Well, when I said back in June 2023 that the Beatles' discography for Strawberry Peppers: The Second Coming was finalized, little did I realize that it just wouldn't stick to how I wanted it to be. At least, having the group last up to 1976 with sporadic reunions here and there. But now, and taking inspiration from The Fingerprints of Epstein on Alternate History, I've decided that the Beatles will last up to 2002, with a recording career spanning across five decades. Everything up until 1975's Rock Show will remain the same from this post, as well as Beatles at the Speed of Sight.
First up, a revised track listing for Roots: The Beatles Sing the Great Rock & Roll Hits...
Roots: The Beatles Sing the Great Rock & Roll Hits (January 30, 1976)
Side A (24:14)
1. Be-Bop-a-Lula - 2:39 (Rock 'n' Roll)
2. Twenty Flight Rock - 3:03 (Choba B CCCP)
3. Tight A$ - 3:37 (Mind Games)
4. Ain't That a Shame - 3:43 (Choba B CCCP)
5. You Can't Catch Me - 4:03 (Rock 'n' Roll)
6. Pure Smokey - 3:56 (Thirty-Three & ⅓)
7. Lucille - 3:13 (Choba B CCCP)
Side B (23:54)
8. Stand by Me - 3:26 (Rock 'n' Roll)
9. Bye Bye, Love - 4:08 (Dark Horse)
10. Call Me Back Again - 4:18 (Venus and Mars)
11. Only You (and You Alone) - 3:26 (Goodnight Vienna)
12. Ya Ya - 2:17 (Rock 'n' Roll)
13. Brown Eyed Handsome Man - 2:27 (Run Devil Run)
14. Got My Mind Set on You - 3:52 (Cloud Nine)
The story for the album is very much the same as it was in the post I linked; the big difference here is that "Got My Mind Set on You" is the leading single off of the album instead of "You're Sixteen", and "Ain't That a Shame" is now an album track. The Beatles still perform on Saturday Night Live, but this time, after the performance, they decide to record Beatles at the Speed of Sight before taking an indefinite hiatus, leaving the members free to pursue their own personal interests. John Lennon becomes a househusband taking care of his son Freddie with his new wife Madeline Kahn; George Harrison pursues gardening, racing and filmmaking, even releasing a solo album in 1979; Ringo Starr continues to act in movies and record an album or two; and Paul McCartney releases four albums, one with Brian Wilson, two with his backing group Wings, and one completely solo.
The Beatles would reunite three times over in 1979 - for Eric Clapton's wedding with Pattie Boyd, George's ex-wife, for a standalone Christmas single, and for the Concert for Kampuchea on December 29, in which they were the final act, ending the 1970s on a high note. (Of course, 1976 still gets a bit of a rap as "the death of the 60s", in which the Who's Keith Moon died of a drug induced heart attack and the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards is killed in a car crash while under cocaine and LSD.)
Side A (21:52)
