Chapter 20: Bridge Over Troubled Water (May - December 1970)

26 May - 19 November 1970

Phil Spector, 1970.

Before landing themselves on the set of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, John Lennon and George Harrison were both busy putting out some tracks old and new on record with famed producer Phil Spector, known for his famous Wall of Sound for artists such as the Ronettes and the Crystals. The pair had met up with Spector at Harrison's home at Friar Park, reciting a large quantity of material to the producer. One of the tracks that ended up being co-written by Lennon and Harrison was the Bob Dylan-influenced "Apple Scruffs", a tribute to their diehard fans keeping a vigil outside of Apple Studios to see if they could come across a Beatle during the day.

PHIL SPECTOR: "John and George each had different ideas as to how they wanted to record their music; John opted for a more rough and raw approach whilst George ended up going for more bombastic and grand. Both were considering a pair of solo albums for the end of 1970, using some of Apple's finest artists and session musicians as sidemen." (1972)

JOHN LENNON: "The three musicians George and I frequently shared were Ringo, our Hamburg buddy Klaus Voormann and then-Apple artist Billy Preston - he played the grand piano in 'God' and Hammond organ in 'Instant Karma'." (1980)

RINGO STARR: "My commitments to the drums weren't really as big as they could've been; half the time, they had Alan White to fill in for me because of my work in Willy Wonka. Of course, I still contributed a cover of 'Fool to Care' with Klaus arranged and an old-fashioned country tune by Buzz Rabin." (Anthology, 1995)

George Harrison, 1970.

Whilst John largely worked with Ringo and Klaus, recording seven tracks fairly quickly ("Mother", "God", "Isolation", "Hold On", "Well Well Well", "I Found Out", and "Remember"), four others were all completely solo - "Working Class Hero", "My Mummy's Dead", "Look at Me", and "Love", the latter of which had Phil Spector on piano. With George, Ringo contributed drums to "Wah-Wah" (the first song recorded during the sessions), "My Sweet Lord", "Isn't It a Pity", "All Things Must Pass", and "Beware of Darkness". Other session musicians for George's tracks included members from Cream and Badfinger.

Production had taken a bit longer than it should've; George occasionally put recording on hold to make regular visits to Liverpool to see his mother Louise, who had been diagnosed with cancer. Lennon promised to help George with production, which was just as well given Spector's erratic behavior, and had been given notes from George as to how his tracks should sound. Louise Harrison succumbed to cancer on 7 July at the age of 59.

Lennon had more or less completed his tracks by the time that filming for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory had begun on 31 August in Germany, where he was set to portray the character of Mr. Slugworth, one of Wonka's chocolate making rivals. Although his role was not as big as Ringo's, he had more presence than George and Paul put together, who had two scenes each and both requested to have their own scenes filmed back to back. In McCartney's case, it was so he wanted to be with his wife Linda and their daughters Heather and baby Mary. Harrison soon returned to England to complete overdubs for his own tracks.

Ringo Starr as Willy Wonka on the set for the Chocolate Room in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with the leading actors for the parents and children on tour. The movie was filmed in 1970 and released June 30, 1971.

Apart from Ringo portraying the titular character himself in Willy Wonka, he was joined by an ensemble of comedians and actors such as Jack Albertson (Grandpa Joe), Leonard Stone (Mr. Beauregarde), Nora Denney (Mrs. Teavee), Ursula Reit (Mrs. Gloop), as well as a reunion with Roy Kinnear (Mr. Salt), who'd made an appearance in Help! as Algernon and How I Won the War as Clapper alongside Lennon. The child actors chosen for the film were Michael Bollner (Augustus Gloop), Julie Dawn Cole (Veruca Salt), Denise Nickerson (Violet Beauregarde), Paris Themmen (Mike Teavee), and Peter Ostrum as the hero, Charlie Bucket.

ROY KINNEAR: "When I heard that Ringo was in the film, I thought to myself, 'That's the third time I've played alongside a Beatle or all of them. I can't seem to get away from them!'" (1983)

JULIE DAWN COLE: "None of us [Michael, Denise, Paris, Peter, herself] had any idea about starring alongside Ringo. Off camera, we were kind of anxious around him and John. Peter, meanwhile, had at least one scene with George and Paul each, meaning he was around all four of them, but individually. I never blamed him, to be honest. The Beatles are and always will be respected musicians." (2001)

RINGO STARR: "All five of them were good kids, even Paris [Themmen] despite the trouble he sometimes caused on set. To break the ice with them, John recited some of his writings from In His Own Write and I played drums as the soundtrack to his ramblings. It all worked out in the end." (Anthology, 1995)

JOHN LENNON: "Ringo might be what many consider cuddly, but he's not so different to me, Paul and George when you get to know him; he can be witty and savvy when he wishes to be. He improvised quite a bit of his dialogue and actions to make himself appear unpredictable. When Ringo [as Wonka] first turns up, he appears to be a cripple, but then he does a quick little dance as he approaches the gates. You never knew if he was lying or being honest." (1981)

Grandpa Joe (Jack Albertson) and Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) during the "I've Got a Golden Ticket" sequence in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, 1971.

