#10 Abbey Road - The Beatles (Apple, 1969)


My Dad had about 5 Beatles albums and of course I heard them a lot growing up being played on his record player. This one is stuck somewhere inside me. I don't know how much he put it on, but when he gave me his record collection in 1996 and I put it on on my mom's player it was like I had just heard it yesterday even though it had to have been a minimum of 7 years since I had last experienced it. Most of us know all about it, so I'll just speak as to why it's my #10.

To start an album so laid back and bluesy is sick. "Come Together" has so much great tom work (Ringo had finally changed his heads for the whole recording sessions) and the outro. with the soloing is so lazy good. The album is just full of space and room for some of my favorite guitar work ever. The tones, the attacks, the solos are just mind bending. The first side has some classics and then ends with another one of my favorites "She's So Heavy" with it's 7min. of jazz and then repetitive blowout and moog fuzz.

But side 2 is where it's at for me. After "Here Comes the Sun" and the full-on harmony/wall of vocals that is "Because" they pieced together unfinished songs and put some of their best 2min. vocal and guitar work ever into the 7 song suite from "You Never Give Me Your Money" - "The End". From "You Never..." -'oh that magic feeling/nowhere to go' and then their harmonies= other worldly. On the outro. '1234567, all good children go to heaven', the first tambourine hit is how I wish I could get my recorded tam to sound. Silence....crickets....and the most sexy guitar begins the "Sun King" with its Spanish and made up vocals. Ringo's tom work and John's dirty vocals get me off my ass and bring "Polythene Pam" into a dance freak out number with the soloing and tams. Then splash, "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" with arguably my favorite guitar tone ever scratching the skies while Paul's bass gets muddier and muddier. Its just a fun side that stands the test of time for me. I can finally listen to the whole thing without being solely reminded of childhood.