Abbey Road The Beatles Album -

You get the nostalgic melancholy of “You Never Give Me Your Money,� the heavy blues of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)� (which ends Side Two’s first half with a sudden, terrifying cut of white noise), and the silly fun of “Mean Mr. Mustard� and “Polythene Pam.�

Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Released: September 26, 1969 Best listened to: With good headphones, from start to finish (no shuffle). abbey road the beatles album

Though Let It Be was released later, Abbey Road was the last album The Beatles actually recorded. And what a way to close the book. Rather than breaking up in a storm of bitterness and legal drama, they walked into the studio, checked their egos at the door (mostly), and delivered a masterpiece that feels less like a breakup album and more like a victory lap. You get the nostalgic melancholy of “You Never

(Yes, “Her Majesty� is a hidden 23-second joke. It’s perfect too.) And what a way to close the book

It immediately pivots to “Something,� George Harrison’s crowning achievement. Often cited by Frank Sinatra as "the greatest love song ever written," it’s a gorgeous, aching piece of orchestral pop. Harrison finally steps out of Lennon-McCartney’s shadow and delivers one of the album’s absolute highlights.