Chapter 7: Happy Jack (November 1967 - September 1968)

November 9, 1967
If the release of the Beatles' Merseyside was an indirect catalyst for Brian Wilson's untimely death and the Rolling Stones' temporary split, then the split of the Rolling Stones was a somewhat more direct catalyst for the Who attempting to become the new bad boys of rock and roll.

The Monkees, 1967.

The Monkees were formed by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider for a television series which aired in 1966. The fictional band consisted of American actors Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, and Michael Nesmith, as well as British actor David Thomas "Davy" Jones; they were Rafelson's and Schneider's attempt at an American Beatles with hit songs such as "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm a Believer".

Nesmith and Tork both had musical backgrounds whilst Dolenz and Jones' musical skills were limited, but the latter point did not stop the group from rebelling and taking creative control of their music. This rebellion would lead to the classic Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.[1], both produced by Chip Douglas, known for his work with the Modern Folk Quartet and the Turtles, the latter of which would become known for "Happy Together".

The cover for the Monkees' Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. album, released November 1967.

Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. had just been released and would go on to top the charts in the United States. On this particular morning, the Monkees were having breakfast together at a diner in Hollywood. Davy was the only one with a newspaper in hand.

"What's that you're reading, Dave?" Micky asked before taking a swig of orange juice.

"I'm reading this article about the Who," Davy explained. He turned the paper over so the others could read.

"'The Who Go All Out with Lily in Becoming Rock and Roll's New Bad Boy Group'," Michael read. "'Other Groups Try to Follow Their Footsteps.' What's so important about it?"

"Since the Rolling Stones had their blowout," said Davy, "it looks like every band and their grandmother is fighting in the press to try and see who will reign supreme. So what if..." He paused for effect. "We tried to beat the Who?"

"By becoming heavy players?" asked Peter, suppressing a laugh. "Forget it; that's not our style. And besides, we'd be squashed before we even got through round one."

"No, I don't mean play harder," said Davy. "I mean, what if we tried topping them... by putting out something even bigger than Headquarters and Pisces?"

MICHAEL NESMITH: "I thought the idea was sort of out there; The Monkees putting out a double album? That seemed ridiculous and could potentially hurt sales. But then again, Bob Dylan had put out Blonde on Blonde the year previous, so maybe not as ridiculous as it sounded." (1986)

PETER TORK: "Micky and Mike were up for it, but I was still sore when it came to [Chip] Douglas playing the keyboards more often than I did. It didn't help that I had minimal input on Pisces [Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.]. I eventually agreed, but if Chip was going to be our producer, I made them agree to the condition that I had more involvement." (2007)

November 11, 1967 - April 22, 1968

Monkees producer Chip Douglas, 1967.

The Monkees were back at RCA Victor Studios in Hollywood, California, with Chip Douglas once again back in the producer's seat. The first song cut for the next album - The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees - was Nesmith's "Tapioca Tundra". When the band told Douglas about their ambition to put out a double album, the producer thought they were mad.

CHIP DOUGLAS: "I appreciated the group's ambition, and suggested that they put out a single album instead, but they were persistent. It even got to the point that they recorded over thirty songs!" (1971)

The final track listing would consist of six songs each from Michael and Peter, seven from Micky and nine from Davy. Each Monkee presented his own style throughout; Davy Jones' Broadway rock, Michael Nesmith's country and western mixed with psychedelic experiments, Micky's rock and soul and Peter's minimalist approach.

MICKY DOLENZ: "It's a crazy album for sure, but I still love it for what it is." (2018)

The Monkees - The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees

Released: April 22, 1968

Recorded: June 14, November 11, 1967 - April 5, 1968

Producer: The Monkees, Chip Douglas

Track listing[2]

Side A

Through the Looking Glass

We Were Made for Each Other

Tapioca Tundra

Alvin

I'll Be Back Up on My Feet

Valleri

Writing Wrongs

Side B

Dream World

P.O. Box 9847

Magnolia Simms

The Poster

Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again

Daydream Believer

Zor and Zam

Side C

Tear the Top Right Off My Head

Auntie's Municipal Court

Carlisle Wheeling

Party

Lady's Baby

Nine Times Blue

Changes

Side D

If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again

Rosemarie

My Share of the Sidewalk

Come on In

Shake 'Em Up (and Let 'Em Roll)

War Games

Merry Go Round

Although it was being viewed as an attempt to beat the Who at their game, The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees still kept to the American band's initial roots whilst simultaneously being experimental and groundbreaking. Despite the album only reaching #3 in the United States and not charting at all in the United Kingdom, it was still popular with fans, although many have debated whether it should've been a single album or it was fine as it is; even the band members themselves.

DAVY JONES: "It was a great double album, it sold best as it could; it's The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees. Lighten up." (1996)[3]

Still, with hindsight, the Monkees shouldn't have worried about defeating the Who at their own game, because someone else was already taking care of that for them...

17 March - 24 May 1968
For the first time in eight months, the Rolling Stones were back in the recording studio. Their mission; to show the world who the real bad boys of rock and roll were.

Jimmy Miller with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, 1968.

A new producer had been called in following Andrew Oldham's departure. Mick Jagger's first (and seemingly only) suggestion was Jimmy Miller, whose previous work included Mr. Fantasy, Traffic's debut album, and Spooky Tooth's soon-to-be-released It's All About. The band was initially reluctant, given the two albums' psychedelic nature, not to mention the poor chart performance of Mr. Fantasy, but to Jagger, it was Miller or nothing, so the band acquiesced.

The sessions for the new album were far smoother compared to Their Satanic Majesties Request, even reworking the best songs from said sessions such as "2000 Man" and "The Lantern". Instead of attempting psychedelic again, the  Rolling Stones would instead return to their blues oriented roots, along with a much heavier sound. The title of their new album would even reflect on their situation - Lazarus of England. (An initial working title was Who Killed Christopher Robin?.)

