Plans for "Strawberry Peppers: The Second Coming"

This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time since I started work on Strawberry Peppers in 2018, long before this blog came to fruition. All eighty chapters covering events from 1966 to 1985, with a bit of 1965 to set the stage (an average of four chapters per year), were intended to serve as a first draft for the story. I chose 1985 as the cut off point because as the story progressed, I knew I was going to have a hard time writing out what would happen next after Live Aid, with the Clash's This is The Clash being the sole exception. It was better for the first draft to burn out than to fade away.

So, with all that being said, had I personally done a good job on the first draft? Well, in some areas, yes, but in others, I feel like I could've done them better justice. Here are five artists, in no particular order, that I feel like are going to need some reworking when I start work on what will become The Second Coming. Alongside that, I'll also be listing bands under a sixth category and determine whether or not they'll play a role in The Second Coming. Each of them will take up about a paragraph, but for now, the big ones.

The Beatles

As evidenced by the title, the Beatles are the main focus of this alternate history. My inspiration behind the idea of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr forming a new band separate from Paul McCartney came from an October 2013 article by Paste magazine telling a five part story as to what might have happened had the Beatles continued without Paul. An interesting idea in theory, although that article's hypothetical scenario did have some plot holes: For example, did Paul ever record "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" as a response to Bloody Sunday, or what about "Live and Let Die" for the film of the same name? And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

For the early stages of the first draft, I had the Beatles do things that didn't really add much to the overall narrative. Among them being the Alice in Wonderland album and film; that could've easily been cut and the Beatles would've been more likely to record an album that didn't focus on a concept or story. Not to mention that for the Ladders, at least the earlier albums, would John have agreed to including "My Sweet Lord" on their debut album? George agreeing to "God"? And on the same album, no less? In real life, both tired of the band concept in the 1970s while Paul was unable to move on from that, hence he formed Wings (more on that later). On top of that, the Beatles reunited in 1980, which very much rendered the Ladders/Dark Horses/Paul McCartney & Smile storyline somewhat pointless. It would've made better sense if A) the Beatles remained together in the 70s, or B) the Beatles remained broken up for the 80s onward.

The solution? Choice A. But in order to get to that, I'll have to have the Beatles go through some changes before 1970 in order for them to stay together for at least five more years. In retrospect, I feel like my four-part mini series "An Alternative Beatles Discography - No Covers" is a more definitive take on how I would've handled the Beatles' story. Have them include all original material on Please Please Me and give George Harrison is due earlier on. So that will be the basis for the Beatles' story in Strawberry Peppers: The Second Coming. Some ideas from the first draft will be carried over into TSC like John Lennon ending up with Madeline Kahn instead of Yoko Ono, albeit in a different manner.

Queen/Smile

Part of the reason behind the original version of Strawberry Peppers was a question I doubt anyone else has tried to answer - "what if Paul McCartney formed a band with Brian May and Roger Taylor?" That was where I came up with the track listing for A Night at the Rock Show, combining Paul's material from Venus and Mars (plus "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" sung by Denny Laine) with Brian and Roger's vocal spots from A Night at the Opera. I do have a soft spot for that playlist, and I still have it saved on my hard drive.

However, as fun an idea as it was, it didn't really make much sense from a historical standpoint; Tim Staffell quit Smile in 1970 to join Humpy Bong, and then he later became a part of Jonathan Kelly's Outside before moving onto Morgan, led by Morgan Fisher of Love Affair (later Mott the Hoople), neither group of which were mentioned once in the first draft. To be fair, neither band made it very big, and they disbanded just as quickly as they had formed. And of course, Tim would go on to make models for Thomas the Tank Engine. Even in a world where Smile signed onto Apple Records in the late 1960s, I doubt Tim would've stayed on for very long.

So, what I'm thinking of doing instead is making Freddie a part of Smile from the get go per OTL, but with Tim Staffell still as their bassist, perhaps being convinced to stay on for at least the first album, released in 1972 under Apple. After that, John Deacon comes aboard as their bassist and the band is renamed Queen. It's a pretty similar situation to Badfinger starting out as the Iveys when they joined Apple Records.

The Beach Boys

I'm just going to say this outright - killing off Brian Wilson during the production of Smile was the biggest mistake I made for the first draft. It seemed like an interesting idea at the time when planning out the story, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he contributed more to music than Mike Love ever did, and by killing off Brian, that just leaves major butterflies; too many to list, in fact. That's a whole other can of worms altogether.

So, that's why for The Second Coming, the Beach Boys do end up completing Smile with Brian still living, and the band lasts until 1973 with Holland, the group splitting up due to creative differences, and they end up maintaining a good track record instead of becoming shells of themselves until 2012's That's Why God Made the Radio. As for what I'll do with the post-1973 material, I'm not sure at the moment, but it'll be interesting to have albums by Brian, Dennis and Carl under the Wilson Brothers. I'd also like to keep one other brother alive so that Brian's not the sole survivor.

The Rolling Stones

I don't know why, but I found the idea of David Bowie joining the Rolling Stones instead of Mick Taylor in 1969 to be a fascinating one. The problem? I gave David too many vocal spots on their albums and didn't leave much room for Mick and Keith, both in terms of songwriting and vocal spots. I'll have to revise their 1969-1976 discography so that David has around two or three tracks per album (sometimes four, depending upon what's available), and that he also has the chance to have a concurrent solo career like leaving Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane as solo albums. As for 1976 and beyond... well, spoilers.

It'd also be interesting to tackle their pre-Could You Walk on the Water? material to see how the albums would be different. It all depends on what's available and whether or not I can make alternate albums for 1964 and 1965.

