ABBEY ROAD

A dignified but not exceptional exit for a band that knew in its heart of hearts that its time was up, Abbey Road is a far better way to remember the Beatles than the patchwork monster that is Let It Be (even though it has its own weird patchwork of ideas that don't really sit together properly in the form of the side 2 medley). With numbers like Come Together, the joyful Octopus's Garden (possibly Ringo's best songwriting contribution to a Beatles album) and the sublime Something (again, one of George's best tracks) and so on the album in some respects represents a preview of the directions many of the Fab Four's solo careers would go.

It's not altogether perfect, of course - She's So Heavy's outro goes on for too long without introducing any real variation beyond the gently increasing white noise, whilst Maxwell's Silver Hammer is an unfunny joke track - Lennon dismissed it as more of McCartney's "granny music", and I can't say I disagree on that point. But let's face it: by 1969, the situation of the band had deteriorated to the point where it would be futile to expect perfection, and perhaps we should be glad it's as good as it is.