The principal photography primarily took place in Munich, Bavaria in West Germany due to production costs, with external shots of Wonka's chocolate factory being filmed at the gasworks of Stadtwerke München. Outside of Bavaria, some comedic scenes related to the Wonka Bar hysteria were filmed, one of them being an English explorer climbing a mountain to ask a guru for the meaning of life and hands him a Wonka Bar. No golden ticket is found, to which the guru remarks, "Life is a disappointment."[1]

Although director Mel Stuart found the scene hilarious, few didn't understand the joke, and even a test screening with a psychologist wasn't any better. Lennon, however, thought the scene was funny as well and insisted that he keep it in the film, to which Stuart did.

13 November 1970

John Lennon, 1970.

As production for Willy Wonka was wrapping up, Lennon soon returned to England to quickly record a track he had called "Instant Karma". Phil Spector was once again in the producer's seat, and George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, and Billy Preston were all in the studio with Lennon. After the recording was done, Lennon wanted to release it as a single, but not under the Beatles banner.

GEORGE HARRISON: "Under Spector's suggestion, we ended up putting both of our albums together and made it a double album; ten songs by John, nine by me, and two by Ringo. Shortly after we did 'Instant Karma', we had a jam session in the studio that made up the third disc, even recovering a jam Ringo did in Nashville back in June. I think we should've stuck to our guns and made two solo albums. I mean, 'My Sweet Lord' and 'God' being on the same album is just plain ridiculous." (1990)

JOHN LENNON: "We called ourselves The Ladders. By then, George and I were just getting fed up with Paul being pushy, telling us what we can and can't do. And we thought, 'Fuck it. We can talk about whatever the hell we want.' Religion, politics, that sort of thing. He was holding us back." (1985)

23-24 November 1970

Linda and Paul McCartney, 1970.

PAUL McCARTNEY: "I was eager to get back into the studio with the lads when I suddenly came across a review for a single under Apple called 'Instant Karma' by The Ladders. I was surprised; I'd never heard of such a group before and thought that they were a group signed onto Apple whilst we did Willy Wonka in Germany. I went to the record store, bought the single and then I played it on my record player. After those two piano chords began playing, I heard what I thought was a voice that sounded like John Lennon. Scratch that; it was John Lennon. I then played the B-side, 'Beware of Darkness' - nice little contrast, by the way - and it was George who was singing it. And Ringo was playing the drums on both tracks and none of them informed me about this. I was indignant, to say the least, and went to complain to them about this the next day." (2007)

GEORGE HARRISON: "Paul called us into a meeting the day after 'Instant Karma' hit the stores demanding for an explanation as to why we released a single under a different banner without his acknowledgement. John and I were anticipating this, and so I was the one who spoke up about our plans. 'Look, Paul,' I said, 'it's nothing personal, but you've been holding me and John back from saying what we want to, and you've given me the short stick. John recognizes my talent as a singer and songwriter, but you've been overlooking that in favor what you and you only want to perform. We've made this record and, well, we're splitting from you. We're not the same people we were in 1962 or even 1969. We're putting the new album out next month and wish you the best. Peace and Hare Krishna.' And then one by one, we all left, leaving Paul alone." (1988)

11 December 1970

The Ladders - Shine On

Released: 11 December 1970

Recorded: 26 May - 13 November 1970

Producer: Phil Spector

Track listing[2]

Side A

Instant Karma
My Sweet Lord
I Found Out
Working Class Hero
I'd Have You Anytime

Side B
I'm a Fool to Care
Love
Look at Me
Behind That Locked Door
Isolation
Isn't It a Pity

Side C

Wah-Wah
Mother
Hold On
Beaucoups of Blues
Apple Scruffs
Awaiting on You All

Side D
Remember
Let It Down
God
All Things Must Pass
It's Johnny's Birthday [hidden track]

Side E

Plug Me In
Nashville

Side F
Baby Please Don't Go
Thanks for the Pepperoni
My Mummy's Dead

The sudden announcement that John, George and Ringo were parting ways with Paul to form a new group had shaken the world of rock and roll to the core when a press release from Apple came out two weeks before the release of The Ladders' Shine On. At the time, it was believed that the Beatles would be splitting up due to creative differences; rumors had circulated as early as 1966 following the "bigger than Jesus" controversy in America, but now they seemed to come true.

GEORGE MARTIN: "It was absolutely heartbreaking when the story came out. I thought I'd never get a chance to work with them ever again. I had tons of great memories working with the lads; I knew that in my mind, regardless if they were Quarrymen, Moondogs or Ladders, they were, and always will be, Beatles." (Anthology, 1995)

George and Pattie Harrison at Friar Park, 1970.

Shine On was released as a triple album, with two discs featuring conventional music and the third being what was dubbed Apple Jam. Despite the hefty price tag, it still managed to reach #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Critical reception was mixed; the detractors commented on the lack of focus and consistency ("God" and "My Sweet Lord" on the same album was a point of contention) and the bad quality of the jam disc. On the other hand, the positive reviews pointed out to the highlights throughout the album.

