I think that is a brilliant sounding song and that deserves it's place on this classic album. It is well placed because "Come Together and "Something" are very strong and intense songs and this song lets us take a breath and just enjoy the wonderful melody and the joy that it exudes.
When I first began my trek into The Beatles, I was rather young. I was 11 in 1979 when my father tossed Let It Be onto my bed and said, "Here you go, listen to that." This was in response to my massive overplaying of "Blow Away" and Goodnight Tonight" loudly in my bedroom early that year. So all these songs that I love by The Beatles first came from the eyes, ears, and mind of a child. So when I hear "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", I don't think of it as a good or shit song, I just think of it as just another Beatles song I loved growing up. But the best part of my journey with The Beatles is that all of those songs I loved as a child were just the base for the things I would discover as I got older and more developed. I was able to take those songs from my childhood into my later years as I progressed to appreciate the "She Said, She Said" kind of tracks and listen to them equally beside "Octopus's Garden" and "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Only The Beatles were able to give me that.
I just love the dark humor of this song. And I always found Paul's granny music side endearing. He could rock as hard anyone, as he proved with Helter Skelter among others, but he also wasn't ashamed to do things that were "uncool" if it pleased him. I think with some historical distance it's easier to appreciate Paul's broader musical influences as a positive.
People love to hate this song because John hated it. John hated everything Paul in that Lennon Remembers interview. It's unfortunate that the Lennon of that interview is the one everybody remembers.
He actually loved everything paul did and looked up to paul as a brother...people just take snippets of quotes by lennon...cherrypick to make him look like a daft...empty...dickhead which is not true at all
One of my sons and I LOVE Maxwell's Silver Hammer! Especially the background humming/singing, "Do do DO do", lol. My other children also love it. They are all adults. And I am beginning to LOVE your broadcasts too! Thank you!
If your favourite Beatle is Paul you will love the song. If John is your favourite you may still love it but can't be seen to go against him.. I'm in the Paul camp..
My first Beatles album I bought, way back in1976, was Abbey Road, specifically because Maxwells Silver Hammer was on it. Loved it then & now. Never get tired of the song. Makes me smile for some odd reason even though a niece of mine says the words are sick. She enjoys it too.
I’m so happy you’re making a series about single songs by the Beatles, great analysis and I think that the perfectionism really shines through on this track and that applying a bit of perfectionism on a track is never necessarily a bad thing. I can’t wait for the next videos in the series! I hope you make your way towards a Day in the Life eventually. Cheers
Thanks John. I also defend Maxwell and have always thought it was a great contribution to Abbey Road. I think Lennon could be unnecessarily hard on McCartney for writing songs like this but it must have been a little bit out of jealousy. Every song that he hated from Paul had an infectious melody that I think John just couldn't write. Paul was just being Paul and I'm glad he had the guts to record songs like Maxwell. Cheers!
John and Paul were a unit. And it’s natural when you blame the other person for a thing you hate in yourself. There was a part of John in Paul and a part of Paul in John. They were like Siam twins somehow. So John could be grumpy because of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" just because he would never manage to write such a song himself. And any other grateful twin would never object that, but not John. He was tearing apart. He was suicidal.
"Maxwell's Siver Hammer" is a beautiful comedy piece. I am always shocked by these people who say the lyrics are sinister - or that it's a dark horrific story. It was all done in fun... for a laugh. And it was done brilliantly.
I love Paul McCartney's "granny" music. And Maxwell's Silver Hammer is a firm favourite. Catchy, funny, in the style of many 50s & 60s comedy songs - but oh so much more musical. I love that others don't get it, can't understand it, can't enjoy it - it makes me sad for them, but happy for me. We should all be in touch with our inner child - and our inner child always has a fascinating with the funny, the macabre, and the musical.
Couldn’t agree more. I’ve always loved this song. I think people make too much of John hating some of Paul’s songs. John hated a lot of his own songs. Loved the anecdote about Ringo
Well said John, this was a catchy little tune and as a little tack (of not quite 1 year old in 69) I loved it and 50 years later its still a great catchy foot tapping tune that I play and sing along too on a regular basis.I too am kinda looking forward to this new release to see how it compares to my to current copies, New Zealand 1st pressing and the MOFI 1979 pressing. thanks again John.