MICK JAGGER: "We sort of 'died' when trying to record what was meant to be Satanic Majesties. That title brought up bad memories. Why the hell did we even think of trying psychedelic, for God's sake? The Stones are all about rock and roll, sex and drugs, not synthesizers, free love, and grass... Okay, maybe a little grass on the side. *laughs*"

KEITH RICHARDS: "Yeah, one way or another, the Rolling Stones are now back from the dead." (1968)

The comeback single for the Rolling Stones was "Jumpin' Jack Flash", with the politically oriented "Street Fighting Man" as its B-side. Although the former was a #1 hit in the United Kingdom, the latter also became a cult classic with fans. Throughout the sessions, Brian Jones had minimal input, especially after his fight with Keith Richards.

6 September 1968

The Rolling Stones - Lazarus of England

Released: 6 September 1968

Recorded: 17 March - 25 July 1968

Producer: Jimmy Miller

Track listing[4]

Side A

Sympathy for the Devil
Citadel
No Expectations
2000 Man
Jigsaw Puzzle

Side B

Jumpin' Jack Flash
Parachute Woman
The Lantern
Stray Cat Blues
Factory Girl
2000 Light Years from Home

Lazarus of England was hailed as a return to form for the Rolling Stones. It was their third album (following Could You Walk on the Water? and Aftermath) to be released with the same track listing in both the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as the last to feature Brian Jones as a prominent member. He would quietly depart from the band at the end of the year, before dying on 3 July 1969 by drowning in his swimming pool under the influence of drugs and alcohol. To this day, it remains a mystery exactly why he died and whether or not he was murdered.

20 September 1968

The Who - Magic Bus

Released: 20 September 1968

Recorded: October 1967 -  1968

Producer: Kit Lambert

Track listing[5]

Side A

Glow Girl

Faith in Something Bigger

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Odorono

Tattoo

Little Billy

Melancholia

Side B

Magic Bus

Dogs

Jaguar

Silas Stingy

Sunrise

Call Me Lightning

The Who had begun 1968 by touring Australia and New Zealand with fellow English group Small Faces. Both bands would wind up in trouble with local authorities and they were labeled as "unwashed, foul-smelling, booze-swilling no-hopers" by the New Zealand Truth. Yet despite this, the tour still continued into America and Canada.

For all the time they'd spent touring, the Who still found the time to record new material. Tracks such as "Silas Stingy", "Tattoo", and "Jaguar" were recorded following the release of Who's Lily?, and newer songs would include "Glow Girl", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", and Top 40 hit "Magic Bus". The resulting album from the late-1967 sessions up to the summer of 1968 was called Magic Bus. It hit the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic, although the title track barely hit #25 in America.

KEITH MOON: "It was more laid back compared to Lily, and some people accused us for sort of 'pulling out', if you will. It didn't help that the Stones had come back with Lazarus. Things got awkward from there..." (1972)

ROGER DALTREY: "Then we'd heard from the grapevine that the Monkees were trying to beat us simply by being themselves with their double album [The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees]." (1989)

PETE TOWNSHEND: "At that point, we'd decided that if it was going to some kind of battle of the bands, then so be it. It had very much become 'Stones vs. Who vs. Monkees' vs. whoever dared to pull out their dicks. *laughs* In retrospect, we should've thrown in the towel a lot sooner." (2001)

MICKY DOLENZ: "If Pete Townshend and his bandmates wanted to declare war, they got it." (1986)

CHARLIE WATTS: "It became some sort of massive game of 'anything you can do'. We weren't going to be the only bands trying to best the other; others like the Byrds and Small Faces each wanted a slice of the action, as it were." (2005)

With the release of Lazarus of England and Magic Bus within the same month, it quickly became clear that the end of the 1960s was going to be a time to remember. The battle of the bands had begun!

Footnotes

1. I like to imagine that, because of butterflies, both Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. are released with their respective aborted track listings, as listed on Wikipedia.
2. All tracks from sides A and B (plus "Auntie's Municipal Court") are sourced from the 2010 deluxe reissue of The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, using the aborted track listing as a basis with some tracks rearranged. All tracks from sides C and D (excluding "Auntie's Municipal Court") are taken from the Missing Links trilogy, focusing on the recordings from November 1967 to April 1968.
3. Paul McCartney said something similar about the Beatles' White Album on the Anthology documentary.
4. All tracks are taken either from Beggars Banquet or Their Satanic Majesties Request, excluding "Jumpin' Jack Flash", taken from GRRR!.
5. "Odorono", "Tattoo", "Jaguar", "Silas Stingy", and "Sunrise" all come from the 1995 reissue of The Who Sell Out; again, the jingles are removed. The remaining tracks come from either Odds & Sods or Thirty Years of Maximum R&B; "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" is the unique remix taken from soniclovenoize's Who's for Tennis.

Author's Comments

Originally, I didn't have any plans for the Monkees in this story, but after hearing about Peter Tork's recent death from cancer, I thought, "how could I do a tribute to him in my own way?" The result was a double album version of The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees. I know it may seem excessive, but if Bob Dylan could put out a double album in 1966, and the Beatles put one out as well in late 1968, why not have the Monkees put out a double album during this time? Of course, in the 1960s, a double album was pretty much the exception, not the rule, but they were a bit more common in the 1970s, a time of excess and ego.

Next time, we get back to the Beatles, and we'll find out not only how different the India trip turns out, but also how they're taking these sudden developments around them.

Chapter 6: Mr. Tambourine Man (January 1967 - February 1968)

20 January 1967

The cover for the Rolling Stones' Between the Buttons album, released January 1967.

The Rolling Stones' newest album, Between the Buttons, had just been released. According to their American discography, it was their eighth album and was backed with the double A-side "Let's Spend the Night Together"/"Ruby Tuesday", the latter topping the charts in the States. To promote the album, the former song was performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, but with the lyrics changed to "Let's spend some time together", much to Jagger's disgruntlement.

The world of rock and roll was now becoming more psychedelic and it shows on albums such as Psychedelic Sounds by the 13th Floor Elevators and the Beatles' own Abracadabra. The Rolling Stones even dabbled in psychedelia on tracks such as "Paint It Black" from the previous album Aftermath. For their next album, to be titled Their Satanic Majesties Request, psychedelic would be prominent throughout.

