Chapter 21: Bell Bottom Blues (September 1970 - March 1971)

September 12, 1970

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young performing at Woodstock, 1969.

By this point, the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had already become big hit makers at Apple Records. Following the success of their self-titled debut album Crosby, Stills & Nash, as well as the singles "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", Neil Young had joined the group for a tour beginning at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago, but their real baptism by fire was performing at the Woodstock Festival.

During this tour, ending with three European concerts in January, the supergroup recorded the bulk of what became Déjà Vu, their second album released March 11, 1970, topping the charts in the United States and generating three hit singles - a cover of Joni Mithcell's "Woodstock", as well as "Teach Your Children" and "Our House".

A fourth single released during this period, "Ohio", was written and recorded as a response to the Kent State shootings on May 4, and it marked CSNY's first #1 single in the United States. "Ohio" had been recorded between the first (Denver) and second (Boston) shows during the the group's second tour in the United States, and even made its live debut during the shows. The best performances would later become immortalized as part of the live album 4 Way Street. (Bob Dylan had attended the show at the Fillmore East in Manhattan, and even met with the group backstage, saying that he liked the performance.)

The question now was, where could these four brilliant men go next?

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young rehearsing at Los Angeles, 1970.

STEPHEN STILLS: "We'd written and recorded so much material from late 1969 up to the summer of 1970 that we didn't know what to do with it. Half the time, we collaborated on songs. The other half, we were solo. We met up after the last show at Bloomington to discuss future projects." (1994)

NEIL YOUNG: "Clearly we were at a crossroad. Stephen and I each had enough material for our own albums and David and Graham were just getting started on their own projects. We had the choice to put out either a double studio album, possibly even a triple album, or put out solo albums instead. And let's not forget; the 70s were pretty much a decade of excess." (1999)

Neil Young was the first to finish up his own album, tentatively titled After the Gold Rush. Recorded mostly solo, save for vocals provided by Stephen Stills, Young had intended for the album to be released under Apple Records on September 19, but the week before the album was due for release, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young were suddenly called into a meeting by Lord Beeching.

GRAHAM NASH: "Beeching had somehow heard about our intention to put out solo albums during the period and he did not agree to the idea at all. He even pointed out that we had such great potential as a group and even suggested that putting out material where at least half of us were on the same song all in one place would be a better marketing decision. 'You four as a group is far greater than the sum of you four as solo artists,' he said. We didn't agree at the time, but in retrospect, Lord Beeching did have a point. I mean, this was a guy who overhauled British Railways." (2010)

DAVID CROSBY: "As part of a compromise, any songs that were solo efforts would be put in storage for the time being, but may eventually be put out for side projects." (1988)

Neil Young, 1970.

After the Gold Rush was soon pulled from Apple's release schedule, and so the group members looked over all the material they had recorded thus far to determine what they would put out on the second (third overall) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young album.

NEIL YOUNG: "We decided it would be very democratic among us; it would be a twelve track album with four performers, each with three vocal spots. For Graham, that was no problem, and as for David and Stephen, both were quite reluctant to drop a song or two since they had five and four songs respectively. I must've had it even worse since I had a lot of songs where Stephen sang backup." (1974)

DAVID CROSBY: "After we picked out the best three of Neil's songs, that left just me and Stephen to decide what songs to drop. He eventually chose to drop 'Go Back Home' from the tracklisting whilst I ended up sacrificing 'Laughing' and 'What Are Their Names'. Fortunately, they ended up as B-sides so it wasn't a complete loss. It was another half year before something Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-related finally came out." (2004)

March 26, 1971

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Remember Our Names

Released: March 26, 1971

Recorded: 1969-1971

Producer: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Track listing[1]

Side A

Music Is Love
Love the One You're With
Better Days
Tell Me Why
Tamalpais High
I Used to Be a King

Side B
Sit Yourself Down
Traction in the Rain
Don't Let It Bring You Down
Man in the Mirror
When You Dance I Can Really Love
We Are Not Helpless

A little over a year after it was released, the followup to Déjà Vu, titled Remember Our Names, was released to positive reception. However, critics and fans were not quite as enthusiastic towards the album as they had been towards Déjà Vu, especially given that not all four of the members were in the same room together. But despite that, Remember Our Names still reached #3 in the United States and #7 in the United Kingdom. The album's singles, "Love the One You're With" (backed with "What Are Their Names"), "Tell Me Why" (backed with "Laughing"), and "Music Is Love" (backed with "Go Back Home"), were all Top 30 hits.

