Chapter 35: See My Baby Jive (January - August 1973)

January 20, 1973

Yoko Ono and John Lennon, 1973.

Whilst he was watching the televised inauguration of George McGovern, the 38th President of the United States of America, as well as Vice-President Terry Sanford, John Lennon felt a great sense of relief now that Richard Nixon was no longer in office. Hopefully, the new President would change his focus on other issues in America and dismiss the charges against the Lennons and grant John citizenship. But of course, that was going to be a long process, and Lennon didn't think about leaving America lest he risk being banned from visiting again.

JOHN LENNON: "At the time, the only way I could communicate with Brian [Epstein] was through the speakerphone. He was based in London and I was in New York. We weren't exactly on the best terms with each other since the Ladders and Paul had put out those political statements on record, and it was also why he'd put out those 'best of' compilations. But still, I did kind of miss England greatly, and was hoping I could get dual citizenship between both it and America." (1983)

Two months earlier, on the night of McGovern winning the election, John and Yoko attended a post-election wake that was hosted by Jerry Rubin in his New York home. Among the attendees were Ringo Starr, Keith Moon, Micky Dolenz, David Crosby and journalist Hunter S. Thompson. It was during the party that Lennon got drunk and had sex with a female guest (her identity was not revealed out of respect). Yoko was left depressed following the incident, which inspired her song "Death of Samantha" for her next album, Approximately Infinite Universe, released February 16.

RINGO STARR: "I joined Yoko home after the incident. I felt sorry for her. But I also felt sorry for John; when I next met him, all sobered up, he knew that I knew that he had fucked it all up. It was his second marriage, and he'd been just as unfaithful to Yoko as he'd been to Cynthia. In fact, he was now more into making music with me and George than he was with her." (1998)

GEORGE HARRISON: "In John's defense, he wasn't the only one who was going through a failing marriage. Pattie [Boyd] was now head over heels in love with Eric [Clapton], and Ringo was cheating on Maureen for Nancy Andrews; it didn't help that Ringo was also deep into alcoholism as well. We were utter drunkards in the 1970s and it wouldn't be until the end of the decade that we decided to clean up." (1992)

23 March 1973

George Harrison, 1973.

The Ladders' first release in eight months was the non-album single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)", a song penned by George Harrison the year previously, coinciding with the height of his devotion to Hindu spirituality. It marked the Ladders' first #1 American hit since the "Bangla Desh/Imagine" double A-side in 1971, although it managed to reach #7 in the United Kingdom, and was hailed as a return to form for Lennon, Harrison and Starr following their political statements the year before.

The choice for the B-side to "Give Me Love" was an ironic one; "Oh Yoko!" had been written as far back as 1968 during the Beatles' trip to India, but it had not been fully completed until the recording sessions for the Ladders' Imagine, although it did not make the cut. With neither John nor Ringo having anything to offer up for the B-side, "Oh Yoko!" ended up being chosen instead, which was better than leaving it gathering dust on a shelf.

Although the song was dedicated to Yoko, it had been released at a time when their marriage was beginning to fall apart. The couple had agreed to separate in order to let John exorcise his demons; this would eventually be dubbed the Ladders' "Lost Weekend", alternating between Los Angeles and New York City, and living the "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" way of life. "Paul was really lucky during that time," John would later comment. "His and Linda's relationship seemed to be rock solid." (1990) But in between these drunken antics, there was the matter of work on Mel Brooks' first movie under Apple Films...

Mel Brooks as a Yiddish Indian Chief in Blazing Saddles, 1974.

MEL BROOKS: "I was in a room with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg and Al Uger, with Andrew having coming up with the basic story. We practically wrote the story in the middle of a drunken fistfight, yelling loudly for all of our ideas to be put into the film. As director, I had the right to decide what would stay in the movie and what would be left out; I did speak the loudest out of all of us." (2004)

Blazing Saddles originally went by the working title of Tex-X, a play on Malcolm X's name, and was to be directed by Alan Arkin and had James Earl Jones as Sheriff Bart, but this didn't get off the ground. When Mel Brooks took over the project, he had wanted Richard Pryor to play the sheriff, but Pryor's history of drug arrests prevented this, although he still received a writing credit. The role to Sheriff Bart eventually went to Cleavon Little; the film would also cast the likes of Gene Wilder as Jim the "Waco Kid", Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr, and Madeline Kahn as Lili von Shtupp the "Teutonic Titwillow".

Brooks got involved with disagreements with executives from Warner Brothers (who would distribute the film; Apple was involved with production) over the content of the script, especially the frequent use of the word "nigger". Despite all the suggestions to make it more family friendly, Brooks refused to make any changes, except for cutting the line, "I hate to disappoint you, ma'am, but you're sucking my arm," said by Sheriff Bart when Lili von Shtupp seduced him.

