An album released by Paul McCartney after The Beatles broke up was deemed “better than Abbey Road” by John Lennon.
The Imagine songwriter suggested there were stronger albums by individual Beatles than their masterpiece, Abbey Road. The Beatles album is often cited as one of the best albums in history, but Lennon had other ideas for what he considered to be the best in class. A compliment for McCartney was a surprise at the time, especially given the song war Ram started, but Lennon seemed to be a big fan of McCartney’s second solo album. Lennon suggested solo works from himself, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were somewhat superior to the work they released as a group. Ram, McCartney’s 1972 album, was cited as better than Let It Be and Abbey Road by Lennon.
Speaking in an interview with the NME, Lennon said: “The fact is, The Beatles have left school… and we have to get a job. That’s made us work — really work harder. I think we’re much better than we ever were when we were together. Look at us today. I’d sooner have [Paul McCartney’s album] Ram, John Lennon Plastic Ono Band, George’s album, and Ringo’s single and the movies than Let It Be or Abbey Road.”
Lennon would single out Starr, too, saying his writing has improved massively since he first started songwriting. He added: “I think my music’s improved a millionfold lyric-wise and everything. And Ringo’s coming out and writing It Don’t Come Easy and now he’s going to write the title song for this cowboy thing he’s in, and he’s playing a really tough guy and all that. It’s really beautiful.”
Praise for Ram from Lennon may come as a surprise given the album’s opening song, Too Many People, was intended as a dig at him and Yoko Ono. Lennon replied to this song with How Do You Sleep? and McCartney had planned a response to that, but ultimately scrapped it.
The Let It Be hitmaker explained: “Too Many People was really a message to John across the airwaves. I did feel like he was preaching a little bit about what people should do and how they should live their lives. I felt the song was a bit hypocritical.
“There was a little spate of song wars that went on, you know, he’d done How Do You Sleep? and I nearly did a song, Quite Well, Thank You.
“It kind of settled down, The Beatles mess got sorted out and we were able to talk to each other like human beings and friends and that was something I was really always very glad on because we’d been through too much to let business arguments blow up our whole relationship.”
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