1. My Bonnie - 2:08 (Anthology 1)
2. Ain't She Sweet - 2:13 (Anthology 1)
3. Love Me Do (Original Recording) - 2:32 (Anthology 1)
4. How Do You Do It? - 1:57 (Anthology 1)
5. Komm, gib mir deine Hand - 2:27 (Past Masters)
6. Sie liebt dich - 2:20 (Past Masters)
7. Yes It Is - 2:43 (Past Masters)
8. Tell Me What You See - 2:37 (Help!)
9. 12-Bar Original - 2:55 (Anthology 2)
Side B (21:22)
10. Tomorrow Never Knows (Take 1) - 3:32 (Revolver: Special Edition)
11. Paperback Writer - 2:19 (Past Masters)
12. Rain - 3:02 (Past Masters)
13. And Your Bird Can Sing (Take 2) - 2:14 (Revolver: Special Edition)
14. Strawberry Fields Forever (Take 1) - 2:39 (Sgt. Pepper: 50th Anniversary Edition)
15. Christmas Time is Here Again - 3:02 (Free as a Bird single)
16. Flying - 2:16 (Magical Mystery Tour)
17. Lady Madonna - 2:18 (Past Masters)
Side C (24:33)
18. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (Acoustic) - 3:22 (Love)
19. Hey Jude - 7:08 (Past Masters)
20. Revolution - 3:25 (Past Masters)
21. Something - 3:02 (Abbey Road)
22. Give Peace a Chance - 4:54 (Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes)
23. Come and Get It (Demo) - 2:42 (Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary Edition)
Side D (25:39)
24. The Long and Winding Road - 3:34 (Let It Be… Naked)
25. Cold Turkey - 5:01 (Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes)
26. Bangla Desh - 3:57 (Living in the Material World)
27. Live and Let Die - 3:12 (Red Rose Speedway)
28. One More Kiss - 2:28 (Red Rose Speedway)
29. Ding Dong, Ding Dong - 3:40 (Dark Horse)
30. Wonderful Christmastime - 3:47 (McCartney II)
For this new scenario, Rock 'n' Roll Music is released on March 6, 1978, and Give Us a Kiss Vol. 1 & 2 (the new name for Past Masters) is released on November 16, 1979 in conjunction with the new Christmas single "Wonderful Christmastime". This therefore leaves Live at the Hollywood Bowl as the major album release for 1977. The new title is derived from a quote from A Hard Day's Night in which John makes a sarcastic remark to a stuffy old man on the train, and the Vol. 1 & 2 portion comes from the fact that the album is basically split into two periods - pre-Apple (1961 to February 1968) and Apple (August 1968 to 1979). Across two decades, the Beatles had recorded and released over 350 songs spread out across 24 albums, but they were far from finished as a new decade dawned...
Side A (24:18)
1. (Just Like) Starting Over - 3:56 (Double Fantasy)
2. Take It Away - 4:05 (Tug of War)
3. Here Comes the Moon - 4:09 (George Harrison)
4. Keep Under Cover - 3:05 (Pipes of Peace)
5. I Don't Wanna Face It - 3:22 (Milk and Honey)
6. You Can't Fight Lightning - 5:41 (Stop and Smell the Roses)
Side B (23:06)
7. Blow Away - 4:00 (George Harrison)
8. One of the Boys - 3:34 (Estefy Lennon)
9. Ballroom Dancing - 4:07 (Tug of War)
10. Woman - 3:32 (Double Fantasy)
11. Flying Hour - 4:04 (Somewhere in England)
12. Wanderlust - 3:49 (Tug of War)
John Lennon felt inspired to make new music following a trip to Bermuda, even recording some demos, but then decided that he couldn't do it alone. A visit from Paul McCartney, also having a batch of demos of his own, sparked the possibility of the first Beatles album since 1976, and upon bringing George Harrison and Ringo Starr (who was due to star in Caveman and engaged to his new girlfriend Barbara Bach), the four men were back together in the studio with George Martin in the producer's chair once again. The sessions were so fruitful that, at one point, it was even suggested to put out a double album, before it was ultimately decided that a single album would be better for commercial purposes, with the remaining tracks being held off for a follow-up release.
The resultant album, Skywriting by Word of Mouth, was a huge success, reaching #1 in many countries, as did the three singles "Take It Away", "Woman" and "Blow Away". In fact, even while it was unsure how the album would fare, a reunion tour had been put in place for the rest of 1981 and into 1982. Long and short, Skywriting was a huge deal, receiving many positive reviews from fans and critics. However, later reception towards the album would cool off, noting that it was a success off the heels of the Beatles reuniting.
During the Beatles Skywriting Tour, the four members would bring their families with them, with Julian Lennon even joining his father and hanging out with the other Beatles kids. It was also during that happy time that Madeline Kahn, John's wife, would give birth to a baby girl, Alice Paula Lennon, on February 6, 1982. After the tour would come to a close, the Beatles would take some time off before returning to the studio to finish up their work on the follow-up to Skywriting by Word of Mouth. But could it really live up to the hype, and did the Beatles have a place in music in the 1980s?