Nice review. Thanks! For the musos in the group, while there are some who've said that George played Moog, it's been well-documented that while George acquired that instrument and mentions that it put to good use on MSH and other tracks on AR, it was actually Paul who played it on MSH, utilizing the "ribbon" feature to get the portamento/glissando effect. Also, I've read that both George and Paul played guitars in harmony fashion on this tune. Finally, there are references online to George playing bass on this song; while that may have been the case when recording the basic rhythm track in the early takes, from the sound of the playing, and as mentioned in authoritative sources, Paul overdubbed the inventive bass part that we here on the final version.
I do enjoy much of Ian Macdonald's writing about music, but there are times, such as the review you read out when he did get rather po faced! Maxwell was my favourite song on the album when I first heard it as a 10 year old. As a "serious" student I hated it. As a 56 year old I don't love it but I can see its charms, and the matter of fact way Paul sings about a serial killer makes me smile! Oh, I just want to add that I am enjoying this new sequence of you talking about one particular track. Very enjoyable!
I think you're spot on about Ian Macdonald, Andy; you don't have to agree with his (deliberately provocative) assessments of the songs, to still be entertained by his writing. RITH is one of my favourite books of music criticism, even though I disagree with a lot of his arguments.
Thanks for starting the discussion John. This is a track I dismissed as fluff when first listening to the album but it has grown on me in recent years as I've sat and paid more attention to it. I agree with you that it's not one of their classics given the competition it faces in the Beatles' canon, but it's very competent and nicely produced and I suspect that many other bands would have given the eye teeth to have written it. The much more highly regarded (and covered!) "Michelle" on the other hand...
This song always struck me as Paul's attempt to imitate John's morbid-childish stories in "In His Own Write" and "Spaniard in the Works". I think that's the real reason John hated it. I thought this song was great when i was 13. Maybe I'll think so again someday. BTW, I'm enjoying this channel! - A technical note: Can you record your audio at higher volume? :)
Good review John also agree I’m not sure how the new release can improve Abbey Road...I’ve two old vinyl copies of it that still sound fresh and amazing to me! Like many other great tracks I think it’s fashionable to slag off Maxwells Silver Hammer, in the context of the album tracklisting it’s perfect...and I like the sinister lyric against a bouncy tune... if this is trite then so are Piggies, Don’t Pass Me By, Polythene Pam etc... I don’t think they are by the way !
He was wrong on this one, I agree. A man with his own demons (clinical depression), he took his own life in 2003. I obviously have no insight in to to how much this affected the tone of much of his criticism but it is possible to imagine a connection. Paul has argued about the accuracy of many of the views expressed in 'Revolution In The Head".
As Ian MacDonald points out, it's tragic that 'Come and Get It" wasn't included on Abbey Road instead of 'Maxwell Silver Hammer.' The latter could have easily fit in on Red Rose Speedway or London Town. Maxwell is the only song on Abbey Road that feels out of place...
I'm so awaiting this new Abbey road release that it feels like the release of a new album. It feels to me that the Beatles still exist in a spirit form. There music doesn't date and it is not typical 60's music but much more. It's universal and outwith any genre or period. Some people refer to themselves as gender fluid, well the Beatles were genre fluid. I think that the reason that the Beatles feel alive is because of all the love that they generated. I think that love is felt by millions and we send that love back to them. I think that if God can grant eternal life then he has given it to the Beatles. I can't see John and Georges souls ever ending and while we still love them they will live forever.
It's a darkly comic masterpiece, quite frankly. I never understood Lennon's "granny music" comment; if you don't laugh whilst singing along, you may have missed the point. Clearly - and sadly - MacDonald was a deeply unhappy man not to have enjoyed the humour of it.
