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| Cover 51 |
| The Beatles |
| Abbey Road (1969) |
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Minha apreciação |
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Abbey Road… Este é o álbum que durante muitos anos eu votaria para
melhor álbum de sempre…
Hoje diria que pode até não ser o melhor álbum de todos os tempos mas a
verdade é que não conheço nenhum que seja melhor que este… :))
Houve uma altura da minha juventude em que este disco era colocado no
prato e tocava em modo de repetição…
Como se sabe os antigos LP só apresentavam cerca de 20 min por cada
lado de modo que repetia o mesmo lado até à exaustão…
Ora, quando me preparava para deitar e antes de apagar a luz
normalmente virava o disco para o lado B e deixava-o a tocar baixinho…
Claro, frequentemente adormecia que nem um santo e o disco tocava toda
a noite… Depois acordava de manha de mansinho ao som do belíssimo Abbey
Road… Inesquecível…
Da minha paixão por este disco nasceu também o meu 1º ídolo da música…
George Harrison.
Tem outros álbuns dos Beatles que me tiram do sério e fazem parte dos
meus favoritos como o duplo White Album e o Let It Be…
Deste último lembro-me de o ter comprado no verão de 1974 mas depois
emprestei-o e perdi-lhe o rasto…
Casualmente estes 2 não fazem parte desta lista pois não tiveram nos
anos 70 tanta atenção quanto esses outros 4 mas são também discos para
ouvir e repetir x sem conta…
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Tracks /
Audio |
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| Play Full Album |
Lyrics |
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A1
Come Together
Here comes
old flat top
He come grooving up slowly
He got Joo Joo eyeball
He one holy roller
He got hair down to his knee
Got to be a joker
He just do what he please
He wear no shoeshine
He got toe jam football
He got funny finger
He shoot Coca Cola
He say I know you, you know me
One thing I can tell you is
You got to be free
Come together, right now
Over me
He bag production
He got walrus gum-boot
He got Ono sideboard
He one spinal cracker
He got feet down below his knee
Hold you in his armchair
You can feel his disease
Come together, right now
Over me
He roller coaster
He got early warning
He got muddy water
He one Mojo filter
He say one and one and one is three
Got to be good looking
'cause he's so hard to see
Come together right now
Over me
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
Come together, yeah
A2
Something
Something in
the way she moves
Attracts me like no other lover
Something in the way she woos me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover
Something in her style that shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
You're asking me will my love grow
I don't know, I don't know
You stick around and it may show
I don't know, I don't know
Something in the way she knows
And all I have to do is think of her
Something in the things she shows me
I don't want to leave her now
You know I believe and how
A3
Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Joan was quizzical, studied pataphysical
Science in the home
Late nights all alone with a test tube
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Maxwell Edison, majoring in medicine
Calls her on the phone
Can I take you out to the pictures Jo-o-o-oan?
But as she's getting ready to go
A knock comes on the door
Bang, bang Maxwell's silver hammer
came down upon her head
bang, bang Maxwell's silver hammer
made sure that she was dead
Back in school again Maxwell plays the fool again
Teacher gets annoyed
Wishing to avoid and unpleasant scene-e-e-ene
She tells Max to stay when the class has gone away
So he waits behind
Writing fifty times I must not be so-o-o-o
But when she turns her back on the boy
He creeps up from behind
Bang, Bang Maxwell's silver hammer
came down upon her head
Bang, bang Maxwell's silver hammer
made sure that she was dead
P.C. thirty one said we've caught a dirty one
Maxwell stands alone
Painting testimonial pictures, oh, oh, oh, oh
Rose and Valerie screaming from the gallery
Say he must go free
The judge does not agree, and he tells them so-o-o-o
But, as the words are leaving his lips
A noise comes from behind
Bang, Bang Maxwell's silver hammer
came down upon his head
Bang, bang Maxwell's silver hammer
made sure that he was dead
Silver hammer man
A4
Oh! Darling
Oh, darling.
Please believe me.
I'll never do you no harm.
Believe me when I tell you,
I'll never do you no harm.
Oh, darling.
If you leave me,
I'll never make it alone.
Believe me when I beg you,
Don't ever leave me alone.
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore,
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and cried.
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore,
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and died.
Oh, darling.
If you leave me,
I'll never make it alone.
Believe me when I tell you,
I'll never do you no harm.
Believe me, darling.
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore,
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and cried.
When you told me
You didn't need me anymore,
Well, you know, I nearly
Broke down and died.
Oh, darling.
Please believe me.
I'll never let you down.
Oh, believe me, darling.
Believe me when I tell you,
I'll never do you no harm.