Side A (21:18)
1. Tug of War - 4:22 (Tug of War)
2. Tears of the World - 4:00 (Thirty-Three & ⅓)
3. She's a Friend of Dorothy - 3:56 (Estefy Lennon)
4. Not Such a Bad Boy - 3:19 (Give My Regards to Broad Street)
5. Wrack My Brain - 2:21 (Stop and Smell the Roses)
6. So Bad - 3:20 (Pipes of Peace)
Side B (22:16)
7. Dream Away - 4:29 (Gone Troppo)
8. Cleanup Time - 2:58 (Double Fantasy)
9. The Pound is Sinking - 2:54 (Tug of War)
10. Life Itself - 4:25 (Somewhere in England)
11. Pipes of Peace - 3:56 (Pipes of Peace)
12. Nobody Told Me - 3:34 (Milk and Honey)
The first song out of War and Peace to be released to the world was George's "Dream Away", which ended up on Time Bandits, released under Apple Films in 1981. It would be a couple of years before it was actually included on an album. Among the new songs recorded for War and Peace were Paul's "Not Such a Bad Boy", "So Bad" and "Pipes of Peace", and John's "She's a Friend of Dorothy" and "Beautiful Child (Darling Children)", the latter of which was a song written for John's newborn daughter Alice, although it wouldn't make the final track listing. Retrospectively, many felt that "Beautiful Child" would've been a better fit for War and Peace instead of "So Bad"; even Paul himself shared that sentiment, calling "Beautiful Child" one of his favorites from John.
During the new sessions, the Beatles would find themselves collaborating with Michael Jackson for a one-off single release, "Say Say Say" backed with "The Man", both co-written with Paul, who ended up co-singing the A-side. The B-side, after tweaking some lyrics, would be sung between John and Michael. The single wound up becoming a #1 hit in the United States.
War and Peace was intended to be released in time for the Christmas market, but due to extra work being needed, the release date was held back to February 4, 1983, with the first single being John's "Nobody Told Me". The second single was "Wrack My Brain", written by George and sung by Ringo, but while both singles made the Top 10, neither hit #1. However, in the United Kingdom, "Pipes of Peace" hit #1, with a music video being depicting the 1914 Christmas truce between British and German troops, in which the Beatles each play soldiers on the battlefield and Paul (playing a British soldier) and John (playing a German soldier) accidentally swap pictures of loved ones at the end.
Overall, War and Peace got mixed reviews compared to Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and despite reaching #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, its staying power wasn't as strong. And with this marking twenty years since the release of Please Please Me, coupled with many in the music press calling the Beatles "ancient" compared to the likes of Prince, Madonna and, ironically, Michael Jackson, that was adding insult to injury. No tour was done for War and Peace as the Beatles wanted to focus on other things.
Paul was the most active out of the Beatles, completing a long-term passion project of his own since 1970, Rupert and the Frog Song, accompanied by a song he'd recorded just before the Skywriting sessions, "We All Stand Together". Also in 1984, he would release his sixth solo album Give My Regards to Broad Street, and two years later, he would put out Press to Play. John and George each put out a solo album in 1985 - Menlove Ave. and Somewhere in England, respectively.
Ringo was the only one to not release an album during that period; instead, he would act as the narrator for Apple Television's Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, and would stay in that role for three seasons, being released in 1984, 1986 and 1989, respectively. The show would catch the interest of Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets and founder of Henson International Television, who offered for his company to serve as distributor of Thomas for international markets. This resulted in several collaborations between Henson and Apple Corps, among the first being Labyrinth, starring David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, and a film adaptation of Little Shop of Horrors directed by Henson's close friend Frank Oz. By the 1990s, the Muppets would become a part of the Apple family.
But the Beatles' crowning moment between 1983 and 1986 was unquestionably Live Aid in 1985, in which they performed to provide famine relief in Ethiopia, serving as the final act of the London show. Their setlist comprised of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "Come Together", "Here Comes the Sun", "Yesterday", "Imagine", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and "The End", before joining the rest of Band Aid for "Do They Know It's Christmas?". Although Apple stablemates Queen were considered the show stealers, many agreed that the Beatles still put on a worthy performance that could compete with Queen. That same year, the Beatles had recorded "Save the World", written by George, for Greenpeace - The Album.
