The Surprising Story of Abbey Road's Side 2 Medley
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The Beatles' swansong, "Abbey Road," just hit #1 on the charts again... 50 years after its release! One major reason this album has become a cultural treasure is the beautiful "medley" heard on Side 2. But these songs and the way they were put together have a surprising history, one that we dig into in this video. (Perhaps stranger than the music's story is John Lennon's opinion of it...)
This video is a collaboration with one of my favorite TH-cam channels, You Can't Unhear This. The partner video is linked above. Shoutout to Ray - it's been a blast putting this together with you! Let's do it again sometime.
A special thank you to Toazted and interviewer Koop Geersing for the kind permission to use a clip from their John Kurlander interview: • John Kurlander | 2009 ...
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When you finish this one, watch the companion video on You Can't Unhear This here for a deep dive into some hidden sounds in the medley: th-cam.com/video/2zfv7Gl9P3U/w-d-xo.html
I guess you could say that it's great to see the world of fellow Beatles TH-cam creators Come Together ;)
I saw that last night. Were these elements left in the 08 remaster, because i don't have an original pressing anymore.
@@farrellmcnulty909 The '69 and '09 versions have the exact same elements, although how they hit your ear may be different - the '09 was just a re-master, not a new mix. The 2019 mix does have different elements - fading and panning vary.
@@FabFourArchivist Proud to own the original Abbey Road vinyl from when it was released. And by that time, the American albums finally matched the British versions track for track. My Rubber Soul vinyl has Its Only Love on it. Does not have Baby You Can Drive My Car, which is a shame cause that's a brilliant album opener. it also doesn't have Nowhere Man, which is one of the coolest songs ever written lyrically, vocally and chord progression wise.
Tony Carney nn
The alternating guitar solos in "The End," is just utterly pure genius
i played in British invasion bands at Hard Rock casinos. I love playing all three parts! I like George's solos the best, but John and Paul were great also on their solos. I've seen many TH-cam vids of Paul on tour. He always does that 'alternating solo' thing with his other guitarists.
I think I read that the three Beatules were not in the studio at the same time during each solo recording.
I'm surprised that you appreciate the guitar solos more on the track "The End", rather than Ringo's drum solo.
That piece is so smoking. All the Beatles were on fire in "The End" especially.
YES, YES and YES!
@@2011littleguy Incorrect on them not being in the studio at the same time. On the contrary, they somewhat decided to do the trading solo's at the last moment. They ran through/rehearsed it just a few times, then recorded it right then. I *think* I recall that they even did it facing in other in chairs (versus iso booths).
I'm only 17 and the first time i listened to Abbey Road was two years ago. The Medley is one of the best things I've heard in my life.
The next generation speaks, and they are listening 👂the love 💕 that you take is equal to the love 💕 that you make! Oh yeah!
Have a great life to equal your great taste Carlo - bless you from N.W. England
good on you Carlo, keep listening to great music
That medley has assisted many rock fans in choosing it as their "Best Rock Album of All Time"..Hello, I am one..
I agree. It’s one of a kind . Would not change a thing on Abby road .plus hey bulldog was so under rated also it’s one of their very best rockers .
For me this is The Beatles album I like most. I feel like I’m in heaven every time I hear it again. I was 16 years old in 1970. Now, 50 years later, it still makes me emotional. Indeed, I cried many times hearing this album. This is my life’s album. What else could I say?
You are not alone. The Beatles
were the medium through which
the Great Spirit chose to let us hear divine music. Why them ?
Who knows . They themselves were not aware of it : they always
say : the songs just came to them.
It's my life's album too. I was but an infant when it came out, and my mother definitely played the heck out of it. Its music is practically imprinted in my DNA.
Interesting. This album is not my favorite, which is not to say I don't like it. But the end of the Beatles and my general unhappiness in those days as a child, have created a strange love/hate feeling for me. I could not bear to look at what they were saying in the press in those days- it could not possibly have been true. But ultimately it was- the Beatles stopped. They were no more. Defunct. And that phenomenon more than just about anything else, was the hardest reality to live with, to the 10 year old I was at the time. I got over it, of course. But I never trusted that anything so nice would ever last forever. So maybe it was for the better, but I still have those conflicting feelings with this album. For me- I like Rubber Soul and Revolver. The full-tilt energy of moving forward and taking the world as they do it. That energy I like. It always inspires me and I can for a split second feel they are alive and vital. Because they are. Tomorrow truly Never Knows!
@@illadrobici - I undestand that, but I’ve got the same felling only to the song “I want you - she’s so heavy” - after I read on their biography that that song was the very last they were together - recording on EMI studio. It happened in october 69, I guess. I could never hear it after that, ‘cause I feel depressed - always want to cry, so I don’t listen it anymore.
@@fbello18 I wonder if we might be related. My mother's maiden name was Freitas. I know it's a common portuguese name- at least for the few people we have in the us of portuguese descent. Not likely that we're closely related, but - who knows. Are you in Portugal or Brazil or somewhere else? I live in san Francisco.
The End was a culmination of John Paul George & Ringo’s genius as musicians the 3 guitar solos along with Ringos virtuosity on the drums. IMO by far, the Best of The Beatles.
Give a nod to George Martin too,
He had a little input as well...
Depending on John’s mood, you would and could get three different answers.
Yeah, like when asking John's opinion about George's Within You Without You. In 1967, he called it ''the indian shit''. In 1980 (last interview), he praised it for George's spiritual lyrics and eclectic melody.
He was only 40 when he was murdered. Think of how bitter someone can be towards what they did in their 20s when they're in their 30s. Especially an artist that at times may not have been too eager to re-hash his past but instead move forward.
Had he lived into his 50s, 60s, one can only imagine how he might have softened up on things.
