Abbey Road is my next LP, which is an original print and this album represents The Beatles in quite a mature artistic presence, which is evident in the way it looks - suits, ties, no smiles, order. The ambiguity of the sleeve gives the album as much mystery as some of the others like Magical Mystery Tour, but this mystery is less about highs and more about experimenting with music.
The whole 'Paul is Dead' myth surrounds this album like mist and they played to it, as one of their jokes, because they found it hilarious. Each walking across the road in an Egyptian-style side-view, they represent mourning or a funeral: John = Preacher, Ringo = Mourner, Paul = Corpse, George = Gravedigger. The beauty in this art as a picture is equal to the art of the music it contains.
Come Together I think, relied on absurd lyrics and drum/bass sound that emerges the solo of George's guitar. It is a very well put together song, which lasts with John's gently wailing voice. A strange song whose lyrical ingenuity has as much artistic merit as the cover. I.e., the lyrics represent each member of the band: "he's one holy roller" allegedly refers to the spiritually inclined George Harrison; "he got monkey finger, he shoot Coca-Cola" to Ringo, the funny Beatle; "he got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker" to Lennon himself; and "got to be good-looking 'cause he's so hard to see" to Paul.
One of my favourite Beatles songs is Something, which I always state was one of George's songs (I had the pleasure of hearing Bob Dylan sing this in Liverpool 2009). Such a beautiful love song which isn't too mushy, but shows someone admiring from afar, being attracted 'like no other lover' and being moved by her love, there's just something about this certain person that you can't escape. (I have two versions of this song, one is not from the album but I can't remember where I got it, and is George by himself with guitar with no other sounds from the band, just brilliant).
Geroge Harrison wrote Here Comes the Sun from this album too. Shows that he's still my favourite Beatle. Some other songs such as Mean Mr Mustard (which I have two versions again) becomes these great Liverpool-style folk songs the band would know about with being from the place, and I know too, with being from here. They're similar to Irish folk songs, usually funny and witty. Polythene Pam is another one, it's like a joke in a story in a song, about Pam, "She so good looking she looks like man."
Abbey Road is a a cryptic album of hidden lyrics and music specifically engineered out more of jokes than art, but the Beatles couldn't help it, because they were so damn good.
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