However one would've thought about the album back then, it was clear that John Lennon and George Harrison were revealing their hidden feelings and personal desires through their music, and had allowed each other to make room for their creativity. Even Ringo had a chance to showcase his love for old jazz standards and country music.

The first single, "Instant Karma", topped the charts in the United Kingdom, keeping the Rolling Stones' "Brown Sugar" from reaching that spot, and reached #3 in the United States. Despite the positive message of the single, its contrasting B-side, "Beware of Darkness", was a warning against allowing illusion to get in the way of one's true purpose. The next single, "My Sweet Lord" with "Well Well Well" as its B-side, would be released in January 1971. The most significant song off of Shine On was "God" with the lyrics "I don't believe in Beatles" and "The dream is over".

The 60s dream was indeed over. It was now the beginning of the less idealistic 70s.

END OF PHASE ONE

Footnotes

1. Such a scene was actually filmed for Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but it has never been released to the public.
2. All of George's tracks are taken from All Things Must Pass; "Isn't It a Pity" is the shorter version known as "Version Two". John's tracks are sourced from John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band with "Mother" being the single edit found on Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon; "Instant Karma" can also be found on Lennon Legend, and "Baby Please Don't Go" is sourced from John Lennon Anthology. "I'm a Fool to Care" is from Sentimental Journey and the title track and "Nashville Jam" are both from Beaucoups of Blues.

Author's Comments

And so we're finally here; the very last chapter to Phase One. It's been a long journey getting to this point, but we're now about to enter the next phase of the Strawberry Peppers universe, which will take us from 1971 to 1976. There, we'll get even more shocking twists in music history, as well as outside culture such as politics, movies and television.

For now, I've a few questions for you all; did you expect some of the twists I made in history? Have you got any favorite albums I've made? What do you think I could've focused on that I didn't? (One idea that I've got is an alternate Self Portrait.) Feel free to leave your comments below so I can take suggestions to enhance the story, as well as make Phase Two possibly better than Phase One. A full timeline will be made available on Google Docs so you can all access it.

Next post will be what I've got planned for Phase Two.

Chapter 19: Time of the Season (July - December 1970)

20 July 1970

Allen Klein, 1969.

Beginning in 1965, the Rolling Stones' full-time manager was Allen Klein, having been brought abroad by Andrew Oldham for re-negotiation concerning the band's contract with Decca Records. With Klein's arrival, the Rolling Stones were now making more money than the Beatles, whom Klein had wanted to sign with RCA back in 1964, but Brian Epstein had shot his offer of $2 million down. Since Apple Corps was firing on all cylinders, there was no reason to bring Klein on board.

Whilst Mick Jagger was studying at the London School of Economics, he had become more weary of Klein's presence, especially with his ability to insert himself as a profit participant in the Rolling Stones' growing financial picture. As a response, the band hired London-based law firm Berger Oliver & Co to look into their finances whilst Jagger hired merchant banker Prince Rupert Loewenstein as his personal financial adviser. When David Bowie came into the picture replacing Brian Jones, and even presented himself as a quality singer/songwriter, Klein had wanted to exploit him as the new poster boy for the Rolling Stones.

MICK JAGGER: "We all liked David when he first came into the band, and exploiting him just for the sake of money seemed wrong. He was a songwriter like myself and Keith, and yet we wanted equal royalties amongst all five of us, regardless as to who wrote what." (1983)

DAVID BOWIE: "There were talks that all albums post-Space Oddity would be credited to Jagger/Richards/Bowie, which would've been fine with me. Charlie and Bill may not be the greatest songwriters, but they are, and always will be, good musicians. At the time, Klein was desperate to try and gain control of Apple, despite that it was doing fine without his presence." (1997)

Mick Jagger, 1970.

Things all came to a head that fateful summer day in 1970 when it came to negotiating a new contract with Decca. The Rolling Stones no longer wished to remain under contract with Decca and fired Klein as their manager, instead replacing him with Loewenstein. Klein was furious with this, and although the full details have not been revealed on what was said, it is clear, however, that there was a big shouting match between Klein and Jagger before the former stormed out of the building and drove away.

But no sooner had Klein begun to drive off, a lorry came from nowhere and ran smack into Klein's car, killing him instantly. Autopsies confirmed that Klein was not wearing a seat belt and had been drinking by the time the argument with Jagger had kicked off. Allen Klein was aged 38.

KEITH RICHARDS: "It had barely been a few hours when we sacked Klein that we got the news about his death. We didn't know what to think; it was a lot of information, but I thought, 'good riddance.' In retrospect, had he lived, we'd have gotten through a shitload of lawsuits with money that he owed us since 1965. But there were now two matters at hand; what was going to become of ABKCO, and where were we going to go?" (2009)[1]

6 November 1970

Imagine being in the shoes of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon. In the last three years, they've challenged the Rolling Stones' position as the bad boys of rock and roll, put out an album with over-the-top sexual innuendo and metaphors, put out another album as a two-weeks-later response to Stones' comeback album, put out a rock opera about a deaf, dumb and blind boy, and just months ago they've put out a live album called Live at Leeds. Basically, if The Who refuses to back down without a fight, what can they do next?

