"The Other Side of Abbey Road" is a cover album of The Beatles Abbey Road album, by jazz guitarist George Benson, recorded shortly after its release, and released in 1970. It is one of two Abbey Road cover albums released by predominantly African American jazz/funk groups at the time, the other being McLemore Avenue by Booker T. and the MGs.
The album doesn't include every song on the original Abbey Road album. Its track listing is:
- You Never Give Me Your Money
- Because/Come Together
- Oh! Darling
- Here Comes The Sun
- I Want You (She's So Heavy)
- Something/Octopus's Garden
- The End
Thus, the album omits
Maxwell's Silver Hammer, as well as large parts of the side two melody. George Benson played the guitar and sang on the album, and presumably was in charge of interpreting the songs for a jazz format. Along with George Benson, there are (at least) two prominent jazz names on the album: pianist
Herbie Hancock and bassist
Ron Carter. Since Hancock and Carter were in the
Miles Davis Quintet at the same time, and Benson was a supporting musician of that same band, it is easy to say that this album had a very high pedigree as a
jazz album.
Abbey Road, in its own way, was already a jazzy album, and this album plays to that. Funky songs like "Come Together" are played in a funky manner, and sweeter torch songs like Oh! Darling are played as romantic songs, highlighted by Benson's very gentle voice. The album is not a direct, note-by-note recording of Abbey Road, but instead seems to focus on the spirit of each song. Still, if the album is lacking anything, I would say that it plays it a little too straight--- for an album made by top jazz musicians, of an experimental record by a great rock group, I feel that it stays a little too close to its source material. This isn't a mind blowing album, but is a fun and relaxing listen.