Genesis

Genesis were pretty much a last-minute inclusion for the first draft, as was the idea of Kim Beacon of String Driven Thing taking over on lead vocals for Peter Gabriel. However, as it turned out, while he was a talented musician in OTL, Kim was not the most disciplined, and it was likely because of excess drinking and drugs, pretty much any musician's bane, which could've been what led to his early death in 2001. Another idea was to bring forth John Wetton of King Crimson, which would've butterflied away the band U.K., but that also had problems; Phil Collins received criticism for causing Genesis to go pop, and Wetton would've likely been hit with the same criticism.

Then there was the possibility of having Tony Banks, Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, Steve Hackett and Mike Rutherford all staying together up to at least the early 2000s, but that too has problems since their respective solo careers in OTL gave them more room to experiment and expand upon their horizons. There's a Reddit post suggesting what their discography may have been like had Peter and Steve (as well as Phil, come 1996) had stayed on. It's a nice idea, but a bit messy for my tastes, not to mention pretty restrictive.

So, what could I do for Genesis in The Second Coming? Something that I'm considering, besides having them signed onto Apple outright, is to have Peter Gabriel stay on and Phil Collins leave after recording A Trick of the Tail (with "Here Comes the Flood", started in 1975, as the closing track instead of "Los Endos"). Steve Hackett still leaves following Wind & Wuthering, leaving Genesis with just three of its core founding members. Genesis and solo Peter Gabriel seem to have parallels between them, although it's probably coincidental, but they could've been more or less alert and aware of each others' activities throughout 1976-1992. It's too good of an idea to resist, but we'll see where it goes.

Other Artists

In general - With some exceptions, I don't see too many of these artists having a huge focus for The Second Coming. At most, they'd probably each have a vignette dedicated to their discography from a certain timeframe or their entire discography, depending on how long they lasted.

Badfinger - The most that I've done with them is fix up Magic Christian Music to avoid double-dipping, improve upon their 1972 album, and have Head First released earlier. I still love the idea of having Pete Ham and Tom Evans survive, though I doubt we'll see a Badfinger reunion album post-1975. This one's a maybe, leaning towards being a keeper. We'll see.

The Bee Gees - I do like the idea of Andy Gibb joining his big brothers in the late 1977s, so perhaps that could stay on. I might do more with the Bee Gees in their pre-disco days, but hopefully not in a way that's directly copying Mass' A Crazy Gift of a Time. Oh yes, and their Odessa film for 1978? That'll be a keeper too.

Bob Dylan - Not too sure about Bob here; there's a lot - and I do mean a lot - written about paths he might have taken in the 1960s, I don't even know where to begin. Either I do something with him or I leave his path mostly unchanged, except maybe by releasing The Basement Tapes in 1967.

The Clash - The Reconstructor recently posted about condensing Sandinista! into a double album instead of a triple album, and I do like the idea there, although having three double albums back to back within a three year period is a bit overkill. I could change up the track listings for Something About England and my own take on Sandinista!, but other than that, I don't see the Clash's story changing up that much.

Cream/Eric Clapton - I might polish up the 1969-1971 Cream albums a bit, but otherwise, not much would change. Eric Clapton would maintain a solo career from 1974 onward, and he doesn't become part of a second supergroup in the 1970s. I've considered having him killed off in the early 1990s as I don't feel like he contributed much to music after 1992's "Tears in Heaven".

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - The Reconstructor is currently undergoing a project where Neil Young's albums from the 1970s make actual chronological sense and he doesn't shelve projects like a madman. I've even done a chart in Excel to keep track of what was recorded back then and when they were initially released. I'm hoping Archives Vol. 3 comes out in 2022 like Neil says, so we can have a more complete picture of him in the 70s. But where does that leave, Crosby, Stills & Nash? The idea of Neil never joining the trio is an interesting prospect, so I've decided to see if I could expand upon the other side of the coin, showing how the trio thrives without Neil.

The Electric Light Orchestra - Looking back at the Move's Looking On and Message from the Country, they feel more like ELO albums pre-No Answer (a.k.a. ELO's eponymous debut), so I feel like making them part of the ELO canon. Aside from that, not much would change for them in The Second Coming. Still unsure about 1986 onward though...

Fleetwood Mac - I like the idea of Fleetwood Mac doing solo projects in 1979 instead of Tusk, originally inspired by this post by Uncle Dan, who's also done something similar with Lindsey Buckingham. For The Second Coming, I might do a similar scenario; in addition, Mirage remains intact, but the band still does an album for 1985 alongside solo projects. I'm also thinking of having Lindsey and Stevie stay with the band into the 1990s, and perhaps they bring in Neil Finn later on to bring in some fresh blood for the band.

Jimi Hendrix - I featured him once in Phase One and briefly went over what he did next, but in hindsight, I probably should've cut Jimi's story altogether as it added nothing in the long run.

Kiss - Similar story, different artist. Again, I had them put out a double album with each member having a side to themselves and re-arranged Music from "The Elder" based upon an alternate track listing. The storyline went nowhere and could easily have been cut out.

Led Zeppelin/The Yardbirds - One thing I could've changed up in retrospect is having the band rename themselves Led Zeppelin per OTL, as I doubt Chris Dreja would've agreed to let Jimmy Page and co. use the Yardbirds' name when none of the original members were left. Something else that I'm thinking of changing, however, is having Robert Plant killed in a car crash in 1975 and the band breaks up because of it. Similarly, I'd thought of having Keith Richards die in his 1976 car crash, and then Jimmy Page takes over on guitar for the Rolling Stones, while John Bonham eventually takes over as drummer for The Who (more on that in a bit). Not too sure about John Paul Jones post-1975, though. And speaking of car accidents, considering what also almost happened with Phil Spector in 1974 and Peter Frampton in 1978, what is it with rock musicians and car crashes in the 70s? And before the age of 35 too?

The Monkees - They more or less fell off the radar after Phase One, save for Peter Tork working under Highway 61 Records. I did see The Reconstructor make a post as to what the Monkees' next album would've been like had Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart not been shoved to the side regarding the band's output, and how that would've affected their next few years as a group. That would make for an interesting twist, I reckon! But first, I'll need to arrange their songs as to when they were initially started on and when they were first released, and then work from there.

