Listening to: Abbey Road – The Beatles
Year: 1969
Genre: Rock
Fun fact, this wasn’t supposed to be my album for today (hence the smartphone as a music player photo). With the amount of suggestions that people have given me, I wanted to try the stuff I was recommended.
However, the same bald man who got me to listen to yesterday’s record got me interested in what is undoubtedly one of the most influential and important pop albums of the 20th century. I instantly took whatever audio device I had at the time, namely my very own smartphone and my trusty Soundpeats Life and started listening. It also helps that today marks my first day back in school, so I got time to doze off while at the train while listening to music.
Abbey Road is the first The Beatles record I have ever listened to. Yes, I’ve been under a rock all these years. But with my hatred for “mainstream” music in my youth and The Beatles being literally the most mainstream band ever to exist, the only reason I know their songs is due to multiple school events as well as modern covers of their songs that I never knew was from them.
And boy, do I regret not delving into their discography sooner. One of the things that stood out to me was the very distinct musical styles that I’ve heard from many modern tracks somewhat culminate in this one album. From your usual pop tracks like Here Comes The Sun to heavier, progressive rock of the aptly named I Want You (She’s Heavy), it feels like watching the prequel to a beloved series and finding out the motivation of the characters in the main movie. Each song feels nostalgic for a time that I never experienced listening to The Beatles.
But what really sets the tracks apart from your usual nostalgic train is the fantastic writing and production of the tracks. Besides the hilarious lyrics like “She’s so good-looking but she looks like a man” on Polythene Pam, each song tells a different story rich with emotion and character. The mixing is also bar none revolutionary not only for the time but even today. No track felt unintentionally messy, even in the later parts of I Want You where the mix gets deliberately messy, it sounds so calculated and immersive (albeit the sudden cut to Here Comes The Sun is the most anticlimactic finish to a song ever)
Such a fantastic album I threw away in my youth because The Beatles were “mainstream”. I wish I listened to these much earlier because I would’ve totally sunk hundreds of hours into their discography.
My total absolutely unbiased scoring:
Vibe: 7/10
Flow: 7/10
Mixing: 10/10
Complexity: 8/10
Consistency: 8/10
Emotional Factor: 7/10
Fave Track: Octopus’s Garden (bless you Ringo Starr)
Gears Used:
Soundpeats Life
Huawei Nova 7 SE
Oh, and big thanks to @wardaug for reminding me that this year has a leap year. I’m defo checking out your album next as a thanks!
Das it, das music
