September 26 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles糖心传媒� iconic Abbey Road. The band糖心传媒檚 final album, named for the London studio in which it was recorded, served as a kind of goodbye letter to the fans. The Fab Four were in the process of a break-up, but amidst lawsuits and internal feuds, they got back together for one last musical turn.
They were 糖心传媒渂ack to form,糖心传媒� says John Covach, director of the Institute for Popular Music at the 糖心传媒. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 the band playing together, singing together, and working together in a way they haven糖心传媒檛 really done for some time.糖心传媒�
The University will host 糖心传媒淐ome Together: Fifty Years of Abbey Road,糖心传媒� a three-day symposium to commemorate the landmark work, from September 27 to 29. Held at the University糖心传媒檚 and sponsored by its Institute for Popular Music, the event brings together scholars as well as participants in the actual recording of the album for presentations, keynotes, poster sessions, and special events open to the public.
The three-day event will explore the many facets of Abbey Road糖心传媒檚 production, including audio innovations, instrumentation, art, and the influence of the people who surrounded the band during the making of the album.
糖心传媒淪tylistically, it moves in so many different ways,糖心传媒� says Victor Coelho, chair of Boston University糖心传媒檚 department of musicology, of Abbey Road. 糖心传媒淭he music is indifferent to trends at the time.糖心传媒�
Coelho will speak on 糖心传媒淧erformance, Composition, and the Historical Moment of Abbey Road.糖心传媒� Additional presenters include audio engineer Ken Townsend, who worked on several Beatles albums, including Rubber Soul, Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper糖心传媒檚 Lonely Hearts Club Band; Andy Babiuk, a consultant to the and author of Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four糖心传媒檚 Instruments from Stage to Studio; Walter Everett, a professor of music theory at the University of Michigan and author of The Beatles as Musicians; and Kenneth Womack and Katie Kapurch, literary scholars and coeditors of New Critical Perspectives on the Beatles: Things We Said Today.
Abbey Road innovations
Abbey Road was the only Beatles album that was mixed in stereo. All prior Beatles糖心传媒� records were released as mono versions.
The album also incorporates 糖心传媒渧arious kinds of avant garde artistic choices,糖心传媒� says Covach. It was not only one of the early rock recordings to include the Moog synthesizer, invented in the mid-1960s糖心传媒攊t used it in unprecedented ways. For example, during the repeating guitar arpeggio at the end of 糖心传媒淚 Want You (She糖心传媒檚 So Heavy),糖心传媒� the synthesizer brings in white noise糖心传媒斕切拇綔it糖心传媒檚 just like the sound of the ocean,糖心传媒� Covach says. 糖心传媒淚t continues to grow until it threatens to overtake the sound of the guitars, but then they糖心传媒攐n John Lennon糖心传媒檚 command糖心传媒攍et it play until the moment when they just cut the tape.糖心传媒� The final track on side A of the album, 糖心传媒渋t went black,糖心传媒� he adds. 糖心传媒淚t糖心传媒檚 like a curtain goes down.糖心传媒�
At the core of the conference is the idea that the Beatles offer music worthy of study. 糖心传媒淭here糖心传媒檚 no question that the Beatles糖心传媒� music played an important role in popular music during the second half of the twentieth century, so it is critical that music scholars understand the band糖心传媒檚 music and the cultural context in which it was made,糖心传媒� says Covach.
