"Abbey Road" by The Beatles - ****

First released: 1969

One of THE classic Beatles LPs and actually their true swansong, despite being released before "Let it Be", it was actually recorded after. This was the first Beatles LPs I ever heard, and I’ve often wondered what would have happened if I didn’t get introduced to The Beatles this way. One could argue that this was The Beatles peak moment, and probably was, and that hearing everything else afterwards would surely be a letdown. It never bothered me, except for the fact that this truly was it. One could compile (and indeed I have) a collection of tracks that were rehearsed with the group and properly recorded solo-ly and try to determine whether The Beatles would have continued to progress had they stayed together beyond this point. My short answer is yes, and a 1971 Beatles album featuring those tracks would have been outstanding. Would they have been able to continue after that is anyone’s guess. Methinks that had The Beatles stayed together, they would have evolved much like The Rolling Stones or The Who, still making outstanding albums through the 70s, but becoming more and more routine as the 80s progressed.

The Beatles possibly had one or two more great albums in them, but in the long run, quitting when they did has the virtue of maintaining The Beatles at legendary status instead of the (sometimes) laughable geriatrics of their contemporaries. It’s always fun to speculate and the events of 1980 concluded the possibilities.