That’s fact
@@ExileOnDaytonStreet That is a really excellent and well-considered take. Thank you for sharing
Zack Zallie he said it was one of George’s best songs. He never called it “Indian shit”.
"I think it's junk."
Ex-Beatle John Lennon about almost any Beatles song.
You know, Its frustrating how John was such a great talent, but so small and petty a man. He resented Paul for his abilities which were every bit as good as John's, and the fact that Paul came up with Sgt Pepper concept, which I think was a clever idea. He came up with Mystery tour concept, too. The movie failed as none of them had any real experience in Script writing and directing, But the idea had potential had they sought some professional guidance. The music was great.
And the Medley was Paul's too, along with a work ethic the other 3 lacked. I wish John had been a more even tempered person. Hi loose lips have tainted his legacy, which is a considerable one.
Diligence Integrity - Paul in a sense kept them going after Brian's death. While the Magical Mystery Tour movie flopped, the soundtrack was ace. Totally agree: both very talented in their own right.
@@mattyc.9332 I think he kept them together and productive even if they resented it. And I am willing to bet that if you could talk do the powerful Execs of EMI, they probably had a high regard for Paul and his work ethic. He put money in their bank accounts and records on the store shelves. I wonder if they would have put out as much material and LPs as they did had it not been for Paul. He seemed to care more about continuing to make music and money. I know there were money problems early on, but eventually, they all made money. I think there were some professional Jealousies. Paul was stuck between a rock and a hard place and no way to win. I've been there a time or two.
Haha and thank God he had such high expectations!
Diligence Integrity he also praised a lot of Paul’s songs and said how greatly written they were
The medley is a masterpiece. Enough said.
The medley gave birth to 10cc...
Shame.
It doesn't go like that with this band does it though..
Come ed...
agreed
Damn Right.!
I remember hearing the Let It Be album when it first came out and how disappointing it was listening to the funereal dirge as the epitaph to the Beatles career. It wasn’t until some years later that I learned that Let It Be wasn’t the Beatles last album to be recorded but was the last album to be released . The last album recorded was Abbey Road and what a wonderful thing it was to find that out.
👌
The medley was Paul's baby.
John was just having a go at Paul.
he's just a jealous guy.
Totally agree with you
Absolutely right he regretted Paul's input and his lack of. This was one of the best recordings ever.
Proper thing.
it sounds bad in comparison with John's medley, 'Revolution #9'.
John could be a real miserable bastard sometimes, haha. The medley's absolutely wonderful, truly the perfect end to the most perfect of bands.
firstname secondname agree
The Beatles quite often would respond to questions with an opposite view of what one would anticipate. It's part of their charm. They like to mix things up with their innovations and cheekyness!
@S A John Lennon was never satisfied with the final product of his or his band's work. Either what he imagined it would be was more amazing than could be put on record, or his contrarian and often self-loathing nature made his opinions mercurial and unpredictable, especially in interviews. His opinions honestly don't matter that much, other than it would be sad if John died thinking his life was wasted because his Art never lived up to his Ideas.
firstname secondname
I’m sure he just said it because it was Pauls idea
Yoko could make anyone unable miserable.
I've always considered the entire side as a unit, since "Here Comes the Sun" connects contextually with "Sun King".
George Martin ( the fifth beatle ) was so instrumental in making the Beatles music what it was, his contributions can never be overlooked nor as an aside.
Well said and I couldn't agree more.
Paul was always involved with those records with Martin.
We take that as a given, likely the suggestor-in-chief since he uttered "why not some harmonica bits?" within the first minute of starting to construct "Love Me Do".
We all know preston was the fifth Beatle
@@davidmurray2539 the orchestral parts he came up with are just amazing.
"Mean Mr Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" go together so perfectly, I can't imagine them not being segued.
"George's Demos' were the ones recorded at Harrison's home studio after their visit to India. As everyone should be aware, that's where John wrote some of his contributions to the medly. He just didn't do anything with them until this opportunity arose.
Bro I know 😍😍
I had to sit here playing it back in my head for a minute to see if I agree. I do.
Yeah - both musically and lyrically. (Pam is referenced in Mustard). When you hear Her majesty in the middle, the momentum is just crushed.
I’m pretty sure that’s a mini story because “Polythene Pam” is mentioned in “mean mr mustard”
"The love you take is equal to the love you make" remains a profound moral and ethical standard for humans to rise to.
You get the point.
The really sad thing is a lot of people have never heard it and for some reason it seems like there's too much hatred for most people to change, what's really needed now is the second coming of Christ.
was it it a borrowed quote, from someone elses poem etc ? or Pauls? if so, brilliant for a working class lad.
@@MrDaiseymay Yes. He is that good. Simple words easy to understand. That's the heart of The Beatles.
If they only would ! HOPEFULLY ONE DAY
Martin's placement is genius! After side b ends? You sit back and try to catch your breath and process the fact your brain has just been picked clean listening to the white noise of the needle sliding off the grooves in the album and bang! Het majesty snaps you back to whatever is left of your reality.
To me this is the best album ever made and the main reason I think that is the Medley. I agree "Her Majesty" does not belong in the medley, but might have been better to stick on the end of the First Side. The fact that "And in the End, the love you Take, is equal to the love you make" is their last recorded song is, like you said remarkable. Most bands flame out, they finished with one of the most inspirational lines in musical history!
I bet John liked the Medley too, but at the time he was pissed at Paul, and would say anything to hurt Paul (Medley being Paul's idea).
Exactly.
@Mk. 5II33II4N The Beatles genius came from John and Paul's writing from both ends of the spectrum. Think what it would have been like if it were two John or two Paul personalities writing.
@Mk. 5II33II4N I don't like those songs either but fact is John wrote so much granny shite later on in Double Fantasy, which was a time he was pretty content with life. Who knows maybe that's what he would've gone for later on had he been alive. John might've hated those songs but a lot of his comments did come from bitterness against Paul which he did retract a little bit later on. Gosh I wish he lived longer I really do. Not all granny shit is bad I realize as I grow up.