A5
Octopus's Garden
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
In his octopus's garden in the shade
I'd ask my friends to come and see
In an octopus's garden with me
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
We would be warm below the storm
In our little hideaway beneath the waves
Resting our head on the sea bed
In an octopus's garden near a cave
We would sing and dance around
because we know we can't be found
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden in the shade
We would shout and swim about
The coral that lies beneath the waves
Oh what joy for every girl and boy
Knowing they're happy and they're safe
We would be so happy you and me
No one there to tell us what to do
I'd like to be under the sea
In an octopus's garden with you
in an octopus's garden with you
in an octopus's garden with you
A6
I Want You (She's So Heavy)
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
She's so heavy
heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
You know I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
Yeah, she's so heavy
heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy
I want you
I want you so bad
I want you
I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
I want you
I want you so bad, babe
I want you
You know I want you so bad
It's driving me mad
It's driving me mad
She's so
Continues
to B1 lyrics
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B1
Here Comes The Sun
Here comes
the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right
Little darling
It's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right
Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Little darling
I feel that ice is slowly melting
Little darling
It seems like years since it's been clear
Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right
Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun
It's all right
It's all right
B2
Because
Ah, because the world is round
it turns me on
Because the world is round
Ah, because the wind is high
it blows my mind
Because the wind is high
Ah, love is old, love is new
Love is all, love is you
Because the sky is blue
it makes me cry
Because the sky is blue
Ah, ah, ah, ah
B3
You Never Give Me Your Money
You never give me your money
You only give me your funny paper
And in the middle of negotiations
You break down
I never give you my number
I only give you my situation
And in the middle of investigation
I break down
Out of college, money spent
See no future, pay no rent
All the money's gone, nowhere to go
Any jobber got the sack
Monday morning, turning back
Yellow lorry slow, nowhere to go
But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go
Oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go
Nowhere to go
One sweet dream
Pick up the bags and get in the limousine
Soon we'll be away from here
Step on the gas and wipe that tear away
One sweet dream came true today
Came true today
Came true today (yes it did)
One two three four five six seven,
All good children go to Heaven
B4
Sun King
Here come the sun king
Here come the sun king
Everybody's laughing
Everybody's happy
Here come the sun king
Quando paramucho mi amore de felice corazon
Mundo paparazzi mi amore chica ferdy parasol
Cuesto obrigado tanta mucho que can eat it carousel
B5
Mean Mr. Mustard
Mean Mister Mustard sleeps in the park
Shaves in the dark trying to save paper
Sleeps in a hole in the road
Saving up to buy some clothes
Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose
Such a mean old man
Such a mean old man
His sister Pam works in a shop
She never stops, she's a go-getter
Takes him out to look at the queen
Only place that he's ever been
Always shouts out something obscene
Such a dirty old man
Dirty old man
B6
Polythene Pam
Well you should see Polythene Pam
She's so good looking but she looks like a man
Well you should see her in drag
Dressed in a polythene bag
Yes you should see Polythene Pam
Yeah, yeah, yeah
Get a dose of her in jackboots and kilt
She's killer-diller when she's dressed to the hilt
She's the kind of a girl
That makes the "News of the World"
Yes you could say she was attractively built
Yeah, yeah, yeah
B7
She Came In Through The Bathroom
Window
She came in through the bathroom window
protected by a silver spoon
But now she sucks her thumb and wonders
By the banks of her own lagoon
Didn't anybody tell her
Didn't anybody see
Sunday's on the phone to Monday
Tuesday's on the phone to me
She said she's always been a dancer
She worked at fifteen clubs a day
And though she thought I knew the answer
Well I knew what I could not say
And so I quit the Police Department
And got myself a steady job
And though she tried her best to help me
She could steal, but she could not rob
Didn't anybody tell her
Didn't anybody see
Sunday's on the phone to Monday
Tuesday's on the phone to me
B8
Golden Slumbers
Once there was a way, to get back homeward.
Once there was a way, to get back home.
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry.
And I will sing a lullaby.
Golden Slumbers fill your eyes.
Smiles await you when you rise.
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry.
And I will sing a lullaby.
Once there was a way, to get back homeward.
Once there was a way, to get back home.
Sleep pretty darling, do not cry.
And I will sing a lullaby.
B9
Carry That Weight
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
I never give you my pillow
I only send you my invitation
And in the middle of the celebrations, I break down
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
Boy, you're gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
B10
The End
Oh yeah.
Alright.
Are you gonna be in my dreams
Tonight.
Love you. Love you. Love you. Love you.
And in the end,
The love you take
Is equal to
The love you make.
B11
Her Majesty
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
but she doesn't have a lot to say.
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
but she changes from day to day.
I wanna tell her that I love her a lot,
but I gotta get a belly full of wine.
Her Majesty's a pretty nice girl,
someday I'm gonna make her mine,
oh yeah, someday I'm gonna make her mine. |
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Review |
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Review by Graham Crowe "football
geek" (Glasgow)
 If you're
going,
you might as
well go out on a good note. The Beatles certainly do this with Abbey
Road, which contains some of the most interesting, most innovative and
most diverse music of any generation.
The opening tracks
are the most
well-known (Come together/Something/Maxwells Silver Hammer/Octopus's
garden) and are perhaps the best examples of each member's talent. The
hippy elements are well-served in Because and Here Comes the Sun, with
piano solos and vocal harmonies throughout. But I think that the best
part of this album is the second half, with the 'songettes', which have
very different melodies, melting together as the songs progress,
leaving the listener with a great feeling of satisfaction at the way so
many little fragments of great songs can combine to produce a memorable
piece of music. It's also really cool to hear a melody from a previous
track unexpectedly appear in another, without seeming out of place
(this is similar to Pink Floyd's Breathe/Time tracks).
Most
Beatles fans will have Abbey Road, and though some will not consider it
their favourite album, you will struggle to find anyone to say it is
not a great collection. If you don't have it, buy it, cos you're
missing out. Even if you're not a fan of all the Beatles' stuff, get
this anyway. It draws on all the stages of their career and is an album
which still seems refreshing and remarkable 35 years later.
amazon
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Review byProf. Alexandre Fonseca; 24 de
Outubro de 2010
"'Abbey Road' é um
álbum sem
vida". Quem disse isto? John Lennon. Depois de passar muito tempo
excomungando o homem que, juba leonina e terno branco impecável, puxa a
fila indiana na famosa foto que embala o canto-de-cisne dos Beatles,
descobri um certo sentido naquela aparente blasfêmia: "Abbey
Road" é um disco-vampiro. Como um Nosferatu que se alimenta
das
nossas almas e emoções e, assim, preserva sua eternidade. Um parasita
de sentimentos. Um vírus que necessita instalar-se em células
hospedeiras para roubar-lhes o metabolismo.
"Abbey Road"
instalou-se em meu coração. E não há anticorpos ou
antivirais que de lá o retirem. Porque, como muitas espécies de virus,
é um album mutante que, a cada nova audição, revela detalhes, nuances,
experiências sensoriais antes despercebidas.
