Decades after The Beatles made their debut, they’re still impacting the landscape of music as we know it today. A big part of their influence was the final album the group would make together: Abbey Road, which was released on September 26, 1969 — 56 years ago today.
In a post on Facebook, Classic Rock Magazine shared a look back at the iconic album in honor of its anniversary, pointing out that it was Paul McCartney who convinced John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr to join him in the studio one more time so they could record together “like the old days.”
“Deep down, everyone involved knew that Abbey Road was the last stand, which explains the nothing-to-lose attitude that pervades the material,” Classic Rock‘s Henry Yates wrote. “Side One of the original vinyl holds most of the big-hitting moments, from the swampy judder of ‘Come Together’ to Harrison’s untouchable ‘Something.'”
Yates continued, “And while ‘Here Comes The Sun’ is a no-brainer, cherrypicking the medley from Side Two was just as rewarding, with ‘Golden Slumbers’ and ‘Carry That Weight.’ standing amongst their most lump-in-throat moments.”
Not only was Abbey Road significant because it marked the end of the band as they (and the world) knew it, but it was also where so many songs we now know to be classic were born. It’s impossible to really sum up the impact of an album like that — and what better way for The Beatles to go out?
How The Beatles Made Abbey Road Happen
According to Rolling Stone, The Beatles reunited with producer George Martin and recorded the album over a period of about six months. It wasn’t always smooth sailing, though — things did get rocky at times, especially when the band would butt heads about the business side of the album.
“It was a very happy record,” Martin said. “I guess it was happy because everybody thought it was going to be the last.”
Of course, Abbey Road was just the final album that the band would record; Let It Be was the final one released a year later in 1970. But it’s this one that so many fans think of when they think of the end of The Beatles, and even nearly 60 years later, that hasn’t changed.
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