The album Abbey Road, which The Beatles fans admired, but the Beatle himself, John Lennon, did not like

Abbey Road is the eleventh studio album by the British The Beatleswhich saw the light of day in September 1969 year and instantly became a hit (in fact, like most of the material of the Liverpool Four)! As it is not difficult to guess, the disc got its name from London street, on which, directly, the recording studio was located. No less remarkable is the cover, showing the members of the band walking on a zebra ... Subsequently, this image will become a cult in the industry of popular world music and not only. Most interestingly, early reviews of this masterpiece were mixed, in stark contrast to the immediate resounding success: Abbey Road became number one on both sides Atlantics! But, as it turned out, the album was criticized not only by the reviewer, but also by the person who took the most active part in its creation ...

"Parties Divided"

Ask any fan The Beatleswhat he thinks of the now iconic latest studio record Abbey Road? It is unlikely that you will hear at least one word of criticism in response ... This is a truly outstanding disc, which has served as an inspiration for many musicians, performers and bands! However... one of its creators, John Lennon, there were other ideas about this work.

On a record that is not particularly remembered as "Lennon record" (despite the fact that the song he wrote "Come Together" was opening...) George Harrison turned out to be on top and definitely won popularity with his songs "Here Comes The Sun" and "Something"! In truth, the track "Come Together" was an anomaly Abbey Road! It also remained the only track that Lennon was immensely proud of on both sides of the record... The rest of the material he considered "outright trash"... The second side of Abbey Road has an operatic element, a factor that Lennon did not subscribe to when he formed the band many years before... John felt creatively disenfranchised with the band at a time when sound commercialization was becoming more prevalent The Beatles. In his interview Rolling Stone, shortly after their infamous split, Lennon did not skimp on words and told the world about his true opinion about Abbey Road…

Lennon's comments

So: listen John Lennon:

“I liked Side A, I can tell you that without hesitation! On the other hand, I never liked that kind of pop opera. I think it's rubbish. They were just snippets of a song put together. And I can’t even remember what exactly was there ... It seems to me that there was practically no life in Abbey Road ... "

Lennon maintained his disdain for the record until his death. He often talked about why Abbey Road is not an album that he considers part of his creative image. About ten years after its release, the situation has not changed: moreover, in an interview David Sheff from Playboy John redoubled his criticism:

“Everyone is praising this album so much!” Lennon said. “But none of the songs had anything to do with each other, there was no thread at all, just the fact that we glued them together…”

point of no return

George Martin told in "The Beatles Anthologies" about how to Lennon it was difficult to work while recording Abbey Road, and, more specifically, that he never participated in a project with an offset. However, the democratic nature of participation in the group meant that he agreed with the wishes of the other three other members.

Lennon wanted a record with less medley and production momentum, and this view was the final straw for the founding member. Unlike when Ringo Starr left the group for 68th, or when George left the squad 1969Lennon was at the point of no return much earlier...

Needless to say, the atmosphere in the studio was tense to the limit? Producer George Martin returned only on the condition that the band adhere to the discipline of their earlier recordings. Alas, when creating Abbey Road The participants were weighed down by personal problems like never before… The production lasted more than half a year! The final track got an unpromising title "The End", becoming the last record for which the Beatles got together for the last time ... Even 6 days before the release of the record, Lennon left the team. April next year McCartney announced the breakup The Beatles. What happened next? This is already history ... Nevertheless, in 2020 the record Abbey Road ranked fifth in the list of the best albums in history according to the version Rolling Stone…