Foi o segundo disco
dos Beatles que adquiri. Antes dele apenas uma
coletânea com os hits da fase pré-"Sgt. Pepper's". Comprei-o em vinil
na saudosa Poli-Discos, do Roberto, na esquina da Padre Luna com a
Silva Jardim. Custou-me quinze mil cruzeiros, quantia que consegui com
a venda de um relógio furtado de minha mãe. Deste pecado
definitivamente não me arrependo.
Depois dele, minha
discografia ainda ganharia outras pérolas dos
Beatles: a riqueza melódica de "Rubber Soul", o glamour de "Sargeant
Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", a alegria juvenil de "A Hard Day's
Night", o experimentalismo psicodélico de "Revolver", a incrível
diversidade estilística do "Album Branco". Ganharia também grandes
albuns de outras bandas e artistas brasileiros e estrangeiros que
ajudariam a compor minha identidade musical. Nenhum deles me marcou tão
profundamente quanto "Abbey Road".
Ainda está vivo em
minha memória o dia em que, chegando em casa
ofegante, depois de atravessar em correria as ruas que separavam a loja
da minha casa, tranquei-me no quarto e pus a bolacha preta na vitrola,
não sem antes gastar alguns minutos admirando a capa, cuja imagem
exerceu - e ainda exerce - um efeito hipnótico sobre meus olhos. Ainda
desconhecia os mistérios que nela se escondiam: as "pistas" sobre a
suposta morte de Paul McCartney, sobre a iminente dissolução da banda e
- como viria a compreender mais tarde - sobre o fim da utopia sixtie. À
primeira vista, não havia nada disto: apenas os Beatles, despojados,
sem disfarce, sem os terninhos do início da carreira, sem os coloridos
uniformes da banda de Sgt. Pepper, cruzando a Estrada do Mosteiro. O
mosteiro onde aqueles quatro monges viveram trancafiados por oito anos,
tecendo canções e... sonhos.
À fricção da agulha
com o vinil, seguiram-se quarenta e sete minutos e
vinte e quatro segundos de "iluminação auditiva" que deixaram-me em
completo topor. Era como se o tempo físico houvesse sido
suspenso
para mim. Penetrara em outra dimensão espaço-temporal. Um Nirvana
sonoro. Uma sessão de psicanálise transpessoal que expôs as
tripas do meu inconsciente. Uma viagem lisérgica sob os efeitos da mais
poderosa substância alucinógena que se conhece. Metáforas - nem mesmo
as mais exageradas - não dão conta de representar a multiplicidade de
sensações que experimentei na ocasião. Sequer as recordo de todo. Não
me sinto em condições de descrevê-las.
Canção a canção,
minha vida era vampirizada por aquele virus de vinil.
A sensualíssima "Come Together", com seu enigmático jogo de palavras
tipicamente lennoniano, exortando, pela última vez, o binômio
libertação sexual/emancipação política idealizado pela contracultura
sessentista. A melodia cândida de "Something", considerada a
mais
bela canção de amor dos últimos tempos por ninguém menos que Frank
Sinatra que, para o infortúnio de George Harrison, atribuiu-a
equivocadamente à dupla Lennon & McCartney. O humor negro da
marcha
pop "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". A explosão de voz na bluesy "Oh!
Darling". A ode inocente à amizade e à liberdade em "Octopus's Garden",
de levada country-rock. E o lado A se vai abruptamente com "I Want
You", uma montanha-russa proto-heavy-prog de guitarras e
sintetizadores. Os acordes bucólicos do violão de Harrison abrem o lado
B, saudando a chegada do Sol que realça sorrisos e derrete os gelos dos
corações. Era "Here Comes The Sun". E as portas do éden se abriram para
mim ao ouvir três anjos entoarem em uníssono o canto etéreo de
"Because". Era o bastante. Já me achava completamente nocauteado.
Rendido. Infectado.
Mas havia mais...
ou melhor, faltava o golpe de misericórdia. "The Big
One": uma sequência quase ininterrupta de dezesseis minutos e treze
segundos da melhor música que até hoje tocou meus ouvidos. Jamais ouvi
nada igual. Ali estava um daqueles instantes em que os seres
humanos aproximam-se da ambicionada perfeição divina. Em retrospectiva,
creio que aquela foi a única vez em que sinceramente acreditei na
existência de um Ser Superior do qual teríamos sido feitos à imagem e
semelhança. Anos mais tarde, Dr. Freud me convenceu de que somos deuses
de prótese. E, por Nietzsche, percebi que naquele medley que fecha
"Abbey Road", os Beatles atingiram o cume da sua condição humana.
Tornaram-se "Além Homens". Humanos... demasiado humanos.
Lembro de ter
ouvido o medley com a respiração suspensa. O que era
aquilo? Em meio a uma colcha de retalhos de melodias, um entra e sai
instantâneo de personagens perfilando histórias cotidianas sobre gente
solitária, como no livro de contos de Carlos Brunno: dinheiro esvaído,
mágicas sensações que se perdem, doces sonhos que vêm e vão, crianças
boazinhas candidatas ao paraíso, grilos cantando o amanhecer, um velho
indigente mendigando esmolas, a prostituta manchete do jornal
sensacionalista, a garota que veio pela janela do banheiro, uma canção
de ninar, solos de bateria, duelos de guitarra e... quando meus pulmões
pareciam querer explodir implorando por ar... o derradeiro verso, o
epitáfio, a frase-síntese de toda a história dos Beatles e de sua
geração, um pedaço de sabedoria popular universal: "e no fim o amor que
se ganha é igual ao amor que se oferta".
Em frangalhos, como
que recem saído de uma catarse sexual tântrica,
ainda me deixei surpreender com a pequena coda: um fragmento perdido no
final do disco em que Paul zombeteia de Sua Majestade. Eles eram os
verdadeiros reis.
Lennon, de novo
ele, menosprezava o medley: uma série de "pedaços de
canções jogadas a esmo", afirmou. Mais uma vez demorei a lhe dar razão.
