The Beatles album Paul McCartney thought had no bad songs: “I think that works good”
By most standards of rock bands, The Beatles are about as close to perfect as you can get. No matter how many times they have had a few lacklustre songs, the writing of John Lennon and Paul McCartney has become the foundation of what many rock stars want out of their own material, whether it be their harmonies or the way they constructed their tunes. While McCartney can have a more objective opinion on the Fab Four’s career than most, he knew that Abbey Road didn’t have a single dud on the entire project.
When talking about the greatest album that the group has ever made, though, there’s always a bit of contention surrounding each of their iconic records. If we’re judging it solely on the collection of songs as a whole, Revolver is the favourite for those who want to look cool, Sgt Peppers is the most popular choice, and Abbey Road is objectively the best.
Then again, maybe the reason why Abbey Road is so good is because everyone thought it would be their final hurrah. It was clear that they needed some sort of switch-up after the Get Back sessions went to hell, and coming back together to make another classic album with George Martin back in the producer’s chair was all fans were clamouring for.
And just because they were coming back didn’t mean that they would be up to their old tricks. From George Harrison writing the two best songs on the project to sequence the second side of the record together as one flowing piece, there’s hardly a wasted second on the back half of the album, building to the momentous climax of ‘The End’.
But not every album is perfect, and if you look at it objectively, McCartney may have had the biggest fumble on the album with ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’. The axe murderer nursery rhyme angle wasn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but if the worst thing about your album is a dopey children’s style song, you’ve still done a bang-up job regardless.
Looking back on the group’s catalogue, Macca argued that there is not one sore spot throughout Abbey Road, saying at the time, “I think there’s not a bad track on it… and then the long one. The whole of the long one. The whole of the end bit. I think that works good.” Or maybe McCartney saw his future in those longer songs as well.
If you listen back to where McCartney went from there, the medley theme pops up numerous times throughout his solo career. From the massive piece at the end of Red Rose Speedway to the whimsical walk through different passages at the end of Egypt Station, he has always been drawn to songs that take people on a journey rather than just going in one direction.
But outside of the ambitious side, Abbey Road encapsulates everything The Beatles stood for in less than an hour of beautiful music. Even though it might not be completely spotless, maybe everyone gravitates towards it because they like the idea of a happy ending working itself out.
