“It’s the Bee Gees!” “In a Gadda-da-Vida!” “What –– that’s Italian!” It’s “Abbey Road,” I think. I’m just not sure. The Beatles managed to leave me with so many impressions that I sought an audience’s feelings. Perhaps that wasn’t as wise as I had hoped –– they were more varied reactions than even I.
At any rate, it’s the Beatles: Unpredictable, heavy, beautiful, sickeningly sweet, and well done. If I only knew what they were trying to do to me! But that’s how one always feels with any of their new works.
Taking the songs one by one should give a good impression of what is going on in the album, at least superficially (as internally there seems little coherence between cuts except for relief of styles). Beginning the album with a heavy beat, “Come Together” misleads one as to what follows, for thereafter “Something’ changes to a mooded slow couple dance, fully melodic and appealing. (This is one of those future Hollyridge Strings favorites that even the oldsters will be humming, though in no way is it straight).
“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” next bounces along to a mid-1930’s happy-go-lightly tune, the words of which could be no more antithetic to the song. They are simply the most morbid lyrics yet to come from the Beatles. Yet, with such a light melody, one is not likely to catch what they are.
Then, “Oh Darling” hits an immediate and heavy 1956 rock. Yech. If one is inclined to be repulsed by the 50’s sound –– he’ll be prone to nausea here. “Octopus’s Garden” brings a welcome relief with the song’s western guitar and near hillbilly ending.
Lastly on side one, “I Want You’ is Blues with a capital Blue. As this song concludes, though, the “Day in the Life” technique slips in with increasing electronic noise subtly building out of the background.
Side two switches to a mid 60’s Harper’s Bazaar in “Here Comes the Sun” and a Four Seasons “Because.”
“You Never Give Me Your Money” is just unclassifiable (‘1,2,3,4,5, 6,7/ All good children go to heaven’?) only to freak out with the Italian of “Sun King.” From here on the music seems to become a little more coherent. “Mean Mr. Mustard” pulls together a slowish rock, near psychedelic until “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” slides back into a steady 60’s beat.
“Golden Slumbers” and “Carry that Weight” reminisce of Sgt. Pepper’s and the “Double Album.” But “The End” blows my cool! It’s quite nearly an after-thought that someone felt would be cute.
So what does that make the album, aside from somehow multi-spectral, all and a little of everything, borrowed from those who borrowed from them? Is it good, bad, or just –– just is it?
To me, it’s good; I intend to buy a copy. There is the feeling in it that the 70’s are coming, “wrap it up, get it together, and be ready!” But there is also a nostalgic feeling that the Beatles were concluding their decade and are preparing for the next –– or may be that they have no idea at all of what’s liable to come after this.
