Chapter 47: Shining Star (January - March 1976)

16 January 1976

Hunky Dory - Raw Power

Released: 16 January 1976

Recorded: September - November 1975

Producer: Hunky Dory and Ollie Halsall

Track listing[1]

Side A

Raw Power
Charley's Girl
Guru Banana
She Took a Long Cold Look
Song for Che
Word on a Wing

Side B

Gigolo Aunt
Doojiman
Ooohhh Baby
Who Can I Be Now?
Two Goes Into Four
5 Black Notes and 1 White Note

Side C
Crazy Feeling
Alife
Hey Peter
It's Gonna Be Me
Effervescing Elephant
Farewell Again (Another Dawn)

Hunky Dory's first album under Highway 61 Records was an unusual specimen upon release. It was a double album, but instead of having four sides of music, only the first three sides contained music whilst the fourth side had no music at all. Instead, it had an engraving of... something.

LOU REED: "I still had a bone to pick with RCA when they dumped our asses following Metal Machine Music and The Opel EP. Opel was basically one side of a record spread across two, and so I suggested that we do a three-sided record whilst the fourth side had an image engraved onto it. I didn't know what it would be at the time, but I still thought hard about it whilst we were recording Raw Power." (1995)

DAVID BOWIE: "Lou's credibility was damn near destroyed when Metal Machine Music came out, but he wasn't afraid. Never has been afraid of pissing off people. He wanted to double down on the next Hunky Dory project and send a message. That was where Andy Warhol came in." (2018)

Andy Warhol, 1975.

As the recording sessions for Raw Power wrapped up, Reed had called his old friend Andy Warhol, who was also the band's unofficial photographer, and told him as to what he wanted engraved on the fourth side of the record - a big, bold, vulgar middle finger which would serve as a message to RCA Records. What made this even more ridiculous was that all three of Reed's songs were dedicated to his girlfriend at the time, a transgender woman known as Rachel Humphreys (born Richard).

KEVIN AYERS: "That was hands down the maddest thing anyone in the music industry, let alone Lou Reed, could've ever possibly conceived. Maybe except for 'Revolution 9'. We had issues with RCA Records, but Lou was the most outspoken of us. He almost wanted to personally march into their offices and show them the record just to see the looks on the executives' faces when they turned to side D. It's this big, bold 'fuck you' symbol. *laughs*" (2007)

Syd Barrett and Iggy Pop also found the humor of the engraving on side D, but Robert Wyatt expressed concern about this potentially hurting sales for the next album, but Reed was adamant about his message, later admitting to having pulled some strings in order to get the album released on 16 January. Despite the vulgar fourth side, Raw Power (#20 US, #7 UK) was very well received, with some critics calling the engraving on the fourth side "genius" and "unlike anything that's ever come before and might come later."

For CD re-releases, Raw Power was made into a single disc album with Warhol's illustration of the middle finger on the disc itself. The Opel EP was also re-released as part of Raw Power, forming a complete double album.

23 January 1976

The Rolling Stones - Red and Black Blues

Released: 23 January 1976

Recorded: September - November 1975

Producer: The Glimmer Triplets

Track listing[2]

Side A

Station to Station
Hot Stuff
Cherry Oh Baby
Golden Years

Side B

Memory Motel
TVC 15
Stay
Crazy Mama

The Rolling Stones' 15th British album (and 17th American album) was recorded at the same time as Hunky Dory's Raw Power album, and it also marked the introduction of Bowie's new - and controversial - character, the Thin White Duke, an extension of Bowie's character Thomas Jerome Newton from The Man Who Fell to Earth, which was due out in March. By this point, Bowie was in the midst of a drug addiction, and it was even more obvious in an interview with Russell Harty for the latter's London Weekend Television talk show in anticipation for the release of Red and Black Blues.

MICK JAGGER: "Man, that interview David did with Russell was a mess. Dave looked like a fucking mess, his sanity was twisted over cocaine and he had lost a lot of weight." (1992)

KEITH RICHARDS: "The Thin White Duke? Seriously? I know there's a difference between the actor and the character they're playing, but it was hard to tell at the time if it really was David or the Duke. The Thin White Bowie, perhaps?" (2005)

Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman had no comment on the subject.

David Bowie performing live as the Thin White Duke, 1976.

Red and Black Blues reached #1 in the United States but stalled out at #2 in the United Kingdom. The first single released in January was a trimmed version of "Station to Station", backed with "Crazy Mama" (#33 US, #26 UK). The April single, "Hot Stuff" / "Golden Years" (#10 US, #8 UK), did much better, reaching the Top 10 on both sides of the Atlantic. Following the album's release was a tour lasting from February to May in Europe and North America, and on stage, Bowie portrayed the Thin White Duke with Jagger, Richards, Watts and Wyman portraying the Duke's White Counts.

The tour was successful, but the political controversy could not be ignored, especially after Bowie commented in Stockholm, Sweden, "Britain could benefit from a fascist leader," resulting in he and the rest of the Stones being detained by customs on the Russian/Polish border for possessing Nazi paraphernalia. Another incident took place in London when at Victoria station, a picture of Bowie waving to the crowd was taken and the resulting picture made it look as though he was greeting them with a Nazi salute. It was then later clarified that the photographer had caught Bowie in mid-wave.

The tour finally came to an end at the end of May; shortly afterward, Keith Richards and Anita Pallenberg ended up leaving Switzerland following the death of their infant son Tara Richards from respiratory failure. Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, Mick and Bianca Jagger ended up returning to France, leaving Bowie to go alone to Switzerland, blaming his drug addictions and the Thin White Duke on his pro-fascist comments and behavior. Going even further back, he blamed his cocaine addiction on his time living in Los Angeles and later apologized for his statements.

During his time in Switzerland, Bowie found the time to pursue other interests outside his music career such as painting, producing a number of post-modernist pieces. It allowed Bowie the chance to refresh his mind following the Thin White Duke controversies, as it, along with Eric Clapton's drunken declaration of support for former Conservative Party minister Enoch Powell at a concert in Birmingham, eventually led to the formation of the political and cultural movement Rock Against Racism.

26 March 1976

The Yardbirds - Achilles' Last Stand

Released: 26 March 1976

Recorded: November - December 1975

Producer: Jimmy Page

Track listing[3]

Side A

Achilles' Last Stand
Candy Store Rock
Hots On for Nowhere
Royal Orleans

Side B

Nobody's Fault but Mine
For Your Life
Tea for One

After Robert Plant had suffered from a severe car accident, resulting in him being in a wheelchair for the time being, the Yardbirds were forced to cancel their American tour, due to start on August 23. The accident had inspired Plant to write up new lyrics for the band's twelfth album, and after making plans with Jimmy Page, they returned to the studio with John Bonham and John Paul Jones to begin work on their next album.

ROBERT PLANT: "At the time, we were tax exiles, and I had to recuperate from the car crash in France before heading to Malibu, California. When we did Achilles' Last Stand, I wanted to record in Munich, Germany given that they had state-of-the-art recording facilities." (1985)

JIMMY PAGE: "I took on a lot of responsibility during the recording sessions. I worked for hours on end when it came to recording and mixing, and it wasn't helped by the fact that we'd been booked into the studio just before the Rolling Stones were for the final sessions on Red and Black Blues. I had to negotiate with them just to borrow two days from their session time." (2007)

The rear cover to the Yardbirds' Achilles' Last Stand, released March 1976.

Most of Achilles' Last Stand was penned by Plant and Page, with "Royal Orleans" being written along with Jones and Bonham. The album marked a return to the band's hard rock sound that they became known for in the late 1960s to early 1970s, with no keyboards or acoustic guitars (barring "Candy Store Rock") in sight. During the sessions, Plant missed his family greatly and began to re-evaluate the priorities of his life, resulting in the Yardbirds going on hiatus for the rest of the year.

