Post by Day Tripper on Jan 23, 2016 20:40:45 GMT
I felt it was about time I reviewed one of The Beatles’ albums, so I thought, “Why don’t I start off with my favorite?” So, that’s what I’ll do. I’m not one of the best reviewers, but I tried to make this a good one.
When it comes to my favorite albums, Abbey Road just has to be my absolute favorite. Indeed, the others that make up the top five – Physical Graffiti, Rust In Peace, The Number of the Beast, and Blizzard of Ozz – don’t come close to Abbey Road. There’s just something about it that I absolutely love.
As I review the songs themselves, I’ve tried to rate them on a scale of 1–10 (10 being best). It’s a bit hard, considering that I love anything Beatles, so I’ll try to rate them by comparing them to other Beatles songs.
Come Together
I’ve never really understood what makes this song so popular. It’s a great song, but not one that I’d instantly think of as being a Number 1 hit. This has some of the best bass of all of The Beatles’ songs, it’s easier to hear it in this song, too. The intro is excellent, and I’ve always loved how it’s just groovy, and then comes the chorus: “Come together, right now, over me,” in which it gets harder. The solo, too, is pretty good. (And so is the Aerosmith cover!)
Score: 8/10
Something
After Yesterday, Something is the most covered Beatles song, and it is definitely one of their greatest. George did an outstanding job with his later Beatle songs, such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes The Sun (and of course Taxman, which came earlier), but Something might just be his shining moment. It’s one of my favorite Beatles songs, and it’s one of the best Harrison songs as well. It isn’t too long, but that doesn’t detract from it.
Score: 9/10
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
This song is one of those that people love, but is really disturbing when you actually read the lyrics. Personally, I love it, and think it’s a fun song, and a bit funny, too… yeah, I’m a dark person. This was actually my favorite Beatles song for a time, and it’s really awesome. The anvil, the drums, the guitar solos, the vocals, and the lyrics – I love everything about this song.
Score: 9.5/10
Oh! Darling
This song isn’t the most popular from Abbey Road; it’s quite looked over, and it’s not my favorite, either, but I do think that it is quite good. Paul’s screaming adds to the desperation of the song. (“When you told me, you didn’t need me anymore, well you know I nearly broke down and died!”) It’s definitely a good swamp rock song.
Score: 7.5/10
Octopus’s Garden
Octopus’s Garden is without a doubt the best kids’ song The Beatles ever did. I love Don’t Pass Me By, but this was by far much better. While Yellow Submarine may be more popular, I think that Octopus’s Garden is definitely better. Heck, it’s so good, it’s actually been made into a kid’s book! If that isn’t a good kid’s song, I don’t know what is! The solo, too, is good, as are the lyrics. The song is also great when it comes to cover versions. *Cough*Muppets*Cough*
Score: 9/10
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
While Helter Skelter is one of the first heavy metal songs, I Want You (She’s So Heavy) just might be more metal than Skelter. True, it’s not ‘break everything in sight; I’ve got blisters on my fingers!!’ type, but the instrumental section is definitely hard; indeed, as Amadeus has said, if you just added some distortion, it’d be sludge metal. He’s not the only one to think that – Guitar World put it at Number 34 on their list of the Top 50 Heaviest Songs Before Black Sabbath. Not only that, but it’s their second-longest song (Revolution 9 takes the top spot), and the parts that aren’t heavy don’t sound like metal at all! It is, all in all, a very unique recording.
Score: 9/10
Here Comes The Sun
George Harrison’s best songs are Taxman, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, and Here Comes The Sun. The last one just may be his best. It’s one of the greatest guitar songs of all-time, and the acoustic style really gets to you. It’s also one of the best on Abbey Road, and of The Beatles’ discography as a whole! It’s also one of the loveliest songs of all-time, and I’m not surprised that many like it; indeed, I think it’s one of their best myself.
Score: 9.5/10
Because
Because is such an underrated song. It was come up with after Yoko Ono played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata backwards, and the Moog synthesizer sounds haunting. On top of that, there are nine voices on the recording – John, Paul, and George’s overdubbed twice. Just after Day Tripper and Ticket to Ride, Because is my favorite Beatles song – and one of my favorite songs overall. I just love it.
Score: 10/10
You Never Give Me Your Money
I could never figure out why this was a part of the Medley, as it fades out before Sun King starts, until I played it at max volume, and figured out that harbor sounds are what sews it together with the song. Nevertheless, I do like the opening of this song, and it’s pretty cool that it suddenly gets harder. The solos are good, too.