São canções jogadas a esmo sim!. Tal qual nossas vidas soltas, sem
rumo, sem destino, atravessando estradas e estradas, guiadas tão
somente pelo Caos entrópico.
É isto: em "Abbey
Road", os Beatles fizeram "música quântica".
PS: três das canções beatle mais regravadas por outros artistas saíram
da forja de "Abbey Road". "Come Together" é uma delas. É figurinha
carimbada no repertório de várias bandas, incluindo as valencianas que,
entretanto, preferem o tratamento mais "hard rock" dado à ela pelo
Aerosmith. Sem lhe tirar o mérito, considero que na versão da banda
de Steven Tyler e Joe Perry alguns dos detalhes mais
interessantes do arranjo original se perdem: o baixão sinuoso de Macca,
a slide incisiva de George no solo de guitarra e o acompanhamento vocal
de Paul, simulando voz grave, nas estrofes de passagem.
"Here Comes The Sun" recebeu belas interpretações de Peter Tosh (uma
das minhas prediletas), Nina Simone, Richie Havens e uma dispensável
versão em português de Lulu Santos. E a campeoníssima "Something" já
passou pelas vozes de Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Joe
Cocker, James Brown, Smokey Robinson e Gilberto Gil, dentre muitos
outros.
Há também versões extra-beatles para outras músicas menos conhecidas do
disco. Tetê Espíndola fez um bom trabalho com "Because". Mas Elis
Regina está simplesmente insuperável em "Golden Slumbers", assim como
Joe Cocker em "She Came in Through The Bathroom Window" (veja e ouça
abaixo). Apropriaram-se das canções maravilhosamente e as reinventaram.
A eles, Paul McCartney deveria ter enviado telegramas de
agradecimento.
Infelizmente (ou não), "Oh! Darling", uma das canções que
mais
aprecio em "Abbey Road", é uma das menos escolhidas pelos intérpretes.
Reconheço, porém, que McCartney ultrapassou todos os limites da voz
humana na gravação original e nem mesmo ele se atreveu a cantá-la
novamente. Mas, recentemente, ouvi um cover feito por uma banda de
Volta Redonda, chamada Jimmy Jimmy and The JazzBreakers, que muito me
agradou.
PS (2): há algo que me revolta em "Abbey Road". Saber que foi o último
disco gravado pelos Beatles e eles nunca estiveram tão bons, nunca
tocaram tão bem, nunca cantaram tão bem. O que viria depois? Seriam
capazes de fazer algo superior se continuassem juntos? Era como se
mandassem um recado a todos: "Aí está. Para nós, o jogo acabou. Agora é
com vocês. Façam melhor... se puderem".
PS (3): "Abbey Road" foi lançado em 1969, em plena era dos
"albuns conceituais" e das "operas-rock" e, embora não seja
um
deles, prestou-se a muitas "análises conceituais". Uma das que acho
mais interessante é a que o vê como um "manual de como conquistar a
mulher amada". Senão vejamos. Tente seduzí-la suavemente, à moda
antiga, aos versos de "Something". Frases do tipo "em algum lugar no
seu sorriso, ela sabe que não preciso de nenhuma outra amante" podem
ser irresistíveis. Mas cuidado!!!! Mais tarde, ela talvez lhe troque
por seu melhor amigo... rs rs rs. Deixe-a invadir seus aposentos como
em "She Came in Through The Bathroom Window". Leve-a a um passeio
matinal para ver o sol nascer, ouvindo "Here Comes The Sun". Faça-a
dormir, cantando "Golden Slumbers" aos seus ouvidos. Conte-lhe sobre a
infinitude do seu amor, via "Because". Seja insistente e apenas repita
"I Want You", "I Want You", "I Want You". Se tiver pulmões e
garganta, grite desesperadamente, como Paul em "Oh Darling!", que não é
ninguém sem ela e nunca lhe fará mal. Ou, simplesmente, seja ousado e
convide-a para a cama: "Come Together, right now, over me."
Se isso tudo falhar, faça como eu...
... desista...
...mas tenha a certeza de que "in the end..."
"...the love you take is equal to the love you make"
PS (4): alguma banda de Valença toparia o desafio de reproduzir "The
Big One", o medley do lado B, na íntegra?
Postado
por Prof. Alexandre
Fonseca às 06:09
4 comentários:
- Louco
não posso, são não me digno; 24 de outubro de 2010 10:26
Que texto bom, querido, das finas ironias às tristes constatações
engraçadas - sim, me fizeram rir, rs, a música quântica etc. No mais,
sempre bom reencontrar poesia em paixões musicais que nunca se esgotam,
porque, se esgotassem, levariam junto as nossas referências mais
sagradas e nossas perdições mais profanas, rs. Bjs, bom domingo!
-
Anônimo; 20 de setembro de 2011 14:01
“Sem a música, a vida seria um erro” – e ainda que esta frase tenha
sido concebida provavelmente sob a influência de Wagner, ao ouvir os
Beatles não nos seria difícil concebê-la, tal como igualmente
corroborá-la – afinal, os Beatles encarnaram, em sua história musical
(a qual veio a ser essencial à musicalidade mundial), todos os “estados
superiores” possíveis:o lirismo das melodias, a poesia e harmonia das
letras, o ritmo dionisíaco dos acordes – todos reunidos em canções
transcendentais que, através e devido à perfeição, cruzaram os limites
de espaço e tempo rumo à eternidade legada apenas às obras-primas.
O quarteto de Liverpool conseguiu recuperar toda a liberdade, expressão
e amor perdidos em gerações anteriores, e transpô-los para a linguagem
musical. Não à toa, ouvi-los significa libertar-se do mundano e
elevar-se a algum estado intermediário entre o abstrato e o concreto,
entre a ilusão e a realidade, e, finalmente, entre o divino e o terreno
– ainda que alguns solos e melodias nos façam crer piamente que já não
fazemos parte do ordinário, e que a realidade nos foi moldada
musicalmente.