Although Neil Young would disparage Remember Our Names as a cynical produce in later years - though he still admitted to liking "Love the One You're With" as a personal favorite - Stephen Stills called it "good fun" (1972), and David Crosby and Graham Nash tend to speak favorably about it.

12 February 1971

Cream - Layla

Released: 12 February 1971

Recorded: 26 August - 2 October 1970

Producer: Eric Clapton and Bobby Whitlock

Track listing[2]

Side A

I Looked Away
Bell Bottom Blues
Keep on Growing
I Am Yours
Anyday

Side B
Tell the Truth
Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad?
Snake Lake Blues
Layla
Thorn Tree in the Garden

While it looked as though Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were destined to continue for years to come, the same could not be said for Cream. Shortly after the release of Let It Rain, Jack Bruce had left following a dispute with Eric Clapton, leaving Cream without a bassist, once again leaving its future uncertain.

ERIC CLAPTON: "Delaney [Bramlett] had introduced me to Carl Radle whilst Cream was touring with Delaney & Bonnie, and after Jack left Cream, I called up Carl asking if he could play bass for me, Bobby [Whitlock] and Jim [Gordon], and the first thing he asked me was, 'When shall we meet up?' I took it as a yes." (2010)

The revamped lineup for Cream (with Clapton being the only remaining founding member left) was in the studio by the end of August, working on new material co-written by Clapton and Bobby Whitlock. It was musically inspired from The Band's album Music from Big Pink, which, as Clapton stated, was more concerned about songs and singing.

Pattie Boyd and Eric Clapton, 1970.

PATTIE BOYD: "We [Eric and herself] met secretly at a flat in South Kensington. Eric had asked me to come because he wanted me to listen to a new number he had written. He switched on the tape machine, turned up the volume and played me the most powerful, moving song I had ever heard. It was 'Layla'." (2007)

"Layla", soon to be the title track for Cream's sixth album, was inspired by The Story of Layla and Majnun, written by Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi, as well as meeting with the spouse of his close friend George Harrison, Pattie Boyd. In fact, most of the material Clapton had written for Layla was love songs dedicated to Pattie.

GEORGE HARRISON: "I was at Robert Stigwood's house asking where Pattie was, but he didn't know where she was. I was about to depart when I spotted her in the garden with Eric. I demanded to know what was going on, and the first thing Eric told me was, 'I have to tell you man, that I'm in love with your wife.' Pattie looked frightened, especially when I asked her who she was going to go home with. She went home with me, and our rocky marriage continued for another six years." (1995)

JOHN LENNON: "Ringo and I were over at George's place after filming for Willy Wonka when Old Clapper turned up drunk and challenged Georgie to a duel. Much like a gentleman of the 18th century handing a sword to his rival, he handed Eric a guitar and an amp, and the duel had begun." (1989)[3]

RINGO STARR: "George and Eric shredded the hell out of their guitars for two hours straight, showing no sign of stopping. John and I didn't do anything either; he could've dueled along with them whilst I had a drum kit to play on if the battle got intense, but we never did. I consider that a lost opportunity. If we were in George's recording studio, we could've made some damn fine music. Still, it was clear that Eric would win the duel despite being drunk. Pattie told us that his guitar-playing was just unbeatable." (2013)

The lineup for Cream, 1970.

Love rivalries and drunken antics aside, Layla was originally planned to be released in November of 1970, but it was pushed back to avoid competing with Badfinger's No Dice. Still, "Bell Bottom Blues" had been released as a single with an edited version of "Tell the Truth" as its B-side. The title track was made a single two months after that, also edited down to three minutes.

Layla reached #2 in the United States, being kept off of the top spot by the Ladders' Shine On, and topped out at #7 in the United Kingdom. The title track reached #6 and #11 on both sides, respectively. Despite the commercial success, critics dismissed the album, with some regarding the love songs as little more than fluff and even criticizing the lengthy songs as boring. There were some critics, however, like Robert Christgau of The Village Voice singing praises for Layla.