Like the five albums before it (barring Stairway to Heaven, which hit #2 in America), Achilles' Last Stand reached #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, but the sole single "Candy Store Rock" did not chart in either country. The album had received mixed reaction from fans and critics alike, with some critics suggesting that the Yardbirds' excesses have finally caught up with them. Since then, the album has gone on to be critical favorite.

Instead of a tour, the Yardbirds had completed the concert film The Song Remains the Same, featuring the shows recorded July 27-29 at Madison Square Garden, and released a soundtrack album to go along with the concert film. Both received mixed reviews from critics and the film pulled in $12 million at the box office. Sadly, it failed in the United Kingdom, where the band had not performed in the past two years due to their status as tax exiles. The concert film later gained newfound popularity as a document of the Yardbirds at their a newfound peak when it came out on DVD almost thirty years later.

It would be another year before the Yardbirds went on tour again, and another year after that before they returned to the studio to record their next album.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from The Stooges' Raw Power, Lou Reed's Coney Island Baby, Kevin Ayers' Sweet Deceiver and The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories, Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, Robert Wyatt's Ruth is Stranger Than Richard and Rock Bottom, and David Bowie's Station to Station and Young Americans.
2. Tracks are sourced from Station to Station and Black and Blue.
3. All tracks from Presence are utilized and rearranged to have evenly-timed sides.

Author's Comments

At last, we've finally reached 1976, and there's quite a bit to talk about here. The backstory for Hunky Dory's Raw Power, once again, took influence from Auran's Gummaumma in which Lou Reed recorded a double album with only three sides' worth of music with the fourth featuring an engraving of a raised middle finger. Heh, I can only imagine how that would look for real.

Red and Black Blues has an interesting backstory to it; for an earlier draft, Freddie Mercury was part of the Rolling Stones instead of David Bowie, and the second side was as follows - "Somebody to Love", "Hey Negtria", "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy", "Fool to Cry" and "Crazy Mama". I thought it followed surprisingly well, but as time went by, I felt that Freddie being part of the Stones didn't feel right, and so the backstory for both sides were heavily re-written so that Freddie had a solo career alongside Paul McCartney & Smile and David Bowie joined the Rolling Stones in 1969 instead of 1973/4. However, I still liked the title Red and Black Blues and so I reused that for the 1976 Bowie/Stones album and the cover of a roulette wheel with a bluish-purple tint worked really well.

Achilles' Last Stand was pretty easy to put together, mostly due to the small amount of material from that period, but trying to have evenly-timed sides wasn't easy to the length of the songs, but I still managed to keep the opening and closing tracks in their respective places. Oh, and for the first time, there's a back cover to one of the albums. The image I used could fill both the front and back and so I designed the back cover along with the front.

But now, we're getting close to the end of Phase Two, and all I can say is that there's going to be a very heavy emphasis on the Beatles for two of the upcoming chapters, with a third in the middle not relating to them.

Chapter 46: Over My Head (January 1974 - December 1975)

General Affairs for Apple Corps Ltd.

John Lennon and Peter Brown, 1975.

From a business perspective, 1974 had been rather uneventful, but by mid-1975, there were two lawsuits that Apple Corps had to deal with. The first was over the Ladders' "My Sweet Lord" plagiarizing the melody to the Chiffons' "He's So Fine", and the other was the Beatles' "Come Together" pinching a line from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me". Both were being handled by Apple vice-president Peter Brown, who had offered the estate of Ronnie Mack for Apple to purchase the rights to "He's So Fine", as well as having future pressings credit both George Harrison and Mack as writers to "My Sweet Lord". When Laurie Records, the Chiffons' label, got wind of this proposal, they offered to sell Apple the rights to the entire Chiffons catalog for the same amount of money (with the members' acknowledgement, of course), which soon resolved the matter; the Chiffons had even recorded a version of "My Sweet Lord" as a response to the controversy.

Convincing the owner of the publishing rights to Chuck Berry's catalog, Morris Levy, to drop his own lawsuit, however, was not an easy nut to crack. Frustrated that Levy was not going to easily let the matter drop, Brown brought this issue to the attention of John Lennon, who told Brown that, "I think it's high time that I got the band back together again," (1975) although at the time, his statement was very cryptic.

On the same day that John Lennon witnessed a playback to Freddie Mercury's "Bohemian Rhapsody", he explained to Paul McCartney about the "Come Together" vs. "You Can't Catch Me" lawsuit Morris Levy was placing upon Apple. "All this over one lyric," he fumed. "But since the end of 1970, when we... ahem, parted ways, people have been demanding that we put out at least one more album as a group."

"I think you're right," said Paul after a lengthy discussion. "Life's too short to hold a grudge like this. You can go see if George and Ringo are up to it."

When John approached the idea to the other former Beatles, Ringo had embraced the idea of a reunion album wholeheartedly, but George was far more reluctant, as out of the Beatles' relationships, his and Paul's was the most frosty. But then again, he had been through a plagiarism lawsuit himself and he would come off as a hypocrite if he didn't agree to it. "Just this one time," George insisted.

George Harrison meeting Bob Marley, 1975.

Meanwhile, Apple's relationship with EMI was falling apart. It began back in 1972 with Harrison had alleged that Capitol was not giving Apple's artists proper promotion in the United States, which led to the formation of Highway 61 Records, the American branch of Apple. All recordings released under Highway 61 were distributed internationally by Elektra Records, the decision which had caused EMI to balk; Apple's distribution deal with EMI would not end until the fall of 1975, and the former Beatles were artists under EMI until January 1976. Whilst EMI sought to renew their deals and keep the four most famous musicians in the world under their banner, Brown suspected during a meeting that EMI were underpaying royalties to Apple on records made either by the Ladders or Paul McCartney & Smile.

After he'd brought up the Levy lawsuit to Lennon, who then brought it up to the former Beatles, Brown focused on seeking other potential distributors for Apple. By the end of August, he had planned out the framework for a deal with Warner Brothers, who also owned Elektra Records. By that point, following Lennon and McCartney's meeting during the sessions for both Bohemian Rhapsody and A Night at the Rock Show, rumors of a Beatles reunion were beginning to circulate. Had they turned out to be true, then Brown would have a tremendous bargaining chip in his negotiations. If they were true, of course.

That September, the former Beatles put out a joint statement from Apple's press office that they would be returning to the studio in November to put out a reunion album for next year. This announcement was met with great excitement among millions of music fans around the world, and it even strengthened Brown's bargaining power. In a meeting on 3 October, the board members of Apple, including Lord Beeching, had approved of a new distribution plan with Warner Brothers which was extremely favorable for Apple, putting the empire on a unified distributor around the world. The best part of the deal was that Warner would act solely as distributor, so the Beatles could retain ownership over their recordings, marking the start of a new chapter in the histories of both the Beatles and Apple.

Paul McCartney in the recording studio with the other Beatles, 1975.

By the time EMI had attempted to rekindle negotiations with Apple, it was already too late, but they still made one last effort to get one more album out of the Beatles. They proposed to increase royalty on the Beatles' records that they owed, Apple would drop a potential lawsuit for underpayment and the Beatles would record one more album for EMI.

Already having to deal with the lawsuit from Morris Levy over "You Can't Catch Me", John Lennon was the first Beatle to be in favor of this proposal. Although the other three and Brown were initially skeptical about the proposal, they later reasoned that it would give the Beatles the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone; record the covers album which would provide them with increased back catalog royalties from EMI, and put an end to the lawsuit that was breathing down their necks. That opportunity was taken, and that November, with Dennis Wilson in the producer's chair, the Beatles began recording their first album together since 1970's Everest. It would not be released to the public until January 30, 1976; by then, the Beatles' deal with EMI would come to an end.