Side A (23:03)
1. Circles (Introduction) - 2:37 (Gone Troppo)
2. Return to Pepperland - 4:57 (Return to Pepperland)
3. When We Was Fab - 3:57 (Cloud Nine)
4. I'm Stepping Out - 4:02 (Milk and Honey)
5. This One - 4:10 (Flowers in the Dirt)
6. Attention - 3:20 (Stop and Smell the Roses)
Side B (22:12)
7. Breath Away from Heaven - 3:36 (Cloud Nine)
8. Watching the Wheels - 3:31 (Double Fantasy)
9. This is Love - 3:48 (Cloud Nine)
10. Only Love Remains - 4:13 (Press to Play)
11. Wreck of the Hesperus - 3:31 (Cloud Nine)
12. Help Me to Help Myself - 3:33 (Estefy Lennon)
With 1987 set to mark twenty years since the release of both Merseyside and Magical Mystery Tour, the Beatles felt it was time to put out another album. Marking a big change in their sound was the arrival of Electric Light Orchestra frontman Jeff Lynne in the producer's seat, which would lead to many collaborations with George. In fact, Return to Pepperland was very much George dominant, with Paul and John each having secondary roles with the former even providing "Attention" for Ringo to sing. The production of the album would recall that of the 1960s while also sticking to the (then) present of 1987, and yet, despite this mishmash of sounds, Return to Pepperland would go on to be a huge success for the Beatles, with some even calling it their best album since 1974's Band on the Run.
The Beatles Pepperland Tour would have its legs spread out across 1987 to 1989, to allow room for the members to put out solo projects, with a live album eventually being released in 1990 as Tripping the Live Fab. Among those solo projects was the Traveling Wilburys, in which George and Jeff would record material with Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison, the latter of whom had signed onto Apple as part of a comeback. The group had formed in 1986 with their first album, Trembling Wilburys, being released in 1987. Their follow-up, Handle with Care, showed that the supergroup had perfected their craft, but it wouldn't last long due to Orbison's death in 1988. 1989 would see the release of Under the Red Sky, dedicated to his memory, and the next two albums, Inside Out and Runaway Train weren't as well received, eventually leading to the Wilburys' split in 1991.
George wasn't the only Beatle with his own agenda; Paul McCartney had co-written several songs with Elvis Costello, eventually resulting in an album which was called Flowers in the Dirt, after a lyric in the song "That Day is Done". The album's biggest highlights (and therefore hit singles) were "My Brave Face" and "Veronica". Ringo Starr had also gotten together with former Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, in which they would form the All-Starr Band, an ever-rotating lineup of artists from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s coming together on stage to perform their biggest hits from their former groups.
Unusually, John Lennon was perhaps the least active during 1988 and 1989, with one of his most prominent appearances being at the Beatles' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, presented by Mick Jagger. Jagger himself was in the midst of reviving the Rolling Stones for the first time since 1976 as Mick Jagger's Rolling Stones - truly a revival of the 1960s after their supposed death in 1976. Towards the end of 1989, John would play some solo shows in New York with Julian accompanying him and signing autographs for fans after each show. However, on one of those nights, Mark David Chapman had come with the intention of shooting John Lennon, a plan almost a decade in the making, and when he fired at the Beatle, Chapman instead shot at the Beatles' roadie Mal Evans, who had pushed John out of the way, saving his life, but at the cost of his own. Evans would die from his injuries and John would leave the spotlight for a while to grieve his friend.
The Beatles' first single of the 1990s was a re-recording of "My Brace Face" for Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal, which happened thanks to Olivia Harrison raising concerns to George about the suffering orphaned children in Romania were going through following the collapse of Communism. That same year also saw the release of the next Beatles compilation album The Best of the Beatles: 1975-1986, otherwise known as The Orange Album, following the releases of 1962-1966/Red, 1967-1969/Blue and 1970-1974/Green. 1975-1986/Orange would cover songs from Rock Show, Roots: The Beatles Sing the Great Rock & Roll Hits, Beatles at the Speed of Sight, Skywriting by Word of Mouth and War and Peace, as well as non-album tracks from the era such as "Wonderful Christmastime", "Say Say Say" and "Save the World".
1991 would see John Lennon re-enter the spotlight after his near death in New York, boosted by the recording of "My Brave Face (Nobody's Child Version)", and he would release an album called Hold On, which was inspired by the evolving grunge scene that would define the decade. With sparse arrangements featuring Ringo on drums and Klaus Voormann on bass, it would be regarded as John's equivalent to Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks and Neil Young's Tonight's the Night. That same year, the Beatles would make an appearance on MTV Unplugged, and an album would afterward be released. Now, this was all well and good, but the question was, when would the Beatles put out their next album of new material?