@Mk. 5II33II4N lennon was jealous of McCartney's versatility.
the only Paul song John liked was Here, There and Everywhere
i think the guitar solo at the end of “you never give me your money” is so underrated in the beatles catalogue. its so perfect and fits amazingly w the song.
And Ironically we do not know who most likely played it, could have been George, but could have been Paul. It is a very Melodic solo, and Paul excelled at melody.
@@ksharpe10 imo it sounds very george. and i feel like he also excelled at melody too, i mean just listen to the “something” guitar solo
@@daanizafar3792 it had the fluidity of George to my ears.
Paul beyond doubt. Doesn’t sound like George’s phrasing or intonation.
It is squarely on the beat, uses very neutral/weak notes, is slightly out of tune and bends notes in a way that suggests someone used to heavier strings(overshooting). In spite of that surface negativity, it had a beatiful melodic and musical properties, and making magic with very basic note material is Paul’s game.
@@hepphepps8356 I've just had another listen and I've changed my mind to agree with you. I was thinking of the reprise during Carry That Weight. The guitar work before+during "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, all good children go to heaven" sounds like Paul to me. There's something in the way he does pull offs that's very distinctive - at least if Taxman is representative of his lead work.
That medley deserves its own induction into the rock hall of fame. Absolute genius.
I love the long one. I love the sound. I love the playful lyrics. I love the way it’s structured to resolve in The End. I love the poetic close to an historic musical body of work. According to one source, George Martin asked John if there’s anything he’d change in the Beatle’s canon. John reportedly said, “I’d change it all.” OK, but I’m glad you didn’t.
John was an expert troll before trolls existed.
@@rxw5520 facts
I never cared for Lennon's opinion regarding his band. Side B was solid gold and it was their crowning moment.
Agree...one of their mastepieces
He was super critical of himself and nothing was ever good enough. If he didn't have that attitude, his songs might not have been half as good, who knows?
@@sharifmahabuba8556 Paul wrote most of the medley. That's not John being critical of himself.
They did a great job of seaguing the songs together... and the guitar work on the whole medley is fantastic... but, with the exception of "You Never Give Your Money," "Carry that Weight," and "The End," the songs themselves are not among the very greatest Beatles classics, imo.
He also was the one to slightly try to integrate Yoko into the band as well..... 😒😒😒
Absolutely a masterpiece. I remember being blown away by the "B" side of Abby Road when I was in 7th grade. It gave me a sense of continuity -- I no longer experienced life in fragments, instead, I saw the beauty and interrelatedness of all things. It was THAT good.
C. Matthew Hawkins lol what a poseur
C. Matthew Hawkins
I think John was wrong about side two, and Abby Road in general. It opened the world of Beatles music to me, and I was enthralled.
Part of what made the album so great is that sides one and two were unique unto themselves. In some cases, it seems evident to me John’s gift for creating music was much better than any talent he posessed as a critic; after all, he thought a lot of Yoko’s music. And although I have a fondness and respect for her, I have never enjoyed her music.
I feel you, I was in 3rd grade when a stereo playing Abby Road fell on my head in my aunt Reeta's kitchen. From then on, I felt like I lived in a Jell-O submarine. I discovered that I wasn't as fond of the Balad of Jon and Yokko as I was before. I also found out that I thoroughly enjoyed Doctor Rubber although I despised it until then, it was THAT bad.
Yes Abbey Road great and the wonderful medley too .
@@jamesball5743 actually , it was that funny cigarette someone rolled for him :)
The medley: a masterpiece. Without a doubt.
"Abbey Road medley is junk! Now I'm going to go play all feedback guitar while Yoko shrieks."
Hahahah! really good.
😂😅😰
hilarious...
Too true
I love John & Yoko (and the Side 2 Medley), but this comment is priceless! 🤣
~ Lily Villon
Over the years, when I heard the Abbey Road Side 2 medley, I assumed I was listening to a radio station's self-created potpourri consisting of bits of complete Beatles songs. In 2009, I happened to listen to the Abbey Road album from start to finish. I was driving to work. The album ended as I parked. I stayed in my car, speechless. Tears were rolling. I was trembling. The creativity, power, and beauty of the whole album, and especially the medley, made me aware in a new way of how extremely talented and unique are the Beatles. Thanks for creating and posting this great video!
Great testament to the power of music! Thanks for sharing.
your comment made me well-up. The Beatles (most particularly their later works) always brings me to tears these days. So then I go back and watch old clips of them from their early days and see the pure, unadulterated joy in their faces as they perform live, and I'm back in my happy place again.
Those were the days when entire albums were very good. I haven't heard a complete album that was excellent all the way through in years.
@@quailstudios You got that right!:)
Welcome to the club...👍👍🎵.. Abbey Road is a rollercoaster of genius musical expression.
I think there was a period of time, maybe most of the time, that John relished his role of contrarian. Most of what he said about the Beatles, particularly in the years right after the break up, was just his hurt speaking I think.
I think also John liked to exaggerate just to increase publicity for his and Yoko's causes. Plus he did resent Paul for causing bad blood between the others and Allen Klein and also Klein was a shtick-stirrer aswell.
@TofAnimation Rutles forever!!!
Spot on.
Abbey Road is a masterpiece. Probably my favourite Beatles album, together with rubber soul and revolver!
Did I mention what a nasty, no talent, coattail-riding individual Yuko is? If it weren’t for John who would ever have heard of her? She is a cartoon character.
One of my favorite things to listen to by The Beatles is the medley side of "Abbey Road". I have always loved it and I still pull out my original 1969 LP and put it on the turntable... 'playing Side 2.