Whilst all the lawsuit matters were happening behind the scenes, Brian Epstein, Lord Beeching and Peter Brown put their focus upon expanding the Apple empire. After hearing about the purchase to the Chiffon's catalog, Paul McCartney made a proposal about expanding Apple's revenue by obtaining the rights to the catalogs of the likes of Buddy Holly and Carl Perkins, which was met very favorably. By the end of the decade, Apple would become one of the biggest independent music publishers in the world.

A screenshot from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, released under Apple Films 3 April 1975. From left to right; Eric Idle as Sir Robin, John Cleese as Sir Lancelot, Graham Chapman as King Arthur, Terry Jones and Sir Bedevere, and Michael Palin as Sir Galahad. Terry Gilliam also performs in the film as Patsy, Arthur's servant.

As exciting as business was for Apple in 1975, it was also an interesting year for its film division. Now being managed by Denis O'Brien, Apple Films saw the release of Little Malcolm, which was met with positive reception among critics. With Mel Brooks having already achieved commercial success with Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, O'Brien had extended his contract to producing five films under Apple instead of three; by now, Brooks was working on his third film under Apple, Silent Movie, due for a release in the summer of 1976.

The other major film released under Apple was Monty Python and the Holy Grail, directed by Terrys Gilliam and Jones. Initially, critical reception was mixed, but over time, it became regarded as one of the greatest comedy films of all time. It even pulled in five million dollars in American money against a minimalist budget of 400 thousand. Around the time of the film's release, John Cleese was working on a sitcom based at a hotel run by its short-fused, easily frustrated owner Basil Fawlty and his bossy wife Sybil, portrayed by Prunella Scales. The cast would also include Cleese's then-wife Connie Booth (Polly) and German-British actor Andrew Sachs (Manuel).

Fawlty Towers was the first television program to be released under Apple Television, also handled by Dennis O'Brien, and premiered on BBC 2. The concept for the sitcom was influenced from a visit the Monty Python members had made to Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, Devon, run by Donald Sinclair. When the members left the hotel due to Sinclair's behavior, a fascinated Cleese stayed behind in order to study him, and based the character of Basil Fawlty off of him. Fawlty Towers would later go on to be regarded as one of the most popular British sitcoms of all time; John Lennon himself would even call himself a fan of the show.

Meanwhile, Michael Lindsay-Hogg had met up with Alexander and Ilya Salkind, who had made negotiations with DC Comics for a film adaptation based upon their famous character Superman. Impressed by what he was reading, and having done some research on the character and DC Comics, Lindsay-Hogg offered the Salkinds and their partner Pierre Spengler to have Apple co-produce the film. After an extensive meeting with with Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, as well as several DC executives, the tentatively titled Superman: The Movie would be jointly produced by Apple Films and the Salkinds. Right now, matters fell into finding a director for the film as well as actors to portray the characters of Jor-El, Lex Luthor and Superman himself.

Apple Corps Executives, December 1975

Managing Director and Chairman of the Board: Brian Epstein

Vice Presidents: Peter Brown, Lord Beeching

Director Communications: Derek Taylor
General Counsels: Lee and John Eastman[1]

Apple Records

President: Ron Kass[2]

Vice President: Jack Oliver[3]

Director of A&R: Roy Thomas Baker, later Mal Evans (temporary)

Director of Promotion and Marketing: Tony Bramwell[4]

Director of Design: Josh Kosh[5]

Studio Manager, Apple Studios: Geoff Emerick

Apple Films and Apple Television

President: Denis O'Brien

Other Notable Figures: Michael Lindsay-Hogg, Mel Brooks, John Cleese, Terry Jones

Apple Management

Director: Neil Aspinall

Associate Director: Mal Evans

Apple Publishing

Director: Alistair Taylor

Highway 61 Records

President: Jack Oliver

Vice President: Chris O'Dell[6]

Directors of A&R: Pete Ham, Dennis Wilson

The Artists of Apple Records

Old Signings

The band members of Fleetwood Mac, 1975.

When Badfinger broke up prior to the release of Head First, each of the members went on a different path. Pete Ham went on to become a producer and one of the joint directors of A&R for Highway 61 Records, Mike Gibbins became the new drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and Tom Evans left Apple altogether to become part of the group Utopia, fronted by Todd Rundgren. But what about Joey Molland? Following Badfinger's dissolution, he stayed at home wondering what he'd do until he got a phone call from Jeff Lynne, asking if he'd like to join the Electric Light Orchestra as a touring member, to which Molland agreed, especially upon the departure of Roy Wood.

Badfinger's split seemed to mark the end of an era for Apple Records when Jackie Lomax also departed the label at the start of 1975, having not recorded new material since 1972. James Taylor had put out Walking Man in 1974, but it was a critical and commercial disappointment. Fortunately, he made a comeback with Gorilla the following year, backed by a cover version of "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)". Billy Preston's fortunes were opposite to that of Taylor, having made a #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with "Nothing from Nothing" from The Kids & Me, but his follow-up, It's My Pleasure, had no hit singles.

After Heroes Are Hard to Find was a minor hit in America, Fleetwood Mac would experience a re-resurgence in commercial success when the band brought in Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks  following the departure of Bob Welch. Their second self-titled album, released 1975, reached #1 in America, backed by the single "Over My Head", written and sung by Christine McVie, ending the dry spell on the American charts. "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me" would be released as singles the following year.

Eric Clapton performing live, 1974.

Eric Clapton also had a resurgence as a commercial force with 461 Ocean Boulevard, its lead single being a cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff", becoming his only #1 hit in America. There's One in Every Crowd, however, was not as successful. Michael Jackson's contract with Motown Records would soon reach an end with Forever, Michael and its lead single "Just a Little Bit of You". Within the next few years, he would be a full-time artist for Apple Records. Unlike Nazareth, however, who had left Apple Records following the release of Hair of the Dog, their most successful album to date.

Splinter's debut album, The Place I Love, achieved success in their home country the United Kingdom, but alongside the lead single "Costafine Town", it was largely ignored by American listeners. It was the same result with Harder to Live and its lead single "Lonely Man". Vangelis' only major release of 1974-75 was Heaven and Hell.

Elton John's musical streak in America continued with Caribou, Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock of the Westies. The "Candle in the Wind"/"Bennie and the Jets" double A-side from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road in 1973 also hit #1 in 1974, as had "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" in the same year, and "Philadelphia Freedom" and "Island Girl" in 1975. "The Bitch is Back" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" were also Top 5 hits in America.

With Apple Records' roster shrinking, it looked as though it had reached the point of stagnation, with A&R Roy Thomas Baker partially to blame, mostly focusing on Nazareth, Paul McCartney & Smile and Freddie Mercury. Perhaps it was for the best that he resigned his post and focused on those he produced for; Mal Evans took on temporary A&R management until a permanent replacement for Baker was found.

New Signings

The only new signing of the 1974-75 period was Jimmy McCulloch, a touring member for Paul McCartney & Smile. His debut single was currently being worked on for a 1976 release.

The Artists of Highway 61 Records

Old Signings

Bob Dylan, 1975.

The period of 1974-75 was an interesting one for Highway 61 Records; Bob Dylan had put out Planet Waves (a collaboration with The Band) and Blood on the Tracks, the latter of which has since been regarded as one of his greatest albums. Stackridge had also achieved success with The Man in the Bowler Hat, produced by former Beatles producer George Martin, but less so with Extravaganza. Aerosmith, meanwhile, had newfound success with Get Your Wings and Toys in the Attic, producing hits such as "Same Old Song and Dance", "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way". Lynyrd Skynyrd also found success with their single "Sweet Home Alabama" from Second Helping, a response to Neil Young's "Southern Man" and "Alabama".

The other artists under Highway 61 Records included Ravi Shankar, Kiki Dee, Tom Scott, the L.A. Express, Cliff Richard, and Dave Edmunds and Peter Tork taking on producing duties. Although they were fine artists, they were not hit makers nor were they capable of creating commercial music.

New Signings

Alice Cooper in from his 1975 concert Alice Cooper: Welcome to My Nightmare, released under Apple Films.