The answer: whatever the fuck they want.

The Who - 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage

Released: 6 November 1970

Recorded: 1969, January - October 1970

Producer: Kit Lambert, The Who

Track listing[2]

Side A

The Seeker
Water
Heaven and Hell
Naked Eye
Here for More

Side B
I Don't Even Know Myself
Sally Simpson
Trying to Get Through
Postcard
Now I'm a Farmer

PETE TOWNSHEND: "We put out 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage as a joke to our fans and critics. After something as serious and ambitious like Tommy, we thought, 'why not go the opposite direction just for the hell of it?' Some people didn't really get the joke at the time, but it was a nice little transition from Tommy to Lifehouse." (1999)

The main single from 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Side Garage, "The Seeker", was released back in March and reached #19 in the United Kingdom whilst it topped at #44 in the United States. At the time, Pete Townshend wanted to see if he could make an album even better than Tommy, and so he had the idea of the next concept album being set in a dystopian future where people lived in a virtual reality known as the Lifehouse. To people of the internet, this could easily be understood, but in 1970, it was a foreign concept, almost alien.

The Who performing live in Paris, 1970.

But there wasn't the time to fully realize Townshend's concept, so for the time being, like they did with Magic Bus, they would put out an album of self-contained tracks that weren't connected to any concept whatsoever. Among the tracks were two outtakes from Tommy, "Sally Simpson" and "Trying to Get Through"; the former was cut due to time constraints and the latter was cut as it didn't work in the main story.

Apart from re-purposing older tracks for album release, newer songs were written up including "Naked Eye", formed out of a live jam when they played "My Generation" live, "I Don't Even Know Myself", "Now I'm a Farmer", and John Entwistle's "Heaven and Hell" and "Postcard". The final track listing for 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage totaled up to ten tracks running at almost 39 minutes, both sides at roughly equal length.

Despite being seen as a step down from Tommy in terms of ambition, the general consensus was that 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage showcased some of the best music The Who had ever put down to record, just hitting #10 in the United Kingdom and reaching #15 in the United States. Many people were now looking forward to hearing what they had next to offer, some wondering how their rivals were taking it.

4 December 1970

The Rolling Stones - The Men Who Sold the World

Released: 4 December 1970

Recorded: 2 December 1969 - October 1970

Producer: Jimmy Miller

Track listing[3]

Side A

The Width of a Circle
Brown Sugar
All the Madmen
Wild Horses

Side B
Can't You Hear Me Knocking
Black Country Rock
I Got the Blues
The Man Who Sold the World
Moonlight Mile

CHARLIE WATTS: "After Klein's death after we sacked him, we were in a tight situation. We had planned to form our own label like the Beatles had under Atlantic Records, but Loewenstein suggested that we sign up to Apple instead. Mick and Keith felt a bit dodgy about performing under our longtime rivals, but David was in favor of the idea, as was I. Bill was indifferent." (2006)

Whilst negotiations were made in transferring labels, the Rolling Stones held their European Tour and brought in a horn section, including Bobby Keys, when performing songs that required them. The band would make first time appearances in cities such as Helsinki in Finland, Stuttgart in Germany, and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. It was during the tour that Jagger would be introduced to his future wife Bianca Rose Perez Moreno de Macias in Paris, who then followed the group for the remainder of the tour.

As the tour was taking place, Decca Records released Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert, featuring the band's best performances in Baltimore and New York City shortly before the release of Space Oddity. It is noteworthy for being the first live album to reach #1 in the United Kingdom, and some speculate that it was a response to the bootleg Live'r Than You'll Ever Be, but Jagger claims that it was also a response to The Who's Live at Leeds from May.

David Bowie, 1970.

Once the tour had completed, the Rolling Stones were back in the studio to finish up their final album under the Decca banner with "Moonlight Mile", "The Width of a Circle" and "Black Country Rock". The resulting album was The Men Who Sold the World.

DAVID BOWIE: "I'm quite fond of The Men Who Sold the World. It showed off some of our greatest strengths after the Klein debacle, and it ended our time with Decca on a sort of amicable note before we moved to Apple. 'Brown Sugar' remains a personal favorite of mine from Mick and Keith." (2013)

The album reached #5 and #4 in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively, and the lead single preceding the album, Jagger and Richards' "Brown Sugar" with Bowie's "Black Country Rock", topped the charts in the United States whilst it kept off of the top by Freda Payne's "Band of Gold". The Men Who Sold the World was met with good reviews upon release, with Melody Maker's review saying that it had more coherence than 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage, to which Pete Townshend had not taken kindly to when the Rolling Stones' album came out, fueling his desire to make Lifehouse as The Who's magnum opus.