Score: 6.5/10
Sun King
Sun King is my fifth favorite Beatles song. Like Because, I think that it’s pretty underrated. It’s got lush, multi-tracked vocal harmonies, like Because. Also, it’s interesting to note that the working title was Here Comes The Sun King, but was shortened to avoid confusion with Here Comes The Sun. It’s also something that I disagree with Ultimate Classic Rock about – they put it in their list of the Top 10 Worst Beatles Songs. I banged my head against the wall that day.
Score: 10/10
Mean Mr. Mustard
Following my fifth favorite Beatles song comes my sixth favorite Beatles song, Mean Mr. Mustard. I love John’s vocals here, it’s some of his best of all-time. It’s also a pretty funny song, and the idea to change ‘his sister’ from ‘Shirley’ to ‘Pam’ was a great idea. It’s a very good song.
Score: 10/10
Polythene Pam
John Lennon’s vocals on this song are also quite good; they’re sung in a very strong Liverpudlian ‘Scouse’ accent. John didn’t think highly of it and it’s ‘sister song’ Mean Mr. Mustard, but I think it’s a good song… although, when he read the lyrics, you’ll see that it’s a bit perverted…!
Score: 9/10
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
This could be a bit of a confusing song, but it’s got a nice melody. It’s certainly not their best, but it is an iconic one for the Medley.
Score: 8/10
Golden Slumbers
This is one of the most popular songs in the Medley, but personally, it’s my least favorite on Abbey Road. It’s based on a poem by Thomas Dekker, and is a lullaby-type song… yeah, I’m not too into lullabies.
Score: 6/10
Carry That Weight
Carry That Weight, on the other hand, I love, and think is a pretty underrated song. It’s quite interesting that part of it sounds just like You Never Give Me Your Money. Also, it’s a perfect song for their last recorded album – some say that it’s about the fact that no matter what the group would do after The Beatles, they’d always have to ‘carry that weight’ of their past.
Score: 9/10
The End (Here’s lookin’ at you, The End!
)
This song kicks off with a more rock-type sound. How is that supposed to have anything to do with the end? Then, after a bit, it suddenly gets quieter, and finishes out on a high note. It’s the perfect way to end the album…
Score: 9/10
Her Majesty
…whoops, I spoke too soon. This song, originally supposed to be in between Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam, is the group’s shortest song, at only 23 seconds. Also, it wasn’t on the originally on the album sleeve, due to the fact that is was supposed to be left off of the album, but was tacked on at the last second. As such, it makes for a quite unique ending to an awesome album.
Score: 9/10
Adding all the scores together, we get: 148/170… but, considering that it’s my favorite album, I’ll just give it a total score of 170/170. It’s that good!
Abbey Road: A Review by Day Tripper
When it comes to my favorite albums, Abbey Road just has to be my absolute favorite. Indeed, the others that make up the top five – Physical Graffiti, Rust In Peace, The Number of the Beast, and Blizzard of Ozz – don’t come close to Abbey Road. There’s just something about it that I absolutely love.
As I review the songs themselves, I’ve tried to rate them on a scale of 1–10 (10 being best). It’s a bit hard, considering that I love anything Beatles, so I’ll try to rate them by comparing them to other Beatles songs.
Come Together
I’ve never really understood what makes this song so popular. It’s a great song, but not one that I’d instantly think of as being a Number 1 hit. This has some of the best bass of all of The Beatles’ songs, it’s easier to hear it in this song, too. The intro is excellent, and I’ve always loved how it’s just groovy, and then comes the chorus: “Come together, right now, over me,” in which it gets harder. The solo, too, is pretty good. (And so is the Aerosmith cover!)
Score: 8/10
Something
After Yesterday, Something is the most covered Beatles song, and it is definitely one of their greatest. George did an outstanding job with his later Beatle songs, such as While My Guitar Gently Weeps and Here Comes The Sun (and of course Taxman, which came earlier), but Something might just be his shining moment. It’s one of my favorite Beatles songs, and it’s one of the best Harrison songs as well. It isn’t too long, but that doesn’t detract from it.
Score: 9/10
Maxwell’s Silver Hammer
This song is one of those that people love, but is really disturbing when you actually read the lyrics. Personally, I love it, and think it’s a fun song, and a bit funny, too… yeah, I’m a dark person. This was actually my favorite Beatles song for a time, and it’s really awesome. The anvil, the drums, the guitar solos, the vocals, and the lyrics – I love everything about this song.
Score: 9.5/10
Oh! Darling
This song isn’t the most popular from Abbey Road; it’s quite looked over, and it’s not my favorite, either, but I do think that it is quite good. Paul’s screaming adds to the desperation of the song. (“When you told me, you didn’t need me anymore, well you know I nearly broke down and died!”) It’s definitely a good swamp rock song.
