Chapter 48: The Boys are Back in Town (January - May 1976)

30 January 1976

It was every music fan's dream come true; the Beatles were finally reuniting after not making music as a complete unit for almost six years. As good as the output from the Ladders and Paul McCartney & Smile was - for the most part - they just couldn't compare to what the Beatles as a whole were putting out between 1963 and 1970. Pre-orders were stacked up for the as-of-yet untitled reunion album, interviews were being held with the members individually, and Peter Brown's plan to have Warner Brothers be their distributor had fallen into place, perhaps better than he could have predicted. This was going to be the greatest thing since "Bohemian Rhapsody"!

The Beatles - Rock 'n' Roll

Released: 30 January 1976

Recorded: 18 November - 1 December 1975

Producer: The Beatles and Dennis Wilson

Track listing[1]

Side A

Be-Bop-A-Lula [John]
Twenty Flight Rock [Paul]
You're Sixteen [Ringo]
You Can't Catch Me [John]
Brown Eyed Handsome Man [Paul]
Slippin' and Slidin' [John]
Bye Bye, Love [George]

Side B

Stand By Me [John]
Lucille [Paul]
Ya Ya [John]
She Said Yeah [Paul]
Only You [Ringo]
To Know Her is to Love Her [John]
Just Because [Paul]

Side C
Bring It on Home to Me [Paul]
Sweet Little Sixteen [John]
Movie Magg [Paul]
Hey! Baby [Ringo]
Peggy Sue [John]
Crackin' Up [Paul]
Do You Wanna Dance? [John]

Side D
Ain't That a Shame [Paul]
True Love [George]
Angel Baby [John]
No No Song [Ringo]
All Shook Up [Paul]
Bony Moronie [John]
Don't Get Around Much Anymore [Paul]

On the day it was released, Rock 'n' Roll had been met with complete bewilderment among fans and critics. Like... really? This was the great reunion album they'd been anticipating for nearly six years; a collection of covers? Although the album had reached #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom based on pre-orders alone, many fans felt that they had been cheated and protested the album's release; some of the more extreme fans even sent death threats to Apple personnel.

JOHN LENNON: "This is insane; we gave the fans a Beatles reunion album, but now they're saying that we sold out and are even attacking some of our camp even though they had nothing to do with the album's production. And if you're one of those people sending death threats to some of our close friends or boycotting the release of the album and saying that we 'sold out'... fuck you. Honest to God, fuck you." (1976, two weeks after the release of Rock 'n' Roll)

George Harrison, John Lennon and Paul McCartney during their days as part of the Quarrymen, 1957. The Quarrymen would eventually evolve into the Beatles in 1960.

Once the initial reaction had worn off, many praised the performances of the songs, thinking that the Beatles had done justice to them, recognizing that they were songs from their youth. The most notable song was Eddie Cochran's "Twenty Flight Rock", the very first song Paul McCartney had sung and performed in front of John Lennon at their first meeting. It was almost as if history had come full circle. Among the other notable performances were George Harrison revising some lyrics to "Bye Bye, Love" following his split with Pattie Boyd, a proper version of "Lucille", previously recorded by John and Paul in a 1974 jam, and Julian Lennon's guest appearance on drums in "Ya Ya".

Despite the controversy surrounding the initial release, the Beatles would reflect fondly on Rock 'n' Roll in later years, with George Harrison finding a deeper meaning to the album than, as some critics put it, just a step backwards.

GEORGE HARRISON: "That album contains our musical roots, back when we were teenagers listening to Elvis or Chuck, when we were just starting. This was long before the mania of the 1960s - tours, fame, egos, what have you. We had to get back to 1956 or 1962, whatever, and recapture what we had back in the day. No way we could've gotten back together in 1975; too much ego between us. We recorded fairly quickly like we did with the first few albums in the '60s without any ego or conflict between the four of us. It was almost like a reboot of sorts." (1996)

The album's sole single was released on 15 March, "You're Sixteen" (with Ringo on vocals) backed with "Stand By Me" (with John on vocals), and marked the Beatles' final ever EMI release. The single reached #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom (marking their 28th #1 single overall) and received mixed reviews from critics, with many wondering why the superior and more serious "Stand By Me" wasn't the A-side instead.