Abbey Road is a genuine masterpiece, and even though millions of Beatles fans feel that everything they recorded was a masterpiece... and that's not true, of course...
But Abbey Road is an authentic tour de force by a band that probably produced more well crafted music than any ten bands that one might mention... They were perfectionists... and they produced a great amount of musical perfection in their eight years of being together as we knew them... John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Playing the medley on the guitar is a kick
@@daleeloph6888 playing along to this album taught me so much about the guitar and music in general!
@@tomoverton2138 when people ask me who taught me to play guitar I always tell them John Lennon and Paul McCartney
I learned to appreciate the medley more over time. I think it’s a masterpiece.
Dear john, we always understood that the medley was like six unfinished songs. But guess what, mate, we all love it even more because they were unfinished and put together by you four guyses.
Stairway to Heaven is 3 unfinished songs and we like that, too.
@@markbrophy5454 good point, mate.
The guy who put together the pretentious trash called Revolution #9 has a lot of nerve.
@@loosilu lol it was considered "avant guard." At least they didn't fart into a bag. "Turn me on, dead man!" "I buried Paul." lol
@@rockdrumr2772 Paul was digging deep into avant garde in London while John was stranded in the suburbs. Yoko told John this garbage was genius. This was John's attempt to establish himself as THE avant garde Beatle.
If the interviewer like something about the Beatles, John would save it was rubbish, if the interviewer didn't like something about the Beatles, John would defend them.
RE : “The End”
"The idea for guitar solos was very spontaneous and everybody said, ‘Yes! Definitely’ - well, except for George, who was a little apprehensive at first. But he saw how excited John and Paul were so he went along with it. Truthfully, I think they rather liked the idea of playing together, not really trying to outdo one another per se, but engaging in some real musical bonding. Yoko was about to go into the studio with John - this was commonplace by now - and he actually told her, ‘No, not now. Let me just do this. It’ll just take a minute.’ That surprised me a bit. Maybe he felt like he was returning to his roots with the boys - who knows? The order was Paul first, then George, then John, and they went back and forth. They ran down their ideas a few times and before you knew it, they were ready to go. Their amps were lined up together and we recorded their parts on one track. You could really see the joy in their faces as they played; it was like they were teenagers again. More than anything, they reminded me of gunslingers, with their guitars strapped on, looks of steely-eyed resolve, determined to outdo one another. Yet there was no animosity, no tension at all - you could tell they were simply having fun. One take was all we needed. The musical telepathy between them was mind-boggling." - Geoff Emerick
Holy moly! I'd love to see footage of that.
After watching Get Back, I now want a six-hour making-of documentary for each of the Beatles' albums... but especially of Abbey Road and Revolver.
@@hjermsted22 could you imagine!!!! OMG I could die happy after watching films documenting that. It would be incredible to actually watch the creative vision and application that went into Revolver, Sgt.Pepper’s, Rubber Soul et al. It surprises me that The Beatles, being such a media savvy band, didn’t think to document it all.
Ah well, a boy can dream…
great post, thank you
I never forget it - when the album was released a respected music critic (Time magazine, or so - I don’t remember anymore) said: “The Side A of Abbey Road is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life; but the Side B is simply perfection !”
You know I agree with that guy - untill now. John was always unhappy with Paul’s ideas. The things he said shouldn’t be taken into account - ‘cause there was a hurt behind it. Later he probably thought the opposite.
As the final sentiment in the Beatles’ career, what could be more fitting than “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Amen.
So true. Actually, Paul distilled the very meaning of life into one simple sentence. Amazing.
And then followed with a silly little joke song lasting 20 seconds. Perfect.
Crush Everything Paul's incredible genius.
And Lennon loved that last line , praised McCartney for it .
Amen!
The medley is the Beatles swan song , they went out at the top , they walked away showing their music was and is immortal ……………………………….
ronvk100 The only portion of the "Medley" I like is the "Golden Slumbers" ~ "The End". I've always felt Paul's excellent "You Never Give Me Your Money" should have been a separate track. I've also felt John's embarrassing "throwaways" Sun King, Mean Mr. Mustard & Polythene Pam should have never been allowed to be Included on a Beatles album!!! I just can't believe Lennon wrote this crap and would take credit for it!!!
The single song "Let It Be" was their swansong. It was their final masterpiece.
The last recorded music by the best rock band ever was "Abbey Road" , "Let It Be" was recorded before it. But "Let It Be is a fantastic song.
ronvk100 Correction! The Beatles final recording sessions were on January 3,1970 when Paul, George and Ringo recorded "I Me Mine". On January 4,1970, Paul, George, Ringo and Linda McCartney recorded overdubs for "Let It Be". On January 8, 1970, George Harrison re-recorded his Lead Vocal for "For You Blue".
@@ronvk100 Let It Be was released after Abbey Road, so nobody heard Let It Be until after Abbey Road. For all intents and purposes, Let It Be was heard after Abbey Road and so Let It Be was the final masterpiece.
To me the second side of Abbey Road is and always will be a masterpiece!
I love the medley at the end of Abbey Road. I've always wanted 9 minute extended version of each of the song. I've also always thought of the white album as about 8 real songs strung together with medley's. They really show how versatile these four guys were.
The 'second side' of Abbey Road has some of the most spectacular segues in music history. Lennon was pretty much rubbishing everything the Beatles did by that time, including his own earlier writing. I felt sorry for the ignominious way the band ended, but they ended on a high, musically. Abbey Road is right up there amongst the best they wrote & recorded. What a gift to the world.
Very well put, J.T. I could not say it better.
I'll tell you what's junk, Yoko's voice. My vote is, MASTERPIECE.
Stop with the hate.
@@permonjackson9696 You misspelled 'truth'.