Ozzy Obsourne/Black Sabbath - This one's a bit tempting to keep on; Ozzy Osbourne dying in 1982 and Black Sabbath continuing with Ronnie James Dio does have a lot of storytelling potential behind it. I did introduce this fairly late into Phase Three, but we'll see if more can be done with it for The Second Coming.

Pink Floyd/Roger Waters - Roger Waters quitting Pink Floyd in 1977 is certainly a plausible point of divergence for sure, especially seeing how the band continues on without him. Something I could change up, however, is having Syd Barrett leave in the late 1960s while the Floyd carries on without him. I'd also probably cut out the Hunky Dory subplot as it'd create headaches if I kept it. I could still probably do something with Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground though...

Sex Pistols - I could still have them do a second album, but a third and beyond, I'm not so sure about. It all depends on what material by the band members post-Pistols was available back then during a specific time frame. I would probably have to remove the "Sid and Nancy kill Diana Ross" storyline as it was something else that I feel like I included just for shock value. Not to mention that Diana did some good music in the 1980s that, like Brian Wilson post-1973, I completely took no account for at all.

Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - For them, I added cut tracks to the 1976-1985 albums and created a "prequel" album for 1975. I probably won't change up what I wrote for them.

The Who - Might add in stuff about their 1964-1966 output, based upon what Albums That Never Were did, in creating Introducing The Who and Jigsaw Puzzle. Of course, like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Monkees, I'll have to arrange songs based upon when they were first written and recorded to make them sound authentic, so don't be surprised if I decide to change up a few track listings here and there. In addition, I thought of having the band kick Keith Moon out when his antics become too much for them to handle (not sure if he still dies in September 1978 or earlier; I think he was destined to die young) and they bring in a newly-sober John Bonham.

Yes - I'm going to have to cut their storyline altogether as I didn't really develop it all that well and like Kiss, it was just an excuse to put a lot of their solo material under the same banner.

The Zombies - Much like a fair number of bands that started in the 60s, I'll have to do more research on them as to when their songs were recorded and make new albums based upon notes. Hopefully I'll be able to do them better justice for The Second Coming.

TL;DR

As you can tell by a lot of the above, I've decided to change up a lot of storylines and drop some altogether in order to ensure that there is a coherent flow for The Second Coming. To quote Michael Ian Black, "your harshest critic is always going to be yourself." Looking back, I made a lot of mistakes and feel like if I was writing it right now, I'd have done things a hundred times better than I did. Now that I've finished up all eighty chapters of the first draft and given myself a self-analysis over what I could've done differently, I hope to start work on the first few chapters for The Second Coming during next year.

Of course, I do believe that you, the readers, deserve to provide some input as well regarding what I've got in mind for each the storylines. I'm working on a draft timeline that will serve as the bible for The Second Coming, as well as several documents and sheets of supplementary material that further flesh out band and label discographies. No matter what you say, I'm appreciative of any and all comments I receive from you, and I'm quite proud of the work I've done thus far on Strawberry Peppers. I hope to see you all soon for The Second Coming!

An Alternative Beatles Discography - No Covers (1984-2009)

 Here's the fourth and final part of an alternative Beatles discography in which they recorded all original songs for Please Please Me and continued to do so from there (save for one callback album of covers in early 1976). I am posting this not only to mark the release of The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+ this week (finally!), but also to mark twenty years next week since we lost George Harrison to lung cancer.

So, we're now into the 1980s, and this is where things get interesting regarding John Lennon, because as we all know, in actuality, his life ended prematurely. And that just leads to two possibilities - Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr carry on as a trio, or they break up. The former wouldn't really work out with a founding member gone, and the latter would ignore a lot of great content post-1980, so what's one to do about it?

The answer: Julian Lennon.

A few years after John's death, Julian had begun a solo career of his own, beginning with 1984's Valotte, although since then, his output has been pretty sporadic, having put out no music between 1998 and 2011, and no music since 2011. Of course, Julian does sound a lot like his father, so he could almost pass off for John most of the time, and it's the only real way we can include anything remotely Lennon after 1980. I'm not the first one to try this out, nor will I be the last. For the sake of this scenario, let's pretend that Julian's songs were actually written by John and that his voice softened as he aged. Either that, or John still died and Julian replaced him in the group. Whichever works for you.

And now, onto the 1984-2009 output! Some of it might not be among the Beatles' greatest (with one possible exception, which I'm sure most of you can guess what), especially without John, but let's try to lower our standards a bit and enjoy these albums for what they are.

War and Peace (October 22, 1984)

Side A (24:32)

1. Tug of War - 4:04 (Wingspan: Hits and History)

2. Valotte - 4:15 (Valotte)

3. Wake Up My Love - 3:34 (Gone Troppo)

4. So Bad - 3:20 (Pipes of Peace)

5. O.K. for You - 3:38 (Valotte)

6. You Can't Fight Lightning - 5:41 (Stop and Smell the Roses)

Side B (25:48)

7. No More Lonely Nights - 4:47 (Wingspan: Hits and History)

8. That's the Way It Goes - 3:34 (Gone Troppo)

9. Say You’re Wrong - 3:25 (Valotte)

10. The Pound is Sinking - 2:54 (Tug of War)

11. Mystical One - 3:42 (Gone Troppo)

12. Pipes of Peace - 3:56 (Pipes of Peace)

13. Too Late for Goodbyes - 3:30 (Valotte)

1984 was a very interesting year for the Beatles, as it was the first time in three years that their fans had heard new material from them as a group. That same year, Ringo Starr had served as the narrator for a new children's show being produced by Apple Television, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, based upon a series of books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and adapted by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton. John Lennon had been previously asked to be the narrator, but he had told the producers to fuck off, a decision he later regretted when the show premiered. "But then again," he would also say, "a whole new generation of kids wouldn't have known who Ringo was. I got the intellectuals, Paul had the teenies (teenage girls), George the mystics and Ringo the mothers and babies."