Apple's roster may have stagnated and shrunk down to those who were making commercial music, but its sister label had experienced great growth in 1974 and 1975; Elton John's drummer Nigel Olsson had put out an album of his own, and pop singer Neil Sedaka had also been picked up by the label. Elton's other contribution was helping to sign up Dutch prog rock band Solution who put out their first album under Highway 61, Cordon Bleu, in 1975.

Outside of Tom Petty & Mudcrutch, the remaining artists signed up for 1974 included Alice Cooper (real name Vincent Damon Furnier) following the dissolution of his band to begin his solo career, Tina Turner, Ronnie Wood, and Supertramp after they were dropped by their previous label, A&M Records. They had a career revival with their single "Dreamer" / "Bloody Well Right", produced with Ken Scott. Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare and its singles were also successful.

The following year, other established artists including Dr. John, Genesis, Harry Nilsson, Rod Stewart and Blue Öyster Cult (after leaving Columbia Records) all found themselves on Highway 61 Records. All barring Nilsson were signed up by Dennis Wilson, who had since become an indispensable part of the label. When Pete Ham became A&R for Highway 61, he had signed up Canadian female-fronted band Heart and produced their debut album Dreamboat Annie. His other signings were Patti Smith and the Ramones, and he took interest in signing up the Talking Heads as well. Having seen the problems Apple had with an aging roster, Ham (with help from Wilson) decided to try and discover new, young artists for Highway 61.

Stephen Stills performing live, 1975.

One other signing to Highway 61 was Boxer, fronted by Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall, under David Bowie's suggestion. The remaining members of Hunky Dory also expressed interest in signing onto the label upon seeing its growth.

Like Neil Young, Stephen Stills had been interested in putting out solo albums on Highway 61 Records alongside their work as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. His fourth solo album, Turn Back the Pages, was produced with his good friend Peter Tork and included outtakes from early 1970s CSNY sessions that didn't make previous albums.

Apple Records discography, January 1974 - December 1975

Albums

• Badfinger by Badfinger - 1 February 1974 (#10 UK, #54 US)
• Rampant by Nazareth - 26 April 1974 (#13 UK, #94 US)
• The Kids & Me by Billy Preston - 5 May 1975 (#1 UK and US)
• Monkey Grip by Bill Wyman - 13 May 1974 (#39 UK, #99 US)
• The Diamond Dogs of Rock 'n' Roll by The Rolling Stones - 24 May 1974 (#1 UK and US)
• Walking Man by James Taylor - 7 June 1974 (#13 US)
• Caribou by Elton John - 28 June 1974 (#1 UK and US)
• 461 Ocean Boulevard by Eric Clapton - 12 July 1974 (#3 UK, #1 US)
• The Falcons of El Dorado by Electric Light Orchestra - 6 September 1974 (#19 UK, #16 US)
• Heroes Are Hard to Find by Fleetwood Mac - 13 September 1974 (#28 US)
• The Place I Love by Splinter - 20 September 1974 (#16 UK)
• Band on the Run by Paul McCartney & Smile - 4 October 1974 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• Killer Queen by Freddie Mercury - 8 November 1974 (#3 UK) [extended play]
• Dark Horse by The Ladders - 15 November 1974 (#13 UK, #4 US) [EMI]
• Hawaiian Sunrise by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 6 December 1974 (#2 UK, #6 US)
• Head First by Badfinger - 10 January 1975 (#39 UK)
• Sweet Thing by David Bowie - 17 January 1975 (#5 UK, #3 US)
• Forever, Michael by Michael Jackson - 31 January 1975 (#92 US) [Motown]
• Young Americans by The Rolling Stones - 7 March 1975 (#2 UK, #9 US)
• There's One in Every Crowd by Eric Clapton - 21 March 1975 (#15 UK, #21 US)
• Hair of the Dog by Nazareth - 30 April 1975 (#8 UK, #17 US)
• Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy by Elton John - 19 May 1975 (#1 UK and US)
• Gorilla by James Taylor - 26 May 1975 (#47 UK, #6 US)
• Human Highway by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 20 June 1975 (#1 UK and US)
• Harder to Live by Splinter - 4 July 1975 (#12 UK)
• Fleetwood Mac by Fleetwood Mac - 11 July 1975 (#14 UK, #1 US)
• It's My Pleasure by Billy Preston - 18 July 1975 (#23 UK, #10 US)
• Goodnight Vienna by The Ladders - 25 July 1975 (#6 UK, #8 US) [EMI]
• Rock of the Westies by Elton John - 24 October 1975 (#5 UK, #1 US)
• A Night at the Rock Show by Paul McCartney & Smile - 31 October 1975 (#1 UK and US) [EMI]
• Bohemian Rhapsody by Freddie Mercury - 21 November 1975 (#1 UK, #4 US)
• Heaven and Hell by Vangelis - 12 December 1975 (#30 UK)

Notable Singles

• "I Miss You" / "Shine On" by Badfinger - 4 February 1974 (#17 UK)
• "Candle in the Wind" & "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John - 4 February 1974 (#8 UK, #1 US)
• "Rebel Rebel" / "Time Waits for No One" by The Rolling Stones - 18 February 1974 (#5 UK, #12 US)
• "Shanghai'd in Shanghai" / "Love, Now You're Gone" by Nazareth - 25 March 1974 (#33 UK)
• "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" / "Sick City" by Elton John - 20 May 1974 (#9 UK, #1 US)
• "Helen Wheels" / "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 14 June 1974 (#10 UK, #9 US) [EMI]
• "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll" / "Diamond Dogs" by The Rolling Stones - 28 June 1974 (#10 UK, #16 US)
• "I Shot the Sheriff" / "Give Me Strength" by Eric Clapton - 15 July 1974 (#9 UK, #1 US)
• "Nothing from Nothing" / "My Soul is a Witness" by Billy Preston - 5 August 1975 (#1 UK and US)
• "Rock and Roll Winter" / "Illusions in G Major" by Electric Light Orchestra - 12 August 1974 (#6 UK)
• "The Bitch is Back" / "Cold Highway" by Elton John - 2 September 1974 (#10 UK, #2 US)
• "Silver Train" / "1984" by The Rolling Stones - 9 September 1974 (#7 UK, #18 US)
• "Costafine Town" / "Elly-May" by Splinter - 16 September 1974 (#17 UK)
• "Whatever Gets You thru the Night" & "Snookeroo" by The Ladders w/ Elton John - 23 September 1974 (#23 UK, #1 US) [EMI]
• "Band on the Run" / "Now I'm Here" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 7 October 1974 (#2 UK, #1 US) [EMI]
• "Killer Queen" / "Stone Cold Crazy" by Freddie Mercury - 21 October 1974 (#1 UK, #10 US)
• "Oh My My" / "Maya Love" by The Ladders - 8 November 1974 (#3 UK, #5 US) [EMI]
• "Love Hurts" / "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth - 8 November 1974 (#20 UK, #8 US)
• "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" / "One Day (At a Time)" by Elton John - 18 November 1974 (#10 UK, #1 US)
• "Can't Get It Out of My Head" / "Are You Ready to Rock" by Electric Light Orchestra - 18 November 1974 (#8 UK, #6 US)
• "Willie and the Hand Jive" / "Mainline Florida" by Eric Clapton - 25 November 1974 (#26 US)
• "Ding Dong, Ding Dong" / "Rock and Roll People" by The Ladders - 6 December 1974 (#35 UK, #30 US) [EMI]
• "Lay Me Down" / "Queen of Darkness" by Badfinger - 6 January 1975 (#35 UK)
• "Jet" / "Sally G" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 27 January 1975 (#7 UK and US) [EMI]
• "Drink All Day (Got to Find Your Own Way Home)" / "China Light" - 7 February 1975 (#35 UK)
• "Fool to Cry" / "Young Americans" by The Rolling Stones - 17 February 1975 (#6 UK, #10 US)
• "Philadelphia Freedom" / "I Saw Her Standing There" by Elton John - 24 February 1975 (#7 UK, #1 US)
• "Junior's Farm" / "Walking in the Park with Eloise" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 14 March 1975 (#4 UK, #1 US) [EMI]
• "Hair of the Dog" / "My White Bicycle" by Nazareth - 28 March 1975 (#14 UK, #6 US)
• "Carry Me" / "Myth of Sisyphus" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 5 May 1975 (#9 UK, #5 US)
• "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" / "Pretty Blue Eyes" by Eric Clapton - 12 May 1975 (#19 UK)
• "Goodnight Vienna" / "The Answer's at the End" by The Ladders - 19 May 1975 (#23 UK, #10 US) [EMI]
• "Just a Little Bit of You" / "We're Almost There" by Michael Jackson - 9 June 1975 (#46 UK, #23 US)
• "Lonely Man" / "Green Line Bus" by Splinter - 16 June 1975 (#18 UK)
• "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" / "Sarah Maria" by James Taylor - 16 June 1975 (#28 UK, #5 US)
• "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" / "House of Cards" by Elton John - 23 June 1975 (#17 UK, #4 US)
• "Fame" / "Worried About You" by The Rolling Stones - 7 July 1975 (#17 UK, #1 US)
• "As I Come of Age" / "Grave Concern" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 1 August 1975 (#20 UK, #12 US)
• "You" / "Beef Jerky" by The Ladders - 15 August 1975 (#20 UK, #15 US) [EMI]
• "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" / "Someone Like You" by Eric Clapton - 22 August 1975 (#38 UK)
• "Rattlesnake Roll" / "Strange Magic" by Electric Light Orchestra - 25 August 1975 (#38 UK, #14 US)
• "Over My Head" / "I'm So Afraid" by Fleetwood Mac - 8 September 1975 (#20 US)
• "Island Girl" / "Sugar on the Floor" by Elton John - 29 September 1975 (#14 UK, #1 US)
• "Human Highway" / "Homeward Through the Haze" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 20 October 1975 (#26 UK, #8 US)
• "I'm in Love with My Car" / "Magneto and Titanium Man" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 27 October 1975 (#1 UK, #3 US) [EMI]
• "Listen to What the Man Said" / "My Carnival" by Paul McCartney & Smile - 5 December 1975 (#5 UK, #1 US) [EMI]
• "Bohemian Rhapsody" & "You're My Best Friend" by Freddie Mercury - 1 December 1975 (#1 UK, #7 US)
• "Evil Woman" / "Indiana Rainbow" by Electric Light Orchestra - 8 December 1975 (#10 UK and US)