All in all, a new chapter was just beginning for the Rolling Stones...

Footnotes

1. After Allen Klein was fired by the Rolling Stones, there were years of litigation between both parties over American publishing rights and their discography up to Exile on Main Street fell under ownership of ABKCO until Klein's death in 2009 in OTL.
2. "The Seeker" is sourced from Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy, "I Don't Even Know Myself" is from the 1995 reissue of Who's Next, and "Sally Simpson" and "Trying to Get Through" are from the 2003 reissue of Tommy. All remaining songs are either from Odds & Sods or Who's Missing.
3. Tracks are sourced from Sticky Fingers and David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World.

Author's Comments

Wow, we've almost come to the end of Phase One, and it seems like yesterday when I first posted the first chapter! As of this chapter, I've created 40 albums with music ranging from 1966 to 1970; 36 studio albums, three compilation albums (one being from 2008 with music from 1968-1969), and one album that is completely fictional (The Beatles' Tribute to Brian Wilson). That's quite a lot of albums to take in, especially within nineteen chapters.

Right now, the rivalry between the Rolling Stones and the Who is really heating up; the Monkees have fallen apart and lost the battle, and others (whilst not mentioned very much) just couldn't beat the Stones at their game. Allen Klein being killed earlier was an idea I had when it came to developing the Rolling Stones' portion of the story; without Klein taking control of the Stones' early music or of Apple Corps (another idea I had from the get-go), the Stones and the Beatles don't have to go through all the financial and litigation bullshit they did with Klein in OTL. It's also another reason I spared Jimi Hendrix. Whether that's a good thing or not will be a matter of personal opinion, of course.

Album cover for 7ft. Wide Car, 6ft. Wide Garage was made by The Reconstructor on his own blog.

Chapter 18: I Heard It Through the Grapevine (January - October 1970)

January 1 - March 30, 1970

With the death of Brian Wilson during the production of what would ultimately become Smile, the Beach Boys had come to a premature end. Mike Love had taken on Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and was now studying to become a teacher of TM, but unlike many of his musical peers during that time, he had no interest in continuing with music. Brian's younger brothers, however, were.

Dennis Wilson, 1970.

Despite that he had been the drummer for the Beach Boys, Dennis was still a solid singer and songwriter, even taking up a few production gigs in the United States despite only being twenty-four.

DENNIS WILSON: "Brian's death must've sparked something creative in me, probably helped by taking Transcendental Meditation along with the others. Of course, my real creative talent didn't shine until mid-1969, where I must've come up with nearly an album's worth of material. But I didn't want to record it all alone. I spoke this out with Carl, and then we called up Al [Jardine] and Bruce [Johnston] to see if they were interested." (2004)

CARL WILSON: "Al and Bruce were reluctant to bring back the Beach Boys into the music scene. Their reasoning was perfectly understandable; Brian was dead, and Mike was disillusioned with music. Without either of them, there were no Beach Boys. Dennis had anticipated this rejection. He said, 'No, no, we're not bringing the Beach Boys back. We're going to be a new group; the Passions or something like that.'" (1983)

AL JARDINE: "Dennis was very persuasive, but eventually, Bruce and I caved in and agreed. He promised that he wouldn't go nuts during production, and had even stopped taking drugs and alcohol following Brian's episodes whilst making Smile. But I still maintained caution. Just in case." (2011)

The re-vamped Beach Boys, now known as the Passions, entered the studio on New Years' Day 1970, and the first recording they did was a rendition of the traditional Scottish poem "Auld Lang Syne" with Dennis leading the group on piano. Carl then took the guitar, Al the bass, Bruce the keyboards and Dennis his drumkit to also get a feel for themselves by performing older songs such as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Johnny B. Goode" before delving into some of Dennis' new songs like "Be With Me" and "Slip on Through".

BRUCE JOHNSTON: "The sessions were relatively smooth, and soon, even Al and I got into the swing of things by contributing our own songs and helping Dennis and Carl with their own. Sometimes, we'd ask Brian or Mike if they had any ideas, only to realize that they weren't there. But Dennis and Carl would assure us that they were with us in spirit. It helped us get by in the studio." (1992)

The sessions for the Passions' first album lasted three months with Dennis as the producer. Recorded in secret, the public did not know about the remaining former Beach Boys' newest project until they made a surprise appearance at Finsbury Park Astoria in London on 24 May.[1] The performance included not only older Beach Boys songs, but also a few new songs from the Passions' new album. The show was met with mildly positive reception, and whilst some performances were a bit sloppy, it was fun overall and gave some much-needed hype for the album.

July 24, 1970

The Passions - Sunflower

Released: July 24, 1970

Recorded: January 1 - March 30, 1970

Producer: Dennis Wilson

Track listing[2]

Side A

Tears in the Morning
Be With Me
All I Want to Do
Our Sweet Love
Got to Know the Woman
The Nearest Faraway Place

Side B
Slip on Through
Cotton Fields
Never Learn Not to Love
Forever
It's About Time
Celebrate the News

The Passions' debut album Sunflower was released on Reprise Records and was met to positive reception. It reached #3 in the United Kingdom and topped at #29 in the United States. Special praise was given to Dennis Wilson's songwriting, vocal performances and production, being cited as "the hero the Beach Boys needed when Brian lost his self-control during the making of Smile."