Shortly after recording for Thomas, Ringo got back with the rest of the Beatles for War and Peace, once again co-produced with George Martin. Although it charted fairly well, even hitting #1 for a week in the United Kingdom, reception was rather tepid, and critics would call it one of their lower efforts, even though it contained the big hit "No More Lonely Nights", penned by Paul McCartney. The following year, the Beatles would make it big again when they performed at Live Aid, with their setlist consisting of "Come Together", "Back in the U.S.S.R." (with the guitar solo of "Revolution" in between, connecting the two tracks), "Something", "Yesterday", "In My Life" and "With a Little Help from My Friends" segueing into "The End". John would later appear performing a medley of "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance". Although the Beatles' performance was highly regarded in retrospective years, almost on par with Queen's, they were not out of the woods yet for the 1980s...

Singles:

• "No More Lonely Nights" / "Wake Up My Love" - September 24, 1984
• "Valotte" / "Keep Under Cover" - December 3, 1984
• "Too Late for Goodbyes" / "So Bad" - January 28, 1985

Not much to comment on with War and Peace, although I will say that when it comes to Ringo's output, he didn't record a whole lot of quality material in the 80s, so that's why he has only one track per album for this one and the next two.

Press to Play (August 25, 1986)

Side A (24:56)

1. Stick Around - 4:03 (The Secret Value of Daydreaming)

2. Tears of the World - 4:04 (Thirty-Three & ⅓)

3. Only Love Remains - 4:13 (Press to Play)

4. Space - 4:22 (Valotte)

5. We Got Married - 4:57 (Flowers in the Dirt)

6. Hopeless - 3:17 (Old Wave)

Side B (24:48)

7. Press - 4:43 (Press to Play)

8. This is My Day - 3:51 (The Secret Value of Daydreaming)

9. Unknown Delight - 4:16 (Gone Troppo)

10. Beautiful Night - 5:09 (Flaming Pie)

11. Let Me Be - 2:12 (Valotte)

12. Once Upon a Long Ago - 4:37 (Press to Play)

As a reaction to performing at Live Aid, George Harrison wrote up "Tears of the World", which became the first song recorded for the Beatles' next album, this time with Phil Ramone as co-producer, known for his work with the likes of Paul Simon and Billy Joel. "Tears of the World" became the first single off of what would become Press to Play, but the album would not receive a release until nine months after the single. The album received mixed to negative reviews, and it became the Beatles' album to not reach #1 in either the United Kingdom or the United States. Fan reaction was also negative, with some going to far as to blame Phil Ramone for "ruining" the Beatles. "If you're one of those fans sending death threats to Phil, fuck you," John Lennon said in an interview. "Honest to God, fuck you."

1987 saw no new Beatles content being released. However, that same year, George Harrison got together with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison to form a supergroup known as the Traveling Wilburys, with their debut album Trembling Wilburys coming out that same year. The next year, they released Handle with Care and the three years after that, The Red Sky (1989), New Blue Moon (1990) and Runaway Train (1991), all three of which were released following Orbison's death of heart attack in 1988. Earlier that year, Paul McCartney had also put out a collaboration album with Elvis Costello, Flowers in the Dirt, featuring the hit singles "My Brave Face" and "Veronica". Even John Lennon got into the solo collaboration feel by playing a few live shows with John Entwistle, John Bonham and John Denver under The Long Johns, and even getting the title role for Beetlejuice, directed by Tim Burton and later released under Apple Films. (Michael Keaton could not take part due to his commitments as Iron Man for Marvel.) Ringo Starr, meanwhile, continued to narrate for Thomas the Tank Engine.

1988 also saw the release of Past Masters I, which contained all of the Beatles' non-album tracks from 1964 to 1976, essentially covering the EMI years, beginning with the German single "Komm, gib mir deine Hand" and "Sie liebt dich" and ending with the Roots B-side "Soily". With the success of these solo collaborations as well as a 60s renaissance taking place, the Beatles got back together in the studio again to record their next album.

Singles:

• "Tears of the World" / "Only Love Remains" - November 18, 1985
• "Stick Around" / "Hopeless" - May 12, 1986
• "Press" / "Coward Till the End?" - October 27, 1986

"We Got Married" and "Beautiful Night" both have origins tracing back to the mid-1980s, being originally recorded in 1984 and 1986, respectively, and I figured that they would've fit in quite well on Press to Play. It's obviously not a great album by the Beatles' standards, but then again, every ongoing artist has to have at least one bad album at some point.

Fab (March 27, 1989)

Side A (28:27)

1. When We Was Fab - 3:57 (Cloud Nine)

2. This One - 4:10 (Flowers in the Dirt)

3. Sunday Morning - 3:27 (Mr. Jordan)

4. In My Car - 3:13 (Old Wave)

5. This is Love - 3:48 (Cloud Nine)

6. Distractions - 4:38 (Flowers in the Dirt)

7. Second Time - 5:14 (Mr. Jordan)

Side B (28:34)

8. Figure of Eight - 3:25 (Flowers in the Dirt)

9. You’re the One - 5:52 (Mr. Jordan)

10. That's What It Takes - 3:59 (Cloud Nine)

11. Love Come Tumbling Down - 4:23 (Flaming Pie)

12. Mother Mary - 4:56 (Mr. Jordan)

13. Put It There - 2:07 (Flowers in the Dirt)

14. Got My Mind Set on You - 3:52 (Cloud Nine)

The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, and all four Beatles attended with their families. Feelings were very positive among the group, and this carried over onto the recording sessions for Fab, being co-produced with Electric Light Orchestra front man and fellow Traveling Wilbury Jeff Lynne. He would retain this position for the remainder of the Beatles' albums. Reception towards the album was extremely positive, with critics calling Fab the Beatles' greatest album since Band on the Run fifteen years earlier. Although the albums between Rock Show (1975) and Press to Play (1986) had flashes of artistic merit, Fab was a true return to form, hitting #1 in several countries.