Score: 7.5/10
Octopus’s Garden
Octopus’s Garden is without a doubt the best kids’ song The Beatles ever did. I love Don’t Pass Me By, but this was by far much better. While Yellow Submarine may be more popular, I think that Octopus’s Garden is definitely better. Heck, it’s so good, it’s actually been made into a kid’s book! If that isn’t a good kid’s song, I don’t know what is! The solo, too, is good, as are the lyrics. The song is also great when it comes to cover versions. *Cough*Muppets*Cough*
Score: 9/10
I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
While Helter Skelter is one of the first heavy metal songs, I Want You (She’s So Heavy) just might be more metal than Skelter. True, it’s not ‘break everything in sight; I’ve got blisters on my fingers!!’ type, but the instrumental section is definitely hard; indeed, as Amadeus has said, if you just added some distortion, it’d be sludge metal. He’s not the only one to think that – Guitar World put it at Number 34 on their list of the Top 50 Heaviest Songs Before Black Sabbath. Not only that, but it’s their second-longest song (Revolution 9 takes the top spot), and the parts that aren’t heavy don’t sound like metal at all! It is, all in all, a very unique recording.
Score: 9/10
Here Comes The Sun
George Harrison’s best songs are Taxman, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Something, and Here Comes The Sun. The last one just may be his best. It’s one of the greatest guitar songs of all-time, and the acoustic style really gets to you. It’s also one of the best on Abbey Road, and of The Beatles’ discography as a whole! It’s also one of the loveliest songs of all-time, and I’m not surprised that many like it; indeed, I think it’s one of their best myself.
Score: 9.5/10
Because
Because is such an underrated song. It was come up with after Yoko Ono played Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata backwards, and the Moog synthesizer sounds haunting. On top of that, there are nine voices on the recording – John, Paul, and George’s overdubbed twice. Just after Day Tripper and Ticket to Ride, Because is my favorite Beatles song – and one of my favorite songs overall. I just love it.
Score: 10/10
You Never Give Me Your Money
I could never figure out why this was a part of the Medley, as it fades out before Sun King starts, until I played it at max volume, and figured out that harbor sounds are what sews it together with the song. Nevertheless, I do like the opening of this song, and it’s pretty cool that it suddenly gets harder. The solos are good, too.
Score: 6.5/10
Sun King
Sun King is my fifth favorite Beatles song. Like Because, I think that it’s pretty underrated. It’s got lush, multi-tracked vocal harmonies, like Because. Also, it’s interesting to note that the working title was Here Comes The Sun King, but was shortened to avoid confusion with Here Comes The Sun. It’s also something that I disagree with Ultimate Classic Rock about – they put it in their list of the Top 10 Worst Beatles Songs. I banged my head against the wall that day.
Score: 10/10
Mean Mr. Mustard
Following my fifth favorite Beatles song comes my sixth favorite Beatles song, Mean Mr. Mustard. I love John’s vocals here, it’s some of his best of all-time. It’s also a pretty funny song, and the idea to change ‘his sister’ from ‘Shirley’ to ‘Pam’ was a great idea. It’s a very good song.
Score: 10/10
Polythene Pam
John Lennon’s vocals on this song are also quite good; they’re sung in a very strong Liverpudlian ‘Scouse’ accent. John didn’t think highly of it and it’s ‘sister song’ Mean Mr. Mustard, but I think it’s a good song… although, when he read the lyrics, you’ll see that it’s a bit perverted…!
Score: 9/10
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
This could be a bit of a confusing song, but it’s got a nice melody. It’s certainly not their best, but it is an iconic one for the Medley.
Score: 8/10
Golden Slumbers
This is one of the most popular songs in the Medley, but personally, it’s my least favorite on Abbey Road. It’s based on a poem by Thomas Dekker, and is a lullaby-type song… yeah, I’m not too into lullabies.
Score: 6/10
Carry That Weight
Carry That Weight, on the other hand, I love, and think is a pretty underrated song. It’s quite interesting that part of it sounds just like You Never Give Me Your Money. Also, it’s a perfect song for their last recorded album – some say that it’s about the fact that no matter what the group would do after The Beatles, they’d always have to ‘carry that weight’ of their past.
Score: 9/10
The End (Here’s lookin’ at you, The End!
)This song kicks off with a more rock-type sound. How is that supposed to have anything to do with the end? Then, after a bit, it suddenly gets quieter, and finishes out on a high note. It’s the perfect way to end the album…
Score: 9/10
Her Majesty
…whoops, I spoke too soon. This song, originally supposed to be in between Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam, is the group’s shortest song, at only 23 seconds. Also, it wasn’t on the originally on the album sleeve, due to the fact that is was supposed to be left off of the album, but was tacked on at the last second. As such, it makes for a quite unique ending to an awesome album.
Score: 9/10
Adding all the scores together, we get: 148/170… but, considering that it’s my favorite album, I’ll just give it a total score of 170/170. It’s that good!