JOHN LENNON: "When I got a hold of the Blazing Saddles script, I practically roared with laughter for how outrageous and ballsy it was. I did suggest to Mel, of course, that he not show it at all to Brian Epstein, and I told him about what had happened when I tried to release 'Woman is the Nigger of the World' as a single. I even asked him if there was a chance me, George and Ringo could be in the film." (1980)

John Cleese (second to left) with the rest of Monty Python in the episode A Book at Bedtime, 1973.

John, George and Ringo soon found themselves cast as extras in the film; John got the role of Boris, the head of Hanging House, and George (Howard Johnson) and Ringo (Gabby Johnson) were a pair of Rock Ridge townsfolk.[1] Klaus Voormann also appeared in a cameo role as a third townsfolk member, as did Billy Preston as the pianist of a big band Sheriff Bart meets in the desert on his way to Rock Ridge. Mel Brooks would later lament that he didn't have Paul McCartney in the film. "I could've had the complete set [The Beatles]," he said in a 1999 interview for Blazing Saddles' 25th anniversary, "but given how John, George and Ringo - mostly the first two - were feeling towards him at the time, I get why that couldn't happen."

Near the end of the film, there was a resulting brawl that would result in a literal fourth wall break crashing onto a neighboring set of a Busby Berkeley-style top-hat-and-tails musical number, but Brooks was stuck on deciding who should play the role of the director. The role was intended for Peter Sellers, but George Harrison, a Monty Python fan, suggested that one of the members could fulfill the role.[2]

JOHN CLEESE: "At the time, Flying Circus had completed its third series and I'd very much left the show. But then a got a call from this Jewish-American bloke, Mel Brooks, asking if any of us would be interested in starring in his newest film. I ended up drawing the short straw and flew over to Burbank, California where they were filming the climax for Blazing Saddles. Fantastic film, by the way, and it fit Monty Python's sense of humor like a pair of trousers." (2006)

Madeline Kahn as Trixie Delight in Paper Moon, 1973.

During the filming of Blazing Saddles, the three former Beatles obtained friendships with Gene Wilder, Harvey Korman, Mel Brooks and John Cleese (the latter was even particularly interested in teaming up with them again in the future). But if there was anyone John Lennon had gotten very close to during that time, it was a young actress of thirty by the name of Madeline Kahn, having previously starred in What's Up, Doc? and Paper Moon, in 1972 and 1973, respectively.

MADELINE KAHN: "I don't know what it was that drew me to John. He was heavily outspoken and brash, and I was very shy and reserved. The first time we met when not acting, he asked me what my childhood was like, and I told him about my father leaving me when I was a baby. Surprised, John said that he was separated from his father as well, having left England for New Zealand. He grew up to be a wild, edgy kid that everyone wanted to be like, whilst I grew up a fairly uneventful childhood. We were soon friends after a few days, and at the time, I didn't know anything about his time with the Beatles, nor about his rivalry with Paul in the early 70s." (1992)

GENE WILDER: "I noticed that when John was around Madeline, he was quite a different person. Whenever he was in a music studio, he was sometimes a bit of a clown, but around Madeline, he was a lot gentler and more sensitive. I mentioned this to Ringo and George, who were surprised by this development, especially given that he was already married." (1987)

April 6, 1973

The Passions - Holland

Released: April 6, 1973

Recorded: November 4, 1972 - March 3, 1973

Producer: Dennis and Carl Wilson

Track listing[3]

Side A

Sail On, Sailor
Here She Comes
Big Sur
The Beaks of Eagles
We Got Love

Side B

Hold On Dear Brother
The Trader
Leaving This Town
Only with You
Student Demonstration Time

The Passions' fourth album was the first with Mike Love as a full-time member, the first without Bruce Johnston, and the first with South African guitarist Blondie Chaplin and drummer Ricky Fataar. Despite the return of Love to the music scene and the presence of fresh blood to the lineup, Holland only managed to hit #36 and #20 in the United States and the United Kingdom, respectively. It was the lowest charting album that Dennis and Carl Wilson had performed on since the Beach Boys' debut album Surfin' Safari in 1962 in America (#32).

Despite the underwhelming chart performance, critical reception was fairly positive, although some like Robert Christgau felt that it had strayed too far from what the Beach Boys were known for in the 1960s. Elvis Costello cited Holland as one of his favorite records of all time, and Tom Petty described the album as "beautiful" in 2000.

DENNIS WILSON: "I didn't want to admit it at the time, but I felt that the Passions were dying out. Bruce leaving the band following So Tough was a warning sign, but the under-performance of Holland seemed to solidify it. It didn't really matter if we were the Beach Boys or the Passions; we were falling out of favor with popular music tastes during the early to mid-1970s, and I was left wondering what would become of us within five years, let alone the rest of the 20th century." (2004)

Fortunately, Dennis Wilson found a new calling when the Ladders went into the studio to record their next album. Following the success of "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" back in March, a follow-up album to Bloody Sunday seemed the next logical choice. John, George and Ringo entered the studio with the general mindset of straying far away from their political and religious material, but they didn't know how the next album would sound.

Dennis Wilson performing live with the Passions, 1973.