Seu texto resume toda a genialidade desses quatro músicos inigualáveis,
enquanto “sussurra palavras de sabedoria”, “palavras que flutuam como
uma chuva sem fim”. Você fez ecoar os “sons de risos, sombras de amor”
inerentes às músicas beatlenianas e me fez perceber, inclusive, que
Lennon estivera certo até quando parecera errado. Fez-me recordar, por
fim, do fato de que a influência e magnificência dos Beatles está
“aqui,l á e em todo lugar”, e que não é só impossível fugir àquelas,
como inevitável a elas se render. Um texto, afinal, à altura da banda.
Após essa leitura, não pude senão concluir que a relação e admiração
para com os Beatles não é “eterna enquanto durou” - mas é, e deve ser,
eterna enquanto ainda houver música.
“E aqueles que foram vistos dançando foram julgados insanos por aqueles
que não podiam escutar a música.”
Por Isabela Salgado
- Prof.
Alexandre Fonseca; 20 de setembro de 2011 14:06
Isabela,
Jamais, em tempo algum, pude ler palavras tão belas a respeito dos
meninos de Liverpool. Dignas de uma melodia de Lennon @ McCartney.
Estou chorando aqui...
-
Anônimo; 20 de setembro de 2011 14:08
Ah, Alexandre, pois eu é que o digo a respeito do seu texto! Ele foi
capaz de expressar todo o encanto que Abbey Road produziu e ainda
produz em todo aquele que compreende, ainda que razoavelmente, a
genialidade e profundidade das obras beatlenianas. E tal como as
recriações e covers maravilhosamente bem elaborados das músicas do
quarteto, o seu texto igualmente deveria, tal como você mencionou,
receber um agradecimento pessoal do McCartney =]
Isabela Salgado
Abrindo a série "Meus Discos...": A ESTRADA
DO MOSTEIRO.
+ artigos em:
http://algumcantoemseusorriso.blogspot.pt/
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Review by Mark Richardson;
September 10, 2009
One more "like we used to" was how Paul McCartney framed it to producer
George Martin; a chance to make a "good album" was George Harrison's
take. They were hoping to bounce back after the serious downer that had
been the Get Back sessions, which, months after they wrapped, had yet
to yield an album anyone was happy with. But what "like we used to"
meant, exactly, was rather hard to pin down: The Beatles' life as a
band was so compressed, with such a massive amount of music and change
packed into a short time, that there was never a single moment that
could be used as a reference point for what a Beatles record was
supposed to be. So when they returned to the EMI studios on Abbey Road
in summer 1969, it wasn't clear how it would go. They still weren't
getting along; their musical interests continued to diverge; John
Lennon didn't really want to continue with the Beatles; Paul McCartney
did, but on his own terms, which meant that he set the pace and got
what he wanted. Though it was unspoken, they all had a good idea that
this could really be the end. So what now? One more, then.
And what a finish. The Beatles' story is so enduring in part because it
was wrapped up so perfectly. Abbey Road shows a band still clearly in
its prime, capable of songwriting and recording feats other groups
could only envy. Working for the first time exclusively on an
eight-track tape machine, their mastery of the studio was undeniable,
and Abbey Road still sounds fresh and exciting 40 years on (indeed, of
the 2009 remasters, the improvements and sonic detail here are the most
striking). Even if it's ultimately the Paul McCartney and George Martin
show, as demonstrated on the famous second-side medley, everyone
brought his A-game. Where Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
strained for significance, The Beatles was schizophrenic, and Let It Be
was a drag streaked with greatness, Abbey Road lays out its terms
precisely and meets them all. There's not a duff note on the damn thing.
This applies even if, like me, you've never quite understood the
attraction of John Lennon's "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and sometimes
find yourself skipping ahead to George Harrison's second-side lead-off
"Here Comes the Sun". "I Want You" is certainly a singular item in the
Beatles discography, with its extreme repetition, stark simplicity, and
epic three-minute coda, but it requires a certain kind of mood to
appreciate. Yet, along with album-opener "Come Together", it also shows
how Lennon finally found a way to square his latter-day interest in
leaner and edgier rock'n'roll with trippy studio experimentation.
Lennon's two big songs on the first side are raw, direct, and biting,
but they're also lush studio creations, in keeping with the spirit of
the album. And the sophisticated sheen laid over top has the effect of
making them seem more like "Beatles songs" compared to, say, Lennon's
White Album output. Abbey Road feels like one thing.
Paul McCartney's "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and Ringo Starr's "Octopus's
Garden", two silly, charming, childlike songs in a long tradition of
silly, charming, childlike Beatles songs, round out side one. But then,
oh: side two. The suite that runs from "You Never Give Me Your Money"
through "Her Majesty" finds the Beatles signing off in grand fashion.
Gathering scraps of material that had piled up, McCartney and Martin
pieced together a song cycle bursting with light and optimism, and this
glorious stretch of music seems to singlehandedly do away with the bad
vibes that had accumulated over the previous two years. From the
atmospheric rip of Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" that is "Sun King" to
the sharp pair of Lennon fragments, "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Polythene
Pam" (the former given a line about "sister Pam" to join the pieces),
and on through the explosive, one-climax-after-another run of "She Came
in Through the Bathroom Window", "Golden Slumbers", and "Carry That
Weight", the nine fragments in 16 minutes add up to so much more than
the sum of their parts.
The music is tempered with uncertainly and longing, suggestive of
adventure, reflecting a sort of vague wisdom; it's wistful, earnest
music that also feels deep, even though it really isn't. But above all
it just feels happy and joyous, an explosion of warm feeling rendered
in sound. And then, the perfect capper, finishing with a song called
"The End", which features alternating guitar solos from John, George,
and Paul and a drum solo from Ringo. It was an ideal curtain call from
a band that just a few years earlier had been a bunch of punk kids from
a nowheresville called Liverpool with more confidence than skill. This
is how you finish a career.