True, her singing was embarrassing. Really, she was a shitty artist. She was a hustler. She hustled Lennon with her avant-guard b.s. Just like Allen Klein hustled Lennon, which almost bankrupted his stupid ass. Yoko saved him with her savvy investments. The Beatles, except for Paul, were much poorer than they should have been cause they couldn't be bothered to read the fine print in their contracts.
Her backing vocals on "Birthday" are the finest moment of her career, IMHO.
@@permonjackson9696 No.
The best thing they ever did. I was in a band back in the 70's we did a set of Beatles. The best thing we did according to the crowds was the medley. We started off with Mean Mr. Mustard and went to The End. Damn I so loved doing that. Even now when I break out a guitar I'll do that whole medley every time. I love it so.
I absolutely love The Long One and have become obsessed with this masterpiece. To me, it’s unrivalled in the world of pop music.
I've always loved the medley , particularly "She came in through the bathroom window"
Without a doubt the best Beatles album. Side two is genius
John Dow ah yes “ Maxwells silver hammer & an octopus’s garden “ classics!
Whether it's the best is a matter of opinion, I'm not going to argue with anyone, but it's my favourite and you can't argue with that. I even like Maxwell and Octopus. The only track I don't like is Her Majesty, they were right to take it out of the Medley.
@@mikeprofo2328 maxwell and octopus are the best tracks on the album (along with she's so heavy)
Kadribla Bali : I'd go with Come Together + She's So Heavy with Here Comes the Sun close behind.
@@mikeprofo2328 I love John but never cared for Come Together much.. I don't hate it, it's a good song, but eh
The b-side medley is without a doubt a masterpiece in my eyes. It’s one of my go to pieces of music
Lennon said himself he was always up and down on everything and super critical of anything mcCartney had a hand in.
That medley is fantastic and my favourite the Beatles did. Love it
abbey road is probably my 2nd favourite beatles album, but the second side is the best second side on any album ever (in my opinion).
@S A Right. Yoko made Paul sue the three other Beatles. You don't have a clue.
@S A Please stop blaming Yoko for everything, he made that statement which means it's his opinion, you people make Yoko out to be a witch possessing John but his life is his, he made the statement. I'm not saying Yoko was a saint or anything but neither was John. So can you please stop using Yoko as a person to push your anger of the Beatles break up or whatever on to, it's a form of denial.
@@blurenthusiast6568 men do not admit that they are dominated by their wife
Yoko was something John found as we was already drifting away from The Beatles. He'd had it with Beatlemania and he was growing into his own. Anyway, this conversation is off track. Artstuffs, what's your favorite Beatles album?
Better than Dark Side of the Moon?
John had some moments of real childishness. I'm almost certain he said it was junk only because it was Paul's.
I read somewere a comment by Paul were he said; John became so jealous in the end.
Yes, certainly. But then again, it really is pretty crappy. Especially his own contributions, Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam. Those SUCK.
And I personally also hate how synthetic, insincere and unelegant Pauls songwriting had become by then. You just smell how his success convinced him, that each fart he farted was a fart of genius.
In this album, George Harrison is the only serious musician and songwriter.
Yes, he hated everything about it...until he was in the recording studio and sang like an angel and put all his musical talent into it, even the tracks he didn't like. Why? Because he couldn't not do it. He was a Beatle.
They should have got Yoko to shake a tambourine or something then he would have loved it.
There you McCartney fangirls go again, overstating McCartney's accomplishments. The long one wasn't McCartney's; several of the songs were Lennon's.
Given John's own insecurities and jealous nature, I feel his statement was directed more toward Paul(who was a major architect in the arrangement) than it was meant for the medley itself.
John Lennon just likes good old Rock and Roll. Hmm. Then what the heck was "Revolution 9"?
exactly...plus the three Beatles alternating guitar solos in the long one. If that's not Rock N Roll, what is?
A masterpiece, one of my favorites even to this day. Just sit down with no distractions and listen to this, it's wonderful. And i still get a little teary eyed after "The End". The Beatles knew this would be their last recording together. But it also signaled the end of an era in music that won't ever happen in the same way ever again.
I’ve often thought that the entirety of the B side is meant as one symphonic composition, including Here Comes the Sun, which ties nicely to the mention of the Sun King just two songs later. We’ve forgotten a lot with digital versions because there’s no break in sides, but when you get to the end of She’s So Heavy, have to take a break and flip the vinyl, it really shows that Here Comes the Sun is the prologue to the rest of the medley. Especially with the sharp cutoff of Heavy, the gentle guitar opening of Sun completely changes the flavor of the album. One of the best complete side concepts of any album.
At some point we all start splitting hairs - was HCTS part of the medley? Certainly not. But the fact that it's on Side 2 indeed says something. And it certainly thrives in that opening spot.
I totally agree about flipping the vinyl, by the way, and said so in my short film about HCTS. The intensity of IWY's close has some much-needed breathing room with the physical intermission.
@@FabFourArchivist "indeed says SOMETHING"... I see what you did there!
"Here Comes The Sun" works as an overture or prelude to the medley. Your observation about Sun King is spot on. It even says "Here Comes the Sun (King)" in the lyric. "Because" is musically and lyrically linked to Sun King with similarly refined harmonies and idyllic pastoral imagery. The entire side B ebbs and flows through a range of moods in a symphonic way. I can find nothing to criticize.
I've always thought the blend of classical and rock music in 'the long one' is unrivaled. 50 years later there's nothing comparable.
100%
One of my favorite Beatles compilations, a masterpiece!
It was/is a masterpiece. John was just being John.
When I'm on my deathbed, taking my last breaths of life, I want the long one playing.
Dylan Hydes the long one or the original?
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. All good children go to heaven.
I agree with Ringo! Symphonic and brilliant.. Some of the finest
John seemed determined to overlook that, as a whole, side two is really the definitive collaboration of the legendary creative entity that was the Beatles, featuring all of their inimitable gifts. And that includes the production genius of George Martin.