23 February 1976

The cover to Jimmy McCulloch's "Medicine Jar"/"Wino Junko" single, released February 1976.

Shortly after recording for Rock 'n' Roll with the Beatles, McCartney, along with Denny Laine, Colin Allen and Geoff Emerick, stayed in the studio to record for Jimmy McCulloch's debut single on Apple Records. "Medicine Jar" and "Wino Junko" were both co-written by McCulloch and Allen and contained an anti-drug message.

GEOFF EMERICK: "We recorded Jimmy's single fairly quickly, and I was left to do the final mixing whilst Paul and the others prepared for the release of 'Medicine Jar'. The release for the single was most unfortunate, though." (2008)

"Medicine Jar" had managed to reach #35 in the United States, but it failed to leave an impact at all in the United Kingdom. It is believed to this day that the single had been overshadowed by the release of the Beatles' Rock 'n' Roll despite McCartney's involvement in the single. Still, Jimmy McCulloch stayed on with the label and released a few more singles before departing the label in 1977. After his ironic death from heart failure due to morphine and alcohol poisoning on 27 September 1979, "Medicine Jar" re-entered the charts at #4 in the United Kingdom and #11 in the United States. Since then, it has been regarded as a forgotten gem in Apple Records' discography, and has even appeared on several "best of " compilations.

February - March 1976

Ringo Starr, 1976.

PAUL McCARTNEY: "After we put out Rock 'n' Roll to fulfill our EMI contract, we thought that'd be it, but people wanted more from us rather than just a covers album. They wanted the Beatles, y'know! Although we'd promised to George that we'd put out just one reunion album, we were feeling pressure from Peter [Brown] and the people of Warner Brothers for a Beatles album of originals." (1983)

Behind the scenes, the Beatles and their management were preparing for a few television and radio appearances in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Several printed interviews were published, both individually and as a group, with the general feeling that they might put out one more album as a group before the end of 1976. Their first television appearance after the release of Rock 'n' Roll was on Cilla, a talk show hosted by their old NEMS stablemate Cilla Black, to whom Paul McCartney had penned the first opening theme song "Step Inside Love" back in 1967. The Beatles' guest spot premiered on 14 February as the first episode of the eighth and final season of Black's talk show. "Step Inside Love" was even brought back as the theme song for the purpose of this episode.[2]

The Beatles' next appearance on British television was The Old Grey Whistle Test on 2 March, in which they performed their version of "You're Sixteen" from Rock 'n' Roll. They were also aided by Pete Ham (who was in England for official Apple business) on the piano and the kazoo vocal solo. The performance was well-received and even helped to ensure it reached #1 in the United Kingdom.[3]

24 March marked the Beatles' first appearance on Top of the Pops in ten years, when they transmitted a live performance of "Paperback Writer". For this performance, they played their version of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me", as well as a rendition of "I Lost My Little Girl", the first ever song Paul McCartney wrote following his mother Mary's death in 1956, dedicated to his father Jim, who died earlier this month on 13 March; it was John Lennon who had informed Paul of the sad news. Jim McCartney's funeral took place on 22 March, but Paul did not attend; according to his brother Mike McGear, "It was no coincidence that Paul was busy with the Beatles at the time. Paul would never face that sort of thing."

Linda and Paul McCartney, 1976.

Although the period was busy for the Beatles, John still had the chance to spend time with his girlfriend Madeline Kahn, having recently finished work on Michael Winner's Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood, and it was during this period that she and Linda McCartney had become very close friends.

