March - April 1975
 |
| John Lennon, 1975. |
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.
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| George Harrison, 1975. |
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
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
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
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
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.
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)
"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...
Paul McCartney & Smile - A Night at the Rock Show
21 November 1975
Freddie Mercury - Bohemian Rhapsody
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. |
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. |
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. |
"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
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
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
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...
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
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
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
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
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. |
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. |
"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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
Three very decent albums you have here. Also, beautiful reference to the Bohemian Rhapsody movie meeting, made me chuckle quite a bit!
ReplyDeleteJust asking, will "Paul McCartney & Smile" change their name to just "Smile" like Wings did IOTL? This was done by the time Red Rose Speedway came out due to the band's belief that Wild Life wasn't successful because no one knew Paul was in the band. When everyone did, they changed the name back again. And as interesting as it is having Freddie sing some Smile tracks and having Brian, Roger and Denny co-write some of the songs, it does become slightly confusing as to which ones they do (eg. how on your version of Band On The Run, Brian co-sings with Paul on the title track). Do they write or sing any songs differently to our knowledge IOTL?
Thanks again, and nice job with the new layout of album and single discographies! - Dan
Paul McCartney & Smile will continue as thus until 1980. From 1981 onward, however, Freddie becomes a full time member alongside John Deacon.
DeleteAs for the songs, I figure they'd sound more or less similar to how they are in OTL with the lyrics about the same as they are also in OTL. I figure Brian and Roger add a new flavor to Paul's songs that I don't think even he could've envisioned.