No matter how many times I listen to it, I'm transported, so many singular moments that perhaps wouldn't seem so perfect if, say, you had heard three verses/chorus of the same theme. And when they do reprise You Never Give Me Your Money - the horns, the guitar lick - chills. Soooooo perfect!
Sorry, John was wrong on this one. "The long one" is an absolute masterpiece.
Agreed, played a lot. Play the remix one.
That's true.. typical John dismissive comment
Hans Jonassen bloody idiots. Takes all types I suppose
I concur.
Everyone agrees with you i think.
The Long One is a fun one. Definitely one of the best pieces of music in the best album of all time. Great upload, my guy.
I completely agree. Thanks Vince!
Abbey Road is a MASTERPIECE!
It was brilliant. The medley shows that The Beatles never lost it, even at the end of their careers together.
It was a stellar masterpiece that will still be talked about for centuries to come. John Lennon had a jaundiced view of his time in the Beatles. He was still bitter over his row with Paul over the management issues and his iconoclastic nature would not allow him to be either honest or genuinely reflective about the album or ANYTHING the Beatles produced. The medley is a combined tour-de-force of so many extremely talented performers, producers, engineers, and editors, and this only becomes more and more apparent with each passing year.
Of course the medley is a masterpiece. It still blows my mind.
Do you think John really didn’t like it or just wanted to take a shot at Paul?
Good question. Had it just been the '70 Wenner interview (first quote here), I'd say it was just John being disagreeable. But since he held the same sentiment 10 years later, I think he really didn't like it. Maybe some of it was resentment, but in the later years he didn't have many kind words for anything that was headed up by Paul or George Martin.
maybe both, what if he didn’t like it because he wasn’t happy with paul
FabFourArchivist haha! John being john! He loves mixing different songs or takes into one like strawberry fields, A day in the life, happiness is a warm gun, revolution 9 and tomorrow never knows!
@Ben M I believe he took another shot at Paul . Just once I wish he would've kicked his ass.
I reckon too thatJohn just took it as a something personal between himself & Paul by giving such comment on this album's B side.
When it came out in 1969 we all liked the medley, and felt like it was one of their best things they'd done. It was "the big surprise", and I know I cried during it, because we all knew they'd actually already broken up (John left, and everybody knew it was over, even though the officially announced ending hadn't yet occurred by Paul). I remember we all...my family, cousins everyone, sat like stone in Grandma's basement listening on that cheap little portable record player. Nobody spoke for a long time afterward. It was one of those moments in life you always knew where you were, and remains vivid in your mind till death. It was equal to that first moment we all knew about the Beatles: The Ed Sullivan Show first appearance, where we all sat like stone unable to speak about what we had just witnessed. "Abbey" was and remains my favorite of theirs.
Doug, that is a beautiful description of how the Beatles impacted you and so many other people. I wasn't born when the Beatles were around but theyve had a huge influence on my life as well.
@@lyrebird9749 I agree. I was lucky to come from a musical family. We stopped the car to listen to "Love Me Do" .Something about it smacked you in the face...so different. Cars had very loud engines in those distant days. Abbey Road is heaven.
Of course it's a "Masterpiece!"
If you're a true Beatles fan, you've got to know this: Don't listen to anything John Lennon had to say about their music! Paul McCartney has said on many occasions that John would always shoot his mouth off, and then regret what he'd said later on. Just listen to some of the things Lennon would say about the Beatles through the years. I personally heard him say once: "We were just a band! Just a band that broke up! There's no great mystery to it. We were just a band, that's all." And then I'd hear him say: "I knew we were the greatest fucking band in the world!" Then there's that famous interview John gave to a reporter about Mick Jagger. John basically said: "Mick said some tarty things about the Beatles! Mick was always jealous of the Beatles. He knew we had more power than the Stones! I mean, I can talk about the Beatles, but don't let Mick talk about them! He always knew that the Beatles were bigger than the Stones. They'd always copy us! Just look at what the Beatles did, and then what the Stones put out six months later! They copied us. We put out "Pepper", and then they put out "The Majesty's Request!" It's fucking bullshit! And I wish just once you people would say something about it! So, that was John folks. Don't ever take him seriously. Trust me, John Lennon knew just how great the Beatles were, and just how good "Abbey Road" was, or he never would have put his name on it!
It absolutely ate them up that they could never draw even with the Beatles, no matter what they did. Not even the staggering musical genius of Brian Jones could bridge the gap. They only started billing themselves as "The Greatest" AFTER the Beatles broke up, to avoid being laughed off the stage.
Can you please provide a source for that quote?
I think you highlight imo John's worst and most obvious character flaw: he's a hypocrite who contradicts himself very often.
@@juscratchinmaballs how though?
@@BrendanJSmith He often talked about Paul's music as being "granny music" and especially the medley he called "unrelated junk" or whatever, but Lennon himself has plenty of "granny music" and has songs where he throws a bunch of random ideas or phrases together also. Hypocrite. He just liked bagging on Paul and The Beatles for the sake of it I think.
Ending side one with the winter snowstorm blizzard of white noise at the end of " I Want You" and beginning side two the warmth of the morning sun of "Here Comes The Sun" is just sheer brilliance. I am so glad the Beatles and production crew came to their senses!
mountart2 I agree
My opinion is "IT'S PURE GENIUS" Rock n Roll at its greatness
Masterpiece. I never feel constrained by what the artist says about their work, even if they’re trying to describe their intentions in a work whose meaning is cryptic.
"The Long One" was certainly a masterpiece. It was unique and original for a rock album from a substantive artist, and remains enjoyable and fresh to this day. I believe Mr. Lennon was a tad short-sighted on the matter.
Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.............I call it "The Holy Trinity".
