Abbey Road Listening Notes by Maxwell Philbrook <br> <br>

You're about to listen to the Beatles. last studio album recorded as a band. The individual members struck out on their own after Abbey Road, and each 
had their own success to varying degrees. The album was their last because of internal strife over the creative direction of the band. This is 
especially true on this album, as evidenced by the two competing visions that form on each side of the album. Side A is more a traditional album, each 
song standing alone, whereas when you listen to side B, you.ll see that it is more coherent in form. Lennon was adamant about releasing a solid pop 
album (side A) where Paul's vision of a "pop opera" comes through in side B. Listen for the differences in production that exemplifies the competing 
trends. 
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The album opens with "Come Together," a song  Lennon wrote for Timothy Leary's California gubernatorial campaign, even though Leary never made it 
through the election. The song is characterized by a rattle-snake sounding effect which was created by guitars and maracas. The lead guitar parts were 
played by George and John, and Paul helped out with the bass and maracas. The challenging rhythms and changing tempos give the listener a taste for the 
kind of eclectic mix of music they were to hear throughout this album. 
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"Something" was written and sung by George Harrison.  Along with the guys playing their normal instruments, a 21 piece orchestra was enlisted to add 
depth and romanticism to the track. Listen for the strings and percussion parts that add to the Beatles' already complex sound. The guitar solo in the 
middle of the song is a duet by George and John and gives the song an edge of chaos that might accompany thoughts of leaving the woman you love. The 
opening line "Something in the way she moves," was lifted from a James Taylor song of the same name, showing how open the Beatles were to letting music 
of all styles influence their sound. 
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Paul used a synthesizer many times throughout Abbey Road, and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is the first track in which he utilizes the keyboard 
instrument. Despite its macabre subject matter, the song is very playful and elicits a kind of sing-along mentality to anyone listening to the track. 
The bold percussive sections of the song were created by Ringo actually slamming a hammer down onto an anvil. 
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"Oh, Darling" is a daring track that utilizes the full register of Paul's husky voice. The form is rather straightforward, but the power with which 
Paul sings his guts out, make this a favorite number in the Beatles' catalogue. Listen for the wordless backing vocals of John and George. Also pay 
attention to how the sharp staccato guitar notes accentuate the moaning lyrical style that dominates the song. 
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"Octopus's Garden"  written by Ringo is the next song on the album, only his second solo writing credit on a Beatles' album ("Don't Pass Me By" was 
the first). Ringo had trouble composing, but his songs all have a bouncy, sing-along feel to them and are very popular to this day. He sings the lead 
vocals as well, his unique singing style adds to the playfulness and childish feeling of the track. The dual lead guitars in this track are common to 
Beatles' songs on Abbey Road, and give the song some musical credibility as well. Listen to the fun background vocals, the bubbly sound effects, and 
the gargling that takes place in the background of Ringo's vocals. 
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"I want You (She's So Heavy)" is a familiar theme for Beatles' songs, but the method with which they deliver the message is new. The track is actually 
two songs smashed together, and results in the second-longest recording  (7:49) on any  album (Revolution No. 9 is the longest but consists mostly of 
noise and random phases). The synthesizer is in full effect, especially during the "She's so Heavy" portions of the song, played very 
dramatically by John. John also provides the Blues-style lead guitar and the various "white noise" sound effects that further the song. Listen through 
to the end of the track and decide what kind of effect the ending has on you as a listener. Does it grate with you? Does it build you up? Does it let 
you down without a resolution? Is this a good way to end the first side of the album?
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Side B is characterized by shorter songs that blend together more seamlessly to give a more unified feel. After the meandering, intense close to side 
A, "Here comes the Sun" is a friendly, uplifting song about the sun coming out from behind the clouds. George wrote this song while he was sitting in 
Eric Clapton's garden on a day off. It is George's second song-writing credit on Abbey Road, and once again he gets the lead vocal duties. Listen for 
the large, 21-piece orchestra that plays on this track. Also listen for the use of the harmonium and the unique percussion parts as well. 
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John got the idea for "Because" by listening to Yoko play Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" on the piano. He asked her to play the chords backwards, and 
when she did, he added some lyrics and called it a tune. The vocals are a close harmony sung by George, John and Paul. George Martin plays the 
harpsichord on the track. Like other Beatles' spacey jams, this song seeks to put the listener in a specific mental state. The lyrics are mostly 
nonsensical, and the main focus should be on how the vocals and droning instrumentation coalesce to create a strong feeling in the listener. 
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"You Never Give me Your Money" is one of the tracks that lend itself to being interpreted as many shorter tracks melded into one. The first is the 
title track to this medley. Paul sings solo and backs himself on the guitar and piano as well. The song stems from boardroom squabbles amongst the 
members of the Beatles themselves. The second part is characterized by a strong honkey-tonk feel that features more gruff vocals sung by Paul. This 
movement is entitled "That Magic Feeling." The third movement, "One Sweet Dream," is linked with the other melody by a wordless guitar bridge. As "One 
Sweet Dream" fades out, the final movement created by John, George and Paul singing "one two three four five six seven, all good children go to 
heaven." Without knowing it, "You never give me your money" seems like a coherent piece of music. Should the guys have left it as four individual 
songs, or is there something added by combining them the way they did?
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Segueing almost seamlessly from the previous track, "Sun King" continues the mode of spacey, sunlight induced, mood music. Those are crickets you heard 
in the intro to the song, and after the first chorus, the foreign language is a mix between Spanish, French, and gibberish. John claimed the song came 
to him in a dream, and the confusing lyrics might have something to do with this. "Mean Mr. Mustard" comes in directly after "Sun King" with no pause 
between the tracks. The tune is similar to the previous track in tone and melody. Listen for Ringo's tambourine as a signal that the tracks have 
shifted. "Polythene Pam" comes in seamlessly, but is more distinctly a different song. The vocals are sung by John, giving it an edgier sound that "Sun 
King" or "Mr Mustard." The tempo is up on this track, and John's 12-string guitar is in full force on the solos. "She Came in Through the Bathroom 
Window" continues the trend of short, rapid-fire songs, and many of the same elements that are running through the previous tracks are present here 
again. The song is a call back to the time when the Beatles toured extensively and fans would do anything to get at the guys. Listen for the 12-string 
guitar played by John, as well as the "ooooohs" that create a nice vocal depth.
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Finally, after four tracks that don't give the listener a chance to breath, a pause and a change in tone and tempo signal the beginning of the end of 
Abbey Road. "Carry that Weight" begins with a melancholy piano intro, which is joined by a minor-key vocal sung by Paul. The choruses on this song are 
gang-vocals, which fade into a large 21-piece orchestra adding depth and timbre to this happy/sad song. Paul supposedly wrote this song about the 
responsibility of keeping the Beatles together, which he compared to carrying a weight. "The End" blends seamlessly with the last measures of "Weight," 
and features the only drum solo ever to appear on a Beatles' album. John Paul and George each get guitar solos after Ringo's drum solo, all the while 
"love you" is being sung behind the driving guitars. Each member showing off bleeds into the final message on the final track on the final Beatles' 
album: "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
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After a few second pause comes a 23 second tribute to the queen called "Her Majesty" done by Paul. Originally intended to be in the middle of the 
medley, Paul told the engineer to throw it away.  Instead, the engineer left a gap and put it at the end of the tape. Paul then decided to leave it 
there. The song was not  listed in the original UK version of the album.  Paul performed this song live before  Queen Elizabeth II at the Golden 
Jubilee concert for the her in 2002.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSlzhG1I0Wk