The Beatles' run in the 1960s is good fodder for thought experiments.
For example, Abbey Road came out in late September 1969. Though Let It
Be was then still unreleased, the Beatles wouldn't record another album
together. But they were still young men: George was 26 years old, Paul
was 27, John was 28, and Ringo was 29. The Beatles' first album, Please
Please Me, had come out almost exactly six and a half years earlier. So
if Abbey Road had been released today, Please Please Me would date to
March 2003. So think about that for a sec: Twelve studio albums and a
couple of dozen singles, with a sound that went from earnest
interpreters of Everly Brothers and Motown hits to mind-bending sonic
explorers and with so many detours along the way-- all of it happened
in that brief stretch of time. That's a weight to carry.
Pitchfork.com
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Review
by Nicole Pensiero; 23 March 2004
It sounds like a weighty task, coming up with your favorite album of
all time. But for me, it was an easy, no-contest kind of thing, which
is testament to how much I love this record: Abbey Road by the Beatles.
It’s an amazingly cohesive piece of music, innovative and timeless. All
that, plus the knowledge that this was the band’s last work together. A
brilliant, unforgettable farewell.
As John Lennon himself griped, talking about music is a bit like
talking about sex; it’s better to experience it than describe it. That
being said, I will do my best to articulate why this album rests
comfortably at the top of my list. Before getting in to those
specifics, I will also say I think it’s especially important in the
case of Abbey Road to look beyond the actual songs to what was going on
behind the scenes at the time of its making.
Only five years after their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show, the
Beatles had weathered insanely crazed tours, changing fashions and
social mores (which they helped define), the growing drug culture, and
the increasing demands of their personal lives. While three of the four
members had met as teenagers, they were—all still in their 20s—worldly
beyond their years.
Most recently, the Beatles survived the debacle of Let It Be, but
barely. (While Let It Be was released after Abbey Road—and after the
announcement of the breakup in April 1970—it was recorded first, during
a miserable winter of the band’s discontent in early 1969). So
discouraged were the Fabs by the final product, that Paul—ever the
cheerleader—convinced the others that they could, indeed, do better.
George Martin, turned off by the captured-on-film squabbling during the
Let It Be sessions, agreed to return to the studio only if he could
have real authority and “the boys” were better behaved.
While tensions remained during the recording, of Abbey Road in the
summer of 1969, the Beatles made a concerted effort to make a great
album. And they succeeded. George Martin himself has called it his
favorite Beatles album.
In the context of my own life, I was just starting sixth grade when
Abbey Road was released in September 1969; by the time the school year
was out, the band was no more. I remember listening to Abbey Road over
and over till every song was embedded in my 12-year-old brain. The fact
this album still enthralls me so is testament to its timelessness.
I felt very grown-up buying Abbey Road with my babysitting money—it was
the first real “rock” album I ever owned. This was a less esoteric and
more radio-friendly record than 1968’s The Beatles, a.k.a. “The White
Album”. In addition to the obsessive playing of Abbey Road, I recall
getting fully caught up in the “Paul Is Dead” brouhaha that followed
its release. (Remember the “meaning” of the album cover? John, in
white, was “God”; Ringo, in black, the “undertaker”; dungarees-dressed
George was the “gravedigger”. And Paul … well, Paul was striding across
that album cover barefoot, which meant—in some ancient culture that was
always very vague—that he was the “dead man”.) Ah, the memories. Now
onto to the music.
It’s the summer of Woodstock, of the Manson murders, of Chappaquidick,
and despite the growing tension within the band, Abbey Road is recorded
without any major hassles, proving that the Beatles retained their
musical magic right ‘til the end. Their chemistry was so perfect, so
right-on that even their splintering existence could not tarnish it.
They quit at the top of their game; perhaps that’s why fans never could
quite accept that break-up, constantly asking them when, if they would
ever reunite.
From the potent opener, “Come Together”—with its weirdly ominous “Shoot
Me” sung by Lennon—to the final strains of “The End”, Abbey Road
managed to give each member of the band a chance to shine on their own,
while contributing to the bigger picture as a seemingly cohesive
foursome.
Abbey Road is especially noteworthy in my book because it contains two
of George Harrison’s best songs as a Beatle: “Something” and “Here
Comes the Sun”. While Harrison’s work was always overshadowed by the
Lennon/McCartney hitmaking machine, I’ve never failed to be impressed
by what good songs he did write, with hardly any support or attention
given by the aforementioned leaders.
On “Something”, George’s passionate guitar solo fleshes out the lyrics’
sense of yearning, and George Martin’s subtle, sophisticated orchestral
score frames the song itself. “Here Comes the Sun”, meanwhile, has an
amazingly catchy hook—so pure that it gets lodged in the brain in a
matter of seconds through the expert finger-picking that opens the song.
Other highlights on Abbey Road include Paul’s bluesy, wailing, “Oh!
Darling”, (which Lennon reportedly wanted to sing, he liked it so much)
and John’s equally impassioned but more avant-garde “I Want You (She’s
So Heavy)”. Even Ringo’s “Octopus’s Garden” has a certain whimsical
charm that works.
The highlight of Abbey Road, for me, has to be the 16-minute medley
that, back in the days when there were albums with two sides, closed
out side two. Paul has to be given credit for this; structurally, the
medley was his baby and his songs—“You Never Give Me Your Money”, “She
Came in through the Bathroom Window”, “Golden Slumbers”, and “Carry
That Weight”—are the standouts. Still, the medley wouldn’t work without
Lennon’s contributions—his “Polythene Pam” and “Sun King” add to the
effortless flow of the musical stream-of-consciousness.
While the band wasn’t aware of its impending breakup—at least, not on
the surface—the closing track, “The End” truly did signify just that,
and each Beatle got a chance to shine individually before they closed
up shop and went away to become the Plastic Ono Band and Wings.