Maxwell Silver was a real guy who wrote a book in 1938 about The Ethics of Judaism. I KNOW that at one time in college I read a paper called, "Maxwell Silver's Hammer." I was stunned, and I wondered at the time if Paul- who had married into a Jewish, Legal family had somehow seen this- and was playing with words. Has anyone ever seen that? I can not find it now. Oh well.
Agree, Paul might have been whimsical from time to time, but Maxwell also shows he had the breadth of imagination to take on unconventional subject matter.
If I must skip an AR track it would be this one, it can be a bit annoying with all the plonk plonk dum dum melody style, but like you say very well produced, sung and played, by all 3.
Yep John was also a big hypocrite I agree Bungalow Bill is as Cheesy if not worse because Yoko sings a line in it And as for Ringo criticizing Octopus and Yellow Submarine are comparable to Maxwell in there Throw away lyrical content i personally love the song.
Awesome song, and one that flies under the radar which makes it even that much more special when I do listen to it. I have a huge hard back poster of that famous Abbey Rd crossing my late mother in law bought me for a birthday years and years ago. I have it on a wall in my basement studio! It's got to be 4 and a half feet long by 2 feet wide! I love it!! I can't justify the harsh criticism from the three lads. It's common knowledge now that the three apologized to McCartney and admitted they were flat out wrong about Klein! Paul saved them all a LOT of money! Klein was crook and almost locked them into a long term contract which he would certainly have used to wrestle even more control which could have ruined those Beatles who weren't BILLIONAIRES!! I've read many sources over the years which paint Abbey Road as being pretty much a McCartney solo album! Bit of an exageration, however he did drive the album, played a LOT of the instruments and pushed the George and Ringo to show up, and as you pointed out, Lennon barely showed up at all. That album put a lot of cheddar on their bread, and I don't recall any of them complaining about that! :) Abbey Road is my all time favorite album hands down! RAM is number Two. If I was to pick a favorite Lennon solo song outside of Imagine it would be "Crippled Inside", which I know has to be causing some eye brow raising! I just really like the song! Harrison is tougher, but "All Things Must Pass" and "What Is Life" are awesome. Ringo - "Photograph" and "It Don't Come Easy" - :Back Off Boogaloo" was more weird than meaningful for me as was his "No No Song"! Which makes me sneeze each time I hear it for some odd reason! Another good one John, thank you brother!! Jack - Canada ~'()'~
Hi John. I always liked this song. A simple melody and brilliant lyrics. I have read the book by Ian MacDonald but i have a feeling that he is biased on writing about some songs. Sometimes this book lacks objectivity. The album has several songs with peculiar cpersons. Not only Maxwell but Mean Mr. Mustard and Polythene Pam as well.
Good on ya John, I totally agree, Maxwell's subject is a bit off, but the song sounds great and the Moog is tastefully done. The song just sounds so catchy. I've always liked it.
There is, of course, no accounting for taste. I can't personally see what there is to dislike about the song. It's a slightly dark, archly humourous song with a great sing-along chorus. Paul's always had these fictional characters in songs, right up to Mr Bellamy. And Paul worked with Donovan around this time (Atlantis anyone?) and I think there was some mutual influence going on. Donovan wrote a lot of simple, hooky songs with choruses kids could sings. Folks sneered at Mary Had A Little Lamb but that came out the same year Donovan put out HMS Donovan - an album chock full of songs for children (of all ages). There's nothing wrong with it. I get it that the snooty want 'serious' artists to get deep about something or other but there's always room for a Maxwell.
An odd duck of a song. Upbeat and jaunty in musical style and tone but very dark after you actually listen to the lyrics. Definitely worth a play on the Dr. Demento Show. Probably one of those cases where the artist doesn't give a f-ck what anyone else thought and just went with it.
For the first time I wasn't too sure of Giles's remix of Something. Fingers crossed. I think McDonald's is one of the best books on the Beatles, brilliant in fact, but I certainly don't agree with many of his judgements.
Good song - nice melody and performance. BUT the subject matter is horrific considering the Yorkshire ripper's killings in the ensuing decade and one of the main methods of the killings (not saying there was a causal link).