Or at least, that was the intention.

5 February - 22 July 1967

MICK JAGGER: "The first sessions for Satanic Majesties were utterly disastrous, to say the least. Brian [Jones] kept coming up with shit that we knew bugger-all about, there were court hearings throughout the year, some of us got arrested, and Andrew [Oldham] just straight up abandoned us, leaving us on our own. It was a clusterfuck of a nightmare." (1998)

On 5 February, Mick Jagger sued British newspaper News of the World for accusing him of using drugs, but it actually turned out to be Brian Jones instead. The week after that, Keith Richards hosted a weekend party at his home Redlands in West Wittering, West Sussex. Among the guests were Jagger's girlfriend Marianne Faithfull, art dealer Robert Fraser, and George and Patti Harrison. The Harrisons had left by the time Jagger and Fraser were arrested for drug possession.

Anita Pallenberg and Keith Richards, 1967.

And it didn't stop there; the Stones were rehearsing for their upcoming European tour in the likes of Denmark, West Germany and Sweden, as well as performing for the first time in Switzerland and Greece, putting album recording on hold for the time being. During that time, Richards had begun a relationship with German-Italian actress Anita Pallenberg, Brian's ex-girlfriend.

By mid-May, the Rolling Stones had returned to the studio to record for Their Satanic Majesties Request, but when they'd heard the news of the Beatles' performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the pressure was on to trump their rivals. To continue being the Yang to the Fab Four's Yin. But that seemed to be an extremely tall order, not helped that in the studio, barely anything was getting done to the point that their manager Andrew Oldham left them to, as he put it, "get their shit together."

Without an outside producer, Brian Jones had suggested that the band try self-producing. The pot was already boiling over, made worse by the success of the Beatles' Merseyside and their "Penny Lane"/"A Day in the Life" single.

On 22 July, the final straw came when Richards and Jones got into a fist fight with each other, climaxing with Richards smashing a guitar over Jones' head and storming out of the studio. After he recovered from being "knocked out", as Charlie Watts put it, Jones came to realize that no one was agreeing to any of his ideas, and so the Rolling Stones split up, and Their Satanic Majesties Request was cancelled.[1]

CHARLIE WATTS: "'67 was a shit year for us, and if you listen to the first recordings of Majesties, it clearly shows." (1981)

18 August 1967

The cover for the Rolling Stones' non-album single, "We Love You".

Despite the chaotic sessions, two singles were released later in the year; the non-album single "We Love You"/"Dandelion", topping at #8 in the United Kingdom, and a couple of songs salvaged from the album sessions - "She's a Rainbow" and "In Another Land", topping at #25 in the United States. During that time, the Stones were left to deal with drug charges, lawsuits, and personal relationships.

KEITH RICHARDS: "Everybody says we were always trying to copy everything the Beatles did, but for once, the Stones did it first; we split up before they did!" (1973)

With the break up of the Rolling Stones, rock and roll had been left without a "bad boy" group. But it soon came as a surprise as to "who" decided to take over that spot...

29 July 1967

PETE TOWNSHEND: "It was a week after the Stones broke up; we were in the studio during break hour, and I was looking at an article by New Musical Express. They were expressing disappointment that rock music no longer had a band of bad boys on the scene, and after reading that, out loud, I said, 'Well, what about us? Why don't we stand in for them?'" (2001)

The Who, 1967.

JOHN ENTWISTLE: "Just after Pete made that statement out loud - accidentally, I'll say - I thought the idea was a bit mad. I laughed, but Keith was the first to agree. 'Sure, why not?' he said. 'It'll be a laugh.' Roger agreed to it as well, and then Keith ran off to call Chris Stamp about Pete's idea, and the rest is history." (1990)

At the time of Pete Townshend's accidental announcement, London-based rock band the Who was recording for their third album, tentatively titled Who's Lily?, named for their April single "Pictures of Lily". With previous hits such as "My Generation" and "Substitute", they were the band of the Mod culture, a culture that was unafraid of conflict, whether it be with the rival Rocker culture or the law.

1 August - 17 September 1967

The Who performing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, 1967.

There was the sudden announcement that the Who were now to become the new bad boys of rock and roll. To fit the image, Who's Lily? would have to contain songs relating to bad boy behavior, as well as dirty thoughts regarding girls and women. For example, "Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand" was a song relating to masturbation, not dissimilar to "Pictures of Lily". Taking a cue from the Beatles, said track would be included on the album, following several singles that didn't end up either on My Generation or A Quick One (Happy Jack in America).

In addition to the sessions, following a gig in Michigan on Keith Moon's 21st birthday, the band caused $24,000 worth of damage (nearly $180,000 in today's money) at the Holiday Inn, and Moon had one of his front teeth knocked out. Because of the incident, the Who was banned from all Holiday Inn properties. The incident soon reached newspapers, and now parents started to see the Who has a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking, disrespectful group. Yet despite all of that, they still appeared on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on September 17, where they performed their next single "I Can See for Miles" and the previously released "My Generation". That famous performance was when Moon's drum kit exploded, injuring the drummer and damaging Townshend's hearing.

6 October 1967

The Who - Who's Lily?

Released: 6 October 1967

Recorded: May - September 1967

Producer: Kit Lambert

Track listing[2]

Side A

Armenia City in the Sky
Pictures of Lily
Mary Anne with the Shaky Hand
Girl's Eyes
Glittering Girl
Our Love Was
I Can See for Miles

Side B

I Can't Reach You
Someone's Coming
Relax
Early Morning: Cold Taxi
In the Hall of the Mountain King
Rael (1 and 2)

Who's Lily? was preceded by the single "I Can See for Miles" that September. It reached #5 in the UK, but was kept out of the top spot of Billboard's Hot 100 by the Box Tops' "The Letter". Despite this, Who's Lily? was a critical and commercial success, being hailed as the Who's greatest album at the time. On the downside, some of the contemporaries such as Alex Chilton of the Box Tops, Eric Burdon of the Animals, and Roger McGuinn of the Byrds lamented at having missed the chance to become the bad boys of rock and roll themselves.

