This review is part of a new RHSToday series where we review albums from before 2000 as if they were just released. 

The Beatles have always resonated with me as a big deal of the past. I’ve seen references to the 1969 album cover of Abbey Road everywhere in American media, but I’ve never really listened to The Beatles except for snippets from movies. For someone who’s starting to listen to more classics, I felt that while it’s very different from the modern style of music, the songs felt almost refreshing from hearing the clearer vocals and more down-to-earth lyrics.

Rock music may not be for everyone, especially in this day in age, but there’s something about the classic feeling of pop-rock that made me feel nostalgic. Songs from Abbey Road never lost their quality despite the simplicity of the lyrics. The song “Oh! Darling” which was written by the band’s bass guitarist, Paul McCartney, was much less about the words but more so the tone of the vocals. McCartney begs a certain someone not to leave him, and between the screaming in his pleads, he portrayed the passion of losing someone you love. It has the feeling of a gloomy slow dance, yet the sound of his voice soothes me.

Abbey Road gave off a joyful, summertime vibe and reminds me of better times. In the track, “Here Comes the Sun,” which seems to be one of the most popular from the album, there’s an upbeat and optimistic chorus. The song was hopeful much like other tracks and sung of having a positive outlook for the future. Listening to it felt like an escape for me from the current events and left the kind of warm, fuzzy feeling I get from thinking about better times.

The album can be fun and doesn’t have to be deep. “Octopus’s Garden” was based on a waiter’s mistake with Ringo Starr’s order of fish and chips, giving him squid. Starr took a story the ship’s captain told him about octopi and twisted it into a fun song about being able to hide away from the pressures in life. The song was wholesome and boosted my mood with its playfulness and simplicity.

While it’s been decades since Abbey Road was released, some songs on the album still apply. “Come Together” was originally written as a campaign song for Timothy Leary, but we can also reflect on how despite being isolated, we can still join people in supporting others. “Come Together” maintained the upbeat-rock style and stayed true to the album’s optimism while touching on some more political matters, which, at the time, was advocating for LSD. While it wasn’t among my favorites from the album and was a bit more repetitive than my liking, it was still pretty catchy.

Rock may not be as popular as it was back then, but there’s some so pure about the easy-going, upbeat music that made it feel like the good old days for me. Even though my preferred taste in music is different from The Beatles’ style, Abbey Road was still enjoyable and its classic rock flair remains just as iconic as it was when it was released.