LINDA McCARTNEY: "Maddy and I both found common ground with having Jewish ancestry, growing up in eastern America, and being in love with two members of the biggest band in the world, but our careers were vastly different. She's an actor, I'm a photographer. She's a comedian, and I'm a writer. She had this amazing ability to make people laugh, and yet she was very shy in person." (1992)

MADELINE KAHN: "From that time onward, Linda and I became very close sister figures. By the time we'd gone to America for the Beatles to make their appearance on Saturday Night Live, she was the first I told about feeling sick in the stomach. I was feeling very dizzy and nauseous, and she could tell that was a sign that there was much more to it." (2003)

April 24, 1976

Raquel Welch on Saturday Night, April 24, 1976.

Tonight's episode of Saturday Night was hosted by Raquel Welch, known for her roles in Fantastic Voyage, One Million Years B.C., as well as an appearance in The Magic Christian as the Priestess of the Whip. But everyone knew that this sex symbol of the 1960s wasn't the main reason this latest episode was worth tuning into tonight. Already, people were anticipating that the Beatles' presence as musical guest stars would drag in millions of viewers across America, possibly only being matched by the upcoming presidential election between incumbent president George McGovern (Democrat) and former Governor of California Ronald Reagan (Republican) for being the most watched American television program in 1976.

Following the Awards Sketch featuring cast member Chevy Chase hurrying through a well-written sketch to do a fall for the cold open, the episode began with a monologue by Raquel Welch featuring her and Joe Cocker (portrayed by John Belushi) singing "Superstar". Following three more sketches (Purina Rat Chow, The Decabet, and a Muppets sketch with Welch) was the Beatles' first ever musical performance, that being "She Loves You" per request by producer Lorne Michaels. The crowd cheered wildly before the song started and again when it had finished.[4][5]

PAUL McCARTNEY: "Twelve years before, when we did The Ed Sullivan Show, girls screamed and cheered non-stop when we performed our short setlist. But when we played on Saturday Night Live, the crowd was respectful and did not applaud until we'd finished playing a song. They'd grown up a lot following the days of Beatlemania, y'know, and now they wanted to hear us play our music. It was amazing to see how much times had changed between 1964 and 1976." (1977)

RINGO STARR: "It felt so unreal, playing on American television once again after what felt like forever. It was such a blast appearing on Saturday Night Live, and even George was enthusiastic. Seven months after the Beatles appeared and performed together, he appeared on the show again, but with Paul Simon." (1996)

Later in the episode, the Beatles made their second appearance by performing a later song, "Get Back", which was extremely fitting given that they had "gotten back" together again. After the song was finished, Lorne Michaels appeared on camera to interview the Beatles.

The following is an excerpted transcript of the Lorne Michaels interview with the Beatles from the eighteenth episode of the first season of Saturday Night Live, originally premiered April 24, 1976.

LORNE MICHAELS: *shaking hands with the Beatles* Hello. Good evening, Beatles.

JOHN LENNON: Good evening, Lorne Michaels.

PAUL McCARTNEY: Evening.

RINGO STARR: Hello, Lorne.

LORNE: Words cannot describe right now how pleased we are to have you, the Beatles here on Saturday Night.

GEORGE HARRISON: The feeling here is mutual, Lorne.

LORNE: If you guys don't mind, I'd like to take this opportunity to ask you a few questions.

JOHN: *to audience* What do we think, viewers? *the crowd responds very positively*

PAUL: We'll take that as a yes, Lorne.

LORNE: Alright, so first question; it's pretty interesting to see that Paul and John weren't talking about a year or maybe two years ago and suddenly started to talk to each other again, like nothing happened. I want to ask, how did you get along again, not just Paul and John, but Paul and the Ladders in general?

JOHN: It began back in late March of '74 when I was filming Young Frankenstein with Mel Brooks when I got an unexpected visit from Paul. We began talking about our personal lives like nothing had happened, and then we got into the studio with Ringo and recorded some jams together.

GEORGE: I was in L.A. overseeing the start of Highway 61 Records with Jack Oliver and didn't know about Paul's visit. I was still quite mad with him not bothering to listen to any of my songs, which boiled over at the end of the Get Back sessions.

