Abbey Road

Some thoughts on this -- the 39 year, three week, and six day anniversary of the release of the last record the Beatles made.

* John's star was beginning to fade, or more likely he was distracted. Much of his time was spent disentangling himself from the Beatles, with encouragement (cough) from Yoko.

I Want You (She's So Heavy) sounds like John's saying, "Forget all that cleverness of a few years back, and all the labor I put into, say, I am the Walrus. I can write a first-rate song any time I want, without even breaking a sweat. You watch, I'll write one that's simple and straightforward, and very rock-and-roll. And it won't be anything at all like the syrupy muzak Paul has been bringing to the table."

But John had already done this - and much better - with Come Together, and by comparison I Want You sounds lazy. Of course, the swelling-white-noise ending is edgy, but I never exactly find myself on the edge of my seat marveling over John's genius when I'm listening to it. In fact, I'm much more likely to be thinking about next-tracking it on over to Here Comes the Sun, and moving forward with the good times.

Of course, I Want You (She's So Heavy) is John gushing about Yoko, but not in the way the Beatle-boys typically gushed. He's not demonstrating his love by writing her a great song, he's doing it by saying fuck you to the whole Beatle thing, simultaneously embracing Yoko's dadaist approach (and not for the first time) while distancing himself evermore from Paul. Which is more than John ever gave up for Cynthia.

* Much of the beauty of Because and Sun King is in their arrangements and production as opposed to the songwriting or voices per se, though the voices and songwriting are both lovely.

* Check the tambourine in Mean Mr. Mustard. Speculation: if the Beatles did not exist, the tambourine would long ago have been footnoted into obscurity. Discuss.

* Jules-who-is-not-with-us once said Abbey Road was the only time the Beatles set out to make a record that sounded like the Beatles, which is probably true.

* All you need to tell the unbelievers about Ringo is that he's the only drummer who could have been in the Beatles, and Abbey Road is just more evidence, as if we needed any. George is on a roll here too - two of his best-loved songs appear on Abbey Road.

But at the end of the day it was Paul who provided the blueprint and musical glue which holds the song-suite of side two together, just as it was Paul who was holding the Beatles together as a group, at least this one last time.