Wanting to bank on that momentum, the Beatles embarked on their first big tour since 1975, save for the odd one-off performance such as Live Aid, and many of the tour's highlights would be released under the 1990 live album Tripping the Live Fab (November 5). The following year, another live album would be released, called Unplugged (May 20, 1991), which originally aired on MTV, becoming the first artist to do so. Other artists such as Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton (his final live performance before his death in 1992), Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Bryan Adams and Kiss would also follow suit throughout the 1990s. Long and short, the Beatles were once again a huge deal in the music world. So much so, in fact, that Ringo had to drop out of his role as narrator for Thomas the Tank Engine after three seasons, being replaced afterward by Michael Angelis for the British dub while George Carlin took over for the American dub.

Singles:

• "Got My Mind Set on You" / "Flying to My Home" - January 30, 1989
• "You’re the One" / "That’s What It Takes" - March 27, 1989
• "Figure of Eight" / "Sunday Morning" - June 26, 1989

"Love Come Tumbling Down" was first recorded in 1987, but not officially released until 1997, and then again in 2020. Admittedly, the death of Eric Clapton in 1992 might seem like a bit of a shock, but I don't think he really contributed that much to music since 1989's Journeyman, so perhaps not much is lost in the long run. But what do you guys think?

Help Yourself (October 2, 1992)

Side A (19:52)

1. I Can’t Imagine - 4:40 (Off the Ground: The Complete Works)

2. Saltwater - 4:07 (Help Yourself)

3. Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go - 3:20 (Time Takes Time)

4. Run So Far - 4:05 (Brainwashed)

5. Off the Ground - 3:40 (Off the Ground)

Side B (21:08)

6. Open Your Eyes - 4:22 (Mr. Jordan)

7. Big Boys Bickering - 3:22 (Off the Ground: The Complete Works)

8. Devil's Radio - 3:52 (Cloud Nine)

9. Runaways - 4:51 (Time Takes Time)

10. Help Yourself - 4:41 (Help Yourself)

Side C (18:25)

11. Hope of Deliverance - 3:22 (Off the Ground)

12. Listen - 5:04 (Help Yourself)

13. That Kind of Woman - 4:32 (Still Got the Blues)

14. Winedark Open Sea - 5:27 (Off the Ground)

Side D (18:38)

15. After All These Years - 3:10 (Time Takes Time)

16. Rocking Chair in Hawaii - 3:07 (Brainwashed)

17. Take Me Home - 4:26 (Help Yourself)

18. C’Mon People - 5:46 (Off the Ground)

19. Great Day - 2:09 (Flaming Pie)

Imagine being in the Beatles' shoes. You start off as a local band known as the Quarrymen in the late 1950s before you make it big in the 60s, and you singlehandedly transform music from a passing fad into an art form. Then you start to go through some rough patches in the 1970s and start taking longer breaks between albums towards the end of said decade, and by the 1980s, the rough patches become more obvious before you pick yourself up again by the end of said decade, ready to take on the world again for the 1990s and beyond. At this point, most people would pack it in after the final show of the tour, feeling like they have nothing else to prove.

Except this is the Beatles we're talking about. After making it big again with Fab, following their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and then going on a tour to support Fab, shortly following that with an appearance on MTV Unplugged, what can they possibly do next? The answer: whatever the fuck they want to.

With compact discs becoming more commonplace, especially as they could contain more music than vinyl records, the Beatles decided to become ambitious again and take advantage of the new format by stuffing in as much material as they could on their next album, Help Yourself. Although it wasn't released as a single, "Big Boys Bickering" caused controversy by being the Beatles' first song since "Working Class Hero" to contain the word "fucking" in the lyrics. John Lennon and Paul McCartney had co-written the song as a bit of a response to the Parents Music Resource Center and music censorship in general.

Help Yourself, despite selling well, received mixed reviews from critics, calling the album excessive and overindulgent. However, for the first time since Mind Games nearly twenty years earlier, Ringo had three vocal spots on an album, which critics and fans welcomed warmly. Also included in the liner notes was a dedication to Eric Clapton, who had died prior to the album's release; George Harrison had originally given "Run So Far" to Slowhand for his last studio album Journeyman in 1989, and so he recorded it as a tribute to his fallen comrade. 1994 would later see the release of the fourth Beatles "best of" compilation, 1977-1990, otherwise known as The Orange Album.

Singles:

• "Saltwater" / "Don’t Go Where the Road Don’t Go" - April 6, 1992
• "Hope of Deliverance" / "Rebel King" - October 2, 1992
• "Devil’s Radio" / "Calico Skies" - February 22, 1993

"Great Day" and "Calico Skies" were both originally recorded in 1992 during the sessions for Off the Ground. "Run So Far" was written in 1989 and recorded by Eric Clapton that same year for Journeyman. "Rocking Chair in Hawaii" was first written all the way back to the All Things Must Pass sessions in 1970. Help Yourself was probably the most difficult album to put together, due to how much good material there was back then. If I was to reduce the album to fourteen tracks, the songs that I'd remove would be "Open Your Eyes", "Runaways", "That Kind of Woman" and "Winedark Open Sea", with "Off the Ground" being relegated to a B-side.

Album cover art by Auran on Discord.