At the time, the Who was enjoying their newfound success as the new disrespectful rock group, but there were detractors who either thought they were trying too hard or tried to become something that never fit their image.

ROGER DALTREY: "We never really stopped being nice guys, of course. That was all for show. We may have gotten drunk and partied a lot, but we never went as far as taking the hard stuff. Except maybe Keith. *chuckles* That being said, when the Stones got back together and saw what we were doing, they were pretty cheesed off, and Mick Jagger said to an interviewer, ''Who' the bloody hell do they think they are?!' *laughs*" (The Kids Are Alright, 1979)

23 February 1968
If there was anyone who was the most pissed off over their spot as rock and roll's bad boy, it was none other than Michael Philip Jagger. He had called up the rest of the Rolling Stones for a meeting regarding their position being taken over by the Who. By now, the Beatles had left for India, and Jagger saw this as an opportunity to sneak up on the charts.

Mick Jagger, 1968.

"While the cats are away in India," he told the others, "back in Britain, the mice will play. It's high time we showed the bastards 'who' the real bad boys are!"

Footnotes

1. The sessions from July 2-22 were the fourth for Their Satanic Majesties Request. I picked it to be climax of the stress over the various arrests getting the best of the band. Such a fight between Richards and Jones, however, did not happen.
2. All tracks are taken from the 1995 reissue of The Who Sell Out, excluding "Pictures of Lily", taken from the compilation Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy. Tracks taken from the former have had their jingles removed.

Author's Comments

There isn't really much to say here, to be honest. All that's said for right now is that a new rivalry has sparked; it's the Rolling Stones vs. the Who! Which group will come out on top in the end? Place your bets! Okay, maybe not, but still.

Chapter 5: All or Nothing (January - November 1967)

January 15, 1967

DENNIS WILSON: "'66 was a frightening time to be a rock musician. The Rolling Stones had come out with Could You Walk on the Water, and then America believed that John Lennon said the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ. Hell, we'd even had a song titled 'God Only Knows'. They may had been fighting religion, but the Beach Boys weren't trying to. At least, I don't think we did." (1996)

The original cover for Smile, designed by Frank Holmes.

Trying once again to top the Beatles with Abracadabra, Brian Wilson had declared that the Beach Boys' twelfth album was going to be called Smile. It was touted as a teenage symphony to God and would contain a variety of genres including comedy sketches, classical music, folk, spirituality, and satire. It was a far more ambitious project than Pet Sounds, but perhaps it may have been a far more daunting task than Wilson had predicted.

One of the proposed tracks for Smile was "Good Vibrations", which was originally planned to appear on Pet Sounds, but was instead dropped in favor of being a non-album single for October. The majority of the backing tracks had been finished by December 1966, but the rest of the band was baffled by Brian's ideas, and did not record their vocals. He had worked with Van Dyke Parks for the majority of the music, including lyrics. He had first met the senior Wilson brother back in 1965 through David Crosby and Terry Melcher[1].

The intended release date for Smile was January 15, 1967 under Capitol Records. However, Brian had missed the deadline, and that incident would mark the beginning of not only the downfall of Brian Wilson, but the Beach Boys as well.

NICK GRILLO: "Brian had a difficult time trying to explain his concept to the rest of the boys. In the studio, he would be seen curled into a ball telling us that there were 'too many bells' and told us to get rid of them. There were no bells as far as I knew, but I dismissed it as stress over missing the initial deadline. If I knew then what I know now, I could've done something to prevent his downfall." (2011)[2]

February - July 1967

The Beach Boys in the recording studio, 1967.

Various incidents had taken place surrounding the Smile recording sessions; Carl's arrest for draft evasion, clumsy editing processes, a lawsuit against Capitol Records demanding for over $250 thousand for royalty payments, as well as the threat in terminating their contract with Capitol, but most significant was the decline of Brian Wilson's mental health and creative dissatisfaction. Arguments within the group would eventually lead to Van Dyke Parks leaving the project in April. Still, Wilson refused to give up on Smile until he'd made the album he intended to release.

But did he really know the album he wanted to make?

MIKE LOVE: "Everybody was thinking the same when it came down to Brian's vision of Smile. When asked, Carl [Wilson] had said that Smile was to have the theme of spirituality and spreading goodwill. He'd come up with a 'health' side, whatever the hell that was, but it seemed like he was overthinking it too much, especially after Rubber Soul." (2007)

And it only got worse with the performance of the Beatles at the Games for May concert with Pink Floyd, and the subsequent release of Merseyside two weeks after that. The concert had split opinions among rock music fans; some took it as an excuse to lie down and let their greats become greater, others claimed it was a call to arms. It was undeniably the latter for Brian Wilson; by now, he had become increasingly paranoid and deluded over his "rivalry" with the Liverpudlians, and the constant consumption of cannabis and smuggled candy bars did little to soothe his schizophrenic behavior.

AL JARDINE: "One day, he'd say that a recording had too much guitar, and then another, he'd demand that the guitar be overdubbed. It was a nightmare, as if the album was cursed." (1987)

July 14, 1967

CARL WILSON: "I knew that with Brian's sudden death, we were in trouble. We had an unfinished album on our hands, Capitol wasn't happy with our situation, and I was feeling scared. I told the others, 'We've fucking had it now.'" (1992)[3]

Brian Wilson shortly before his death at twenty-five, 1967.

It was a day that would forever be a dark one in the Beach Boys' history. It was shortly after the last recording session that Brian Wilson had suffered from a heart attack. He was discovered by their manager Nick Grillo and was quickly rushed to the nearest hospital, but by then, it was already too late. The doctors' reports confirmed that the cause of his heart attack was excessive amounts of drugs, alcohol and stress. When the remaining Beach Boys received the news of their band mate's sudden death, they took the rest of the month off to prepare for Brian's funeral. His widow, Marilyn, was devastated by the news, even going so far as to accuse the Beatles for his death.