1. Here We Go Again - 4:50 (Menlove Ave.)
2. Cloud Nine - 3:15 (Cloud Nine)
3. Biker Like an Icon - 3:26 (Off the Ground)
4. Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go - 3:20 (Time Takes Time)
5. Calico Skies - 2:32 (Flaming Pie)
6. Steel and Glass - 4:10 (Menlove Ave.)
7. Devil's Radio - 3:52 (Cloud Nine)
8. Figure of Eight - 3:25 (Flowers in the Dirt)
9. This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying) - 3:55 (Extra Texture [Read All About It])
10. I Found Out - 3:37 (John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band)
11. Hope of Deliverance - 3:22 (Off the Ground)
12. Fish on the Sand - 3:22 (Cloud Nine)
13. Whatever Happened To - 3:39 (Estefy Lennon)
14. C'mon People - 5:46 (Off the Ground)
Total length: 52:31
With the rise of the compact disc format in the world of music, the Beatles saw an opportunity to get ambitious once again by putting out single albums longer than fifty minutes. If Return to Pepperland was their Merseyside of the 1980s, then Cloud Nine would be their 1990s equivalent to their two self-titled albums (I/White and II/Black) from 1968. There was no underlying concept for Cloud Nine, as the songs would cover a wide variety of genres and styles, with John's grunge influence continuing from Hold On onto songs like "Steel and Glass" and "I Found Out". As a matter of fact, there were some political undertones in songs such as George's "Devil Radio" and Paul's "C'mon People", both of which would come out as singles, but neither would reach #1, with Cloud Nine becoming the Beatles' first album since Rock Show to not have a #1 hit attached to it.
Yet despite this setback, Cloud Nine actually managed to reach #1 in several countries and was generally very well received, although reviews were not as strong as those for Return to Pepperland. Another tour would take place between 1993 and 1994 to support Cloud Nine, and would be even bigger than the Pepperland Tour. In fact, it would be the Beatles' biggest tour up until that point. Behind the scenes, however, there were talks of a documentary that would cover the Beatles' story up until that point, and that project would be known as Anthology.
Originally titled The Long and Winding Road, it was originally put together by Neil Aspinall back in the early 1970s, but it would remain on the shelf for several years, with an attempted revival in the 1980s also falling through. George Harrison did not like the idea of a Beatles documentary being named after a Paul McCartney song, and in response, Paul suggested that George write a song for the documentary himself. George unearthed a song from the Skywriting by Word of Mouth sessions called "All Those Years Ago", which he intended to have Ringo sing, but he didn't like the lyrics and found it too high for his vocal range. With new lyrics, "All Those Years Ago" became the first new song recorded for the Anthology project.
Not wanting to be outdone, the other three Beatles each had their own song for Anthology - for Ringo, it was "Really Love You", a jam between himself, Paul and George as well as Jeff Lynne. For Paul, it was "Little Willow", a song written as a tribute to Maureen Starkey following her death from leukemia in 1994, recalling "Hey Jude" lyrically with a dedication to her children. And for John, it was "India, India", which had origins going back to the 1970s. Although fans got to hear new music from the Beatles, it was all for naught as Anthology, originally planned as a working title, would stick as the final name for the documentary. However, many fans feel that "All Those Years Ago" was the true theme for Anthology.
Six Anthology albums would be released between November 1995 and April 1996, with each covering a specific time period in the Beatles' recording history. The first Anthology, including "All Those Years Ago", would cover the period between 1958 to 1964, from the Beatles' pre-EMI recordings to the sessions that produced Beatles for Sale. Anthology 2 covered the period between the Help! album sessions and "Lady Madonna" single sessions, February 1965 to February 1968. Anthology 3, containing "Really Love You", covered the rest of 1968 and all of 1969, starting with several of the Esher demos that led to the two self-titled albums, and finishing with the Two of Us sessions.
Anthology 4 and 5 would both cover the 1970s between them. The former included "Little Willow" along with session takes from Everest: A Rock Symphony, Imagine, Ram and Mind Games, and the latter would cover Band on the Run, Rock Show, Roots and Beatles at the Speed of Sight, as well several home demos such as "Free as a Bird", "Real Love" and "Now and Then". The sixth and final Anthology album would cover the entirety of the 1980s and the first few years of the 1990s, as well as the final track recorded for the project, "India, India", and a remixed/re-recorded version of "The End". All six albums would provide a gateway for new fans to discover the Beatles' music, and it was further boosted by the release of the first Live at the BBC album back in 1994. But the best was yet to come from the band in the 1990s...
