The
recorded output by the ex-Beatles in 1970 shows that their creative
juices were still flowing. For the most part, their singles and
albums were hitting the top ten, and some were scoring with the
critics, notably John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and
All Things Must Pass.
The only problem was that John, Paul, George and Ringo couldn't all be in the same room together, which is a small obstacle to the recording process.
The only problem was that John, Paul, George and Ringo couldn't all be in the same room together, which is a small obstacle to the recording process.
Taking
John's idea idea literally, I assembled what could have
been the Beatles' fourteenth album which would have been released in
late-1970 in time for the Christmas market.
In
selecting the tracks and running order, I followed these ground rules
as set by previous Beatles albums:
- Tracks had to be recorded or released in 1970. It Don't Come Easy was released in 1971, but recorded in March 1970.
- The same composer could not open both side A and B;
- No two consecutive songs could feature the same vocalist;
- The same composer could not open and close the album;
- The running time had to fall between 40-50 minutes, based on 1970 vinyl standards;
- Singles and album tracks recorded by ex-Beatles were both fine;
- George must have three songs, matching his output on Revolver: Some of you will ask, Why not more? In reality, neither John nor Paul would allow George more songs than them on an album. George's output in 1970 in terms of quantity and quality was so enormous, he could have taken up an entire side.
Ladies
and gentlemen, the unreleased fourteenth Beatles album:
Side A
- Instant Karma (John)
- Every Night (Paul)
- It Don't Come Easy (Ringo)
- Wah Wah (George)
- Working Class Hero (John)
- Man We Was Lonely (Paul)
Side B
- What Is Life (George)
- Love (John)
- Junk (Paul)
- Remember (John)
- Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul)
- All Things Must Pass (George)
singles:
Instant
Karma / Teddy
Boy (Get Back
sessions)
It
Don't Come Easy / Apple
Scruffs
What
Is Life /
Look at Me
Songs by singer/composer:
John: 4
Paul: 4
George: 3
Ringo: 1
By
1970, John had kicked his heroin habit and was recording more music
again. His presence on this album would match Paul's after taking a
dip on Abbey Road and
Let It Be. George
comes to the fore as the third composer of the band after his
outstanding efforts on Abbey Road. I
gave him added prominence by closing the album.
Track-by-track:
Side
A:
1. Instant Karma (John)
An
easy choice. Every Beatles album opens with a bang, a catchy rocker
that rightfully was a hit. Also, John's count-in recalls I
Saw Her Standing There and
Taxman.
No other solo Beatles song from 1970 comes close to opening the
album.
2.
Every Night (Paul)
The
second song contrasts the tempo of the opening by relaxing the mood.
This beautiful mid-tempo song by Paul is a highlight from his first
solo album.
3. It Don't Come Easy (Ringo)
Do
I go back to John or introduce George in the third spot? Guess what:
Ringo. Per tradition, Ringo has one song on this album and it's his
best songs from 1970. No surprise it was a hit single. An unwritten
rule is pack side A with the stronger songs and this song maintains
this exceptional quality.
4.
Wah Wah (George)
Now,
George has
to
appear. He has too many good songs in 1970. Placing him fourth opens
the album democratically, with each ex-Beatle getting his turn to
stand in the spotlight. The trick was choosing which song off the
massive All Things Must
Pass to
place here. After two mid-tempo songs, I wanted to return to a
rocker, the harder the better. This was it with its dense mix of
guitars, horns and vocals.
5. Working Class Hero (John)
After
George's blistering guitar tour-de-force, we need to change the mood
yet offer a song as strong as the predecessors. You could argue that
The Beatles, especially Paul, would have never allowed the F-word to
be uttered on a Beatles record (excluding Hey
Jude where
“fuck” was buried in the mix). Then again, John sang “Christ”
in The Ballad of
John & Yoko with
Paul on harmony, and John got Revolution
9 onto
The White Album.
Some
may question the harsh tone of this song, and by far it is the most
confessional song on my album, but I argue that WCH
is
just too powerful to leave off this album.
6.