As years went by, Layla has been acclaimed by fans and critics alike as Cream's greatest overall album, and when it came to choosing favorite songs by the band, the title track would usually come out on top, though some tracks like "Badge" and "Let It Rain" do come close to matching it. Some even compared the album to the Beach Boys' Smile as being great pieces of music being made under the most stressful circumstances.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from David Crosby's If I Could Only Remember My Name, Stephen Stills' 1970 self-titled album, Graham Nash's Songs for Beginners, and Neil Young's After the Gold Rush. Between the members, Crosby and Young each appear in seven songs, Stills appears in six songs and Nash appears in nine songs.
2. All tracks are sourced from OTL's Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, excluding "Snake Lake Blues", released on the Eric Clapton compilation Crossroads.
3. John and Ringo were never at Friar Park when George and Eric had their famous guitar duel.

Author's Comments

So here we go; the first chapter (and 21st overall) of Strawberry Peppers: Phase Two! Remember Our Names was one of the first albums made for the series, being thought of back in May 2018, and that was eight months before I'd even begun this blog!

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are perhaps one of the greatest supergroups of all time. Well, they are when they work together; for fifty years, they've constantly been at each others' throats, and all of their best material was either left unreleased or put out on obscure solo albums. And that's not even mentioning the fact that they went a similar direction their contemporaries did in the 1980s (we'll get to that in Phase Four, which may be a long, long way away).

My objective with CSNY is to give them a more prolific 1970s between Déjà Vu from 1970 and CSN from 1977. Overall, I have created six - yes, six - brand new CSNY albums from the period of 1971-1976 that they might have released, relying mostly on their solo/duet material from the period. I focus a lot on the material that featured at least two members on the same song; that, to me, is how you make a 1970s album. It also helps that some of the solo material has been performed live by them as a group such as Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With" featuring David Crosby and Graham Nash on backing vocals. That's a potential CSNY single right there!

And as for Cream? Well, it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that they will break up, but it'll be at the end of 1971. Their Apple-era discography is very interesting in that they're practically the Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos albums, plus Eric Clapton's self-titled solo debut, albeit under the Cream banner. Granted, the music may not have sounded like any of these albums had Cream continued, but who knows if "Layla" had been a Cream song instead?

So far, Phase Two is off to a flying start, but what are the Beatles - or rather, the Ladders and Paul McCartney - up to? Pretty unrelated, but I'd love to see somebody make a TV Tropes page of the Strawberry Peppers story.

Intermission: Love the One You're With

13 July 1985 - On the Road to London

The drive that would take the Beatles and their respective families from Liverpool to London was going to be a very long one; no more than five hours, at best. They were on their way to Wembley Stadium, where they would be one of many performers representing the United Kingdom for a dual-venue benefit concert called Live Aid. (Another venue was at John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia in the United States.)

Live Aid had been organized by Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof and ex-Visage guitarist Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the Ehtopian famine in eastern Africa. The famine had taken place over a period of two years and the death toll was debated; some say it was as few as 400 thousand, others say it was up to 1.2 million or somewhere between the two numbers. As a response, Geldof and Ure had composed a charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas", under the brand name Band Aid, which featured many of the current biggest British and Irish musical acts such as George Michael and Bono. The Beatles were asked to partake in the recording, but they had declined due to scheduling conflicts, although Paul McCartney did record a message on the B-side.

To make up for their absence on "Do They Know It's Christmas", the Beatles had agreed to partake in the Live Aid concert, and they would be performing early on in the evening, but rather late into the concert itself. Each act had generally been given up to 20 minutes for their own respective sets, and the Beatles would be performing six songs in their own set. The band was well-rehearsed for later in the evening and had decided that the majority of their songs would be post-Abracadabra.

"It's hard to imagine, isn't it?" said John to Paul as the drive went on the M6 motorway. "This is nearly thirty years in the making."

"Ever since we first met after your Quarrymen show back in '57," agreed Paul. "Time goes by so quickly these days. It almost feels like yesterday when our first single got released."