At the time of Brian's death, the majority of the recordings that would eventually form the final Smile album ranged from the initial February 1966 sessions with "Good Vibrations", all the way up to July 1967, half a year after the planned release! During the strenuous sessions, EMI and Capitol released "Then I Kissed Her", a previously released track from 1965, for a May single, despite the band's protests.

August 4 - September 22, 1967

EMI called the surviving Beach Boys for a meeting, stating that Smile had to be completed once and for all, even without Brian Wilson's input. The band agreed, and needed to find a producer; as far as they knew, the Beach Boys were finished.

NORMAN SMITH: "When I heard about the Beach Boys' situation, I sort of raised my hand and offered to help finish up Smile. I was working on Pink Floyd's second album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but I still wanted to help the Beach Boys out of the jam they were in. Understandably, they were sort of uncomfortable with my presence, having worked with the Beatles before, but still, they appreciated that I came in. They were even impressed with my work with Pink Floyd." (1980)

Norman Smith, 1967.

When new producer Norman Smith was brought in, he had been given a sheet of paper listing the potential songs for the final album. Taking a cue from George Martin, Smith decided to arrange the tracks in a "W"-shaped pattern; the best songs would be at the start and end of both sides ("Good Vibrations", "Cabin Essence", "Heroes and Villains", "Surf's Up"), whilst the weaker songs would be more towards the middle. In addition to the twelve songs on the list, he even included two new recordings, "With Me Tonight" and "Little Pad", and used an alternate version of "Good Vibrations" to differentiate it from the original 1966 single release.

MIKE LOVE: "It was so wrong, and yet it was so right at the same time." (2007)

AL JARDINE: "What Norman Smith did was take the biggest load of badly-recorded garbage with a cynical feeling to it ever, and he made something of it." (1967)[4]

The final mixes for Smile were done within a fortnight due to Smith needing to return to England and finish his work with Pink Floyd, and the master tapes were finally given to Capitol Records for a release date of September 22, 1967.

The Beach Boys - Smile

Released: September 22, 1967

Recorded: February 17, 1966 - July 14, 1967

Producer: Brian Wilson, Norman Smith

Track listing[5]

Side A

Good Vibrations
Do You Like Worms
I'm in Great Shape/Barnyard
With Me Tonight
Vega-Tables
Wonderful
Cabin Essence

Side B

Heroes and Villains
Child is the Father of the Man
The Old Master Painter
Wind Chimes
The Elements
Little Pad
Surf's Up

The definitive Smile was met with mixed to negative reviews upon release, with some critics deriding it as "a cheapskate epitaph, a cardboard tombstone, a sad and tatty final note for Brian Wilson." John Lennon and Paul McCartney would defend the album in interviews, even stating that despite his bad situation, Brian was still able to give his audience some worthwhile music.

27 November 1967
Shortly following the release of Smile, as well as a university tour with Rick Wright of Pink Floyd, the Beatles briefly returned to the studio to record an album covering the Beach Boys called Tribute to Brian Wilson[6], released shortly after their single "Hello Goodbye"/"I Am the Walrus". Critics singled out Paul's vocal on "God Only Knows" as the best performance of the album.

The Beatles - Tribute to Brian Wilson

Released: 27 November 1967

Recorded: 26-30 October 1967

Producer: George Martin

Track listing

Side A

Wouldn't It Be Nice? [LM]
Vege-Tables [M]
I Get Around [LM]
Little Deuce Coupe [H]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder [M]
Good Vibrations [LH]
California Girls [LM]

Side B

Heroes and Villains [S]
I Know There's an Answer [H]
Little Honda [L]
Surfer Girl [M]
I'm Waiting for the Day [L]
Help Me, Rhonda [H]
God Only Knows [M]

The message from the back cover is as follows:

"As you are very well aware, we have lost one of the brightest voices in pop music this year, one of the best songwriters the United States had to offer. Brian Wilson to us was not only an accomplished musician, songwriter and singer, but he was a friend - a dear friend whose works will never be forgotten. Ever since Surfin' came out in 1961, he and the Beach Boys have been making hit after hit, rivaling us even in 1964. Of course, Pet Sounds was the biggest inspiration for Merseyside, no secret, but we think his masterpiece, his swan song, will be Smile, a true treasure for the generation. But, as you know, he died of heart attack before the release of Smile... As a tribute, the Beatles have decided to record this album in tribute of Brian; all album sales will go to the Wilson family."

Eventually, time would prove kind to Smile. By its twenty-fifth anniversary in 1992, reviews became more positive, praising the songwriting and production, and even saying the Beach Boys went out on a high note. The one downside was that Brian Wilson never lived to see his final masterpiece be a critical success, but despite his early death at twenty-five, his legacy, as well as that of the Beach Boys, would live on forever.

Footnotes

1. Terry Melcher was the producer for the Byrds.
2. Nick Grillo was the Beach Boys' second manager following the dismissal of Murry Wilson, the father to Brian, Carl and Dennis.
3. John Lennon said something similar concerning the fate of the Beatles after the death of Brian Epstein.
4. John Lennon said something similar when defending Phil Spector's work on Let It Be.
5. All tracks are taken from Smiley Smile and The Smile Sessions. "Good Vibrations", "Vega-Tables", "Wonderful", "Heroes and Villains", and "Wind Chimes" come from the former to add some variation, and to give an idea to what Norman Smith may have contributed.
6. Tribute to Brian Wilson is the only album so far in the series that is completely fictional. The lead singers are listed in [brackets].

Author's Comments

Like the previous chapter, this chapter was originally written back in January 2018 and now it's very much the definitive version of my personal backstory for Smile. If you have a hard time accepting it, I don't blame you. Smile has become almost mythological in a sense, and despite the facts being laid out for all to read, they've been overshadowed by the hype for half a century. Your results as to how it might've sounded may vary.

