The Beatles' Abbey Road Turns 45: Classic Track-By-Track Review
On Sept. 26, 1969, 45 years ago today, the Beatles' Abbey Road entered the world and closed the recording career of rock's most celebrated band. The existence of Abbey Road is practically a miracle -- when the Beatles emerged from the Let It Be sessions, the group was fraught with tensions and on the verge of breaking up. They were arguing not only over music -- their unhappiness with the mixing of Let It Be held up its release until eight months after Abbey Road came out -- but business as well. Their Apple Records label was proving to be a professional time suck, and the group was bitterly torn over who to hire as their new business manager. But by most accounts, the recording of Abbey Road was relatively painless and drama-free -- perhaps because the Fab Four knew it would be their last album together. "Nobody then was sure it was going to be the last one, but it felt like it was," producer George Martin recalled in The Beatles Anthology. George Harrison agreed: "Once we finished Abbey Road, the game was up, and I think we all accepted that."
As far as rock music swan songs go, this might be the best there's ever been. From the iconic opening bass line of "Come Together" to the ambitious Side 2 medley to the solemnity-subverting "Her Majesty," the entire album is an unqualified triumph.
Source: Billboard