PAUL: With hindsight, I should've taken notice of what George was capable of. I mean, "Something" is probably one of the best songs you've ever written, George. Not even I could write a long song as wonderful as that, y'know.

GEORGE: *smiling* Thank you, Paul. That means a lot to me. *a few "awws" from the audience can be heard*

RINGO: Paul really wanted to mend fences with George, disappointed that they never crossed paths during that fateful visit in Los Angeles. John and I did have contact with him throughout '74 and '75, but...

JOHN: *interrupting* But it was when I walked in on Paul during a listening session to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and I told him about the lawsuit from Morris Levy over one line in "Come Together" being pinched from Chuck Berry. *pause; shrugging* Seriously, all of this over a line! Other artists have taken influence from other artists and no one lost their marbles over it.

GEORGE: Except maybe when Bright Tunes got mad when I stole the melody of "He's So Fine". *laughs, as does Lorne, the other Beatles and the audience*

LORNE: But then there was the sessions for your latest album, Rock 'n' Roll. How was it you managed to keep yourselves from killing each other?

GEORGE: I was pretty hesitant about doing another album with Paul, but I was assured that it would be a one-time thing. Of course, it was during the sessions with Dennis Wilson - who produced Rock 'n' Roll with us - that I started to get into it, having had more fun than I ever had recording a Beatles album in years.

PAUL: Things between us haven't quite resolved themselves, but I feel that we're old enough to freely express ourselves without getting on the others' nerves. It probably helped that we had Dennis as our producer, through John's suggestion. When you have a guest in the studio, you have to be on your best behavior, y'know.

RINGO: That, and there was a possibility that one of us could suddenly drop dead without ever resolving issues with the others. It's a scary thought, isn't it?

JOHN: Yeah, life's too short to hold grudges for many years.

LORNE: Indeed. John, Paul, do you care to comment about one Pete Best?

JOHN: *chuckles* Never heard of him.

PAUL: Y'mean our original drummer before Ringo came onto the scene? With all seriousness, I hadn't heard much of him for the last fourteen years. In fact, I don't know much about what he's been up to since we'd sacked Pete.

JOHN: The poor bugger.

PAUL: But I'd like to meet up with him again some day, y'know, have a bit of closure, apologize for what happened and all that.

GEORGE: Who knows what might've happened if we'd stuck with Pete?

RINGO: I'd probably be stuck in a dead-end job in Liverpool. *smiles as audience laughs at his self-deprecating one-liner*

LORNE: *chuckles* There's a question that's been on everyone's mind since the announcement of your reunion; are you going on tour?

PAUL: Nah, I doubt that'll be happening any time soon. At least, not right now. *some audience members groan with disappointment*

JOHN: We haven't toured together since... I think, 1967, when we had our university tour back in England. Even before then, George hated touring the most, and when we experimented with our music, the technology outgrew what was possible on stage.

PAUL: But now look at what the Yardbirds, the Who, the Rolling Stones and the like are doing, y'know. Maybe we'll go on tour at some point in the future and play our late-60s material. If George is up to it.

GEORGE: *smirking* Just as long as we bring in Eric to play "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

RINGO: If they're up to it, I'm all for it too.

LORNE: So, in that case, can we be expected to hear any new Beatles material any time soon?

JOHN: I got a few leftovers from when the Ladders did their last album [Goodnight Vienna].

GEORGE: I'm working on a few new songs myself.

PAUL: Yeah, same here. One of them will probably be a big hit for the Beatles.

RINGO: I'm just happy to be with my mates once again.

LORNE: Other than work on a new album, what are the plans for the four of you moving forward?

PAUL: That's the funny thing, isn't it? You never know what will happen next.

JOHN: Yeah, I guess that whatever we're working on and how it turns out will decide what we do next.

RINGO: It's like we said a decade ago - tomorrow never knows.

The excerpted interview ends here.

Lorne Michaels, circa mid-1970s.