1. Free as a Bird - 4:26 (Anthology 1)
2. The World Tonight - 4:06 (Flaming Pie)
3. Any Road - 3:52 (Brainwashed)
4. Young Boy - 3:54 (Flaming Pie)
5. Flaming Pie - 2:30 (Flaming Pie)
6. Rising Sun - 5:27 (Brainwashed)
7. King of Broken Hearts - 4:44 (Vertical Man)
8. Borrowed Time - 4:29 (Milk and Honey)
9. Somedays - 4:15 (Flaming Pie)
10. Stuck Inside a Cloud - 4:04 (Brainwashed)
11. Real Love - 3:54 (Anthology 2)
12. Beautiful Night - 5:04 (Flaming Pie)
13. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea - 2:34 (Brainwashed) [hidden track]
Total length: 53:19
In 1976, while drunk on stage, Eric Clapton made some disparaging remarks about immigrants, comments which he had since regretted. But no matter how long ago it's been, sooner or later, such remarks may come back to haunt you. Indeed, come 1996, Clapton would be bludgeoned to death by a deranged fan outside of his hotel room at the age of 51; his planned performance at Hyde Park for the Prince's Trust was subsequently canceled due to the incident. George Harrison was among those who was affected by his friend's murder - doubly so with John Lennon's close call in 1989 - and thereby increased security at Friar Park, which ended up saving his life three years later when a man called Michael Abrams tried to break in to kill George.
As a tribute to Clapton, George included a dedication in the liner notes for his next album, Gone Troppo, and recorded a version of "Run So Far", which he gave away to Clapton for his 1989 album Journeyman. John would also release a solo album in 1996 titled Between the Lines, and rather infamously, he would re-record some older Beatles songs in a rap style, which was met with inevitable backlash. Embarrassed by this, John would return to the studio with the other Beatles to record their next album Flaming Pie, which would consist of several songs that were previously recorded, but never put on a proper album. One such example was "Beautiful Night", originally started in 1986 but didn't make the cut for Return to Pepperland.
Flaming Pie was heralded as a return to the classic Beatles sound, and would go down as one of their greatest ever achievements, although it would be kept off the top spot by the Spice Girls' debut album Spice; still, Flaming Pie's success showed that the Beatles still had a place in the music scene despite its members being in their fifties. However, no tour would take place as George was recovering from lung cancer; likewise, Madeline Kahn had undergone surgery to remove her ovaries, and John wanted to be by her side while she recovered.
The album's six singles - "Free as a Bird", "Young Boy", "Any Road", "Real Love", "King of Broken Hearts" and "Beautiful Night" - were all Top 20 hits, the former two even reaching #1, giving the Beatles at least one #1 hit across four decades. This showed that even as the music world was constantly growing and evolving, the Beatles still always had something new to say, solidifying the 1990s as their renaissance period. And with 1998 marking thirty years since the formation of Apple Corps, it really seemed as though the Beatles had done everything they possibly could.
1999 would see the release of Ringo's Vertical Man, and later that year, under the pseudonym the Nerk Twins, John and Paul recorded a covers album titled Rock 'n' Roll. George didn't release a new album that year, but he helped to co-produce Nirvana's sixth album to which he gave away the title, Your Planet is Doomed - Vol. 1, perfectly reflecting on the dark sense of humor that they shared. The year would also see the Beatles perform their final two shows of the century - the first at the Glastonbury Festival in Scotland, and the second at the new Cavern Club. Their final release of the decade would be an extended play called Christmas with the Beatles, featuring a new song "Come On Christmas (Christmas Come On)" with Ringo on vocals.
1. Horse to the Water - 5:01 (Small World, Big Band)
2. Driving Rain - 3:26 (Driving Rain)
3. I'm Losing You - 3:52 (John Lennon Anthology)
4. Pisces Fish - 4:50 (Brainwashed)
5. Run Devil Run - 2:36 (Run Devil Run)
6. Now and Then - 4:05 (1967-1970) [2023 edition]
7. Marwa Blues - 3:40 (Brainwashed)
8. Rinse the Raindrops - 3:14 (Twin Freaks)
9. Love First, Ask Questions Later - 4:45 (Ringo Rama)
10. Your Loving Flame - 3:43 (Driving Rain)
11. Grow Old with Me - 3:21 (Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes)
12. Brainwashed - 6:07 (Brainwashed)
Total length: 48:40
While the Beatles remained a dominant force in the 20th century, the 21st century left people wondering where they could go and if they still had a place left in the world. Well, their first release of the new millennium was the compilation album 1, covering all forty-six of their number one hits from 1962 to 1997, spread out over two CDs, and reaching #1 in many countries, selling 31 million copies worldwide both on vinyl and CD formats.
