The Beatles: Abbey Road

I don't hate the Beatles, let's get that out of the way furst.

Abbey Road has several undeniable standout tracks (coke together is epic and used in almost every commercial. The album cover is one of, if not the most iconic images in the history of music. Even if you’ve never owned a Beatles record, you know that crosswalk.

There’s just. So. Much. bubblegum; songs that feel overly sweet & safe. But plug in, slow down, smoke a blunt, and something shifts. You start to hear the nuance. The layered production, the subtle musicianship. Focus is rewarded, and the more focus the more engagement you'll experience.

In comparison to their catalogue, this is their best. While Let It Be was released later, Abbey Road was the last album they recorded together as a functioning band, and you can feel that sense of finality. Again, I don’t hate the Beatles. I respect them for pushing music forward. They had 20 number-one singles, and helped define what a studio album could be, and that means something. Modern music wouldn’t exist without them clearing the path.

Buuuuuuut...they were a boy band before boy bands. So were The Monkees, and in a stranger way, so were the Sex Pistols so 🤷‍♂️.

Early Beatles were safe, mainstream, and packaged. Compared to Zeppelin, The Who, or Hendrix, who were all active in roughly the same era, they often feel safe. Those bands played louder, dirtier, and with more raw power. Their lyrics hit harder, though credit where it’s due, the Beatles did eventually turn against conformity in their own way.

Their rebellion was safe for your kids. Until it wasn’t. Somewhere along the way, whether it was drugs, fame, or love, something cracked open. The band got weird, experimental, and curious. And THAT'S when they were at their best. Abbey Road feels like the moment all of that growth finally exploded.

Love em or hate em, the Beatles trailblazed modern music. And even from a skeptic’s seat, Abbey Road stands as the clearest proof of why they mattered.