Some critics have taken the album to be something of a concept; the track listing implied that it was about a man who had recently lost his old lover and eventually moved on to find a new one, even asking her to marry him at the end. Others believed it was something of an allegory for Dennis' old band falling apart ("Tears in the Morning") before bringing it back together again following Brian's death ("Be With Me", "All I Want to Do") and even saving his bandmates from forever fading into obscurity ("Never Learn Not to Love", "Forever", "Celebrate the News").

DENNIS WILSON: "Such a concept that it was about myself rebooting the Beach Boys as the Passions was completely unintended for Sunflower. I just write songs and sing them like any other self-respecting artist would. That's all." (1977)

2 October 1970

The Yardbirds - Fight the Horde

Released: 2 October 1970

Recorded: November 1969 - August 1970

Producer: Jimmy Page

Track listing[3]

Side A

Immigrant Song
Friends
Celebration Day
Since I've Been Loving You
Out on the Tiles

Side B
Gallows Pole
Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
That's the Way
Bron-Y-Aur
Poor Tom
Hats Off to (Roy) Harper

The third album under the Page/Plant era of the Yardbirds, and the eighth overall, was more eclectic than any other album in their discography that came before it, including folk-sounding tracks alongside their hard blues rock tunes. Much of the album was recorded at Bron-Yr-Aur in Wales, which inspired the title to one of the tracks on side B. This change in sound was surprising to many fans and critics, but that didn't stop Fight the Horde from reaching number one on both sides of the Atlantic.

The title Fight the Horde came from the lyrics of the opening track, "Immigrant Song", which was later released as a single with the acoustic "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" as its contrasting B-side. It  was inspired by a brief tour in Iceland from June and would later become an early example of Viking metal, influencing the likes of Swedish rock artists Heavy Load, Yngwie Malmsteen and Bathory.

Still, a particularly scathing review from Rolling Stone had angered Jimmy Page so much that he would not give press interviews for at least eighteen months. Despite that, reception towards Fight the Horde was kinder than it had been towards Going Down Like a Lead Zeppelin and Whole Lotta Love (despite the latter's title track being universally praised), but although it peaked the charts in the United Kingdom, another album by another band would as well...

Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother

Released: 2 October 1970

Recorded: March - August 1970

Producer: Pink Floyd, Norman Smith, Ron Geesin

Track listing[4]

Side A

Atom Heart Mother

Side B
Point Me at the Sky
If
Summer '68
Dark Globe
Fat Old Sun
Ibizia Bar

DAVID GILMOUR: "When both Fight the Horde and Atom Heart Mother came out the same day [2 October 1970], people thought we were trying to compete with the Yardbirds, but really, we were each doing our own thing at the time. Jimmy and co had theirs, and we had ours. In fairness, they did put out more effort into their songwriting than we did at the time." (1981)

JIMMY PAGE: "I thought Atom Heart Mother had its own merits. I mean, that opening suite is some of the best music Roger and his mates had ever put together. They're really good with long instrumental suites; we could never try to match that!" (1977)

Pink Floyd had not released a new album in over a year following the release of The Man & The Journey, although, to be fair, it was practically two albums packaged together. To fill the gap, the band contributed some music to Michelangelo Antonioni's Zabriskie Point with pre-Man/Journey tracks as well as a new song called "Cirrus Minor".

With the working title Themes from an Imaginary Western, Ron Geesin was brought in as a co-producer, having recently worked with Roger Waters and the other members of Pink Floyd for the soundtrack to a documentary film called The Body.

Roger Waters performing with Pink Floyd, 1970.

The cover art for Atom Heart Mother consisted of a cow in a field with no text indicating that it was a Pink Floyd album. Syd Barrett would give it the nickname of "The Cow Album", in reference to Beatles '68 sometimes being referred to as "The White Album" due to its white background. Critical reaction towards the album was mixed, and all members of Pink Floyd (including Syd Barrett) had spoken negatively about Atom Heart Mother since its release, with David Gilmour commenting that they became more prolific after its release.

ROGER WATERS: "If somebody said to me now – right – here's a million pounds, go out and play Atom Heart Mother, I'd say you must be fucking joking." (1984)

Footnotes

1. The Beach Boys' performance at Finsbury Park Astoria took place in 1968.
2. Tracks are sourced from Sunflower and the 2001 reissue of 20/20.
3. Tracks are sourced from Led Zeppelin III excluding "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" and "Poor Tom" from the 1993/2008 reissue of Coda, and "Bron-Y-Aur" from Physical Graffiti. All three tracks were recorded during the sessions for LZ3 but not included, although "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" was released as the B-side to "Immigrant Song".
4. All of Atom Heart Mother is used excluding "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". "Point Me at the Sky" is from The Early Singles, "Dark Globe" is from Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, and "Ibizia Bar" is sourced from More.

