Abbey Road

by

The Beatles

Edit

For years I accepted on faith that the best album ever made was Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. While that album remains a stunning example of the summer of love, the true trinity of the Beatles oeuvre are Rubber Soul, Revolver and Abbey Road--with the nod going to Abbey Road as the Beatles final studio album.

There is not a false note on this album. It kicks off with a forceful vocal from John Lennon on "Come Together," which is balanced by the tenderness of "Something," one of George Harrison's best songs (and only Beatles A-side single contribution). With "Because" Lennon wrote one of the loveliest melodies of his career. Even the silliness of McCartney's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and Ringo Starr's child-like "Octopus's Garden" exude charm and warmth from a band that was on the verge of fragmenting forever and taking some of the innocence of the sixties with them.

And then there's the side-2 suite (tracks 9-16)which still makes for powerful listening thirty years later. Sir Paul McCartney summed it all up in "The End": "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make." And so the curtain rang down on the best rock 'n' roll band in our lifetime. ESSENTIAL

Here's a brief update of the 2009 remastered release of ABBEY ROAD:

THE SONGS: There are no new songs or demos included on this rerelease. It contains only the original tracks from the 1969 release.

THE REMASTERING: This CD has been remastered from the original stereo analogue master tapes. Since this is one of the few Beatles albums to be recorded in stereo (YELLOW SUBMARINE and LET IT BE are the only other two), there is no mono version. The muffled, sometimes muddy sound of the 1987 CD issue has been replaced with a crisp, clean sound that creates an entirely new listening experience.

THE BOOKLET: There is a 16-page booklet with brief "Historical Notes" as well as "Recording Notes," which are serviceable but not overly thorough. A full eleven of the pages are devoted to photos, including three from their final photo shoot on August 22, 1969, at John Lennon's home at Tittenhurst Park. Also, of historical note, are several proofs from the ABBEY ROAD cover shoot.

THE MINI-DOCUMENTARY: First of all, anyone expecting a VH1 Behind the Music-style documentary will be sadly disappointed. The video runs less than four minutes and contains very little actual video. There is some footage used from the "Something" promotional video. Otherwise it is all still photos. [Although there is some clever computerized gimmickry used to make it appear as if the Beatles are actually walking across the pedestrian crossing in front of Abbey Road Studio.] The documentary also includes voice-over commentary from McCartney, Harrison, Starr and producer George Martin. As for the music, there is a snippet of a demo of "Come Together." Otherwise, only samples of final take versions are heard. [Total running time - 3:46. Note: You will need QuickTime to view this on your computer.]

THE CD CASE: The cardboard CD case is not ideal for two reasons: First of all, it's a trifold case so it will not lay flat and it will be more prone to wear. Secondly, the CD is awkward to get out of the slipcase without touching the recorded side of the disc.

THE VERDICT: Ignore the naysayers. Buy this album. It's like hearing the album for the first time!

This review is for the vinyl release and its quality, not for the album itself. This record was mastered from the 1987 CD, meaning that the warmth and depth normally associated with a direct analog transfer from the master tapes to vinyl is completely missing, not to mention the fact that the '87 CD's were mastered from 2nd and sometimes 3rd generation tapes of the master, resulting in a muffled high end, buried drums, and too much bass. If you're looking for a vinyl copy with good sound quality, you're better off hunting for one of the repressings from the 70's or 80's (these are distinguished by not having a UPC barcode on the back of the jacket), or, if you have the pocketbook, a copy of the Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs vinyl release. However, if your sound system is lo-fi, and you're not picky about sound quality, then you won't mind the points I described above. Hopefully one of these years, Capitol/Parlophone/Apple will remaster The Beatles' catalog properly, instead of letting the fans line the pockets of used record sellers.