First we get Ringo’s one-and-only drum solo, and it’s a catchy,
inspired, rollicking gem. Then comes the “Love You” choruses that lead
into the amazing guitar round robin. Paul starts it off (showing that
he was always a kick-ass guitarist despite being relegated to bass),
then comes George’s distinctive riffs, followed by John’s howling,
wailing guitar. A lone piano emerges from the din, and all three sing
the line, “And in the end / The love you take / Is equal to the love
you make”, closing out the record with a sense of, well, completion.
(Ends up, though, that “The End” wasn’t quite the end; the then-hidden
ditty, “Her Majesty”, followed after a brief pause, having the record
end on an “up”, rather than solemn, note).
While the creepy-cheerful “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” always seemed a bit
out of place to me on Abbey Road, I can’t flog Paul too much over that
since it was basically his pushing and prodding and nudging and nagging
that got the band back into the studio for this final masterpiece the
first place.
While it bugs the heck out of me that McCartney wants have his name to
come first on Beatles’s songs now—how big is this guy’s ego, anyway?—I
have to begrudgingly forgive all that because of the amazing, timeless
Abbey Road. For this record alone, he deserved to be knighted.
PopMatters.com
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Review
by DesolationRow; November 28th, 2005
The 1960s were a big decade for rock music, and sprawled its presence
among the world like a madman. Every high pitched voiced adolescent
girl started whoring themselves out to new extremes, just to meet the
bands they worshiped with paper posters on the walls of their suburban
home bedrooms. Not one band was as popular among the pop-culture crowd
as the Beatles, an English quartet from Liverpool, writing catchy songs
about simplistic ideas, and scoring big with the world. In fact, so
big, that no one has ever sold more albums than the four of them. They
have remained the number one selling music artist of all time, through
the present day, only slightly challenged by Led Zeppelin. And their
release entitled Abbey Road just helped them further to gain that
title. By now, I'm sure you all have heard the ludicrous rumors of
Beatles bass player/songwriter/singer, Paul McCartney dying in a car
accident early on, and being replaced with a look-alike. I'm more than
sure that these rumors are just a creative myth, but there is some
speculating evidence of that on Abbey Road. In addition to the previous
backward tracking incidents on The White Album and Magical Mystery
Tour, Abbey Road's cover shows Paul as walking in front of a car, as
well as the only member without shoes. It may be just some dumb myth,
but it is a bit spooky, and even if it's false, that is one very well
thought out story, and some odd coincidences.
As you read the intro to my review, most likely, you carefully examined
the definition of the word "euphoria" and you probably thought "How the
hell does this word pertain to a Beatles album?" Well, listening to the
Beatles' Abbey Road is a euphoric feeling. Not one where you are being
overly fanboyish, but the feeling of being well relaxed and at ease
while listening to the noise which takes up seventeen slots on a round
compact disc. But how is noise euphoric? Because John Lennon, George
Harrison and Paul McCartney thought up vague, abstract, innocent, and
simple ideas and turned them into bombastic, catchy, and intense songs.
This seventeen-track work of art is an hour's worth of brilliant
songwriting, and a masterpiece in and of itself. Ranging from little
pop numbers that just exceed the ninety-second mark, into seven minute
blues progressions, Abbey Road has been acclaimed as one of the
Beatles' finest records to date, and I would probably agree with that
phrase, minus the word
"Beatles".
Abbey Road opens on a very distinct note with one of their most famous
songs, the anthematic "Come Together". The pop appeal and dirty blues
of this catchy opener make for one of the best introductory songs ever.
Plus the guitar work and the fluid bassline totally own the song. While
"Come Together" is certainly an amazing piece of music, it certainly
doesn't overshadow the rest of the album, or sound too different from
some of the other, yet far better tracks on the album. "I Want You" is
a seven minute epic suite which marries bluesy prog rock to the lovely
grooves of Samba music and expresses the laid back blues vibe far
better than the opener. And the bass groove, combined with the lead
guitar work, is magnificent. But something that really makes Abbey Road
stand out is the two contributions by George Harrison. The first of the
two, "Here Comes the Sun" is a wonderfully innocent acoustic ballad
which showcases his softer songwriting. Truly a beautiful piece. But
"Something" is what really grabs me. While it is very tender and soft
with lyrics expressing true love, the lead work in it is absolutely
gorgeous, and the string orchestration is great. McCartney's bassline
is awesome, as well. There are quite a lot of moods and emotions
expressed throughout the duration of Abbey Road. But what is so special
about it, is that even if a song may express the same emotion as
another, they don't sound alike. But what makes the album even more
likable is the song lengths. The average song length on the album does
not exceed three and a half minutes, which makes listening much more
pleasant than having to sit through winding, 18 minute songs.
Seemingly, no matter what persona a song takes, every song works off
each other and makes every different sound unite as one wholesome
showcase. The "weird songs on the album, actually don't sound out of
place. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is evidence that quirky songwriting
can actually produce a good stand alone track, yet toss up the flavor a
bit, so the sound is never predictable. And "Octopus' Garden", a song
definitely written while experimenting, is about as close to
hallucinogens this side of "Mr. Kite". And the other experimental
tracks, like the trippy "Sun King" which actually includes a Spanish
verse, and the dreamy "Because", carry the album to a very different
height than anything else in that time.
But even if there are some experimental songs that the band tampered
with, a majority of the good songs on here are pop based, with catchy
melodies, upbeat tempos, and fancy grooves. "She Came in Through the
Bathroom" is probably one of the best songs on the album, with lyrics
that rival the band's smash hit "Lady Madonna". And "Oh! Darling"
combines the English yelp of McCartney with piano and dramatic verses,
which does not sound dissimilar to its big sister, "You Never Give Me
Your Money". And "Abbey Road Blues" is probably the heaviest song on
the album, with a blues riff and McCartney even screaming the lyrics.
