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Abbey Road

#21
bachlover said:
It's like they knew the end had come. Despite all the differences and squabbling, they could put that all aside and still come out with arguably their best effort. A fitting end to a phenomenal group that changed the course of music and will stand the test of time forever.
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Of course they knew it was the end. George Martin believed they had already split up after recording the tracks for Let It Be. He was quite surprised when Paul called him up and asked him to produce it "like he used to".
 
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#22
My good friend who moved away to Connecticut around 2000 had a supremo high fidelity stereo with airy Magnaplanar speakers hand soldered pre amp etc etc etc.
He gave his wife Abbey Road on fresh vinyl for some occasion and I thought jees that's lame, then the wife and I went over there to go out for dinner and his wife was playing side two.
It was like hearing it for the first time. I had only heard it on cheap dorm quality portable stereos (circa 1970) up to that point. There was so much going on that I had never heard before. We sat and listened through to the end.
 
#23
I love it when music hits you like that when you aren't expecting it. I love Abbey Road so much. All I needed to hear was the segway from Sun King to Mean Mr mustard, and I was hooked for life.
My parents bought me that album when I turned 18. I'm 35 now and love them even more.
 
#24
This is a fantastic album. Sometimes it's my favorite, sometimes I prefer the uneven chaos of the White Album. I went to London last summer for my honeymoon, and 40+ years later people still line up to take pictures at the crosswalk that's on the album cover (and it's a busy road!).

D Bopp said:
I love it when music hits you like that when you aren't expecting it. I love Abbey Road so much. All I needed to hear was the segway from Sun King to Mean Mr mustard, and I was hooked for life.
My parents bought me that album when I turned 18. I'm 35 now and love them even more.
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I am now imagining the four Beatles riding Segways in front of a peaceful, light-filled backdrop as Sun King ends.
*segue :D
 
#25
GregC said:
This is a fantastic album. Sometimes it's my favorite, sometimes I prefer the uneven chaos of the White Album. I went to London last summer for my honeymoon, and 40+ years later people still line up to take pictures at the crosswalk that's on the album cover (and it's a busy road!).


I am now imagining the four Beatles riding Segways in front of a peaceful, light-filled backdrop as Sun King ends.
*segue :D
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There's a webcam on that crossing 24/7. Tourists jump in front of traffic all day long trying to get the perfect picture. It's hilarious. I've never been but it looks like a busy intersection, not a middle of nowhere road where you can safely take a picture.
 
#26
I kind of go on and on about the folk music festival that I attend every summer...and this is a great excuse to do it again!

A couple of years back, someone had the idea to perform entire epic albums of the classic rock era...but to do each song in either a folk, bluegrass, or red dirt country style. The first year, they decided to do The Wall. There was a LOT of room for that to go off the rails. But it turned out pretty great. Immediately afterward, several of us started plotting what should be the next album to do the following year. My first suggestion was Tommy. One of the other people there said Purple Rain, which confused me a bit. Then nearly in unison, more than half a dozen of us said Abbey Road.

So the second years epic album was decided to be Abbey Road. But because they had more people wanting in on the show than tracks on the album, they made it Abbey Road and Rubber Soul. I did If I Needed Someone. It was cool. But it wasn't as good as the previous show, maybe because it wasn't a surprise anymore.

This years was a combination of Purple Rain and Thriller. It wasn't nearly as cool.
 
#27
Gorn said:
There's a webcam on that crossing 24/7. Tourists jump in front of traffic all day long trying to get the perfect picture. It's hilarious. I've never been but it looks like a busy intersection, not a middle of nowhere road where you can safely take a picture.
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I've seen that cam, yep! Yeah, the road is in London proper. We settled for my wife taking a picture of me on the sidewalk next to the crossing. It's directly in front of the studio, too.
 
#28
A dear friend of mine (and biggest Fabs fan I know) told me once that some noted musicologist or other characterized the use of white noise on "IWY(SSH)" as one of the 20th century's crowning achievements in musical composition. Who am I to argue?
 
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#29
I love every second of Abbey Road

When Paul was doing the intense vocal for "Oh Darling", he would come in early and do only one take per day. He was trying to capture the song without shredding his voice with multiple attempts.
He tried several days running, till he finally got the one he liked best.

He succeeded. "Oh Darling" is one of the best vocals he ever did.
 
#30
Slough Feg Bass said:
I put that on my new mono rig the other day and it sounds so much better than all the remastered stuff they put out the last 40 years.
I like the mono version even better than the stereo mix.
everything is so clear and together.
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There is NO mono-mix version of Abbey Road.

There was a folded-down version available in Brazil, for a time. There's one on Ebay for $135.

BeatlesBrazMonoA.jpg


Having said that, the masterful mixing of this recording "works" in mono, unlike many stereo mixes folded to mono.
 
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#31
wrench45us said:
My good friend who moved away to Connecticut around 2000 had a supremo high fidelity stereo with airy Magnaplanar speakers hand soldered pre amp etc etc etc.
He gave his wife Abbey Road on fresh vinyl for some occasion and I thought jees that's lame, then the wife and I went over there to go out for dinner and his wife was playing side two.
It was like hearing it for the first time. I had only heard it on cheap dorm quality portable stereos (circa 1970) up to that point. There was so much going on that I had never heard before. We sat and listened through to the end.
Click to expand...

The Magnaplanar speakers were some of the best sounding speakers I've ever heard. Always wanted some, but couldn't afford them at the time.

Just looked and saw they are still in business. I'd imagine they still make an incredible project.
 
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#32
tangentmusic said:
When Paul was doing the intense vocal for "Oh Darling", he would come in early and do only one take per day. He was trying to capture the song without shredding his voice with multiple attempts.
Click to expand...

I heard a completely different story about that track, something about how Paul would come in every day and scream himself hoarse before doing a take, because he wanted to sound like his vocal cords were completely shredded on that number. Might be apocryphal...but he certainly succeeded at that also!
 
#34
Abbey Road! To me the greatest work by the greatest band. Many years ago I learned the guitar parts to the Medley, but I've never tackled Macca's bass parts. Guies I'll have to whip out the Hofner and give it whirl!

Abbey Road is one of those "must own" albums my generation had, along with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, Eric Clapton's Layla, The Who's Who's Next, Led Zep's IV, Hendrix's first album, and Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. Music The Boomers Grew Up To!
 
#36
Was at at a dance in 7th grade when that album was released. The 8th graders ran the music and that was the only music played fot 2 hours over and over. Np one complained the album just amazed everyone. Still listened to it thru and love it every time. Timeless.....
 

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