As for why I chose to have Brian Wilson killed off? Well, if you think about it, the Beach Boys' post-Surf's Up albums ranged from mediocre to downright unlistenable, with That's Why God Made the Radio being a surprising comeback from them in 2012. Having him killed off in 1967 would mean that the Beach Boys end at their creative peak, a similar reason to how the Beatles broke up following Abbey Road (or, depending on how you view it, Let It Be) - only in their case, no one died until 1980.

On a similar tangent, I had Brian Epstein survive into 1968, but how will he handle the Beatles during their last few years? Well, those are chapters for later. I'd also like to point out that I'm establishing a rule for Strawberry Peppers; for every person whose life I spare, another one dies in their place - not on the same day that Person A died on, but around a similar period. Can't have too many people surviving now, can we?

My final comment here is that ever since hearing about Peter Tork's death last month, that got me thinking; what could I do for the Monkees in this timeline? From what I've read, they've plenty of material during the late 1960s that wasn't put out on the albums back then. I've also got similar plans for the Yardbirds and the Zombies, and you've got some ideas for what I could do with each band, that would be great. You might even have something that I never even thought up myself!

Chapter 4: For Your Love (November 1966 - October 1967)

24 November 1966
GEORGE MARTIN: "We started off with 'Strawberry Fields', and then we recorded 'When I'm Sixty-Four' and 'Penny Lane'. They were all intended for the next album. We didn’t know it was Merseyside then - they were just going to be tracks on The New Album - but it was going to be a record created in the studio, and there were going to be songs that couldn’t be performed live." (The Beatles Anthology, 2000)

The Beatles, 1967.

All sporting mustaches, the Beatles' next project began with John Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever". The track concerned Lennon's childhood memories of a Salvation Army's children home when he was growing up in Liverpool. Paul McCartney had responded with two other songs - "When I'm Sixty-Four" (with origins tracing back to 1958) and "Penny Lane", the latter of which was also about Paul's own childhood memories, involving a barber, a banker, a fireman, and a pretty nurse. Per tradition, as has been the case since their debut single "Love Me Do", all three songs were given the Lennon/McCartney credit.

During the sessions, McCartney recorded an avant-garde piece for an event known as The Million Volt Light and Sound Rave that was to be held at the Roundhouse venue in London on 28 January. As of 2018, this nearly fourteen-minute piece - dubbed "Carnival of Light" - has never been officially released and has become the holy grail for obscure Beatles recordings, with McCartney even wishing to have it released at some point.[1]

Then there was the matter of the third Beatles movie to be released under United Artists, per their contract. Playwright Joe Orton had been tasked with a script that he had dubbed Up Against It. Unlike A Hard Day's Night and Help!, Up Against It was not going to be a musical, so the band would not have to compose new music. Despite initially liking the script, the Beatles and Brian Epstein chose not to film the movie, thinking that it would've been too risque - Orton did eventually revise the script for the Rolling Stones and Ian McKellan in mind; it would finally come out in 1970 directed by Richard Lester, later becoming a cult classic amongst LGBT audiences.

PAUL McCARTNEY: "We didn't go for Up Against It because it was too far, even for us. It was gay, but we weren't, and that was all there was to it. Brian [Epstein] is gay, so he and the gay crowd could appreciate it. It wasn't that we were anti-gay - it's just that we, the Beatles, weren't gay.[2]" (1988)

The Beatles in the music video for "Strawberry Fields Forever", 1967.

Meanwhile, there was pressure from both Parlophone and Capitol Records for the British and American markets, respectively, on the Beatles to have something released by February, whether it be an album or a single. The most recent new material had been the Abracadabra album along with its "Yellow Submarine/Eleanor Rigby" single that August. Being absent from the charts for a long time would not have been good news for the band, especially now that America was showing a television series called The Monkees, featuring Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones as the fictional band.

To fill the gap, a compilation album dubbed A Collection of Beatles Oldies was released by EMI for the United Kingdom market, including older singles such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Day Tripper", plus album cuts such as "Michelle" and "Bad Boy", a Larry Williams cover that was previously exclusive to the United States.

Despite holding onto the rule of not including singles on their albums - to give fans their money's worth - the Beatles soon reached a compromise with both Parlophone and Capitol to release "Strawberry Fields Forever" as the next single with "When I'm Sixty-Four", under the condition that it would serve as a preview to their next album. Epstein was initially hesitant about the idea, but he soon came around to it as well. The next single, "Penny Lane", would be released alongside the album with Lennon's "A Day in the Life" as the B-side.[3]

29 April - 12 May 1967

John Lennon with John Dunbar at the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream, 29 April 1967.

Whilst the album was undergoing the final mixing, John Lennon attended the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream concert, which took place at Alexandra Palace in London. Pink Floyd was headlining the event, playing right at the end of the show. Apart from performing tracks from the Projection album, Pink Floyd were playing newer songs including "See Emily Play", "Matilda Mother", and "Lucifer Sam".[4]

JOHN LENNON: "Something about that show seemed sort of magical; it was like the Beatles in their youth before all the experimentation... except Floyd were experimental from the start. I got the chance to meet up with Roger [Waters] and Syd [Barrett] later that morning, and asked them right out if the Beatles could perform with them for a future show." (1979)

ROGER WATERS: "I thought John had hit his head when he was up on the roof with Syd the month before. From what I understood, the Beatles had given up on touring because of what had happened in the Philippines and the States. But for him to suddenly ask to perform alongside us when it was not even a year after their last controversial tour?" (2006)

Once the initial shock had worn off, Waters and Barrett had agreed to the idea, but only if their managers Andrew King and Peter Jenner had agreed to make arrangements with Brian Epstein.

The other three Beatles were also shocked at John's sudden idea, especially Harrison, who had hated touring the most. "I might've caused a bit of excitement round at the studio," John would later admit. "'Are they really going to perform live again?!' 'What will they be playing and where at?!' 'How are they going to work around the limitations?!' That sort of thing. But I feel it all worked out in the end."

Pink Floyd performing at "Games for May", 12 May 1967.