Highway 61 Records discography, January 1974 - December 1975

Albums

• Planet Waves by Bob Dylan and The Band - 17 January 1974 (#7 UK, #1 US)
• Tonight's the Night by Neil Young - 25 January 1974 (#35 UK, #11 US)
• The Man in the Bowler Hat by Stackridge - 1 February 1974 (#23 UK)
• Tom Scott and The L.A. Express by Tom Scott and The L.A. Express - 15 February 1974
• Get Your Wings by Aerosmith - 15 March 1974 (#15 US)
• Second Helping by Lynyrd Skynyrd - 15 April 1974 (#7 US)
• Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka - 29 April 1974 (#17 UK)
• On the Beach by Neil Young - 19 July 1974 (#42 UK, #16 US)
• I've Got the Music in Me by Kiki Dee - 26 July 1974
• Tina Turns the Country On! by Tina Turner - 9 August 1974
• Crime of the Century by Supertramp - 13 September 1974 (#4 UK, #38 US)
• I've Got My Own Album to Do by Ronnie Wood - 13 September 1974 (#27 UK)
• Shankar Family & Friends by Ravi Shankar - 20 September 1974
• The 31st of February Street by Cliff Richard - 22 November 1974
• Nigel Olsson by Nigel Olsson - 3 January 1975
• Extravaganza by Stackridge - 10 January 1975
• Blood on the Tracks by Bob Dylan - 17 January 1975 (#4 UK, #1 US)
• Tom Cat by Tom Scott and The L.A. Express - 7 February 1975
• Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper - 11 March 1975 (#15 UK, #2 US)
• Turn Back the Pages by Stephen Stills - 17 March 1975 (#19 US)
• Nuthin' Fancy by Lynyrd Skynyrd - 24 March 1975 (#43 UK, #9 US)
• Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith - 8 April 1975 (#3 US)
• Homegrown by Neil Young - 11 April 1975 (#7 UK, #9 US)
• Subtle as a Flying Mallet by Dave Edmunds - 25 April 1975
• The Basement Tapes by Bob Dylan - 26 June 1975 (#8 UK, #7 US)
• Now Look by Ronnie Wood - 2 July 1975 (#118 US)
• Acid Queen by Tina Turner - 1 August 1975 (#115 US)
• Atlantic Crossing by Rod Stewart - 15 August 1975 (#1 UK, #9 US)
• Tom Petty & Mudcrutch by Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - 15 August 1975 (#87 US)
• Duit on Mon Dei by Harry Nilsson - 5 September 1975 (#141 US)
• Crisis? What Crisis? by Supertramp - 14 September 1975 (#20 UK, #44 US)
• Dreamboat Annie by Heart - 19 September 1975 (#36 UK, #7 US)
• Overnight Success by Neil Sedaka - 25 October 1975
• Horses by Patti Smith - 10 November 1975 (#157 UK, #47 US)
• Cordon Bleu by Solution - 24 November 1975
• New York Connection by Tom Scott - 8 December 1975 (#42 US)

Notable Singles

• "On a Night Like This" / "Something There is About You" by Bob Dylan - 5 March 1974 (#44 US)
• "Same Old Song and Dance" / "Pandora's Box" by Aerosmith - 19 March 1974 (#25 US)
• "Sweet Home Alabama" / "Don't Ask Me No Questions" by Lynyrd Skynyrd - 24 June 1974 (#31 UK, #8 US)
• "I've Got the Music in Me" / "Simple Melody" by Kiki Dee - 26 July 1974 (#19 UK, #12 US)
• "Walk On" / "For the Turnstiles" by Neil Young - 5 August 1974 (#60 US)
• "I Am Missing You" / "Lust" by Ravi Shankar - 13 September 1974
• "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" / "It's Only Me You Left Behind" by Cliff Richard - 16 September 1974 (#13 UK)
• "Laughter in the Rain" / "Kiddio" by Neil Sedaka - 7 October 1974 (#15 UK, #1 US)
• "Dreamer" / "Bloody Well Right" by Supertramp - 14 October 1974 (#13 UK, #35 US)
• "S.O.S. (Too Bad)" / "Lord of the Thighs" by Aerosmith - 21 October 1974 (#31 US)
• "Only One Woman" / "Get It Up for Love" by Nigel Olsson - 16 December 1974 (#91 US)
• "Tangled Up in Blue" / "If You See Her, Say Hello" by Bob Dylan - 6 January 1975 (#31 US)
• "Only Women Bleed" / "Cold Ethyl" by Alice Cooper - 7 April 1975 (#7 US)
• "Baby, Get It On" / "Under My Thumb" by Ike & Tina Turner - 28 April 1975 (#53 UK, #80 US)
• "Sweet Emotion" / "Uncle Salty" by Aerosmith - 5 May 1975 (#10 US)
• "Saturday Night Special" / "Made in the Shade" by Lynyrd Skynyrd - 19 May 1975 (#27 US)
• "Depot Street" / "Wild Eyes" by Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - 30 June 1975 (#55 US)
• "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am" / "Once a Fool" by Kiki Dee - 14 July 1975 (#33 UK, #74 US)
• "Magic Man" / "How Deep It Goes" by Heart - 28 July 1975 (#9 US)
• "Sailing" / "Stone Cold Sober" by Rod Stewart - 4 August 1975 (#1 UK, #58 US)
• "Walk This Way" / "Round and Round" by Aerosmith - 28 August 1975 (#6 US)
• "Don't Do Me Like That" / "Lost in Your Eyes" by Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - 8 September 1975 (#38 UK, #17 US)
• "Bad Blood" / "The Immigrant" by Neil Sedaka - 22 September 1975 (#1 US)
• "Welcome to My Nightmare" / "Department of Youth" by Alice Cooper - 6 October 1975 (#26 US)
• "You See Me Crying" / "Toys in the Attic" by Aerosmith - 11 November 1975 (#18 US)
• "This Old Heart of Mine" / "All in the Name of Rock 'n' Roll" by Rod Stewart - 18 November 1975 (#4 UK, #83 US)
• "Hurricane" / "Hurricane (Part II)" by Bob Dylan - 25 November 1975 (#43 UK, #33 US)
• "Dreamboat Annie" / "Here Song" by Heart - 1 December 1975 (#17 US)

