Well, let's just dig in, shall we? You know, recently I have seen a synergistic batch of postings about the possibility of Paul and/or Ringo going back to "Now & Then" and finishing it up as a new Beatles track. This sent me back into a project that I have had brewing for about 7 years now. So many people have attempted to asuage that ache for "what-ifs" for the band. What if they never broke up? What if they kept working together throughout the 70s? What if Lennon was not murdered? What if John and Paul decided to go down to Saturday Night Live that one night? Well, I am mostly concerned with making 70s Beatles albums. Yeah, this is a total theoretical piece of bullshit, but you can do whatever you like with your time and CD burner, okay?
Years ago, at the dawn of the inter-web, I actually posted some of my track-lists and fake album covers. Upon hearing of the desire to release a new Beatles single, I started googling my old haunts. To my surprise, I found one of my old photo-shopped covers (uncredited... but hey, who really cares) on a website that was dedicated to what the author called "slider" Beatles. Riddle me what the heck that means! Anywhen, let me give you a brief background of how far I got the last time around: (n.b. my blog, my project, my rules. If you have to take issue with my track choices/chronology screw-ups, be nice and constructive. Remember that this is for FUN, and not part of the research for your mock online thesis about the logistical foibles and chronological failings of my pet-project. Okay, rant over...)
So, I combined the solo efforts of the lads, and came up with a few albums (at least out to 1975). They went like this:
1971- Instant Karma
1972- RAM
1973- Band On the Run
1974- Beatles Live in '74
1975- Call Me Back Again
I came up with covers for most of them (at least I could find covers for a few), and intended to finish out the 70s too. For the "live " one, I edited together live material from Wings Over America, Live in NY, and Concert for Bangladesh, cross-fading performances with applause. Yeah, Ringo only gets one song ("It Don't Come Easy" - flubbed lyrics and all), but that is what I had to work with. I listened to it the other day, and it still tickles me to hear Paul finish Yesterday as George yells out thank you and launches into Something. Yes, I ha(d)ve way too much time on my hands.
Short story long, I recently became obsessed with watching the Anthology outtake DVD and listening to the Lennon "Dakota" demos. So, I compiled the 1980s one-off "reunion" album When We Was Fab. What follow is the background story. Just read along and pretend with me...
It was early 1980, and The Beatles were recording again after a nearly 5 year hiatus (due to John's wish to raise Sean). The cautious mood in the studio made the recording difficult. Could they still do it? Were they still making relevant music? The questions were all put aside when John was murdered in December of the year. The unfinished album was to be called Return to Pepperland, but the idea was shelved in the horror-filled days after the loss of Lennon. The tapes lay unfinished until 1987, when inevitable rumblings in the press culminated in the leaking of the unreleased track, "Return to Pepperland". Critics and listeners were delighted at the "return to form" sound of the song. McCartney and Harrison were furious, and quickly assigned blame toward someone close to them. George Martin was not named outright, but the press speculated that either Martin, Geoff Emerick, or even Mark Lewisohn was to blame. Eventually, Lewisohn's tape-runners were fingered, as a glut of unreleased "bootleg" material was starting to appear in studio-quality on the new CD format. The band closed-ranks and fired/sued those involved. For the next 5 years, the project would sit untouched. The band rarely was seen in public, and a media crack-down was followed by almost total seclusion from the world by George.
In 1992, the band mended fences within the camp, and got to work on what would become the Anthology film. Unbeknownst to the public, work was secretly begun on finishing the aborted album. At this point, with the title track leaked, the three surviving Beatles decided to refocus on finishing the unfinished songs and re-recording some songs. Buoyed by the quality of Lennon's "comeback" material, it was decided that the album would be released along with the film. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1998, McCartney recollects "... at the time, we were very careful about letting people into our "inner-circle". Having "Return to Pepperland" sneak out was just unfair... we were very hurt. I mean people were crazy for it, but we would never have released it at that point. It shook us up... thinking that, umm, we might want to go back and sift through the tapes again." In the same article, Ringo said "It was bloody-awful. George was in a state after that. It started to feel like we were back in the Let It Be days... all meetings and everything."
After deciding to actually finish one of the most legendary unreleased albums of all time, the decision to enlist a new producer was made. Purists still argue about the choice, but former ELO front-man, Jeff Lynne, was brought in to conduct the new sessions. Lynne was obviously excited to be working with his idols, and he raced to finish the album for the film's release date. The album, almost 15 years in the making, was released in 1995 to almost universal praise. A reworked and renamed double-album, When We Was Fab, was hailed as "the most mature rock album ever made." by SPIN Magazine. Rolling Stone praised it as "a complete and utter masterpiece. Every song speaks to the deep loss of the three survivors. The long shadow of Lennon is ever-present, looming at times like an ethereal guardian over the tracks." The album shot straight to number one, and was a shoe in for Grammy-time. George Martin, initially offended by being replaced with Lynne, did come back to produce a couple of tracks, and contribute a few string arrangements to the album. Notably, McCartney's "Here Today" and Harrison's "All Those Years Ago" were heartfelt tributes to their fallen partner. Lennon's haunting "Grow Old Along With Me" closes the album as a "hidden" track. The album can be summed up by this quote from the New York Times,
"There is an implied sadness in almost every song. Even the more upbeat numbers contain a nagging and resigned sense of disillusionment. More than a cranky reaction to the horrific loss of their friend and bandmate, When We Was Fab is an emotional touchstone for the entire generation who grew up with these four lads from Liverpool. It is as if they stand above the grave of 60s culture with shovels in hand, burying the dreams and naive illusions of youth. This is an album made by grown men wholly in touch with their lives as fathers, husbands, and celebrities, while being totally at peace with their own mythology. Above all, this is a fitting swansong to an astounding career."
Here is the track list:
Disc 1
1- The Song We Were Singing
2- (Just Like) Starting Over
3- This Is Love
4- Woman
5- Somedays
6- Free As A Bird
7- King of Broken Hearts
8- When We Was Fab
9- Watching The Wheels
Disc 2
1- Flaming Pie
2- Rising Sun
3- What In The World
4- Real Love
5- Calico Skies
6- Pisces Fish
7- All Those Years Ago
8- Here Today
9- Beautiful Night
Hidden Track - Grow Old Along With Me
Bootleggers were able to find some of the original demos/tracks from the 1980 sessions for the following songs:
Beautiful Night (demo)
Flaming Pie (demo)
Return to Pepperland (full studio version)
Woman (acoustic demo)
Watching the Wheels (acoustic demo)
Real Love (demo)
Free as a Bird (demo)
So, that is one project that you can try for yourself. Artwork to follow...
Let me know what you think!
On the music front, Matthew and Angela provided me with a brand new lyric book for the new year. I had to rebind my old one recently, so the gift was very welcome. On the book front, I've just started reading " World War Z", which was gifted to me yesterday by Melissa. I enjoyed Max Brooks' previous zombie effort, and am hoping that this one will be great. God, I love zombie anything...