Feeling that they had little left to say after nearly forty years of being together, the Beatles decided to record one final album to properly say goodbye to their fans. Of course, not everything ever goes according to plan, for on September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers in New York City would be destroyed by an airplane hijacked in a terrorist attack. John Lennon and Paul McCartney would witness the event and record a track called "Freedom" as a response, with the intended message being "We shall overcome." A nice sentiment, but certain groups would take it as a pro-war stance, which was what led to John speaking negatively about the song in retrospect, and "Freedom" has never been performed live ever since.
For the Beatles' final album, Portrait of Four Leg Ends, John suggested that they go all out on the album, and, in his own words, "throw everything at it, including the bloody kitchen sink." Once again, a wide variety of genres and styles would be covered, including jazz ("Horse to the Water"), electronica ("Rinse the Raindrops"), orchestral pop ("Grow Old with Me") rock and roll ("Run Devil Run"), instrumental blues ("Marwa Blues"), psychedelia ("Love First, Ask Questions Later"), grunge ("I'm Losing You"), pop ballad ("Your Loving Flame") and raga rock ("Brainwashed").
The final song recorded for Portrait of Four Leg Ends - and therefore, the last ever Beatles song to be recorded - was "Now and Then". There was nothing said amongst the four once the recording was completed; just silent acknowledgement, along with the shaking of hands, that this was it. What had begun forty-five years ago with a meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney after a Quarrymen show on July 6, 1957 had now come to a close with the recording of "Now and Then" in March 2002. There's nothing you can say after that.
Three months later, Portrait of Four Leg Ends was finally released to the public, exactly forty years since since the Beatles' first EMI recording session. The album sold out very quickly in stores; so quickly, in fact, that buying customers were outright getting it straight from the boxes rather than on the shelves. The accompanying single, "Now and Then", managed to reach #1 in the United Kingdom, and it would eventually be added to future releases of 1, marking forty-seven #1 hits across forty years. Although the album's schizophrenic quality and and random mix of genres was criticized, many would defend that the Beatles have never been afraid to push the envelope, and that Portrait of Four Leg Ends was a perfect... well, portrait of that. One would have to go as far back as 1966's Revolver to see (and hear) that.
1. Life Begins at 40 - 3:36 (Estefy Lennon)
2. Say Say Say [w/ Michael Jackson] - 3:55 (Pipes of Peace)
3. The Man [w/ Michael Jackson] - 3:55 (Pipes of Peace)
4. Beautiful Child (Darling Children) - 4:02 (Double Fantasy)
5. Save the World - 4:58 (Greenpeace - The Album)
6. Love Come Tumbling Down - 4:24 (Flaming Pie)
7. Zig Zag - 2:45 (Cloud Nine)
8. My Brave Face (Nobody's Child Version) - 3:18 (Flowers in the Dirt)
9. All Those Years Ago - 3:45 (Somewhere in England)
10. Really Love You - 5:18 (Flaming Pie)
11. Little Willow - 2:58 (Flaming Pie)
12. India, India - 3:07 (Estefy Lennon)
13. Rocking Chair in Hawaii - 3:08 (Brainwashed)
14. What in the... World - 3:29 (Vertical Man)
15. Heaven on a Sunday - 4:26 (Flaming Pie)
16. Not for Love, Nor Money - 2:39 (unreleased John Lennon demo)
17. Come On Christmas, Christmas Come On - 3:36 (I Wanna Be Santa Claus)
18. Freedom - 3:34 (Driving Rain)
19. Rinse the Raindrops (10 Minute Version) - 10:08 (Driving Rain)
Total length: 77:01
Two Beatles compilations would come out in 2003; March saw the release of Give Us a Kiss Vol. 3, gathering all of their non-album tracks from 1981 to 2001, as well as a ten minute version of "Rinse the Raindrops". April would see the release of The Best of the Beatles: 1987-2002, otherwise known as The Purple Album, covering the best material from Return to Pepperland, Cloud Nine, Flaming Pie and Portrait of Four Leg Ends, as well as a few non-album tracks like "My Brave Face" and the Anthology tetralogy. The Purple Album was also included with The Red (1962-1966), Blue (1967-1969), Green (1970-1974) and Orange (1975-1986) Albums in the box set The Best of the Beatles: 1962-2002.