"But now both of us have married and we got kids of our own," added John. "God, it makes you feel mortal."

"Yeah," sighed Paul. There was silence before either man spoke up again.

"Still," Paul continued, "I almost wonder to myself what things might've been like had you, George and Ringo not ditched me like that..."

"Well, in our defense, Paul," said John, "you were kind of being an overbearing prima donna prick by the end of the 60s."

"That's a rather blunt way of putting it," replied Paul. "You weren't exactly perfect back then either, y'know, especially when you slagged me off in the press like all I wrote was nothing but sappy ballads. I could still rock hard even then like we did with 'Helter Skelter'. And it's not like you haven't written ballads either."

John tried to come up with a retort, but nothing came to him. Instead, he just simply replied, "Touche, Macca. Touche."

Linda and Maddy observed their respective husbands in silence; they were used to hearing banter like that, but they never escalated into giant arguments. The children were talking amongst themselves, not taking much notice of the middle-aged couples in the limousine. (George, Ringo and their respective families were in the other limousine whilst a van behind both of them carried all the musical equipment.)

"All that being said," said Paul, "if it hadn't been for you three ditching me, I'm not sure you and Madeline would've ever met."

"Maybe we might've," said John. "Just... under different circumstances, I believe; whatever they could be. Right, Maddy?"

"Who knows?" chuckled Maddy. "However different things may have been in the 70s, I'd have never gotten close to Linda, Livvy and Babs, or any combination of the three. They're the best sister figures an actress like myself could've ever asked for."

"I feel the same about you and others," smiled Linda. "Only in my case, I'm just a mere photographer."

"You're not just a mere photographer," John snorted. "You're practically the mother figure in our inner circle."

"John's right, y'know," said Paul, putting an arm around his wife. "Ever since the Beatles got back together, you've pretty much helped to keep conflict at a minimum, and even helped to provide us moral support when we needed it the most. Especially in recent times when we were at an artistic low."

Linda smiled again and rested her head against Paul's shoulder, kissing him on the cheek.

"I'll say this though," said John. "Even when I didn't think highly of you in the early 70s, Paul, you could still make some damn fine music. I still especially love 'Let Me Roll It' even now."

"And I've a particular fondness for 'Crippled Inside' myself," said Paul. "I get a kick out of it even now."

"D'ya think they could've been Beatles songs had we, as our song goes, worked it out back then?" asked John.

"Probably," Paul shrugged. "I mean, we wrote up quite a lot of material in India that we didn't put out on an album until years later."

"Who knows what we could've produced?" agreed John. "We could've gone down a similar route to ELO or maybe Pink Floyd."

"Or our friends from Smile," suggested Paul.

"Yeah," said John. "The 70s could've been way different..."

Extra Scenes: The Byrds' "20 c." (September 1967 - May 1968)

September - October 1967

The Byrds, 1967.

The recording sessions for the Byrds' next album were fraught with tension. For the past three months, the band, led by Roger McGuinn, had only managed to record seven songs, the most recent one being a cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Goin' Back", made popular the previous year by pop singer Dusty Springfield.

ROGER McGUINN: "There was a lot of pressure from Columbia to have an album out before the Christmas rush. We were having a bit of writer's block, and we hadn't enough material for a ten-track album." (1989)

If it wasn't writer's block that put pressure on the Byrds, it was arguments among the members, especially with Michael Clarke and David Crosby. The former resigned from his position as the band's drummer following disputes with the other band members over his playing ability as well as his feelings toward the material that Crosby, McGuinn and Chris Hillman had gathered. Crosby was soon kicked out of the band over the recording of "Goin' Back", arguing that his controversial song "Triad" should be on the album instead.

