Dreaming the Beatles: The Love Story of One Band and the Whole World

by Rob Sheffield

Sentimentally, Abbey Road has the edge, but in cold chronological terms it’s debatable. The case for Abbey Road: (1) almost all of Let It Be was in the can before the Abbey Road sessions began; (2) Abbey Road feels more like a classic Beatles record; (3) “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” was the last time all four played in the studio together; (4) the last song on Abbey Road is called “The End”; (5) except for “Her Majesty”; (6) rebounding from the Let It Be debacle was the main reason the lads summoned up their old solidarity for Abbey Road; (7) “Her Majesty” is awesome; (8) in the end the love you take is equal to the love; (9) you make. The case for Let It Be: (1) It came out in 1970, which was after 1969; (2) all four Beatles kept working on Let It Be long after Abbey Road came out. Ringo was recording drum tracks as late as April 1970—barely a month before Let It Be was released. So alas, it can’t be written off as a pre–Abbey Road slopfest that the heartless record company dumped out there as a posthumous cash grab. The Beatles wanted this album to come out, and worked hard to make sure it did.