@USA#1 !! Blasphemy is a medieval concept about insulting an imaginary deity! It has very little place in the modern world. They made divine music!
@@redhotfunkyblues Blasphemy is a concept for all times, not just medieval. God is not an imaginary deity, He is real if not to you He is very real to me. You can't take that from me.
@@hib32 Turn it in mate. John said years before that Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ. Suitable Lennon mockery for the big book of fairy stories, given the subject at hand.
@@davefloyd9443 It wasn't a fairy story the price he had to pay for that indiscretion of his!
@@hib32 Lol. Very funny. Mark David Twatman sent by God? Heard it all now.
C’mon John, the B side was incredible, and your contributions were phenomenal.
I was genuinely disappointed that he regarded And Your Bird Can Sing as nothing but a "throwaway" because I adored that track. Plus, he's the one who wrote it.
The best songs on Abbey Road is Here Comes the Sun and Something, written by George Harrison
Damn straight.
Both of them are sure to be among the most covered songs in all of pop music.
George Harrison was their best songwriter, but he just did not work as hard as the others to write songs. He was more laid back.
Agreed
Nah I want you and You Never Give Me Your Money far more complex and dynamic
As a Beatles fan, It's hard not to get a little choked up when you listen to "You never give me your money" or "Carry that weight".
John saying that “none of the songs had anything to do with each other” is actually testament to just how bloody good they were!!! Because is sounds so perfect - john’s saying “yeah they were all separate but we’re that fucking good that we can do THIS with them....” actually that’s more mind blowing than if they’d intended it to be that way from the start!
The songs may have little to do with each other lyrically (although Mean Mr Mustard and Polythene Pam seem to be closely linked), but the ebb and flow of the mood of the songs is symphonic.
Neither did the two separate songs in A Day in the Life. He never said that was junk
And really, “none of the songs had anything to do with each other” means nothing because going by that logic, every one of their albums before (and most albums in existence) the songs don't directly relate to the next one (except if you maybe sometimes count "love" as a topic). So why does John think they have to be related to be good?
Anyway, I read a reviewer's take on wiki that explained how they actually could be related bc the medley starts out about greed/money, etc. but eventually "in the end" they realize love is the important thing... (or something similar i know I'm butchering it but it made sense, I suggest anyone interested check it out).
And you're right, the fact that they don't obviously, outright relate to each other, yet are blended so well, is a testament to the genius composition and production of Paul McCartney and George Martin. The Medley sounds amazing start to finish and it's one of my favorite pieces from The Beatles. John was just a little begrudging and resentful after the split I think.
@@juscratchinmaballs It was definitely a time where Lennon criticized a lot of Beatles work including his own, but I do get a little of what John is saying. People have praised it as some kind of amazing masterwork yet John knows that it was a bunch of unfinished songs they pieced together. It came out really well and I love listening to it, but in reality taking a bunch of unfinished songs and piecing them together is not really a work of genius. It can be hard to take a musical idea and finish it as a complete song. Piecing together several unrelated songs is actually kind of a cop out. It's saying I don't know how to finish these songs in a way that makes sense so let's just stick them together. It is actually the easier route to take.
My favorite Beatles album...as a musician, I have played this medley a thousand times...never gets old!
Me too.First thing I do when I get home at night is pick up my guitar and play mean Mr mustard polythene Pam and she came I'm thru the window.Just recently learned how to play the intro to I am the Walrus properly too.So I hope the neighbors like the Beatles🤣
A serendipitous masterpiece……only the Beatles could do this…..it was their magic mojo
Do what exactly?
However you want to analyze it...the medley is a masterpiece.
Best band the world has ever known.
and will ever know.
Love them or hate them, there will never be another musical act in impact.
@@robertmasina4610 Not an act. A band.
I totally agree 👍
Robert Masina there might be
I loved John but I think he regarded 'The Long One' as junk because he wasn't remotely capable of constructing something like that. He wasn't in the same league as Paul and George Martin when it came to conceptualising. If he had been, he'd have thought this was one of his greatest achievements. Abbey Road remains my favourite album of all-time and as much as Side One is amazing, it's the Side Two medley and how it sits amongst the rest of the album that makes it what it is. Sure, John was raw and rock'n'roll, but he also knew 'produced' greatness when he heard it. This is greatness. His "junk" comment was laced with envy at a time (1971) when he and Paul were at loggerheads.
Following the breakup John always had some resentment for Paul and George Martin. Out of all the Beatles he was the most bitter following the breakup. I'm pretty sure deep down he always admired their work but wished he had collaborated more.
Mark Cunningham z
Or maybe he just doesn't like it.
Like John said gimme some truth
I think you did
Making a medley? Is that what you call conceptualising?
Lance, I just liked and subscribed to your TH-cam Channel.. Thanks for nothing but straight up Beatles information and not a bunch of fluff .. Greatly appreciate your time ,efforts and costs. I know it isn't easy to put together these informative videos every two weeks but as a Beatles fan, I appreciate all you have done and are doing -Warren. 🎼👊😎🎼❤️
Thanks for the kind words, Warren. Glad you’re digging the channel!
I'll never understand John's dislike of the Side B medley. It's brilliant. A perfect medley.
That's actually the last chord of Mean Mr Mustard at 9:31. It was simply left on the Her Majesty tape when it was cut.
I think "The End" is perfect, because it was "The End" for The Beatles as a band. It's also Beautiful.
I worked at a record shop when Abbey Road was released. When my co-workers and I first heard the album, knowing it was the final Beatles record. When it came to the end of the B side, there was a dreary silence in the shop and many of us had tears in our eyes when we realized that that was the end of the Beatles.
George Martin said that The Beatles knew it's the last.They did perfectly one more time and the sun shone for one last time.