To make their farewell even bigger, the Beatles would go on The Fab Forever Tour between 2003 and 2004, with the final show taking place in their hometown of Liverpool, and their final encore consisting of "I Saw Her Standing There" as well as a few rock and roll covers, concluding with "Twist and Shout". Highlights of the tour would be included on the live album The Beatles' Farewell to the World. Audiences would be packed from fans who had been there since the early days of Beatlemania, to new fans who were excited to see the Beatles perform live for the very first time.
After that final show, the Beatles would go their separate ways and move on with their lives. The first time they would be together in public following that final show would be at the premiere performance of the Cirque de Soleil show Love in Las Vegas in 2006, along with their families, Brian Epstein (in his last public appearance until his death in 2010), George Martin and his son Giles. A remix album, released in conjunction with the show, would be senior Martin's final work with the Beatles until his death in 2016.
With Giles Martin now a part of the Beatles family, he would be involved in remastering their archival releases up until 1987 for the digital market, and on September 9, 2009, all twenty-eight of their studio albums, as well as the Rock 'n' Roll Music and Give Us a Kiss (now combined into a singular release) compilations, would be released together in a box set for the CD and vinyl formats - well over 400 songs in total! The first seven albums on CD would include both mono and stereo mixes so fans could pick whichever they preferred. In 2014, both The Red and Blue Albums would be re-released with new track listings, including more songs that weren't included the first time around. In addition to this, there was the release of The Best of the Beatles: 1970-2002, including additional songs that weren't included on The Green, Orange and Purple Albums.
Amongst the most notable Beatles reunions included John's 70th birthday bash at Madison Square Garden in 2010, as well as the Beatles' History Tour in 2013 and 2014, marking fifty years since Beatlemania first kicked off. This would turn out to be their final ever tour as John Lennon would be diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease some time after the final show. He died at his home in Scotland on August 21, 2019 at the age of 78. Upon his death, Paul, George and Ringo would release a joint statement, announcing that the Beatles as a partnership would be no more without John. Their final performance together was at The Concert for John on October 9, 2020, marking what could have been his eightieth birthday. The concert would conclude with a rendition of "Imagine", featuring everyone who partook in it, including John's daughter Alice Lennon, guitarist and frontwoman of the Spyders.
And in the end...
Between 2004 and 2019, the Beatles each took their own paths; Paul would continue to release music, beginning with 2005's Chaos and Creation in the Studio with Nigel Godrich as producer, and has toured extensively ever since. Ringo has likewise followed a similar path with his backing group The Roundheads, all a part of his All-Starr Band and gone on tours and released new albums, and his considered one of the most likable figures in music. Living up to his reputation as the Quiet Beatle, George's musical output has been rather sporadic, focusing more on his gardening and producing movies. He has been expected to live for at least thirty more years after being cured of lung cancer, and as of 2023, at the age of eighty, George may have a few more years left in him.
But what about John? Where did he land between the two extremes of living a quiet private life and going out on the road every few years? The answer is, somewhere in between. He'd put out a few albums and occasionally did solo tours, but ever since that awful night in 1989, John had stopped giving autographs to fans and responding to fan mail (the other three would also follow suit, with Ringo even recording a video about it), preferring instead to head straight to his hotel rooms. Some time after his diagnosis with Alzheimer's, he began working on material for at least one more album, should worse come to worst. Amongst those recordings was a reworking of the Beatles' "In My Life", this time being a reflection on his past as a man in his 70s rather than his 20s. It would end up being released on his final album, released shortly after his death, Legacy.
With the three surviving Beatles all into their eighties, the road ahead looks shorter than before, but their legacy will outlive them, and they are still, to quote a song of theirs from 1973, the greatest. And you'd better believe it, baby!
What I did on my Spotify playlists for these records, for Return to Pepperland especially, is I had to replace the title track with Paul's "Once Upon a Long Ago", which leads in nicely to "When We Was Fab".
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