. Peppers being so well received I think 1967 may have been 1970 for the Beatles if you catch my drift.  |
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Post by lovelyrita1 on Mar 11, 2017 14:06:44 GMT
As for going out on top, I think after Revolver was pretty much going down hill for the Beatles as a group, if it wasn't for Sgt. Peppers being so well received I think 1967 may have been 1970 for the Beatles if you catch my drift. although i like all their albums, for me Revolver , Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery tour were their finest where this music was their creative high point, but Abbey Rd was a return to another high and a great way to bow out, although Let it be was releases later. |
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Post by Bongo on Apr 6, 2017 17:52:10 GMT
Respectfully disagree, as I find the White Album just freakin' awesome!
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Post by pothos on Jun 15, 2017 22:36:29 GMT
Listened to Abbey Road again today. I really like I want You (she's so heavy) You could imagine The Beatles being some obscure UK blues band, although the abrupt end to the track is baffling. Her Majesty does not work at all and derails the LP IMHO. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is odd for putting such violent lyrics to such a jaunty little tune. Still ahead of the game though.
I think Golden Slumbers; Carry the Weight and the End with the chants of Love You would have been such a wonderful end to their career as a band.
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Post by lovelyrita1 on Jun 16, 2017 11:01:52 GMT
Listened to Abbey Road again today. I really like I want You (she's so heavy) You could imagine The Beatles being some obscure UK blues band, although the abrupt end to the track is baffling. Her Majesty does not work at all and derails the LP IMHO. Maxwell's Silver Hammer is odd for putting such violent lyrics to such a jaunty little tune. Still ahead of the game though. I think Golden Slumbers; Carry the Weight and the End with the chants of Love You would have been such a wonderful end to their career as a band. This is why i like Maxwell's silver hammer, as you say it's a jaunty(not used that word for years) song but has very dark lyrics. And yes what a joyous end to the album from Golden Slumbers to the end. |
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Post by Mr Kite on Jun 16, 2017 18:40:01 GMT
As for going out on top, I think after Revolver was pretty much going down hill for the Beatles as a group, if it wasn't for Sgt. Peppers being so well received I think 1967 may have been 1970 for the Beatles if you catch my drift.  I have an old work mate , he is 71 now I think Still works a few days a week and he was an original Beatle fan I asked him of what he thought of the Beatles later years and he did`nt like them ! I have always thought that The Beatles really did go out on top If they had basically done a Rolling Stones type deal and just put out another Revolver album upon another 4 minute pop songs I don`t think they would have had the impact on Music as much as it has done for the last 50 years Just look how Sgt. Pepper is still revered today The reason why The Beatles to this day are the greatest happening to Music is that they did rest on their laurels |
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Post by ROCKY on Jun 18, 2017 12:09:19 GMT
Here you go the Beatles are riding the wave. Sgt. Peppers is bringing them back on the charts at Number Uno. Everything looks bright and shiny again for them and then Brian dies a couple of months later! The balloon has burst! The Titanic is sinking. No group in history has never toured, even up to today I believe, after releasing an album. I still believe when they left that Candlestick stage and were thrown in the back of that armoured car, the fun was all over. It was slowly downhill from there on.  We may have thought they were great in 1970, but they hated each others guts. |
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Post by Fiendish Thingy on Jun 18, 2017 14:52:12 GMT
Here you go the Beatles are riding the wave. Sgt. Peppers is bringing them back on the charts at Number Uno. Everything looks bright and shiny again for them and then Brian dies a couple of months later! The balloon has burst! The Titanic is sinking. No group in history has never toured, even up to today I believe, after releasing an album. I still believe when they left that Candlestick stage and were thrown in the back of that armoured car, the fun was all over. It was slowly downhill from there on. We may have thought they were great in 1970, but they hated each others guts.That's a bit harsh Rocky. Hate is a very strong word. Unless you were there at the time, you've obviously assimilated your views from the myriad of literature out there about The Beatles. That's not a criticism by the way - you have your own thoughts and I respect them. I agree of course that if you want to know anything about The Beatles, you either read about them or watch the various documentaries about them. Yes, there were conflicts within the group when John notified the others that he was leaving in September 1969 after the release of Abbey Road. I know that because I read it somewhere!! And I still thought they were great at that time. Irrespective of the fallout from the Abbey Road album (which is a personal favourite of mine), the music itself shone through and it's palpable when you listen to it that a kind of 'happiness and contentment' was evident throughout. And I still think that they're the greatest band ever! I firmly believe that the main reason why their music remains so enduring is that they quit while they were ahead. |
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Post by Mr Kite on Jun 18, 2017 22:38:54 GMT
I have to honestly say that if The Beatles had packed up in 1966 I would`nt have been a life long fan They would have had the same appeal as the Beach Boys I Am The Walrus , All You Need Is Love, Strawberry Fields , Hey Jude , Revolution , Come Together, A Day In the Life side two of Abbey Rd and the entire White Album and not forgetting Sgt. Pepper and I bloody love the Let It Be album Imagine a life without them ?! No fecking way ! No Yellow Submarine film !!! |
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Post by ROCKY on Jun 19, 2017 17:13:28 GMT
You probably would still have had the music, but on a John lp with 'I Am The Walrus' with studio session guys, same way with Paul's stuff, just 3 or 4 years earlier than what he had started. Yes, no YS film! oh my! But maybe a Wings 'MMT' & 'Let It Be' films though since those were Paul's ideas. A Wings rooftop concert. lol
Maybe I was a little harsh there. lol I couldn't see John bashing Paul over the head with a guitar, but I could see John just storming out and slamming the door. It's probably just like an ex-, you don't want to see anything bad happen to them, you just don't want to be around them anymore type deal.
And speaking of going out on top, I just wonder what John would be doing right now.
Would he have toured for the 'Double Fantasy' lp and then quit on top?
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Post by Mr Kite on Jun 19, 2017 22:20:46 GMT
So how much in hindsight you put in it The Beatles really went out with a masterpiece Side 2 alone is just pure .... Sublime piece of Music that should be put on the first colony Ship to Mars It should never be lost in the mists of time . And in the end ... Not to keen on Maxwell these days though ..  |
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henryj
For A Number Of Things
Posts: 792
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Post by henryj on Jan 11, 2018 12:20:35 GMT
"And speaking of going out on top, I just wonder what John would be doing right now.
Would he have toured for the 'Double Fantasy' lp and then quit on top?"
We can only speculate about what John would have done had he lived. But, from interviews, it appears that he was rarin' to go and get back into doing what he had been doing. You wonder what impact and influence he would have had on '80s music. And how '80s music would have influenced John.
He would have continued to record and perhaps tour, or he would have maybe done one tour and decide he didn't want to do it any more, and re-retire.
( Sorry my quote function didn't work that way I wanted, but I only wanted to emphasize part of the post.)
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My thoughts on Let It be is that it doesn't sound Beatles enough, it's fairly standard rock'n'roll, whereas Abbey Road proper Beatles quality. I had the same feeling when Kate Bush released The Red Shoes many years ago, it didn't sound Kate enough, more like normal pop music , i expect more from Kate if you understand me. 