Author's Comments

Another fairly short chapter here. The Beach Boys have risen like a phoenix from the ashes, Syd Barrett's still part of Pink Floyd, and the Yardbirds are carrying on like normal. Nothing much to say here.

Album cover for Sunflower designed by Loulou.

Chapter 17: That's the Way God Planned It (March - September 1970)

30 March 1970

The cover for Ginger Baker's Air Force self-titled album, released March 1970.

It's always the small things that kept a band from staying together. By the end of Cream's latest tour for Blind Faith, Ginger Baker had stepped down as drummer and brought Steve Winwood with him to form Ginger Baker's Air Force, a jazz-rock fusion supergroup that included members such as Denny Laine, Alan White, Ric Grech, and Harold McNair. Their first album was released at the end of March in 1970, a recording of their live performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 15 January. It was a moderate success, reaching the Top 40 in both America and Great Britain, but its sole single, "Man of Constant Sorrow", only hit #86 in the latter country.

GINGER BAKER: "I was feeling a bit fed up by the end of the 60s. Despite that Steve Winwood gave Cream a more fresh sound when we did Blind Faith, I wanted out. I wanted to expand my horizons and felt that being with Eric and Jack was holding me back. Understandably, they were disappointed with my decision, but they supported me and we still kept in touch." (2009)

With only Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce left in Cream, it would've been the end of the supergroup for real, except that once again, they still had help from friends in high places.

Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton and George Harrison, 1970.

One of Cream's opening acts was Delaney & Bonnie, a rock/soul musical duo formed by the Bramletts and one of George Harrison's signings onto Apple Records. Clapton was particularly chummy with the married couple as he was a fan of their soulful, folksy-sounding blues roots and even spent time with them off-stage and even sat in on their opening sets. It even got to the point he wanted them to be the tour's headliners.

DELANEY BRAMLETT: "After Ginger left Cream, Eric called me up and asked if Delaney & Bonnie would be willing to play with them for their next album. I was willing to play with them, as well as help to produce the album. Heck, Jim Gordon offered to be their new drummer despite being committed to D&B, and Bobby [Whitlock] and Leon [Russell] also volunteered to play. Even Stephen Stills played on a few songs whilst he, [David] Crosby and [Graham] Nash recorded with Neil Young. *chuckles* Small world." (1995)

ERIC CLAPTON: "The recording for Let It Rain began back in November of 1969, and lasted four months. Jack was feeling pretty overwhelmed by the amount of company we had. He was even a bit cross that I got more vocal spots than he did, even though I thought we contributed just as much as the other." (2005)

15 May 1970

Cream - Let It Rain

Released: 15 May 1970

Recorded: November 1969 - March 1970

Producer: Delaney Bramlett

Track listing[1]

Side A

Slunky
Bad Boy
Tickets to Water Falls
Easy Now
To Isengard

Side B
Bottle of Red Wine
The Ministry of Bag
He the Richmond
Don't Know Why
Let It Rain

Cream's fifth album was preceded by the non-album single, a cover of J. J. Cale's "After Midnight" with Bruce's original "Rope Ladder to the Moon" as the B-side. The single topped at #18 in the United States but did not chart in the United Kingdom. Cream's rendition was faster-paced compared to Cale's slower tempo version. Cale was surprised to hear Cream's version become a big radio hit, believing he had fallen into obscurity by this point; he would later admit years later that his music was more famous than he himself.

Let It Rain was released to generally positive reception. Although it paled in comparison to last year's Blind Faith, not helped by the absence of founding member Ginger Baker, it was still a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and even got praise for the mixture of variety in the music, showcasing some of Clapton's musical personality. Although ten tracks were chosen for the final album, there were a lot more tracks featuring Clapton's voice that would end up being released as bonus tracks for future releases, including the "After Midnight" single.

June 19, 1970

The Monkees - Changes

Released: June 19, 1970

Recorded: October 28, 1966 - November 11, 1969, February 5 - April 2, 1970

Producer: The Monkees, Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart, Bill Chadwick, Jeff Barry

Track listing[2]

Side A

Oh My My
Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)
You're So Good to Me
It's Got to Be Love
How Insensitive
Acapulco Sun
Time and Time Again

Side B
Angel Band
Tell Me Love
Do You Feel It Too?
Some of Shelly's Blues
All Alone in the Dark
I Never Thought it Peculiar
Little Red Rider

The Monkees' eighth album, Changes, was their last with Michael Nesmith for seventeen years. The reason for his departure from the group was because he wanted to continue recording with his own country-rock group, Michael Nesmith & The First National Band. The band's first album, Magnetic South, was due out in June, the same month that the Monkees' Changes would be released; it even included new versions of four songs Nesmith and written and sung for the Monkees. The album charted at #143 on Billboard's Top 200, though the "Joanne"/"One Rose" single reached #21.

