ABBEY ROAD

Some people think the Beatles should not be included on this site. It is not surprising considering that their early rockabilly/skiffle-influenced pop music is very far from what you normally mean by progressive rock. On the other hand they went through a metamorphosis that is so astonishing it is hard to believe that it took only a couple of years.

In my opinion Abbey Road is the musical, if not commercial, peak of their career, and side two of the original LP is, with the exception of Here Comes the Sun (which is a great song), an early example of a symphonic rock suite. It is not just a collection of songs, but an extended piece of music that feels very integrated. If the Beatles themselves thought that they just got rid of a lot of ideas for songs at the same time, well, fine, it just adds to their greatness.

The first side of the LP is more uneven, with the nonsensical Maxwell's Silver Hammer (creapy subject, though!) and Ringo's Octopus's Garden (I love them both!). The masterpiece is, of course, John's I Want You (She's So Heavy).

I've listened to the Beatles since I was a kid in the sixties, and Abbey Road is the record I return to most often, even more than Sgt Pepper.