JOHN LENNON: "When we went into the commercial, I asked for Lorne Michaels if we could bring in Maddy onto the set of Saturday Night. After we did our third song, I wanted to give her a surprise on national television." (1991)

LORNE MICHAELS: "Normally, we would've stuck to what was already scripted and refused their request. But this was the Beatles we were talking about here, high profile artists, for goodness sake, so we made an exception and John called Madeline into the studio for a surprise. It was a big one to be sure; not just to her, but to millions of viewers across America thirty years ago." (2006)

MADELINE KAHN: "Linda and I were watching Saturday Night at John's apartment when I received a surprise phone call from him, asking me to come to the studio. It was late, and I was almost about to refuse, but Linda encouraged me to go anyway. I'm actually happy I listened to her, looking back. It was a moment I would never forget the rest of my life." (2003)

The third and final Beatles song to be performed on Saturday Night was "In My Life", a song they had never performed live before (although some claimed that John did so following the Beatles' Candlestick Park concert ten years ago). The performance became even more touching when John Lennon introduced Madeline Kahn onto the stage, and then got down on one knee to deliver a short speech to her. All activity across the United States came to a stop to see what was going to happen next; once again, like the Beatles' first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show, even criminal activity was at zero percent.

"Maddy," he began, looking up to her, "ever since we first met when we did Blazing Saddles, you've made a real difference in my life. My life was on a downward path at the start of the decade, but upon meeting you for the first time, I began to change my behavior not just for your own sake, but my own sake and the sake of my bandmates." George and Ringo silently appreciated what John was saying; they didn't know why John had called Madeline into the studio, but Paul did. He'd known John long enough to understand what he was planning.

"So... Madeline Gail Kahn... will you marry me?" Many viewers sitting at home around the country stared intently at their television screens, wondering what would happen next. There was a long silence before Madeline gave her answer.

"Yes," she said, smiling. "I will." There was rapturous applause from not only the crowd, but the people behind the scenes of Saturday Night, and Paul, George and Ringo as well. Paul silently winked at John, as if saying, "Congratulations, mate."

"Oh, and John," said Madeline, once the applause had died down, "I've got happy news for you as well. I spoke with Linda about it the other day, and... well, John, I-I'm pregnant with your child."

The one-two punch of John Lennon's proposal of marriage to Madeline Kahn and the latter announcing her pregnancy to the former became a classic Saturday Night moment. Many people all over the United States applauded the happy news for the couple as they embraced and kissed on national television. No one could hear what John had actually said, but judging by his expression, they could tell that he was glad. Even though Linda wasn't there to witness the event in person, Madeline could sense that Linda was proud as well.

There were no words needed to describe this moment; the Beatles may have appeared on the show, but even their performances would pale in comparison to John's proposal of marriage and Madeline's pregnancy announcement back to back.

Following this moment was Raquel Welch performing "Ain't Necessarily So" and another Muppets sketch before the episode concluded with the good nights. During that segment, Welch gave her congratulations to John and Madeline for their engagement as well as the news of them having their first child together (and John's second overall). It was a happy night for many involved.

May 8, 1976
"Ladies and gentlemen - Madeline Kahn!"

Madeline Kahn giving her monologue on Saturday Night, May 8, 1976.

Madeline laughed softly upon receiving much applause from the Saturday Night audience. "Oh, my my, my, my! Hello! And thank you," she began, "and to get right to the point, what are we going to do? Um, it's Mother's Day very soon - uh, in a half-hour or so, um, it'll be Mother's Day. And what, and what, and what can we do? I mean, you know, um, it- It- There just doesn't seem to be any way to repay, you know, what a person's mother gives. I mean, you know, my mother gave me birth - I don't know uh, about... about yours. And then, you know, and I-I gave her a scarf. And um... and sometimes she gives me strength, and I give her nothing. Um, and it-it's just- It's very upsetting. And I didn't do anything this time, because I've been so busy, so..."

She paused for effect, giving a smile.

"Um, just two weeks ago, when the Beatles performed on American soil for the first time in a decade," Madeline continued, "you know, 'she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah,' I told John Lennon, who is my fiance, and the rest of the country that I was pregnant with his child." There was applause at that statement; Madeline smiled and motioned towards her abdomen before continuing again.