CHRIS HILLMAN: "After Roger and I fired David, we considered bringing back Gene Clark to replace him, but Columbia reminded us that we had to put out an album by November. There was no time to bring in replacement members, so we had to release what we had already managed to finish as well as bring back a few older songs onto the track listing. It's a miracle we managed to get The Notorious Byrd Brothers out at all, given all the shit we were going through." (2004)

DAVID CROSBY: "If Roger and Chris hadn't fired me, I'd have never formed a group with Stephen [Stills] and Graham [Nash]. Oh, and Neil [Young] too. Sometimes bad things have good outcomes." (1977)

November 17, 1967

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers

Released: November 17, 1967

Recorded: December 5, 1966 - September 9, 1967

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[1]

Side A

Lady Friend
Goin' Back
Tribal Gathering
Draft Morning
Don't Make Waves

Side B
Change is Now
Old John Robertson
Triad
Dolphin's Smile
It Happens Each Day

The songs included with the seven planned album tracks were the "Lady Friend"/"Don't Make Waves" single from July, as well as an outtake from Younger Than Yesterday, "It Happens Each Day". The Notorious Byrd Brothers received good reviews from critics, but it only managed to peak at #47 in the United States. It fared far better, however, in the United Kingdom by topping out at #12. The album's sole single, "Goin' Back", was released ahead of the album on October 20 and reached a rather dismal #89 on the Billboard Hot 100. It failed to chart at all in the United Kingdom.

Whilst the various incidents surrounding the album's production were noted at the time, they were eventually forgotten about over time in favor of the quality of the music, being regarded as some of the best music the Byrds had ever recorded, despite running at less than a half hour. Their next album, however, would be bigger not only in length, but in terms of innovation...

March - April 1968

Gram Parsons, 1968.

By the time the Byrds were back in the studio, their new lineup included drummer Kevin Kelley (Hillman's cousin) and folk guitarist Gram Parsons alongside the McGuinn/Hillman duo. The next album was set to be a musical history of American popular music during the 20th century, ranging from traditional folk music all the way up to psychedelic music. McGuinn and Hillman had already recorded five new songs during the mixing of The Notorious Byrd Brothers which already covered psychedelic music, and they were recorded with Michael Clarke who only agreed to return to play the drums.

GRAM PARSONS: "I was ambivalent when it came to the psychedelic noodlings Roger and Chris did with Michael. I wanted a full country record, but we soon reached a middle ground that the entirety of the first half of what became 20 c. focused a lot on traditional tunes and country and folk music. The second half would include more modern country and folk before delving into psychedelic territory." (1970)

The first songs recorded were a rendition of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and a Parsons original, "Hickory Wind". Over a week, the Byrds had managed to record eight new songs, far more efficient than the seven new songs recorded over a three-month period. The last three songs, Merle Haggard and Jelly Sanders' "Life in Prison", Luke McDaniel's "You're Still on My Mind" and the Louvin Brothers' "The Christian Life" were all recorded the following month, along with two other outtakes, William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water" and Cindy Walker's "Blue Canadian Rockies".

May 31, 1968

The Byrds - 20 c.

Released: May 31, 1968

Recorded: October 23, 1967 - April 15, 1968

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[2]

Side A

Pretty Polly
I am a Pilgrim
The Christian Life
Hickory Wind
Nothing was Delivered
Life in Prison
You're Still on My Mind
Pretty Boy Floyd

Side B
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Lazy Days
You Got a Reputation
Get to You
Natural Harmony
Artificial Energy
Space Odyssey
Moog Raga

Originally dubbed Cosmic American Music, a term Parsons used to describe McGuinn's concept, 20 c. was met with some confusion among fans and critics; was this really an album made by the same band that recorded "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"? This sounded like a step backwards... at least until you get to the second half of the second side. At the time, people didn't really see the concept behind the album and saw it as simply another country album. Despite that common criticism, 20 c. managed to hit #77 on the Billboard charts, the Byrds' lowest album chart position thus far. The lead single from April, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", was a modest hit, reaching #75 and #45 in America and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Like The Notorious Byrd Brothers before it, time eventually proved kinder to 20 c., being regarded as the Byrds' most ambitious effort as well as their last influential album. Of course, fans and listeners are still divided regarding the album's merits as until the three-quarters mark, the Byrds' trademark experimentation is nowhere to be heard.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from The Notorious Byrd Brothers excluding "Lady Friend", "Don't Make Waves" and "It Happens Each Day", sourced from Younger Than Yesterday.
2. Tracks are sourced from Sweetheart of the Rodeo and The Notorious Byrd Brothers.

