Believe it or not, I've gotten quite a few monthly posts written up in advance for the rest of the year, and this is the one for September. This post is a continuation of a scenario in which A Collection of Beatles Oldies was merely a compilation of non-album tracks, Yellow Submarine a proper Beatles album, and Let It Be came out a year earlier as intended. Also happening here is that the Beatles continue into the 1970s, releasing Hot as Sun in 1970 and Everest in 1973. (Also, let's assume that Apple Corps didn't go under like it did in our timeline.) 1975's Inclinations is the third album of six in this scenario, in which I have subtitled "Earth-130".
So imagine if you will...
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Side A (20:01)
1. Junior's Farm - 4:23
2. Be-Bop-a-Lula - 2:39
3. So Sad - 4:30
4. You Gave Me the Answer - 2:15
5. What You Got - 3:09
6. Blue Moon of Kentucky - 3:05
Side B (21:33)
7. #9 Dream - 4:47
8. Can't Stop Thinking About You - 3:49
9. Call Me Back Again - 4:17
10. Only You (and You Alone) - 3:26
11. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) - 5:14
1974 marked ten years since the Beatles first landed in America and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The individual members had changed so much in that time from four loveable, youthful moptops to four middle-aged men with individual pursuits and beliefs. While the Beatles as a group were still one of the biggest acts in popular music, they were no longer the top act, what with artists like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Queen threatening to take the throne from them.
As a solo artist, Paul McCartney was finding great success with his new group Wings, and he was able to fulfill what the remaining three Beatles were unwilling to do; go on tour and perform live. The personal lives of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr could not have differed any greatly from that of Paul's - John was temporarily separated from his wife Yoko, with their assistant May Pang acting as his lover; George's marriage with Pattie Boyd was on the rocks after it was discovered that she was seeing his good friend Eric Clapton, and then George ended up having an affair with Ringo's wife Maureen, which no one would've expected to be the inner scandal that nearly broke up the Beatles. Meanwhile, Paul and Linda's marriage appeared to be rock solid.
Whilst Wings' third album Band on the Run was charting high, George Harrison put out Dark Horse, finished towards the end of 1973, but not released until February the following year. George had nearly wrecked his voice in getting the album done, resulting in his vocals sounding inconsistent throughout, and while the album was a Top 10 hit, it wasn't the same highs as George Harrison and The Magic is Here Again had been, so George opted to take a sabbatical for the remainder of 1974 to allow his voice a chance to heal.
As it turned out, the first half of 1974 would be mostly quiet for the Beatles, save for a meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the former's "Lost Weekend" in Los Angeles that March. This meeting would result in a jam session that included the likes of Harry Nilsson and Stevie Wonder. Ringo Starr (recording with Nilsson at the time) would later join the session, albeit he wasn't too pleased about Paul messing up his drums. Inevitably, rumors of a new Beatles album would soon follow, and after talking with George, it was agreed upon the members that the sessions for a follow-up to Everest (tentatively titled Beatles 16, referring to their sixteenth studio album) would take place in September.
To keep himself busy until then, John returned to the studio in June to record his next solo album, Walls and Bridges, saving a few songs for the next Beatles project. Released in September, Walls and Bridges would contain his first solo #1 hit "Whatever Gets You thru the Night", as well as a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" as the follow-up single. Towards the end of those sessions, John would contribute the title track to Ringo's Goodnight Vienna in August, later slated for a November release.
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The sessions for what ultimately became Inclinations - a title in which the band had floated around for several albums across the 1960s - lasted a brisk three weeks. Paul brought in the lead-off track (and first single) "Junior's Farm", a high-energy rocker that he'd written while in Nashville with Wings, the music hall number "You Gave Me the Answer" and "Call Me Back Again", influenced by the sound of New Orleans. John's songs were also varied in style; the funk rocker "What You Got" recalled Sly Stone and The Isley Brothers, "#9 Dream" (the second single) had a dreamy, psychedelic atmosphere reminiscent of "Strawberry Fields Forever", and the closing number, "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" reflected his feelings of loneliness following his separation from Yoko, having been written towards the end of 1973.
Despite the wealth of material he'd written up over the past couple of years, George only brought in two songs - "So Sad" and "Can't Stop Thinking About You" - both reflecting upon his feelings of his separation from Pattie. As it turned out, eight original songs wouldn't be enough to fill up a long play, so for the first time since 1965's Help!, nearly a decade prior, the Beatles recorded a few covers to fill out the album.
As Ringo had no new songs to bring in, nor did any of the others have anything in mind for him, he sang a version of The Platters' "Only You (and You Alone)"; the resulting cover would be placed near the end of the album. John contributed the lead vocals to Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-a-Lula", which the Beatles hadn't performed since their early days, and reminded John of the day that he and Paul first met back in 1957. George offered up a re-written version of The Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love", once again making a reference to Pattie leaving him for Eric Clapton - "There goes our lady, with a-you-know-who / I hope she's happy, old Clapper too." However, it was rejected for being far too personal, even by the Beatles' standards, and was subsequently replaced with a cover of Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky", with Paul taking the lead. Meanwhile, "Bye Bye Love" wound up in the vaults, and would remain so for over a decade.
Inclinations would not be released until February 1975, to a decidedly mixed reaction, especially in regards to the inclusion of three covers. The originals written by John and Paul were praised, with some reviewers commenting that they were back to bringing out the best in each other. George's contributions, however, were not as warmly received, with one such critic writing, "Since 1968, George has written some of the best songs the Beatles ever recorded such as 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Something', 'Here Comes the Sun', 'All Things Must Pass' and 'Don't Let Me Wait Too Long'. But now? He's written up miserable drecks like the appropriately titled 'So Sad' and 'Can't Stop Thinking About You'. Unlike John, who at least knows when to let loose with 'Be-Bop-a-Lula' and 'What You Got', George makes his failing marriage his sole talking point on Inclinations. Twice. At least lighten up a little bit, Georgie, will you?"
It wasn't all bad news, of course, for the Beatles wound up making their first official live performances since 1966 (the rooftop concert from 1969 notwithstanding) at Madison Square Garden for three nights on November 28-30, 1974, with Elton John as their opening act. In fact, it was Elton, with a little help from Paul McCartney, to stage a reunion between John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which would set the stage for John's temporary retirement from the spotlight, in which the couple were blessed with a baby boy, Sean Ono Lennon, on October 9, 1975, John's 35th birthday.
With the Beatles having split up for a third time, Paul went back to New Orleans to finish up Wings' fourth album, Venus and Mars, which came out in May, three months after the Beatles' Inclinations did, and earned Paul another #1 album. George would also put out another album that same year, Speech of Flowers, released in September. Ringo did not put out a new album that year, although he would make a few film appearances. Once again, there was the question as to whether or not the Beatles would put out another album, even with John Lennon in retirement. Only time would tell for sure...