GEORGE HARRISON: "The break following the release of Bloody Sunday did us some good; it gave us time to write up new material. Even Ringo had a few contributions of his own, but after Phil Spector broke down, we needed a new producer. By sheer luck, John had come across Dennis Wilson during the filming of Blazing Saddles." (1976)

DENNIS WILSON: "John and I talked a lot together in a pub in Burbank, exchanging jokes and stories. He even promised me that he'd ask Mel Brooks to invite me to the premiere of Blazing Saddles, which wouldn't be out until February next year. Eventually, John asked if I could help him, George and Ringo in producing the next Ladders album. Producing for someone outside of familiar company? I loved a challenge, so I took the job." (2004)

That June, the Ladders entered the studio with Wilson in the producers' chair. The sessions were much like the days of the Beatles and the Beach Boys; laid back, productive, and overall fun. At least twenty songs were recorded during the sessions, but only twelve would end up on the final album. Among the songs recorded were Lennon's "Mind Games", "Rock and Roll People", "One Day (At a Time)", "Tight A$", "You Are Here", and "I'm the Greatest", which he would give to Ringo to sing. Harrison's contributions included "Living in the Material World", "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long", "So Sad", "Dark Horse", "The Light That Has Lighted the World", and three songs for Ringo; "Sunshine Life for Me", "You and Me (Babe)", and "Photograph". Starr would even write a few songs himself; "Step Lightly", "Oh My My" and "Devil Woman", the latter two of which were written with Dennis Wilson.

There was a lot of leftover material when the sessions ended in July, with plans to use that material for another album release next year.

24 August 1973

The Ladders - Photograph

Released: 24 August 1973

Recorded: June - July 1973

Producer: The Ladders and Dennis Wilson

Track listing[4]

Side A

I'm the Greatest
Living in the Material World
Mind Games
Photograph
One Day (At a Time)
Be Here Now

Side B

Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)
The Light That Has Lighted the World
Step Lightly
Out the Blue
Don't Let Me Wait Too Long
You and Me (Babe)

Photograph was hailed as a return to form for the Ladders following the poor reception to Bloody Sunday. It hit #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, with critics praising Dennis Wilson's production touches and the vocal performances by Ringo Starr, for the first time having equal vocal contributions alongside John and George. The title track was released alongside the album with Lennon's "Meat City" as the B-side, and also hit #1 in America, but topped out at #3 in the United Kingdom.

CARL WILSON: "It's almost like the former Beach Boys and the former Beatles have become allies in a sense; Paul co-produced an album by former Beach Boys, and Dennis co-produced an album by former Beatles." (1973)

Lennon's "Mind Games", a track tracing back to the Get Back sessions in 1969, would later be released as a single in November with a Shine One leftover, a cover of Bob Dylan's "If Not for You". It would chart at #5 and #8 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Whilst John, George and Ringo were enjoying the success they'd managed to claw back, unbeknownst to them, Paul McCartney would soon strike back...

Footnotes

1. The role of Boris the hangman went to Robert Ridgely, Howard Johnson to John Hillerman, and Gabby Johnson the prospector to Jack Starrett.
2. Dom DeLuise portrayed Buddy Bizarre instead of John Cleese.
3. Tracks are sourced from Surf's Up, Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" and Holland. "We Got Love" is a bonus track from the 2015 remaster of Holland on iTunes.
4. Tracks are sourced from Ringo, Living in the Material World and Mind Games.

Author's Comments

For the last three chapters, we've been jumping around between 1972 and 1973. For this chapter and the next two, we're gonna be stuck in 1973 full time. This chapter wasn't easy to write up, to say the least. I didn't know when Blazing Saddles was being filmed, so I had to guess by pure instinct. If I was right or wrong, hopefully this won't affect the flow of the story too much.

And finally, we reveal the identity of "Maddy Lennon" - Madeline Kahn herself! I don't know why I chose to have her and John together; I just thought the idea was pretty interesting. Sometimes, things don't plan out the way you originally intended, and that's a good thing. And since John's got a certain Tricky Dicky off of his back, anything could happen to him during the Lost Weekend, and that was a direction I decided to take with him. The prologue I posted back in January may be changed slightly given how things are changing up; heck, John's second kid may not even be named Sean! But we'll see what comes up in the future...

This will also not be the last we hear from Monty Python in the story, but sadly, Holland is likely to be the last Passions album because I feel that if I tried to compile material for an album for 1974 or later, I'd be scraping the bottom of the barrel, especially since the Beach Boys' material between 1976 and 1996 ranged from forgettable to outright unlistenable. Though they did make a comeback with That's Why God Made the Radio in 2012. But fear not! We'll see more from Dennis in the future.

Also, we've officially reached the midway point of Phase Two! The overall length for it will be thirty chapters total compared to twenty chapters in Phase One. Yep, we'll soon be reaching fifty chapters for the story, and that will happen in mid-March at the earliest. If I'm ambitious enough, Phase Three could range from forty to fifty chapters in length, though I doubt I'd be able to make it to a hundred by the time we hit Live Aid in 1985. But we'll see where this goes!