MICKY DOLENZ: "It was just sad, looking back. Mike was no longer interested in being a Monkee, Pete was essentially AWOL, and Davy and I were just tired. Monkeemania had long since worn off. Changes and Mike's solo album Magnetic South proved to be the death knell for the Monkees." (2006)

Changes peaked at #152, the Monkees lowest chart position for any of their albums, and critical reception was of indifference at best. But despite that, the Monkees still had to put out one more album in order to fulfill their contract, and so Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones went through the archives to compile an album with previously unreleased recordings ranging from their self-titled album in 1966 all the way up to unused recordings from Changes. The only new songs recorded for it were "Do It in the Name of Love" and "Lady Jane", recorded only by Dolenz and Jones that September.

The resulting album, Instant Replay, served as a showcase as to how far the Monkees' music had gone in a short period, and it was also a gentle goodbye to their fans. When it finally came out in April 1971, the Monkees were no more.

September 4, 1970

Jimi Hendrix - The Cry of Love

Released: September 4, 1970

Recorded: March 1968 - August 1970

Producer: Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Kramer

Track listing[3]

Side A

Dolly Dagger
Night Bird Flying
Room Full of Mirrors
Drifter's Escape
Belly Button Window
Freedom

Side B
Earth Blues
Ezy Ryder
Astro Man
Straight Ahead
In From the Storm

Ever since his last release, Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix had been working on and off again on his fourth album, a comeback he had planned to call First Rays of the New Rising Sun.[4] The initial sessions for the album had stretched as far back as March 1968, during the sessions for Electric Ladyland, all the way up to August 1970 with newer songs such as "Dolly Dagger", "Freedom", "Ezy Ryder", and "Night Bird Flying". Hendrix had initially planned for the album to be a double, but producer Eddie Kramer suggested that it would be better to release a single album instead, and work on some of the cut tracks for a later release. Surprisingly, Hendrix heeded the producer's advice.

The Cry of Love was released September 4, 1970, almost two years after Hendrix's last album. It reached #3 in the United States but was kept out of the #1 spot in the United Kingdom by the Beatles' Everest. Critics and fans saw this release as a return to form for Hendrix following what was perceived at the time as a two-year hibernation. How the album managed to reach these heights despite the artist being absent on the music scene for a long time was not without a frightening experience...

18 September 1970

Jimi Hendrix, the day before his near-death experience, 17 September 1970.

JIMI HENDRIX: "I was in London with Monkia [Dannemann], and I'll admit the details of what we did around London were a bit of a blur. Lots drinking and talking to friends, and all that. But when she and I got home very early in the morning, I took on some sleeping pills and was soon asleep in bed. Next thing I knew, it was a few hours later, Monika had left to buy cigarettes, and I found myself vomiting onto the floor. That was when Monika realized something was wrong with me and quickly called the hospital. Doctors said that I had almost choked on my own vomit, and that if I hadn't woken up, I'd have choked to death." (2005)

Hendrix was soon discharged from St. Mary Abotts hospital a few days after his near-death. September 18, 1970 would be remembered as a day of "what could've been", and the 22nd would be remembered as a day of relief when Hendrix re-emerged from hospital and returned to the United States, with girlfriend Monkia Dannemann around his arm.

Following this scare, Hendrix would get back into the music scene for his next project, Black Gold, which was released at the end of 1971, being hailed as his greatest work. He would soon marry his girlfriend Monkia in mid-1972, and together they had three children before breaking up in 1996. Hendrix would continue releasing new music during the 1970s and 1980s, and every once in a while, he would turn up at a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame or Grammy ceremony. He eventually retired from the music scene at the end of the 2000s, and died from lung cancer on July 20, 2011. Jimi Hendrix was aged 68.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Eric Clapton's 1970 self-titled album and Jack Bruce's Songs for a Tailor.
2. Micky and Davy's tracks are sourced from the 1994 reissue of Changes, and Michael's tracks are sourced from Missing Links Vol. 3 excluding "Some of Shelly's Blues", sourced from Vol. 2.
3. Tracks are sourced from Rainbow Bridge and The Cry of Love, excluding "Drifter's Escape" from South Saturn Delta, "Earth Blues" from disc four of The Jimi Hendrix Experience box set, and "In From the Storm" from West Coast Seattle Boy.
4. This was indeed the title Jimi Hendrix had planned for his follow-up to Electric Ladyland.

Author's Comments

This chapter's a bit shorter than some of the previous ones, but I don't think that's really a bad thing now, is it? The Monkees have split up much like OTL, except Michael stayed a bit longer; things will carry on much as they did, though we will come across one of the Monkees at some point again in the future.

But perhaps one of the biggest deviations from this timeline is the survival of Jimi Hendrix. Admittedly, there wasn't really a lot for me to work with as I'm not 100% sure what he would have done had he survived, but I did write up a brief summary as to what he did following his near death, including the release of Black Gold. I like how his story turned out, but I'm not necessarily the biggest fan of it. What would y'all do differently? I'd like to hear suggestions!

Speaking of which, what are the surviving Beach Boys up to? Next chapter will reveal all!