"The doctor said that in seven months, I-I'm going to become a mother for the first time, and now I know that I'll soon be feeling how my mother must have felt when she gave birth to me." She giggled slightly upon saying that. "And so, um, to celebrate Mother's Day and the fact I'll be a mother soon, I'd like to give this wonderful opportunity, and perhaps I could speak for all of you..." she paused again with a smile, "ah, in-in-in-in-in singing a little... a little something... to mother. And, here it is..."

She took a breath before she began to sing:

"M is for the many things she gave me.

O is for the other things she gave me.

T is for the thousand things she gave me.

H is for the hundred things she gave me.

E is for everything she gave me.

R is for the rest of the things she gave me.

P is for the presents that she gave me.

Put them all together, they spell 'Motherp,'

The one who means the world to me."

Madeline gave a shrug and smiled as the audience applauded her little poem.

"We'll be right back!" she said, and then NBC went into the commercial.[6]

Footnotes

1. All of John's tracks are sourced from Rock 'n' Roll. Paul's tracks are sourced from Choba B CCCP (also known as "The Russian Album") and Run Devil Run. Ringo's tracks are sourced from Ringo, Goodnight Vienna and Ringo's Rotogravure. George's tracks are sourced from Dark Horse and Thirty-Three & 1/3.
2. In OTL, the special guests were Jim Dale, Lennie Peters and Dianne Lee.
3. John Lennon appeared in an episode on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1975 where he played "Stand by Me".
4. In OTL, Lorne Michaels, the then-producer of Saturday Night Live, offered the Beatles $3,000 just to play three songs for a brief reunion. By sheer coincidence, John Lennon and Paul McCartney were watching NBC in the former's Dakota apartment in New York and considered going down there to claim the money, but decided not to because they were too tired. The following day marked the last time Lennon and McCartney ever saw each other face to face, but they still talked to each other on the phone until the former's death in 1980. The near-miss reunion later influenced the 2000 television drama Two of Us, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and starring Jared Harris and Aidan Quinn as Lennon and McCartney, respectively.
5. In OTL, the musical guests for the April 24, 1976 Saturday Night show were Phoebe Snow (performing "All Over" and "Two-Fisted Love") and John Sebastian (performing "Welcome Back"). As mentioned above, Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,000 to appear on the show.
6. Madeline Kahn's monologue is directly lifted from the one she delivered on her first Saturday Night Live appearance, albeit edited to reflect her current position ITTL (in this timeline). I even added in her stutters for a bit of added realism.

Author's Comments

Now how's that for a bombshell? The Beatles have put out their first album in six years (but not without its share of controversy), they've appeared on Saturday Night (they didn't put Live in the title back then), and to top it all off, John Lennon and Madeline Kahn are engaged and about to become parents together! That is quite a lot to take in if you know what I mean.

I didn't think much about this when I was planning this chapter, but there were quite a lot of coincidences (mostly happy ones) when it came to the Saturday Night portion. Raquel Welch appeared in The Magic Christian, which starred Ringo Starr, and both of them featured in cavemen-centric movies. Similarly, the episode in which Madeline Kahn hosted the show directly followed the one where Lorne Michaels offered the Beatles $3,000 (he later added $200 to sweeten the pot) to appear on the show, albeit two weeks apart and only George appeared later in the show to "claim" his money. And in this universe, Madeline will be marrying one of the Beatles! I don't know if she ever had anything to say about them in OTL, but still, it was a nice will connection they had, albeit very indirectly.

Originally, I was going to include what I think Yes' 1976 album would've looked like, based upon the solo recordings of the members from 1975-1976, but I removed it as I think the Beatles story here can stand up on its own. Don't panic; you'll see the 1976 Yes album for an Extra Scene, but first, we got two more chapters to get through. Chapter 49 will be posted next week, but chapter 50 may take longer, but I promise the wait will be worth it for the finale of Phase Two!