Real Love (May 2, 1997)

Side A (26:58)

1. The Song We Were Singing - 3:55 (Flaming Pie)

2. Free as a Bird - 4:26 (Anthology 1)

3. Cloud Nine - 3:15 (Cloud Nine)

4. The World Tonight - 4:06 (Flaming Pie)

5. King of Broken Hearts - 4:44 (Vertical Man)

6. P2 Vatican Blues (Last Saturday Night) - 2:38 (Brainwashed)

7. Real Love - 3:54 (Anthology 2)

Side B (27:10)

8. Young Boy - 3:54 (Flaming Pie)

9. Stuck Inside a Cloud - 4:04 (Brainwashed)

10. Somedays - 4:15 (Flaming Pie)

11. I’ll Be Fine Anywhere - 3:39 (Vertical Man)

12. Flaming Pie - 2:30 (Flaming Pie)

13. Rising Sun - 5:27 (Brainwashed)

14. Grow Old with Me - 3:21 (Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes)

The period of 1993 to 1995 was relatively quiet for the Beatles. Not because they were taking a hiatus, but rather, because they were being interviewed for a documentary series that would later be known as The Beatles Anthology. In between, John Lennon and his wife Madeline Kahn had provided voiceover work for The Nightmare Before Christmas as Jack Skellington and Sally, respectively, and John's oldest son Julian had begun dating his father's Beetlejuice co-star Winona Ryder, who had originally met John back in 1980, and by 1993, the couple had become engaged, marrying the following year with Julian's younger half-brother Freddie serving as the best man. Julian and Winona's first child, Sean Lennon, was born in 1996.

John and the rest of the Beatles were also recording for their next album based upon three songs he had originally written and demoed in the late 1970s, but had been rediscovered by Madeline in a box. "Free as a Bird", "Real Love" and "Grow Old with Me" served as the backbone for the album, and alongside Jeff Lynne, Real Love was co-produced with George Martin, who contributed strings to the closing track, "Grow Old with Me". This would be his final contribution to a Beatles album of all-new material. The resultant album, Real Love, received universal acclaim from critics and fans, being hailed as the best of their latter-era albums. "Young Boy", "Stuck Inside a Cloud" and "King of Broken Hearts" were also top ten hits, even competing with the Spice Girls' Spiceworld.

Sadly, not all was well in the Beatles' personal lives. Maureen Starkey Tigrett, Ringo's ex-wife, had died at the end of 1994 from leukemia, and Paul had written the B-side "Little Willow" in her memory. A few years later, Maddy had developed ovarian cancer, but she managed to overcome the disease, even starring in Pixar's second film A Bug's Life as Gypsy the moth while John starred as Manny the praying mantis. It would be a few years before Maddy would return to the stages. Around that time, George had also been treated for throat cancer. Many of these personal issues were part of the reason the Beatles did not tour a lot in the 1990s.

2000 saw the release of 1, a compilation album which gathered all forty-five of their #1 hits in both the United States and the United Kingdom, from 1962's "Love Me Do" all the way up to 1997's "Young Boy". It topped the charts worldwide and has since then sold over 31 million copies, becoming the best selling album of the 2000s.

Singles:

• "Free as a Bird" / "Cloud Nine" - December 4, 1995
• "Real Love" / "Little Willow" - March 4, 1996
• "Young Boy" / "Grow Old with Me" - April 28, 1997
• "Stuck Inside a Cloud" / "The World Tonight" - June 16, 1997
• "King of Broken Hearts" / "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" - August 4, 1997

"Last Saturday Night" and "Stuck Inside a Cloud" were written around the mid-1980s and "Rising Sun" around 1991. In TTL, "Young Boy" is a John/Paul duet, as I imagine Steve Miller's vocals being replaced with that of John's.

Album cover art by Auran on Discord.

Freedom (November 18, 2002)

Side A (26:38)

1. Eye to Eye - 3:19 (Ringo Rama)

2. Driving Rain - 3:26 (Driving Rain)

3. I’m Losing You - 4:06 (John Lennon Anthology)

4. Pisces Fish - 4:50 (Brainwashed)

5. Your Loving Flame - 3:43 (Driving Rain)

6. Kiss Beyond the Catcher - 4:00 (Photograph Smile)

7. Rinse the Raindrops - 3:14 (Twin Freaks)

Side B (28:04)

8. Now and Then - 3:02

9. Horse to the Water - 5:01 (Small World, Big Band)

10. Run Devil Run - 2:36 (Run Devil Run)

11. Love First, Ask Questions Later - 4:45 (Ringo Rama)

12. Never Get Over You - 3:26 (Brainwashed)

13. Way to Your Heart - 5:40 (Photograph Smile)

14. Freedom - 3:34 (Driving Rain)

Recording for the follow-up to Real Love had actually started back in 1999, but it had been put on hold due to John caring for his wife Madeline Kahn while she overwent treatment for ovarian cancer. "We'd been together for twenty-something years by that point," John said in an interview around that time, "and I can't really picture what life might be like without her." Although she had survived, that period had taken a bit of a toll on John and his family.

However, it was the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, that re-sparked something in John Lennon as he and Paul McCartney witnessed the attacks from their plane at John F. Kennedy International Airport. The pair co-wrote a new song called "Freedom" and became heavily involved in organizing The Concert for New York City, where they debuted the song with the rest of the Beatles. It was later released as a single with George's "Horse to the Water" as the B-side.

Freedom was finally released in November 2002, fourteen months since the 9/11 attacks, with David Kahne as co-producer alongside Jeff Lynne. Reception towards the album was generally positive, citing the variety of genres present across Freedom, ranging from rockabilly ("Run Devil Run") to hard rock ("I'm Losing You") to electronica ("Rinse the Raindrops") to psychedelic nostalgia ("Love First, Ask Questions Later"). The 2003 Freedom Tour was also well received.

The next few years saw the remixing of Love, a mashup album that was made for the Cirque du Soleil show of the same name, being produced by George Martin and his son Giles, being the former's final album as producer prior to his death in 2016. The premiere was attended by all four Beatles and their families as well as George and Giles. In between, Paul would record a solo album, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, with Nigel Godrich as producer, and the Beatles would perform at Live 8, opening the London concert with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Meanwhile, Alice Lennon would begin a music career of her own with her group the Spyders, with the first three albums being produced by Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, a close friend of the Lennons.

