Driving back along the M4 today I plucked Abbey Road from the library and listened to it all the way through. I had that flashback to when it was released and Kenny Everett played the whole thing on his BBC Radio 1 weekend show. I remember, because I reel-to-reel taped it.
It opens with Come Together and blasts through some epic numbers, with a touch of whimsy mixed in. 48 minutes, total.
If "Quit whilst you are ahead." was ever a thing then the Beatles did it with this album, where some of the classic tracks come across as sparkling and easy.
Then there's the medley, which my iTunes library has slightly interrupted - grrr- and The End, which really should be thought of as the last Beatles moment, what with Let it Be being really the offcuts from the one gargantuan Abbey Road session.
Does it stand up to modern listening? Number One in the Charts in 2019? Yes it should be, although I expect there are quite a few birthday presents and nostalgia purchases in amongst the big data.
Listening in the car it still sounds fresh. Maybe the drums and crash cymbals would get some sorting out in a modern mix, but far be it from me to criticise George Martin's production technique. And they were 26-29 years old when they made this.
Back to Kenny Everett, my early jingle mixing guru.
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