Apple Artists, as of December 1975

• The Beatles (since 1968; contracted to EMI)
• George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr as The Ladders (since 1970)
• Paul McCartney (since 1971; affiliated with Smile since 1972)
• Eric Clapton (since 1968; member of Cream 1968-1971)
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (since 1968)
• Stephen Stills & Manassas (1971-1973; solo album released on Highway 61 Records 1975)
• Neil Young (1971; solo works released on Highway 61 Records since 1973)
• David Crosby and Graham Nash as Crosby & Nash (since 1972)
• Electric Light Orchestra (since 1970)
• Fleetwood Mac (since 1968)
• Michael Jackson (since 1971; contracted to Motown)
• Elton John (since 1969)
• Jimmy McCulloch (since 1975)
• Freddie Mercury (since 1973)
• Billy Preston (since 1969)
• The Rolling Stones (since 1970)
• David Bowie (since 1971)
• Bill Wyman (1974)
• Smile (since 1969; affiliated with Paul McCartney since 1972)
• Splinter (since 1973)
• James Taylor (since 1968)
• Vangelis (since 1972; member of Aphrodite's Child 1967-1972)

Departed Apple Artists

• Aphrodite's Child (1970-1972)
• Badfinger (1968-1975)
• Brute Force (1969)
• Delaney & Bonnie (1969-1972)
• Cream (1968-1971)
• Chris Hodge (1972-1973)
• Mary Hopkin (1968-1972)
• Hot Chocolate (1969)
• Radha Krishna Temple (1969)
• Jackie Lomax (1968-1975)
• Nazareth (1972-1975)
• Yoko Ono (1969-1973)
• Ronnie Spector (1971-1972)
• The Sundown Playboys (1972)
• White Trash (1969)
• Doris Troy (1969-1971)
• Lon and Derrek Van Eaton (1972-1973)

Highway 61 Artists, as of December 1975

• Aerosmith (since 1973)
• Blue Öyster Cult (since 1975)
• Boxer (since 1975)
• Alice Cooper (since 1974)
• Kiki Dee (since 1973)
• Dr. John (since 1975)
• Bob Dylan (since 1973)
• Dave Edmunds (since 1973)
• Genesis (since 1975)
• Heart (since 1975)
• L.A. Express (since 1973)
• Lynyrd Skynyrd (since 1973)
• Harry Nilsson (since 1975)
• Nigel Olsson (since 1974)
• Tom Petty & Mudcrutch (since 1974)
• Ramones (since 1975)
• Cliff Richard (since 1973)
• Neil Sedaka (since 1974)
• Tom Scott (since 1973)
• Ravi Shankar (since 1973)
• Patti Smith (since 1975)
• Solution (since 1974)
• Stackridge (since 1973)
• Rod Stewart (since 1975)
• Stephen Stills (since 1975)
• Supertramp (since 1974)
• Peter Tork (since 1973)
• Tina Turner (since 1974)
• Dennis Wilson (since 1975)
• Ronnie Wood (since 1974)
• Neil Young (since 1973)

Various Artists - The Best of Apple Records Vol. 4: 1974-1975

Released: 22 May 2009

Recorded: 1973-1975

Producer: Various

Track listing

I Miss You [Badfinger]
Rebel Rebel [The Rolling Stones]
I Shot the Sheriff [Eric Clapton]
Nothing from Nothing [Billy Preston]
Costafine Town [Splinter]
Whatever Gets You thru the Night [The Ladders]
Band on the Run [Paul McCartney & Smile]
Can't Get It Out of My Head [Electric Light Orchestra]
Philadelphia Freedom [Elton John]
Hair of the Dog [Nazareth]
Carry Me [Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young]
Just a Little Bit of You [Michael Jackson]
How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) [James Taylor]
Over My Head [Fleetwood Mac]
Bohemian Rhapsody [Freddie Mercury]

The fourth Best of Apple compilation was also seen as the last of what would be known as "the EMI years". In reflection upon the label's then-stagnating roster, the overall length of the album was just short of an hour with just fifteen songs. It reached #3 in the United States and #2 in the United Kingdom after it was released.

Footnotes

1. Lee and John Eastman were Linda's father and brother, respectively. Both represented Paul McCartney whilst Allen Klein managed John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. Eastman and son later managed McCartney during his solo career.
2. Ron Kass was president of Apple Records from 1968-1969 before being forced out by Klein through false allegations of "financial impropriety". Prior to being president of Apple, Kass was president of Liberty Records during its time as an independent label.
3. Jack Oliver was Kass' successor as head of Apple Records up to 1971. He too was forced out by Klein.
4. Tony Bramwell was an NEMS employee, the original head of Apple Films and briefly the CEO of Apple Records. Following his departure from Apple, he worked on various James Bond films and even worked at Polydor promoting many artists such as the Bee Gees.
5. John Kosh was a designer who was hired as creative director in either 1968 or 1969. He was responsible for the design of the cover to Abbey Road and several other albums by Apple artists. He also designed covers for Bob Dylan, ELO, Rod Stewart, Linda Ronstadt, among others.
6. Chris O'Dell was an Apple employee who worked as an assistant to the Beatles, Derek and the Dominos, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Santana, among other artists. She was also the inspiration for the George Harrison B-side "Miss O'Dell", backed with "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)".

Author's Comments

Wow, that chapter was way longer than I envisioned! In fact, the listings for the Apple and Highway 61 discographies and the rosters for both take up well over half the chapter itself! Mind you, a lot of this is all super-nerdy stuff. I may even have to make individual pages for discographies of albums and singles so they can each be in one place all at once. Perhaps for future Apple overviews like this, I'll just describe what artists had successes and/or failures during that period and then link you to the discography pages.

But finally, at long last, we come to the end of 1975 and we look forward to the start of 1976. It's amazing that since the blog began, a little over a year ago, we've covered an entire decade - from December 1965 all the way up to December 1975, and we're not even close to approaching Live Aid in 1985. Only a few more chapters to go before Phase Two comes to an end...

Chapter 45: Bohemian Rhapsody (March - December 1975)

March - April 1975

John Lennon, 1975.

Three months following the last public performance of the Ladders at Madison Square Garden, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston and Klaus Voormann were back in the recording studio to work on their next album. At the time, disco and funk music were becoming popular, so it was natural that the Ladders would want to follow up on the trend.

DENNIS WILSON: "There was a far greater production involved during the two months we spent working on Goodnight Vienna. George had invited Tom Scott and the L.A. Express to serve as backing musicians, and they brought in a jazz sound to some of the songs. John had even brought in Harry Nilsson who co-wrote one song with him ['Old Dirt Road'] and wrote a track for Ringo to sing ['Easy for Me']. I even co-wrote a track with Ringo and Dr. John ['Oo-Wee']." (2010)

As well as Dennis Wilson, Tom Scott, Harry Nilsson and Dr. John, all artists under Highway 61 Records, other backing musicians included ex-Working Crew member Jim Horn on saxophone, also known for his work with John Denver, ex-Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band member "Legs" Larry Smith, guitarist Jesse Ed Davis, and ex-Aphrodite's Child member Vangelis on keyboards.