The Games for May concert, fronted by Pink Floyd and the Beatles, took place on the 12th at the recently built Queen Elizabeth Hall. Like the 14 Hour Technicolour Dream concert, Pink Floyd performed tracks from Projection as well as future hits. The Beatles' setlist consisted of the more recent material, as well as a few older songs such as "Yesterday" and "Eight Days a Week".

GEORGE HARRISON: "I remember being in shock when I first played the opening notes to 'Pepper' - I could actually hear myself!" (1982)

RINGO STARR: "It was such an amazing performance. The rust just seemed to shed off when the crowd started cheering; we all felt two years younger." (1998)

The Beatles - "Games for May"[5]
One show (12 May 1967)
Setlist:
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
2. Strawberry Fields Forever
3. I Want to Tell You
4. Eight Days a Week
5. Got to Get You Into My Life
6. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
7. Yesterday
8. Eleanor Rigby
9. Doctor Robert
10. Taxman
11. Penny Lane
12. With a Little Help from My Friends
Encore:
13. Save the Last Dance for Me
14. A Day in the Life

The performance was met with hugely positive reception from the audience. It has been said that following the performance, Harrison quickly went to the nearest bathroom and threw up. "My nerves were just fried," he would state in some interviews. "But despite that, I wanted more." He and Lennon would later cite the "Games for May" concert as being what changed their minds about touring. On top of that, the show helped to almost double the already large amount of hype for their next album.

JOHN LENNON: "It was strange, to say the least, having to hear yourself play almost perfectly. Kind of like riding a new bike; a few stumbles at first, but then you get the hang of it." (1979)

26 May 1967

The Beatles - Merseyside

Released: 26 May 1967

Recorded: 24 November 1966 - 21 April 1967

Producer: George Martin

Track listing[6]

Side A

Strawberry Fields Forever
Penny Lane
Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!
Only a Northern Song
Getting Better
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
She's Leaving Home

Side B

Within You Without You
Lovely Rita
With a Little Help from My Friends
Fixing a Hole
Good Morning Good Morning
When I'm Sixty-Four
A Day in the Life

The Beatles' eighth British long play, Merseyside, was conceived as a concept album regarding the band members' respective childhoods. The first side concerned childhood itself and growing up whilst the second side was all about adulthood, getting older, and eventually, death. Like the previous albums, Merseyside was largely composed by Lennon and McCartney, with two compositions by George Harrison - the Indian-influenced "Within You Without You" and "Only a Northern Song".

Harrison was adamant about having "Northern Song" put on the album, especially as he had received three tracks on Abracadabra. To placate him, McCartney had agreed to drop "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" to make room for Harrison, but did not want the track to go to waste.

Despite issues such as rushing through the recording sessions, the rooftop madness between Lennon and Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett, and, according to George, "faffing about with the tracklisting," Merseyside was released to critical acclaim and reached number one on both sides of the Atlantic. "Penny Lane" also reached number one in America, but stalled at #2 in the United Kingdom, as had the previous single "Strawberry Fields Forever", the first single since "Please Please Me" not to reach #1 on either side.

25 June - 7 July 1967

The Beatles performing "All You Need is Love" on Our World, 25 June 1967.

Barely a month after the release of Merseyside, the Beatles made an appearance on Our World, which was to be the world's first live television satellite link-up and would be seen by around 400 million people around the world. The band was to represent the BBC, and by extension, the United Kingdom. It was John Lennon who penned a song for the occasion - "All You Need is Love" - with the instruction that it had to be simple so worldwide viewers would understand.

RINGO STARR: "We were big enough to command an audience of that size, and it was for love. It was for love and bloody peace. It was a fabulous time." (Anthology TV special, 1995)

The performance took place at 9:36pm GMT, and aiding the Beatles were the likes of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Marianne Faithfull, Graham Nash, Keith Moon, Hunter Davies, as well as George's wife Pattie and Paul's girlfriend Jane Asher and brother Mike. It was at the height of the Vietnam War, and so the song presented a positive message about peace and love rather than war and fear. After the performance, "All You Need is Love" was released as a single on 7 July, Ringo's 27th birthday, and reached #1 in both sides.

For the Beatles, it was perhaps one of the biggest, most publicized rebounds in music history.

31 July - 25 September 1967
The latter half of the month had been spent sightseeing Greece and even discussing plans about purchasing an island all to themselves, but it never got off the ground. All four would cite this as being a huge missed opportunity.

PAUL McCARTNEY: "When John and I returned to England, it came a surprise to us that George had come up with the idea of a university tour in our absence. "Games of May" and Our World didn't seem to be enough for him, it seemed. He didn't want to sit still. Kind of says a lot how he hated touring the most out of all of us." (2005)

GEORGE HARRISON: "John and Paul had always been the ideas-men; why not let Georgie and Richie have their time to shine for once?" (1968)

George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, 1967.

Whilst arrangements were being made, George and Pattie had flown to Los Angeles and hung out with Ravi Shankar. There, Pattie had read about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi from an advertisement in a newspaper. When they got back, George was informed by the other Beatles and Epstein that the proposed Beatles' University Tour would start on 11 September and last up to the 24th, the last show being held at the University of Liverpool.

In the meantime, and with Pattie's encouragement, the Beatles and their partners - excluding Ringo and his wife Maureen, following the birth of his second son Jason - attended Maharishi's lecture at Hilton Hotel on Park Lane, London on 24 August. Following the lecture was a private audience between the Beatles, their loved ones and Maharishi, where they made arrangements to travel to Bangor in North Wales for a ten-day series of seminars between 25 August and 3 September.

JOHN LENNON: "When we got back from Wales, Brian [Epstein] told us that we only had one week to practice for our University Tour, and we all thought, 'Oh shit; we haven't prepared!' It almost looked as if we were screwed." (1984)

The first show took place at the University of Nottingham, but despite having only a week to practice, the show went down very well among the students, who were amazed to see the Beatles performing at their school. George had initially wanted Pink Floyd to be their opening set, but the band had declined the offer, although Rick Wright agreed to play whenever a song required keyboards or piano.

The Beatles performing at the University of Nottingham, 11 September 1967.