There are a lot of Beatles songs worse than 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer', including 'Honey Pie' off The White Album. However, it is the kind of song that could become irritating for those attempting to lay down at recording sessions. I think, though, it fits in well on Abbey Road. It is a good change of pace.
Ive always liked Maxwell. And thought that McCartney was a good counterbalance to the other 3. But Im also 64 yrs old (ironic) and I remember the criticisms aimed at McCartney all through the 60s. One has to keep in mind that we were in the middle of the counterculture in 66 67 68 and 69. There were race riots, the vietnam war etc and at the time there was Jimi Hendrix and Cream, The Jefferson Airplane. George Harrison was friends with The Band. So it makes perfect sense that George, John and Ringo may have disliked this tune. It probably embarrassed them. Critics like Nik Cohen at the time were very critical of McCartney's tendencies towards tin pan alley songcraft and did not understand that McCartney was simply experimenting with song forms. So bassically Id take all those criticisms with a grain of salt. Overall Abbey Road was a great album largely due to Harrison and McCartney's contributions.
Nobody ever mentions the synth. Can you think of another Beatles song before that with a synth? It really picks at the ears, glides them through much of the song, and no one ever noticed it. Why?
Its an ok song with kind of dark humor, not one of favorite Beatle songs but I bet if say this song had been written Sung and put out by Randy Newman the critics would have loved it.! Newman has a few dark humor songs that always get critical acclaim, not McCartney though.
if i was going to attempt to rate each track out of ten.. then Maxwell and Octopus would get lower marks than other tracks on Abbey Road.. but any other band would give their eye teeth for these tracks..
My impression of Maxwell Silver Hammer is that its the weak link in the Abbey Road album, Paul should have used instead Come and Get It that he gave to Badfinger.- would have made Abbey Road 100% Perfect.
Criticized for being sick? Check out the lyrics of some of the garbage that has come out since and still. It was a fun song and wasn't intended to offend anyone. I loved all the Beatles, but I think they got to a point where they were all jealous of each others talents. At the time, Paul was putting out the most songs. John had been stifled by Yoko, George felt he wasn't appreciated and Ringo was putting out nursery rhyme type lyrics.
Don't hate the song. Songs such as 'Goodnight' & 'Honey Pie' are worse. It is pleasant enough. But not worthy of being a single, which I believe Paul wanted.
I laughed at the Beatles’ critique of the song and reviews of it like McDonald’s are laughable in their overanalysis. I’ve always loved the song. It’s catchy and uplifting and that’s all that matters.
I don't mind the tune and the verses are okay but I find the chorus repetitive and I think the moog is overused (I don't like it on 'Here Comes the Sun' either). When it comes to Paul's music hall songs I don't mind most of them, 'Your Mother Should Know,' 'Honey Pie,' 'You Gave Me the Answer' are fine but I find 'She's Leaving Home' cloying and hate the harp on it. I don't mind a catchy pop song either, I like 'Silly Love Songs' for its cleverness but find 'Let 'Em In' simplistic and repetitive.
You are my favorite vlogger but I could not disagree with you more about "Maxwell," one of the Fabs' few worst-ever tracks. Ian Macdonald said it all and said it well. On the other hand, I agree with you that "Another Day" is criminally overlooked. p.s. you have excellent taste in shirts!
In my opinion the white album box set that came out last year was totally sugarcoated... i’m hopping in the Apple Road box set this year will be a whole lot better!!
i listen to another day last week and the percussive clip is brilliant...lennon is still stuck in blues rock..where did the experimentation go?...from both in the 70's....uncle albert is from the beatles cutting room floor is brilliant and should have been a complete song and not a melody.