Author's Comments

Another band getting some focus that they didn't get in the initial Phase One; it's the Byrds, David Crosby's band before he became a member of Crosby, Stills, & Nash... and sometimes Young. The inspiration for my take on 20 c. came from AEC on Albums Back from the Dead, only my version includes tracks from The Notorious Byrd Brothers and is a single album instead of a double. I did use AEC's tracklisting as a basis and rearranged some songs around so my version could stick out a little more, also using Sweetheart of the Rodeo as a basis. After that, their discography continues as it did with Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. Unless something else changes courtesy of yours truly.

Album cover for 20 c. was made by IdesignAlbumCovers on Tumblr.

Extra Scenes: Badfinger's "Magic Christian Music" (July 1969 - January 1970)

4 July 1969

The cover for the Iveys' (later Badfinger) Maybe Tomorrow album, released July 1969.

Badfinger had originally began in 1961 as The Iveys, fronted by lead guitarist Pete Ham. It had taken them seven years before they finally found themselves signed up onto the Beatles' Apple Records and released their first single, "Maybe Tomorrow", which was a Top 40 hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Eight months later, they put out their first album, Maybe Tomorrow, named for the November single. It topped out at #30 in the United Kingdom and reached a slightly higher #23 in the United States.

PETE HAM: "Maybe Tomorrow - both the album and the single - weren't quie the huge success we were aiming for, but it was still a good start for us when we signed up for Apple. The company was barely a year old, but hits were coming in like Mary Hopkin and Jackie Lomax, and many were being produced by the Beatles; we got their roadie, Mal Evans. Sweet guy, he is. By the end of '68, Ron [Griffiths] had become a father, but he stuck around for Magic Christian Music despite falling ill during the sessions. That was before Joey [Molland] came onto the scene and we re-branded ourselves as Badfinger." (1977)

The Magic Christian, based on the novel by Terry Southern and directed by Joseph McGrath, was due for a theatrical release by the end of 1969, and so Badfinger were commissioned to record three songs for the film. Paul McCartney was their producer, and he also wrote up the hit single "Come and Get It" for them to record. The other two tracks, both written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans (with Mike Gibbins co-writing "Rock of All Ages"), were also produced by McCartney.

9 January 1970

Badfinger - Magic Christian Music

Released: 9 January 1970

Recorded: 1968-1969

Producer: Paul McCartney, Mal Evans, Tony Visconti and Pete Ham

Track listing[1]

Side A

Come and Get It
Crimson Ship
No Escaping Your Love
Mrs. Jones
Midnight Sun
Storm in a Teacup
Rock of All Ages

Side B
Carry on Till Tomorrow
And Her Daddy's a Millionaire
Walk Out in the Rain
Arthur
Give It a Try
Looking for My Baby

"Come and Get It" had been issued as a single the week before The Magic Christian was released in theaters in the United Kingdom, and it marked Badfinger's first #1 single in said country. When it was later released in the United States the following month, it topped out at #5. Critics praised the Beatle-esque sound of the single, part of it due to McCartney's involvement in writing the single as well as producing it.

The film had been hit with a mixed to negative reception among critics, especially due to the extensive use of black comedy. However, there was plenty of praise given to the performances of Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, and although it was not produced by Apple Films, The Magic Christian was adopted as part of the canon due to the involvement of the people associated with Apple at the time, and the film has since then become a cult hit among audiences.

As for the Badfinger album, along with the three songs recorded for the movie, ten previously unreleased tracks produced either by Tony Visconti or Mal Evans (with "Looking for My Baby" produced by Ham himself) were packaged with the movie songs for an album release. It was given a more positive reception than Maybe Tomorrow, topping the charts in the United Kingdom but only hitting #8 in the United States.

Footnotes

1. The replacement tracks are sourced from the CD editions of Maybe Tomorrow (1992) and Magic Christian Music (1991). The track listing in general follows the latter.

Author's Comments

Ah, Badfinger; probably one of the most unlucky bands in rock music history. Despite being a part of the Beatles' Apple label, misfortune seemed to follow Pete Ham and co. wherever they went, eventually leading to Ham's suicide in 1975, followed by Tom Evans' in 1983. It's too bad that it's only now we realize how great they were musically.