George Harrison, 1975.

Lennon's new songwriting contributions were inspired from his recent divorce with Yoko Ono and newfound love for Madeline Kahn, most notably "Going Down on Love", "Steel and Glass", and "Surprise Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)". Other songs from Lennon that were recorded during the sessions - such as "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)", "#9 Dream" and "Move Over Miss L" - were excluded due to time constraints.

Harrison, meanwhile, had also found new love as he and Pattie Boyd underwent their divorce. His new love was Olivia Arias, a secretary at Highway 61 Records. Following his work on Apple Films' next project, Little Malcolm, which had been held back to the spring of 1975 in order to avoid competing with Young Frankenstein, Harrison had brought in three new songs to the sessions - "Tired of Midnight Blue", "The Answer's at the End", and "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)", a sequel to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from 1968. Two other songs included "His Name is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen)" with "Legs" Larry Smith (from an August 1974 jam session) and a re-recording of "You", originally written for Ronnie Spector.

As for Ringo Starr himself, his marriage with Maureen Cox had fallen apart to the point of divorce following his affair with Nancy Lee Andrews, an American fashion model. Cox would end up with custody of their children Zak, Jason and Lee.

25 July 1975

The Ladders - Goodnight Vienna

Released: 25 July 1975

Recorded: August 1974 and March - April 1975

Producer: The Ladders and Dennis Wilson

Track listing[1]

Side A

You
Going Down on Love
Oo-Wee
Old Dirt Road
Tired of Midnight Blue
What You Got

Side B

Steel and Glass
Easy for Me
This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)
Surprise, Surprise (Sweet Bird of Paradox)
His Name is Legs (Ladies and Gentlemen)
(It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna

The Ladders' sixth album contained a fusion between rock music, jazz, R&B, funk rock and soul music, with everyone involved in the production of the album contributing something to its sound. Although the album was their most polished sounding since Imagine, it managed to only reach #8 in the United States and #6 in the United Kingdom. Critics and fans were not so impressed either with the Ladders' new sound, and neither of the two singles from May and August, respectively - "Goodnight Vienna"/"The Answer's at the End" (#10 US, #23 UK) and "You"/"Beef Jerky" (#15 US, #20 UK) - made it past #10 in either country.

GEORGE HARRISON: "You know those nights you go out and wish you hadn't? [Goodnight Vienna] was one of those." (giving his thoughts on the album on the week of its release, 1975)

JOHN LENNON: "There's a few good songs there, but the rest of it was far too over-polished. Too many people on that album, not enough room for everyone to shine. Grubby album, perhaps the worst album any of the Beatles did in the 70s." (1993)

RINGO STARR: "I don't remember much about making [Goodnight Vienna]. It was a complete blur to me." (1987)

Despite the negative stance the Ladders had towards the album in later years, critical reception for Goodnight Vienna would become far more favorable, being cited by Rolling Stone as "an underappreciated gem coming from John, George and Ringo. With a little help from producer Dennis Wilson and friends, it's a wild ride of an album that doesn't know what it wants to be, but that's what makes it interesting all the same."

July - October 1975

Paul and Linda McCartney, 1975.

So you're Paul McCartney. You've virtually conquered the world in the 1960s, but at the start of the 70s, you've been dropped by your band mates and put out a pair of mediocre-at-best solo albums before rejiggering yourself with a new band and conquer the world once again with an album called Band on the Run. What's next?

PAUL McCARTNEY: "Going on a tour was all well and good, but the issue came up with having to record a follow up to Band on the Run. I decided that we could record in New Orleans and go for a stadium sound - big riffs, big chorus, that sort of thing." (2009)

The harder edge for the Band on the Run follow-up was attributed to Brian May and Roger Taylor, as well as touring musician Jimmy McCulloch, who joined Paul McCartney and Smile for the tour for said album. He was also signed up for Apple Records at the end of the year, and McCartney would even produce his debut single for said label.

But not all was well in the camp. The band and Freddie Mercury were low on money despite being invested by A&R figure Norman Sheffield, who had given Trident Studios to the Beatles to record their famous single "Hey Jude" as well as Beatles '68 and Alice in Wonderland. Their financial situation was so dire - with Taylor unable to afford new drumsticks in case he drummed too hard and John Deacon being denied a cash advance of £4,000 to put a deposit on a house - that the entourage ended up falling out with Sheffield, which led to Mercury writing a song called "Death on Two Legs" and brought in John Reid as their new manager, who also served as manager to Elton John. They even brought in a new lawyer, Jim Beach, whom Freddie would lovingly call "Miami" in reference to his last name.

Freddie Mercury performing live, 1975.

That July, the entourage arrived in New Orleans to begin recording the next Smile album and Freddie Mercury extended play. The sessions were extremely productive and gave off a variety of styles such as the bluesy "Call Me Back Again", the sci-fi skiffle "'39" (written and sung by May), the psychedelic "Spirits of Ancient Egypt", the music hall number "You Gave Me the Answer", and the hard rock-sounding "I'm in Love with My Car". The latter track was a source of friction among the members...

ROGER TAYLOR: "I absolutely argued for 'Car' to be part of a single, even if it was a mere B-side, but the others just laughed and thought it was one of the most ridiculous songs they'd ever heard. It wasn't like Paul Anka's '(You're) Having My Baby' wasn't ridiculous either, and that got to number one! I was so cross abut it that I refused to come out of my room unless they agreed to it being a single under Smile." (2005)

The greatest song to come out of those sessions was none other than Freddie Mercury's "Bohemian Rhapsody", which he had begun developing in the late 1960s. The song would begin with an a cappella introduction, then a ballad section would come in, followed by a guitar solo, an operatic section, and a hard rock section before returning to a ballad again for the coda.

BRIAN MAY: "It was unlike anything that had come before or since; it was all in Freddie's mind before we'd begun." (1992)

FREDDIE MERCURY: "['Bohemian Rhapsody'] was three songs that I wanted to put out and I just put the three together." (1985)

That August, John Lennon had quietly entered the studio whilst the entourage was listening to the playback of "Bohemian Rhapsody". After it had finished, John had said, "Could you play that again? That's bloody genius right there!" Paul was surprised to see John in the studio unannounced.[2]

PAUL McCARTNEY: "Once the shock had worn off, we played 'Rhapsody' once again and I could tell that John was amazed by what he was hearing. When we told him that Freddie was the mastermind behind the song, he said to him, 'Freddie, you utter, magnificent genius! That sounds like a hit single right there!'" (2009)

A shot from the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video, released 1975.

"Bohemian Rhapsody", at the time, was perhaps the most expensive song ever recorded, due to the excessive amount of overdubs that had taken place, especially when May, Mercury and Taylor had reportedly sang their vocal parts for ten to twelve hours a day. Some sections included as many as 180 separate overdubs! May even recalled placing a piece of the tape in front of a light and behind able to see through it, given how worn it was from constant overdubbing.

"What's that all about?" asked Brian Epstein upon listening to the track for the first time.

"It's an epic poem," explained Mercury.

"This goes on forever; six bloody minutes!" Epstein remarked.

"I'd pity your lover if they think six minutes is forever." Taylor snickered as a response to Freddie's retort.

"We're also going to put it out as a single," Mercury continued.

"I doubt that," said Epstein. "Radio stations won't play anything longer than three minutes unless you trimmed it down."

"'Hey Jude' was seven minutes long, and that became a big hit," McCartney countered. "So did Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'."

"It's not just the time limit I'm worried about," Epstein insisted. "Scaramouche? Galileo? And what the hell is all that 'Ismillah' bullshit?"

"Bismillah," Mercury corrected. "True poetry's for the listener."