@@panneetantinukul5658 It was pure perfection. Their "last gasp" as a band together soared and still remains my favorite of all their LPs to this day... I love all of them - But Abbey Road still is my all-time favorite... and I suppose that it's somehow fitting that it was their last collaborative release.
@@Snoopy7666 Mine too. It's so beautiful instruments too. Never get tired. Even 50 years later.
Diego Terneus You couldn’t have known that it was their last album, it was released in September 69 and they broke up in the spring of 70.
An undoubted Masterpiece. Thanks.
I saw them when I was 13. Just can't imagine a world without them in it. So much love came in with them. Different days there's a huge amount of songs to draw from. All together they worked.
I've always felt, and this is me personally obviously, that side 2 was one of the greatest things the Beatles ever did. It just works for me. Abbey Road, to me, is the best album ever made.
I’m willing to bet that George Martin played an even bigger role in the “assemblage” and order of the medley than this video would have you believe. Martin was most definitely the fifth Beatle.
Without George Martin's guidance The Beatles may have been the greatest British band ever but I don't believe they would have become a world wide phenomenon.
@@JackTheSkunk I agree.
No Epstein, no Martin would = no Beatles. They busted their asses pulling the Lads along to fame and fortune.
@@jaelge I agree. 100%
@@jaelgeAnd don't forget the recoding personnel such as Hurricane Smith, Geoff Emerick, Richard Lush, Ken Scott and John Kurlander just to name a few. These guys were instrumental in getting and changing the course of sound production. It wasn't all G. Martin.
I think John obviously suffered from depression. It wasn't something people understood then, but he showed a lot of signs. Fascinating video. I really enjoyed this. Thanks.
For me, the medley is like a quilt. Not a single piece stands on its own, but together it is a work of art.
I was 22 when Abbey Road came out. The medley is the greatest grouping of songs that I remember and the one most often played by Beatles tribute bands for a reason, it is a memorable compilation of rock and orchestral combination that I believe influenced Jeff Lynn of ELO fame and others. Thanks for the video!
Good catch on the influence on Jeff Lynne and ELO. No question about it.
John was cynical about virtually everything.....It was his nature.
Shame he wasnt so cynical about Yoko's avant garde bollocks.
Not sure it makes him cynical because he criticized a collection of songs....
Cynical, yes, because the feeling of despair was creeping in.
After making it big time, the most fab band in the world and super rich, he goes through a divorce.
And then Maharishi Mahesh Yogi fooled him, and the psychedelic revolution...wasn't. All
disappointments. John probably felt his creative spirits declining, which is a crucial moment
in a musicians career. Then subjected to the coaching of his political 2nd wife, who will remain nameless,
out of consideration for the readers of this comment. Also, the blues was the essential element to rock
music but Paul liked love songs. And with Hendrix and Cream, and Billy Gibbons, Zappa, and John McLaughlin,
etc., Lennon was starting to feel played out and lacking in talent compared to what was coming on
the scene. He probably felt he needed to rekindle his creative juices. So, he was critical of the
Beatles Medley sensing the end of the line, and over time, the Medley lasted the test of time.
Joan was quizzical
A colossal Beatle fan for 55 years, I am ecstatic to have fallen upon your video. You have beautifully presented your analysis of the unforgettable, powerful "Abbey Road" album. The medley seems right on side B. John Lennon's dismissal that it was "junk" is lamentable because this portion of an unique record underscored their profound talent in creating musical magic together. There is joy and sense of purpose. That they ended their career on such a brilliantly high note is extraordinary and miraculous in itself given that the pronounced tensions among the members of the group were ripping them apart.
I love the medley, and Her Majesty fits so well as a surprise at the end. It’s perfect. My favorite Beatles album.
John's bitterness overpowered his common sense. Abbey Road is one of the top 5albums of all time!
John strikes me as having not liked the fact that “his band” became Paul’s.
Why would he like that. Paul became impossible after Brian died. George said the same thing. It would only become Paul's bc john let it become that. Love Paul but not nearly as good as John
Paul was the most talented member. Being a year and a half younger than John was a big difference in their early years because 1 year makes a difference at that age....but once he reached 23, 24 etc the full bloom of Mccartneys talent and drive became apparent . It probably was hard for John and to a lesser extent George to try and keep up with such a songwriting genius. The sum of their parts will always be greater than any one member, but they have been my favorite band for over 40 years (born in 1974) and for my money Paul was the true genius of this band. This is not to diminish the others as I love all the members...I just feel McCartney talent wise was on a level most musicians cannot comprehend.
@@michaelfrazia4569 i agree 100%
John probably did resent it-- human nature being what it is.
@Micheal Frazia, Paul was the greater musician but John was the greater artist. That might sound like a contradiction, but it's not. Paul is probably the best melodicist in rock history, yet most musicians still say that John was the greater songwriter... because songwriting is far more than just melody. John's work had an edge and unpredictability to it that Paul's music, for all its pretty melodies, simply didn't have.
It never became Paul's band. John started the band, and Paul filed a lawsuit to have the band dissolved when George and Ringo sided with John against Paul in regards to who they wanted as manager.
I can’t imagine the sides being swapped. I’d nominate Come Together as possibly the best intro track of all time
I love to learn from people like you, I was a very young fan of the Beatles, I never knew why I loved them so much..... to me they were perfect because I followed them for the energy they emanated, it is now that I am learning more of their work. It is now that I can see the genius in each one of them exactly as they created their music. I agree with Ringo because he is aware of the history of the Beatles, John died too soon. Thank you
I’m with Paul, George, Ringo, and George Martin on this one. The medley is a masterpiece.
This album, for sure, a MASTERPIECE.
I've listened to side two thousands of times during my life, growing up, raising my kids, now retiring. I get old, but it never gets old. When it comes to the transition into Golden Slumbers, tears come to my eyes, and it just propells me into that place of the beauty of life.