With 20/20 retrospect, I can hopefully salvage their good name and give Pete Ham a better fate than he got in OTL, starting with a redo of Magic Christian Music. I couldn't believe I overlooked that when I wrote up Phase One. Hopefully this will fill up that gap; I wonder what other gaps I'll fill in during the 1966-1970 period that I can give a proper resolution to.

Extra Scenes: Bob Dylan's "Back to Mono" (March - April 1970)

March 3, 1970

Bob Dylan, 1970.

After his performances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in August, the remainder of the 1960s were very quiet for Bob Dylan. Two months into 1970, he was finally back in the studio to record a followup to his previous album, Nashville Skyline.

BOB DYLAN: "I wanted the Nashville followup to be something of a joke when it came out. For all the success I had in the 60s, I just wanted people to get off my back and destroy the 'spokesman of a generation' label I was given by critics and fans alike. However, Bob [Johnston] took me aside, and said, 'The Beatles had almost destroyed their own reputation with [Back in Your] Safely Beds.' I'd heard that album when it came out and thought it quite comical. I think Bob was afraid that that album would inspire other artists to do the same thing and talked me out of it. That's pretty much how Back to Mono came to be; a tribute to the days before rock and roll." (2013)

Recording for the album took place over a three day period, with at least half of the material being recorded on March 4. Dylan had wanted to do overdubs for some of the material, but once again, Johnston talked him out of it, and instead, insisted on having the album released as soon as possible, much like the early days. The only Dylan originals recorded during the sessions were "All the Tired Horses" and "Wigwam", but both were left off the album to focus solely on covers.

April 10, 1970

Bob Dylan - Back to Mono

Released: April 10, 1970

Recorded: March 3-5 1970

Producer: Bob Johnston

Track listing[1]

Side A

Copper Kettle
Railroad Bill
Pretty Saro
Days of '49
Annie's Going to Sing Her Song
In Search of Little Sadie
House Carpenter

Side B
Little Sadie
Thirsty Boots
Belle Isle
This Evening So Soon
These Hands
Tattle O'Day
Alberta #3

The release of Back to Mono was met with confusion amongst fans and critics. This was Bob Dylan's first work of the new decade - a collection of covers? Many even derided it as "a complete step backwards". But after that initial shock wore off, some listeners felt that Back to Mono truly was a callback to rock and roll's roots, and even believed that Dylan did justice to the songs, despite that he would disparage the album in later years, feeling like he was being controlled during the album's production. However, the one cover that managed to draw consistent praise for the past fifty years has been Alfred Frank Beddoe's "Copper Kettle" from 1946, originally later covered by Joan Baez in 1962.

Back to Mono reached #4 in the United States and hit #1 in the United Kingdom before being toppled by the Beatles' Everest. The fact that it was an album consisting solely of covers was a novelty at the time, and in years to come, artists like Linda Ronstadt, David Bowie, Jeff Lynne, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, George Michael, and most recently, Weezer.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971). Of the material chosen, five songs were recorded on March 3, eight songs on March 4, and "Alberta #3" on March 5.

Author's Comments

Here's the first of what we'll call Extra Scenes. This is where we go back to an earlier stage of one of the Phases of the series and expand on an element that I didn't cover during that particular Phase. This one is a sort of replacement for Bob Dylan's Self Portrait, considered by many to be one of his worst albums. Another Self Portrait was a very convenient source for the material needed for making Back to Mono.

The overall result runs at 48 minutes long, which is a bit lengthy for a callback album; of course, if you like, you can remove two to four of the songs you consider of weaker quality and still have a decent album overall. But is Back to Mono really superior to Self Portrait? That's up to you, dear listener/reader, to decide.

What's Next for Strawberry Peppers? (Phase Two)

As Phase One of Strawberry Peppers comes to a close, the inevitable question has been, what's going to happen in Phase Two? Well, the period of 1971-1976 is going to be a pretty big one for sure, so here's a brief summary as to what will happen for the already established stories:

The March of the Queen Beatle

John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr continue as the Ladders, effectively leaving the Beatles in limbo. Meanwhile, Paul McCartney tries to make a solo name for himself per OTL, with questionable results. He eventually forms a band with Denny Laine of the Moody Blues, Brian May and Roger Taylor of Smile, becoming Paul McCartney & Smile (OTL's equivalent to Wings and 1970s Queen). Meanwhile, Freddie Mercury has a solo career during the 1970s under Apple.