The tour would take shape as it went on, and the Beatles would dress in army outfits with their own unique color; John's was light green, Paul's light blue, George's bright orange and Ringo's pink. Rick Wright even had one of his own in light purple; the outfits were designed by Maureen Starkey.

The Beatles w/ Rick Wright - University Tour/"Magical Mystery Tour"[7] (1967)
11 shows in England, one show in Wales (11-25 September)
Average setlist:
1. Got to Get You into My Life
2. Eight Days a Week (And Your Bird Can Sing in York, Leeds and Swansea)
3. If I Needed Someone
4. I Am the Walrus
5. Penny Lane (Drive My Car in Nottingham, Kingston upon Hull, Lancaster, Salford and Oxford)
6. Baby's in Black
7. Eleanor Rigby
8. Yellow Submarine (Act Naturally in Newcastle upon Tyne, Sheffield, Birmingham and Oxford)
9. Roll Over Beethoven
10. And I Love Her
11. Nowhere Man
12. Taxman (I Want to Tell You in Nottingham, Lancaster, Salford and Liverpool)
13. Here, There and Everywhere
14. With a Little Help from My Friends
Encores: A Day in the Life (usually), Long Tall Sally (Nottingham), A Hard Day's Night (Lancaster and Birmingham), or All You Need is Love (Liverpool)

The Beatles, Rick Wright and their entourage traveled across England, with one stop in Wales, in an unmarked tour bus, and shows cost 50 pence a seat. But as the two weeks wore on, many students would drop out just to follow the Beatles to their next venue, even stealing a bus for the show in Salford. Songs were occasionally substituted at different venues, but the setlist remained generally the same.

NEIL ASPINALL: "The headmasters weren't too happy with the band turning up on the football fields and, as they put it, 'interfering with classes.' I kept the boys and Rick out of trouble for the most part, but was worried that some universities would ban us outright from the school grounds." (2001)

PAUL McCARTNEY: "We packed it in following the show at Liverpool. It was fun while it lasted, and we returned Rick to Pink Floyd. I can't imagine what would've happened if we continued the tour." (1995)

The DVD cover of Magical Mystery Tour, 2007 Apple Films re-release.

Despite the infamous legacy the Beatles' University Tour left behind in the form of a minor dent in the National Student Attendance record, it was still successful and all twelve shows were recorded and filmed. In thinking about what to do with the footage - and to prevent countless bootlegs from circulating - the Magical Mystery Tour concert movie[7] was released on British television that Boxing Day to feature the best performances from the twelve universities played, and all twenty-two songs performed, with some rearrangements made to the order of the tracklisting. However, this did not count towards the Beatles' contract with United Artists.

Whilst the TV movie was edited, the Beatles rested up for the remainder of 1967, with a few exceptions such as the Tribute to Brian Wilson album, the "Hello, Goodbye/I Am the Walrus" single, marking their 19th number one in both the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as "Christmas Time is Here Again". Music affairs aside, there was the attending of the premiere of How I Won the War on 18 October, which received mixed reviews from critics, but later became something of a cult hit, sparking the internet meme "X is a great film because of John Lennon."

27 October 1967

Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Released: 27 October 1967

Recorded: April - October 1967

Producer: Norman Smith

Track listing[8]

Side A

See Emily Play
Lucifer Sam
Matilda's Mother
Flaming
Pow R. Toc H.
Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk

Side B

Astronomy Domine
Remember a Day
The Gnome
Chapter 24
The Scarecrow
Bike

Pink Floyd's sophomore album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, was met with better reviews than Projection. The latter was viewed as an album in which the band were getting their sound together, and the former was seen as a more polished effort, backed by the success of the "See Emily Play" single released back in June. The Piper became a cult hit in America when Pink Floyd had their first tour there in November, despite it lasting only nine days. By now, they had already begun the framework for their third album, and had brought in a new guitarist by the name of David Gilmour.

Footnotes

1. Per OTL, "Carnival of Light" has yet to be released in any way, shape or form.
2. Slight rewording of actual quote Paul said concerning Up Against It. I don't know what year it comes from.
3. "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" were initially planned to be on Sgt. Pepper, but they were left off at the last minute for a single release, a decision which George Martin had regretted until his death in 2016.
4. John did indeed attend the 14 Hour Techncolour Dream, but he never asked Pink Floyd for the Beatles to play alongside them.
5. With the exception of "Yesterday", none of the songs listed were ever performed live by the Beatles. However, Paul, George and Ringo would later perform a majority of these songs during their live shows from 1989 onward - in George's case, at his Japanese concerts with Eric Clapton.
6. All tracks come from the 2017 remaster of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, excluding the Anthology 2 version of "Penny Lane", "Only a Northern Song" from Yellow Submarine Songtrack, and "A Day in the Life" from LOVE, with the 2017 remaster of "The Inner Groove" added at the end. In addition, "Strawberry Fields Forever" has the count-in intro taken from LOVE. "With a Little Help from My Friends" has a clean intro using the Take 2 instrumental cut off before Ringo's vocals come in, and "Good Morning Good Morning" fades out earlier with the chicken noises removed.
7. The Beatles never went on a university tour in 1967. However, in 1972, Paul McCartney did with his band Wings at all the locations mentioned, excluding Liverpool. In addition, the Beatles used that time to film the Magical Mystery Tour movie, which becomes a concert movie instead of the mess it was in OTL.
8. All tracks from OTL's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn with the exception of "See Emily Play" from The Early Singles and "Remember a Day" from A Saucerful of Secrets.

Author's Comments

Wow, that was a lot longer than I thought it would be! Maybe not as long as the previous three chapters combined, but it's still very impressive, I must say.

I'd actually written part of this back in January 2018 for a school assignment, but I've since then revised some things and given polish to the research put into this chapter. Although Pink Floyd is focused upon, the majority of the focus fell onto the Beatles. However, for the next few chapters, I'll be focusing less on the Beatles and more on the impact they left behind to the rock music scene.

Credit goes to The Lifehouse's friend Auran for designing the Merseyside album cover.