Ever since The Beatles made Abbey Road their home in the early ’60s, the iconic studio has become a sacred spot, a holy ground for some of the most groundbreaking recordings of all time. Great English music is cemented into the history of the studio and continues to be coaxed out today. Acts like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, The Zombies, Florence + the Machine, and Oasis have all gone on to deliver career-making recordings while in Westminster.
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Below, in no particular order, we’re going through 10 of the best songs recorded at the iconic studio. From The Beatles to Oasis let’s take a trip through the artists that have struck gold at Abbey Road.
1. “Come Together” (The Beatles)
Of course, we have to look at the Beatles’ swan song, Abbey Road. Across the album’s 17 tracks are a number of perennial Beatles hits. With “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Here Comes The Sun,” “Carry That Weight, and “Come Together” amongst the tracklist, it almost reads more like a greatest hits album than a singular effort.
The latter track is the one we’ve chosen for this list, although many could be contenders. The opening bass riff of “Come Together” is one of the most recognizable in music history and insatiably groovy.
2. “Fake Plastic Trees” (Radiohead)
As any Radiohead fan will tell you, The Bends took the group from what could’ve been a one-hit wonder situation and instead catapulted them to becoming one of the most celebrated English bands of all time. Whether the storied halls of Abbey Road had anything to do with the band’s sudden evolution we’re not sure, but it’s safe to say the studio has inspired a star turn or two.
Arguably the biggest song from the record is “Fake Plastic Trees.” The Dickensian track slowly builds into a wailing closer with frontman Thom Yorke using everything he has in him to sing It wears me out.
3. “Breathe (In the Air)” (Pink Floyd)
One of the most critically acclaimed albums in history, Dark Side of the Moon brought Pink Floyd to international fame and has long been considered a magnum opus in the rock world.
Cover to cover, the concept album sees masterpieces of a cinematic scale – tracks like “Money,” “Brain Damage” and “On the Run” to name a few. For this list, however, we’re looking at “Breathe (In the Air). Haunting and truly psychedelic, this track defined an era of rock music and is an enduring classic today.
4. “Sentimental Journey” (Ringo Starr)
Along with highlighting The Beatles’ group efforts, we’re also looking at a titular song from each of their solo efforts as well. It seems they decided to share the studio in the divorce, with each of the members going on to make more classic music within its hallowed halls. For Ringo’s pick, we’re going with the title track from his debut album, “Sentimental Journey.”
The album was the least Avante-garde project from any Beatle, as Starr embraced forms of popular music. In “Sentimental Journey,” Starr takes time to reflect on his trek thus far with his fun-loving nature well intact.
5. “Imagine” (John Lennon)
Arguably no song is as evocative of John Lennon’s message as “Imagine.” A perennial ode to goodwill and optimism, the track was recorded by Lennon at Abbey Road in the early ’70s. The simple piano melody has gone on to inspire movements of peace across the six decades it has been released—a legacy we’re sure would satisfy Lennon plenty.
The rest of the album traded in the small arrangments from his solo debut for lush production aided by his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector. The sessions also acted as a pseudo-Beatles reunion as George Harrison was tapped for guitar duties.
6. “It’s No Good” (Depeche Mode)
Ultra is the ninth album by electronic pop pioneers, Depeche Mode. The album saw the group explore more alternative rock elements following the departure of their fourth member, Alan Wilder. The themes on the record took a similar hard turn—namely drug addiction as singer Dave Gahan’s struggles were coming to a head.
Despite the rest of the album taking a different turn than their previous efforts, “It’s No Good” stayed close to home, satiating the diehard Depeche Mode disciples.
7. “Stand By Me” (Oasis)
With their third album, Be Here Now, Oasis was on a mission to prove the success of their early releases wasn’t just a fluke and that they could consistently deliver classic Britpop tracks. To do this, they focused on arena anthems entirely, created a mystique around the release, and went to Abbey Road Studios for some inspiration.
“Stand By Me” found its way to the top of the U.K. charts and has since been certified platinum. Despite Noel Gallagher’s general distaste for Be Here Now as a whole, “Stand By Me” certainly struck a chord with fans.
8. “Maybe I’m Amazed” (Paul McCartney)
For Paul McCartney’s pick, we’re going with a track from the first album of his McCartney trilogy, “Maybe I’m Amazed.”
With a winding piano riff and a healthy amount of octave changes, the song has long been recognized as one of McCartney’s finest solo efforts (and often one of the greatest rock songs of all time). Though most of the album was recorded at McCartney’s home studio, he recorded the entirety of this track at Abbey Road, playing all the instruments himself.
9. “My Sweet Lord” (George Harrison)
And for the fourth and final solo Beatle, Harrison’s ode to the man in the sky, “My Sweet Lord,” is our pick. Across the track, Harrison flips between Christian and Hindu terminology in an effort to put an end to religious sectarianism. In true hippie fashion, Harrison just wanted us all to get along.
The entire album saw Harrison set free from the at-times stifling Lennon/McCartney partnership. His unique sound was given room to breathe across the 17 tracks, delivering some of his most iconic hits.
10. “Blackbird” (The Beatles)
Often considered one of the greatest Beatles albums, the band was fracturing into four-distinct pieces behind the scenes while recording “The White Album.” It was a difficult time to be a Beatle despite the success of the record. Most of the songs had been written during a transcendental meditation course with the Maharishi. It seems they found something special out there because they came back with 30 songs of impeccable quality.
Though many songs on the album deserve to be highlighted, we’re looking at “Blackbird.” Written by Paul McCartney in response to the ongoing Civil Rights Movement in the U.S, the track delivers simple yet somber instrumentation that highlights the unparalleled penmanship of McCartney.
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