Jumpin' Jack's Knife

The Rolling Stones plus David Bowie have a discography falling into Bowie's trajectory during this period.

Villains and Heroes

Dennis Wilson continues with the Passions, even absorbing some members of the British band Traffic into becoming Passions members. He will also come across a certain Liverpudlian trio, even producing for them.

The Reconstructor had suggested to me that I make Denny Laine a member of Traffic as Wings doesn't form in this timeline, but already having Denny as a member of Smile, I figured I could re-purpose the idea for the Passions instead.

Interstellar Overdrive

Syd Barrett stays with Pink Floyd until 1972, at which point, he ends up deciding to carve his own path and forms a supergroup with David Bowie, Lou Reed and Iggy Pop called Hunky Dory. They are then joined by Barrett's friends Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt; although the supergroup doesn't reach dizzying heights, their music soon gains a cult following in later years. Meanwhile, Pink Floyd continues as a four-man group.

Inspired partially by Auran's Gummaumma timeline.

Happy Jacks

The Who release Lifehouse to try and one-up the Rolling Stones before finally throwing in the towel after the Stones put out Ziggy Stardust.

Through the Looking Glass

Things happen just about the same as OTL, although Peter Tork, alongside George Harrison, Neil Young and Bob Dylan, assists in the formation of Highway Records, the Los Angeles branch of Apple, even serving as a producer for up and coming acts.

Dazed with Confusion

Things happen the same as they did in OTL, but the albums have differing tracklistings.

Seasoned for the Time

The Zombies' discography of the 1970s draws parallels to both Colin Blunstone's initial solo discography and Argent's in the 1970s.

Apple Badge

Cream breaks up around late 1971/early 1972 following the release of Layla, often considered to be the group's magnum opus. Eric Clapton's solo career continues as it did per OTL.

And now for the new stories that will be taking place in this already crazy story:

Day After Day

Badfinger gets better promotion and recognition than they did in OTL, and Pete Ham doesn't commit suicide in 1975. After Badfinger breaks up, Ham gets a change of musical career as producer as a request to George Harrison.

Before the Silver Rushes

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young continue as a group into the 1970s despite their clashing egos. Despite all the drama, they still get together in the midst of the political climate with songs such as "War Song", and manage to put out Human Highway.

The Wizzards of Art Rock

The Electric Light Orchestra gets signed onto Apple, and Roy Wood stays with the group until 1975.

The following don't have a determined story title as of yet, but they will play a big role in the politically challenged world of 1971-1976:

President George McGovern (term; 1973-1977)

The Watergate scandal explodes earlier when a member of Richard Nixon's cabinet blows their whistle, resulting in Nixon's popularity declining sharply. The likes of CSNY and the Ladders use their music to bring more social awareness in the United States, even supporting Democratic candidate George McGovern against Nixon. McGovern is not particularly popular by the time the election takes place due to being ahead of his time, but he ends up winning the presidency as America does not want a crook in the White House. McGovern, the 38th President of the United States of America, lasts for one term, his most notable achievement ending the Vietnam War on Christmas Eve, 1973. Meanwhile, Richard Nixon is trialed for his involvement in Watergate and is sentenced to ten years in prison on August 9, 1974 (the same day he resigned in OTL).

The Mel Brooks Posse and Apple Films

Michael Lindsay-Hogg and Brian Epstein agree to a contract for Mel Brooks to produce and direct three movies in conjunction Apple Films; Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Silent Movie. It's during the production of the former (as well as the midst of the Ladders' Lost Weekend) that John Lennon first meets with actress Madeline Kahn (the woman he was married to in the prologue), even beginning a relationship with her. The Ladders also befriend the likes of Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Harvey Korman, Peter Boyle and Dom DeLuise during the production of these movies.

There's also one more idea I have in mind for the Beatles in 1976... but I won't spoil anything until we get to it.

Anyway, those are all the ideas I have thus far for Phase Two. Things may inevitably change during the writing phase, so keep an eye out for everything.