Abbey Road by The Beatles

The Marvelous Whole In Abbey Road

The Beatles. Abbey Road. Faces, sounds, and images so iconic and worldwide that one can hardly make meaningful comparisons. Christ, you know it ain't easy!

Though it was the eleventh and second to last album released by The Beatles, Abbey Road was the last time Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr shared a studio (Abbey Road Studio in this instance). And what a last hurrah it was!

There's nearly too much to say about Abbey Road and certainly too much to say in these brief paragraphs. Complete with an unmistakable intro ("Come Together"); sublime love ballads ("Something"), bewildering peculiarities ("Octopus's Garden"), 17th-century poetry masterfully put to music ("Golden Slumbers"), and an inconceivably satisfying finale (Abbey Road Medley); each member notably contributes their share to the marvelous whole.

Even for those that think The Beatles are old and lame or that their good ideas were borrowed or that they're simply overhyped after all these years, it's hard to deny something as substantial as Abbey Road and it's impossible to deny their influence. In The End… The Beatles made a lot of love.