"If everything was explained, then it it would ruin the mystery," added May.

"'Hey Jude' had a universal message," said Epstein. "'Bohemian Rhapsody' doesn't. Does that sound like the type of song teenagers would bang their heads to in their car?" The argument then went on as to whether or not it should be released as a single; Epstein argued for either "Love of My Life" or John Deacon's "You're My Best Friend", but Mercury and company firmly insisted upon "Bohemian Rhapsody".

"Look, I'm not arguing 'Bohemian Rhapsody''s musicianship," said Epstein, close to losing his patience, "but there's no way in bloody hell that any station in the world would play a six-minute quasi-operatic dirge that's loaded with nonsense words!"

The meeting was quickly dismissed before things could turn ugly, but Mercury was not about to back down without a fight. On Kenny Everett's radio show, he presented the host "Bohemian Rhapsody" on vinyl and for the first time ever, many people heard the song's opening...

"Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality..."

31 October 1975

Paul McCartney & Smile - A Night at the Rock Show

Released: 31 October 1975

Recorded: 27 October 1974 and July - October 1975

Producer: Paul McCartney and Roy Thomas Baker

Track listing[3]

Side A

Venus and Mars/Rock Show
Love in Song
I'm in Love with My Car
You Gave Me the Answer
'39
Letting Go

Side B

Venus and Mars/Spirits of Ancient Egypt
Good Company
Call Me Back Again
Listen to What the Man Said
Treat Her Gently (Lonely Old People)
God Save the Queen

The Band on the Run follow-up, A Night at the Rock Show, was released on Halloween and hit #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom. The lead single, to the dismay of Paul McCartney, was Roger Taylor's "I'm in Love with My Car", backed with the non-album single "Magneto and Titanium Man". It hit #1 in the United Kingdom for one week and also charted at #3 in the United States. The next two singles were "Listen to What the Man Said"/"My Carnival" (#1 US, #5 UK) and "Venus and Mars/Rock Show"/"Sweet Lady" (#12 US, #27 UK), released in December and March, respectively.

Critical reception towards A Night at the Rock Show was mostly positive, but not as strong as those for Band on the Run. No preview discs had been sent out to the media as the album was undergoing mixing at the eleventh hour prior to release. Despite the high sales, there was no tour set in place for the album, as Paul McCartney had other business to attend to...

21 November 1975

Freddie Mercury - Bohemian Rhapsody

Released: 21 November 1975

Recorded: 11 July - September 1974 and July - October 1975

Producer: Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury and Roy Thomas Baker

Track listing[3]

Side A

Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to...)
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon
Killer Queen
Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley
You're My Best Friend
Stone Cold Crazy
Seaside Rendezvous

Side B

In the Lap of the Gods
Love of My Life
Misfire
Bring Back That Leroy Brown
Bohemian Rhapsody
In the Lap of the Gods... Revisited

Bohemian Rhapsody was originally going to be released as an extended play like Killer Queen the year before, but it was instead decided to put both together as a single album, and in America, the result had paid off when it hit #4 there. The album had also reached #1 in the United Kingdom, knocking A Night at the Rock Show off of the top spot. As a one-two punch, the title track had taken the #1 spot on the UK Singles Chart from "I'm in Love with My Car", much to Roger Taylor's dismay. Brian May described it as "Freddie stealing Roger's thunder, but he got over it though." (1983)

After "Bohemian Rhapsody" debuted on Kenny Everett's radio show, Apple finally released it as a double A-side with "You're My Best Friend", the latter of which having hit #7 in the United Kingdom whilst the former also hit #7 in the United States but it stayed at the top in home territory to the end of the year.

Both the single and the album received mixed reviews from critics, describing Freddie Mercury and his backing group as "Yardbirds wannabes", but fan reception was wildly positive. Many music artists had also given out their views on "Bohemian Rhapsody", among them being Pete Ham calling it "the most competitive thing that's come along in ages."[4] Later reception towards the album and the titular track soon became positive, and Bohemian Rhapsody was positioned at #231 on Rolling Stone's "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". The track later gained a new audience in 1992 when Mike Myers and Dana Carvey head-banged along to the tune in Wayne's World. Once again, "Bohemian Rhapsody" hit #1 in response to the movie's success.

November - December 1975

Ringo Starr (middle) with Harry Nilsson (right) and Micky Dolenz (left), 1975.

JOHN LENNON: "Hearing 'Bo Rhap' for the first time wasn't quite the reason I came to see Paul that August. We did hang out in between recording, but Morris Levy was suing my ass just because I'd nicked a line from Chuck Berry." (1996)

PAUL McCARTNEY: "It seemed like the right time for a Beatles reunion; we hadn't put out an album together in over five years, and people were demanding more from us. We decided to gather in Los Angeles to discuss plans for a reunion album. John and I were already there when Ringo came in; George came in later, and I hate to imagine what could've happened had George came first..." (2016)

GEORGE HARRISON: "I hadn't spoken at all with Paul in the past few years, and I was taken aback at seeing John and Ringo talking amicably with him like nothing happened. I was still bitter over the 'Let It Down' incident, but I kept my feelings about it to myself." (1987)

While it remains a mystery as to what went on at the meeting, it was eventually decided that in order to answer to Morris Levy's lawsuit over the Beatles' classic "Come Together" plagiarizing a line ("Here come ol' flattop") from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me", to fulfill their contract with EMI Records before transferring to Warner Brothers, and to fulfill fans' requests for one more album, John, Paul, George and Ringo would enter the studio to record an album of cover songs.

PAUL McCARTNEY: "It seemed reasonable that we'd record a covers album; I'd used up most of my material for Rock Show, George didn't have much material either, and neither did Ringo. John was the only one to have some leftover material, but he withheld them until later." (2016)

Dennis Wilson during the sessions for the Beatles' Rock 'n' Roll Music, November 1975.

RINGO STARR: "We brought in Dennis [Wilson] to be the producer. We first did three songs published under Levy to fulfill the settlement." (1981)

"You Can't Catch Me" was taken care of first with Lennon on lead vocals; the Beatles even slowed down the song so it sounded more like "Come Together" rather than Berry's original. "Ya Ya" was also performed by Lennon (and featuring son Julian on drums, in lieu of Ringo) and "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" was performed by McCartney, which would fulfill the lawsuit. The sessions would last a fortnight and by the end, they had recorded nearly thirty covers for the album.

GEORGE HARRISON: "Those sessions were actually quite fun. It felt a lot like we were back in 1956, our musical roots, before the tours, the fame, and the egos. It was almost like a reboot so the Beatles could start over again for next year." (1987)

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Extra Texture (Read All About It), Walls and Bridges and Goodnight Vienna, excluding, rather ironically, the title track to the latter, which is the single edit from Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr.
2. John Lennon walking into the Venus and Mars sessions almost happened, but it didn't when he returned to Yoko Ono; another near Beatles reunion.
3. For both albums, tracks are sourced from A Night at the Opera. A Night at the Rock Show contains tracks from Venus and Mars, and Bohemian Rhapsody contains tracks from Sheer Heart Attack.
4. Brian Wilson said something similar to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 1976.

Author's Comments

Well, there it is! The chapter I've been looking forward to writing the most since I started this blog. A Night at the Rock Show was the very first album created for the series - all the way back in December 2017 - inspired by the question, "What if Paul McCartney performed on an album with Brian May and Roger Taylor?" Since Venus and Mars and A Night at the Opera were released in the same year, that made it seem plausible to me that it may have happened. I only intended for it to be a one-off, but then one idea came after another, and the rest is very much history. Alternate history, that is.

The one-two punch of references to Bohemian Rhapsody (the movie, obviously) and Wayne's World were also a lot of fun to add in. I can almost see that happening in the timeline. But now it looks as though we might see a Beatles reunion album after all. But first, we have another Apple overview to cover...

Album cover for Bohemian Rhapsody was designed by Will Steadman.