Man We Was Lonely (Paul)
This song closed side A
of Paul's solo album and I thought it would work here, too. After
Working Class Hero, we need
to hear something that'll stop us from slitting our wrists and Paul's
refreshing song does the trick. The long extro lowers the curtain on
side A.
Side B
1. What Is Life (George)
I
needed George back and this perfectly opened side B of All
Things Must Pass. Another
galloping start.
2.
Love (John)
Similarly,
this was the second song on side B of John's album and I thought it
would work here, contrasting the frenzy of George's previous song. It
was also time to return John to the mix.
3.
Junk (Paul)
Back-to-back
ballads don't hurt (like the acoustic-heavy side B of The
White Album. This is one
of the songs from McCartney
that
I wanted on this album, but didn't feel it was strong enough for side
A. (I prefer The
White Album demo,
actually.)
4.
Remember (John)
Back
to a rocker. This is the last of John's songs on this album.
5. Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul)
Paul's
best song from 1970 gets the penultimate spot.
6. All Things Must Pass (George)
Was
there any other choice? George never closed a Beatles album, but this
tune that he wrote during the Get
Back sessions
and that the group nearly recorded sums up this album, but also the
end of The Sixties and The Beatles themselves. Fade out.
The
singles
Instant
Karma / Teddy
Boy (Get Back
sessions)
It
Don't Come Easy / Apple
Scruffs
What
Is Life /
Look at Me
I
strongly doubt that The Beatles would pull three songs off the same
album as singles. Typically, they pulled one to give the fans' their
money's worth (excluding Please Please Me where
the singles were released before the album). Most likely from this
album, the band would have paired Instant Karma and
It Don't Come Easy as
they did with Come Together and
Something. FM radio
stations played Maybe I'm Amazed like
a single back in the day, but Paul resisted the demand to issue the
song (until the amazing live version in 1976).
That
said, the singles above are more like potential singles with B-sides
that fell short of making the album. Of course, the A-sides were in
real life singles that charted well back in the day.
What
Songs Were Left Off and Why
John:
Mother, Hold On John, I Found Out, Well Well Well,
God, My Mummy's Dead
Of
all the solo Beatles albums in 1970, John's was the most personal,
self-referential and extreme. The songs on this fantasy album had to
possibly been recorded
by The Beatles, and these tunes about John's dead mother and the end
of The Beatles miss the mark by a mile. Could you imagine John
singing I don't believe in Beatles on
a Beatles album (though I'm sure he would've tried).
I
love the McCartney album.
It's refreshing and unpretentious, full of fine songs. I admire the
stripped-down production. But these songs are a little too unpolished
for a Beatles album and contrast too much with George's Wall of Sound
to belong on the same album.
Could
you imagine John and Paul singing Hare Krishna in
back-up?
Ringo:
Sentimental
Journey, Beaucoups of Blues
Ringo
has one spot on any album, and that spot belongs to the hit It
Don't Come Easy.
These old standards and country tunes are too left-field for this
fantasy album.
Beyond 1970:
Richard
Linklater's Boyhood
suggested
The
Black Album (compiled by Ethan Hawke) which
gathers solo-Beatles songs post-1970, but that doesn't work for me.
After 1970, the styles of the four Beatles diverge too far already.
1970 is pushing the limits as it is, but 1982? Forget it.
John's political activism and midlife crisis don't blend with Paul's sentimentality and George's holy preachings. Imagine and Mary Had A Little Lamb on the same album? The Guv, one half of the team here at The Rowboat Syndicate, agrees. His take on The Black Album can be found here.
John's political activism and midlife crisis don't blend with Paul's sentimentality and George's holy preachings. Imagine and Mary Had A Little Lamb on the same album? The Guv, one half of the team here at The Rowboat Syndicate, agrees. His take on The Black Album can be found here.
If nothing else, 1970 proves that if John, Paul, George and Ringo wanted to,
they had enough powder in their collective cannon to fire off another
great album. The songs were there. The records charted high upon
release and the music stands the test of time. What was missing what
the chemistry of the four of them playing together. What's missing
from all these songs—as good as they are—is The Beatles'
trademark harmonies and the sound of them playing together. By 1970,
the dream was over.
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