Singles:

1. "Freedom" / "Horse to the Water" - November 5, 2001
2. "Love First, Ask Questions Later" / "Really Love You" - November 18, 2002
3. "Now and Then" / "Pisces Fish" - February 10, 2003

Let's imagine that for this scenario, George Harrison never got attacked by Michael Abram. That's very much why George continues to live past 2001. There's a kitchen sink feel to Freedom, and it differs a lot from Real Love the same way that Back to the Egg differed from Between the Lines.

Ever Present Past (June 18, 2007)

Side A (28:42)

1. Dance Tonight - 2:54 (Memory Almost Full)

2. Any Road - 3:52 (Brainwashed)

3. I Don’t Wanna Know - 4:04 (Photograph Smile)

4. Fading In Fading Out - 3:55 (Choose Love)

5. Only Mama Knows - 4:17 (Memory Almost Full)

6. How Many Times - 5:51 (Photograph Smile)

7. Looking for My Life - 3:49 (Brainwashed)

Side B (29:10)

8. Day After Day - 4:19 (Photograph Smile)

9. Choose Love - 3:07 (Choose Love)

10. Ever Present Past - 2:57 (Memory Almost Full)

11. Believe - 4:52 (Photograph Smile)

12. Liverpool 8 - 4:51 (Liverpool 8)

13. The End of the End - 2:57 (Memory Almost Full)

14. Brainwashed - 6:07 (Brainwashed)

2007 was the year that George Harrison turned 64 years old. At the celebration, the Beatles played a jam session that included a revised rendition of "When I'm Sixty-Four", titled "We're All Sixty-Four". That same year, Alice Lennon had come out as a lesbian and announced her engagement to Apple Records artist Amy Winehouse, who had just come out of a nasty break-up with her ex-boyfriend Blake Fielder-Civil. The Beatles had begun recording what would turn out to be their final album in March 2006, and finished it in February 2007, coming out on June 18, Paul McCartney's 65th birthday.

Ever Present Past received universal acclaim upon release, with the title track being their final ever single to reach #1 in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Once again co-produced between the Beatles, Jeff Lynne and David Kahne, the group jointly announced that they would be undergoing one final tour after being together for almost fifty years. Later that same year, the Beatles released a live extended play, Amoeba's Secret. Their final ever single, "Liverpool 8", was released on January 7, 2008.

The most notable performances of the Ever Present Past Tour included the Beatles' final performance at the original Shea Stadium on July 18, 2008, immortalized in The Last Play at Shea, and their last performance as a group period at the new Wembley Stadium in November 2009. That September saw the release of Past Masters II, covering all of their non-album tracks from 1977 to 2007, as well as two new tracks - "Lucy" and "Walk with You". These would be the final ever songs recorded by the Beatles, with the former being dedicated to Lucy Vodden, the inspiration behind "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", who later died that same year from autoimmune disease lupus.

Singles:

• "Any Road" / "I Don’t Wanna Know" - March 26, 2007
• "Ever Present Past" / "Some People" - June 18, 2007
• "Day After Day" / "Marwa Blues" - September 10, 2007
• "Liverpool 8" / "Dance Tonight" - January 7, 2008

Originally, the tracks included were going to be a part of two separate albums - Choose Love (2005) and Ever Present Past (2010), the latter of which being a posthumous tribute to George Harrison, who would have died in 2008. However, as you'll soon read, I wanted to have at least one other Beatle surviving into 2020, and so I ended up making Chaos and Creation a Paul solo album instead. I think it's probably better this way.

After the Breakup (2010-present)

The Beatles being photographed for Billboard magazine to mark fifty years since the release of Please Please Me, November 2013.

Less than a year since the Beatles' breakup, there was the release of 1991-2009, otherwise known as The Purple Album, close to John Lennon's 70th birthday. It had also been released alongside The Red (1962-1966), Blue (1967-1970), Green (1971-1976) and Orange (1977-1990) Albums as part of a complete box set called The Best of The Beatles: 1962-2009. Although the Beatles did make occasional reunion performances such as playing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2014, they have not recorded new music as a group.

John Lennon had retired from the music scene altogether in early 2010, although he did work on Ringo’s first post-Beatles album, and he made appearances on film and television until his death from complications of a stroke on February 6, 2021, at the age of 80. He lived a private life in New York with his wife of over forty years, Madeline Kahn, who, along with their children and her stepson Julian, jointly hold the rights to his share of the Beatles' catalogue.

George Harrison is semi-retired from the music scene, although he performed a string of charity concerts to have new schools built in India. At one of those schools, a statue of the Beatles had been erected in their honor, and the ceremony was attended by George, his wife Olivia and son Dhani, as well as Ravi Shankar’s daughter’s Norah Jones (also Dhani’s wife) and Anoushka Shankar.

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have both carried on with their respective solo careers, although in 2020, they reunited to record an album called Zoom In. It was credited to McCartney/Starr rather than the Beatles due to the lack of involvement from John and George. Paul has been married to Jane Asher since 1968. Ringo has been in good health since the early 1980s and hopes to become the first active centennial rock star.

The Beatles may not have put out new music in over a decade, but their legacy will eventually outlive the four men who were part of the band that is still, to quote a song of theirs from 1973, the greatest. And you’d better believe it, baby!

Information: The DC Appleverse

History of the DC Appleverse

The DC Appleverse has origins tracing back to late 1973 when Ilya Salkind conceived the idea for a Superman film and eventually, come November 1974, the rights were purchased by Ilya, his father Alexander and their partner Pierre Spengler. Michael Lindsay-Hogg of Apple Films would later meet with the Salkinds, having done much research on the character of Superman and DC Comics, and would offer to have Apple co-produce Superman. Although Apple was known mainly for musical acts such as the Beatles, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Fleetwood Mac and Smile, it was also beginning to get taken seriously as a film production company with the likes of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Blazing Saddles and Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Originally, two Superman films were considered, but if both proved to be successful, then Apple Films would have the full rights to co-produce other films based upon other DC properties. Both films were successful, and while films being based around the characters of Batman and Wonder Woman, so were films based upon the Flash and Green Lantern. Eventually, discussions arose into suggesting that the films be all part of the same universe, eventually leading to the production of 1985's Justice League, the tenth film of the Appleverse both in production and chronology. Currently, plans are in place for a second Justice League film featuring the Legion of Doom led by Lex Luthor, and alongside that, plans for another film each about the Flash (Reverse) and Green Lantern (Emerald Knights) along with standalone films about Supergirl, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, as well as a third Batman film featuring Poison Ivy (to be played by Madeline Kahn) and Two-Face (Billy Dee Williams) as the villains.