Maxwell's sliver hammer, was a McCartney folly I love Paul as much as I love all the Beatles but you don't give a group like the Beatles a song like that He wrote it for a film and it was turn down by them. I don't think to this it's been covered. Apart from Abbey road a lot of the Beatles work was under-par but that is only because their standard was so high. The Beatles to the end all began to use the Beatles for their own personal whish and reason which was sad and dangerous maybe not Ringo but they wanted out but how do you walk away from a million pound cash cow. I don't like the way John went about things but he knew they had done their best as he was still their leader you only have to see the film "let it be:" the other Beatles couldn't stand up to him, he really had control over that group, how could he bring Yoko into their business like that and none of them could say anything, I guess Paul and George never forgot what he did to their first bassist ( nuff said, if you know you know) but they were afraid of him I was sick watching" let it be", I thought they loved each other, then why couldn't they talk to one another honestly? I know English people have trouble expressing their feelings but this was madness, when one of the film makers said"Yoko wants a mic", I felt sick, I don't think I have that bit, on my copy of the 'Let it be' film. John took the piss and talked a load of shit about the Beatles he didn't tell people, it was the Beatles paying for his and Yoko's carrying on"s but he wouldn't, would he. Again they were afraid to say anything,( well it was left to Paul) Lennon really saw the Beatles as his group and his business. Anyway I've really gone off the subject, Maxwell's silver Hammer was a shit song, from a great group but like I said " their standard was very, very high !
Yes, MacDonald was wrong. Maxwell is musically gripping, as ever for a McCartney track. But lyrically not quite as poetic as the storyline demands. Overall, terrific though, brilliant.
Ian McDonalds book is trash..The man was a very jealous and bitter man who didn`t have a clue. I don`t think Maxwell Silver Hammer would have been worthy of being the a-side on a Beatles single, but it works very well on Abbey Road, and has a very catchy tune. The Beatles does a very good job on it, and its one of my personal favorites on "Abbey Road"
I’m sure that Joan was really John and Paul is saying pretentious John could benefit from a good whack on the bonce with a hammer. On the face of it both Joan and the teacher were innocent victims of one man’s violent urges. The judge pretty much deserved it, if only because he was a judge - and he wouldn’t let Max off with the murders. I always thought that Max must be a complete psychopath as he goes from 0 to 100 without blinking an eye and for little reason. No discussion, no arbitration….. straight to violence. I would’ve preferred it if Paul had called the song Bang Bang or The Life and Times of a Suburban Psychopath ( Bob Dylan lol )One is lightweight and matches the jaunty catchy commercial melody, the other is more weightier and pseudo serious.
It's not anti-McCartney to dislike 'MSH'...everything else on the Abbey Road album written by him was brilliant, but this was just so-so, not terrible, but better suited to one of his solo albums...George may have been pissed off because he had at least four tracks waiting in the wings a lot better than this and Paul could have been diplomatic and given this up for George's third song on the album, still leaving Paul with more than half a dozen tracks on the L.P.
The Beatle's did over 100 takes (as compared to 72 for MSH) on one George's songs, then he refused to let them use it on Abbey Road and it ended up on the ATMP album. You will never ever hear Paul complain about that. Whereas as George complained repeatedly about Paul's 72 takes.
Lennon loved McCartney, when he was making " how do you sleep at night?) He looked and sounds like a fucking fool, the pain and longing in his voice was embarrassing you could tell he was having trouble sleeping without Paul. From Hamburg to St.Johns Wood he would always have a go at Paul's girl friends and Paul wouldn't say or do anything but cry. Good old Linda she saw him off all Yoko could do was to put him on heroin she knew that would shut him the fuck up! Lennon was spoiled in the Beatles they looked up to him too much and in the end it almost left them broke if it wasn't for McCartney!
Interesting. I'll have to try that. I like the song, but I always had a problem with how it's followed by Oh Darling, resulting in a bit too much McCartney (it would be interesting if they developed it more as a McC/Lennon duet, like in the Anthology version).
First, I like the song. If the Beatles had never done it and then it suddenly turned up twenty years later on Flowers In The Dirt, people would be hailing it as a masterpiece. But second, what is this nonsense about art not being allowed to depict violence? Has anyone advocating this view read literature?
Along with obladi oblada, I always skip this track. George and John might have been less inclined to walk if Macca had released this kind of stuff under his own name..
Much ado about nothing I think. Why must everything always have to be so damned serious and everyone have a bug up their ass? It`s a light hearted bouncy song about nothing, just hum along and tap your feet.