Add the best guitar work on the album, and you're set for the highlight
of the album. The last five tracks on the album are possibly some of
the more strange tracks on the album. "Mean Mr. Mustard" and "Carry
That Weight" are some generic British Invasion era pop songs, but
"Polythene Pam" is a gem sandwiched in there. And "Golden Slumbers" is
easily one of the best dramatic songs ever. Between the piano melody
and horns and strings, to Paul's liquidy bass tone and soaring voice
during the choruses, I have found my heaven. "Her Majesty" is possibly
the most awkward song on the album, only 23 seconds long, and a bit
stupid. Should've been obliterated in the first place. Oh well, it
doesn't subtract from the album, but it doesn't add.
Unless you are a music elitist who says "Anyone in mainstream music
sucks horribly.", you'll probably think this album owns. Probably
because it does. And if you are one of those music elitists, you suck
and have no right to talk in this circumstance, so shut your pie hole.
The album isn't about how many notes you can cram into a single 4/4
measure. It's not even about the instrumental Wow factor at all, to be
quite frank. Abbey Road is a masterpiece which showcases the brilliance
of a songwriter's imagination to turn a single, spontaneous idea, into
a charismatic masterpiece of seventeen songs, all of which are probably
better than you could do. So unless you can write simple lyrics and
make a simple melody, simple drum beat, simple rhythm, and a simple
structure, and make it sound more complex, you really have no right to
say "the Beatles are overrated". I'm not saying it's the best Beatles
album ever, because it isn't. But whether you're fancy be delta blues,
British pop, rock n roll, or psychedelic, most likely, there�s at least
one song on here that you'll fall in love with. And that's why the
album exists in the first place.
Recommended
Tracks (on my behalf)
She Came in Through the Bathroom
Golden Slumbers
I Want You
Abbey Road Blues
Come Together
Something
sputnikmusic.com
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Review
by Bill Rendall
It
appeared that the Beatles were finished as a band following the
disappointing recording sessions later released as the Let it Be album.
Fortunately they were able to regroup and put their differences aside
long enough to record the great final album Abbey Road.
When Abbey Road was recorded the Beatles had fully matured both as
songwriters and musicians. The Beatles were not guitar heroes like some
of their contemporaries such as Eric Clapton but the lead guitar work
in 'The End' is as good as anything you will ever hear. McCartney,
Lennon and George Harrison all trade guitar licks in their own
distinctive style in what sounds like a spontaneous jam.
Harrison wrote a number of songs during the time the Beatles were
together but he was always in the shadow of Lennon and McCartney. With
Abbey Road he came up with the song 'Something' which would be rated as
highly as anything the Beatles had done. Even Ringo Starr contributed a
reasonable song with 'Octopus's Garden.'
There is no doubting the brilliance of much of the Beatles' music but
their albums included some misfires too. This was due in part to the
eclectic musical styles they employed.
All four band members took turns singing lead vocals. Lennon and
McCartney were both great singers and both deserved the opportunity to
display their talents. Harrison was an adequate singer but was not in
the same league as Lennon and McCartney. Allowing Ringo to sing on the
Beatle albums was a nice thing to do but was not the best way to
present the music. Joe Cocker took full advantage of the opportunity to
record 'With a Little Help from My Friends' with a more emotional vocal
treatment.
The members of the Beatles didn't restrict themselves to a single
instrumental role in the band. McCartney in particular played a wide
range of instruments. They all played keyboards at times and Harrison
also played the sitar. They also used extra musicians on occasion,
notably using classical musicians in novel arrangements for rock music.
The style of some of McCartney's songs owes more to vaudeville than
rock. These songs may have worked well as singles but often detracted
from the quality of the Beatles' albums. Some of Lennon's songs were
too experimental. His worse excess in this vein was the musical collage
'Revolution 9' from the White album which sounded more like Stockhausen
than the Beatles. Mercifully Lennon found outlets for his experimental
music outside of the Beatles in the band's later years.
Unfortunately Abbey Road contains a McCartney vaudeville style song in
'Maxwell's Silver Hammer.' This blemish aside the album sounds to me
like a unified whole played by a working rock band. This is ironic
considering that the band was disintegrating at the time the album was
recorded. The long medley at the end of the album was very cleverly put
together. Of particular interest is the use of sound effects as a segue
between 'You Never Give Me Your Money' and 'Sun King.' This technique
was extensively used a few years later by Pink Floyd on their classic
album Dark Side of the Moon. Perhaps it is no coincidence that Alan
Parsons was an engineer on this album as well as on Abbey Road.
Abbey Road was one of the first albums to feature the Moog synthesizer.
The Beatles used the synthesizer subtly to enhance the music rather
than going overboard with this new toy. It is most prominent in
'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' and 'Because.'
'Because' is also noteworthy for it's beautiful three part vocal
harmony. It is a timeless classic and was still effective when used
decades later on the soundtrack for the movie American Beauty.
'The End' would have been a great finish to the last album recorded by
the Beatles. Unfortunately this position in history was stolen by a
little bit of McCartney nonsense called 'Her Majesty.' This song was
originally part of the long medley but was cut out because McCartney
didn't like it. Later on he decided to paste it onto the end of the
album instead. You can tell that 'Her Majesty' was cut and pasted. The
end is abruptly cut off before the last beat. The opening beat includes
an electric guitar sound from what was the previous song in the medley.
Many of the songs on Abbey Road are dominated by McCartney's virtuoso
bass guitar parts. It is noticable that the bass became increasingly
prominent on the later Beatles albums as McCartney wielded his power in
the recording studio.
Considering the large number of classic songs they released over their
career it is astonishing that the Beatles could keep coming up with
even better material. It is a rare accomplishment for a rock band to
end their career with their best album as the Beatles did with Abbey
Road.
apex.net.au
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