Chronology of Events

Wonder Woman (released August 1981; takes place in 1944, ending in 1980)

United States army pilot Steve Trevor lands himself in Paradise Island, a segregated land of women, and meets one of its residents, Diana, the daughter of Queen Hippolyta. After explaining that the world of man is under war, Steve brings Diana to the world outside of Paradise Island, the latter believing that the god of war Ares is responsible for the cause of the war. Along the way, Diana encounters Baroness Paula von Gunther, a cold-blooded Nazi spy for Hitler, who pretends to ally with her and Steve so she can kill them; unknown to everyone, however, she is a pawn in Ares' game to exterminate Diana, who is later revealed to be the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta. In the end, the Baroness and Ares are killed, and the war comes to an end following the collapse of Nazi Germany. In the present day, Diana reunites with an elderly Steve Trevor, and they see a bat-shaped signal in the sky, with Diana going off to see what it could mean.

Superman (released December 1978; takes place in 1949-1979)

Krypton is under threat of destruction when its red supergiant sun goes supernova, and so Jor-El sends his infant son Kal-El to Earth on a spaceship, where his dense molecular structure would give him superhuman strength and other powers. Kal-El is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent in Smallville, Kansas, and given the name Clark Kent. After his father dies, Clark journeys to the Fortress of Solitude where he meets a hologram of Jor-El, living there for twelve years to learn about his reason for being sent to Earth. Returning to society, Clark Kent becomes a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis, where he meets Lois Lane and develops a romantic attraction for her. When she gets involved in a helicopter accident, Clark uses his powers publicly for the first time and rescues her before helping other citizens in need and stopping criminals in their tracks, being given the name "Superman" by Lois.

Meanwhile, criminal genius Lex Luthor, along with his minions Otis and Miss Teschmacher, learns of a joint nuclear missile test between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy and reprograms one of the missiles to detonate in the San Andreas Fault. Knowing that Superman could defeat him, Lex and his accomplices retrieve a piece of unknown mineral from a meteor from the planet Krypton and expose it to Superman after luring him to their lair, weakening him. Teschmacher betrays Luthor upon learning that the eastbound missile could kill her mother, who lives in Hackensack, New Jersey, and she frees Superman, who sends the eastbound missile into outer space. Not fast enough to stop the westbound missile from hitting the San Andreas Fault, Superman is still able to mitigate the effects by sealing the fault line, and even saves Lois from suffocating when her car falls into a crevice from one of the aftershocks. Afterwards, Superman brings Luthor and Otis to prison.

Wonder Woman II (released October 1984; takes place in 1979)

Over the years following the end of World War II, and Diana Prince has taken up residency in Washington, D.C., becoming roommates with a dancer and philanthropist with a split personality by the name of Priscilla Rich. At first, the two women get along well with each other, but when Priscilla sees Wonder Woman (unknown to her, actually Diana) save a child from getting hurt at a charity event, she becomes envious and wishes that she was as good as Wonder Woman. Over time, Priscilla becomes increasingly disheveled before she finally becomes the Cheetah.

Cheetah frames Wonder Woman for a bank robbery and tips off the police before setting fire to a warehouse that Wonder Woman is in, but she manages to survive and escape because of her fireproof armor. She manages to follow Priscilla to Paradise Island where the villain holds Queen Hippolyta hostage. Cheetah and Wonder Woman battle for control of Paradise Island, with the former defeated when Hippolyta's magical girdle is taken off of her. Priscilla requests to remain on Paradise Island until she can control her split personality while Diana returns to Washington, D.C., where reads a news article about Superman sealing the San Andreas fault line after Lex Luthor's hijacking of a nuclear missile to detonate in it. This piques Diana's interest, wondering how many other superheroes are in man's world.

Superman II (released December 1979; takes place in 1979)

In the cold opening on Krypton, General Zod, Ursa and Non are sentenced to eternal banishment inside the Phantom Zone by Jor-El for insurrection and murder, amongst other crimes. Thirty years later, Superman unknowingly frees the villains from the Phantom Zone when he diverts one of the missiles into outer space as depicted in the first film. Lois Lane suspects that Clark Kent and Superman are the same person, and when they pose as newlyweds to investigate a scam at Niagara Falls, she tricks Clark into confessing that he is Superman. Afterward, Superman transforms himself into a human by exposing himself to red Kryptonian sunlight which removes his powers. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor escapes prison and discovers the Fortress of Solitude, even tracking down Zod and his minions, after hearing of the impending doom they will bring to Earth, who have taken over the White House in Washington D.C..

When he hears of Zod's conquest of the world, Clark returns to the Fortress of Solitude to restore his powers, even fulfilling the Kryptonian prophecy of "the father becoming the son", but it is at the cost of sacrificing the remaining Kryptonian energy, rendering the Fortress inoperable. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor teams up with Zod and his minions to find Superman, even using Lois as bait. After an intensive fight in and over Metropolis, Superman flies to the Fortress of Solitude, feigning defeat to the villains. It turns out that he has altered the process to expose Zod, Ursa and Non instead, rendering them powerless while Superman retains his. With the villains defeated, Superman and Lois have a tearful goodbye, realizing that a relationship simply wouldn't work between them, but to undo everything, Superman spins the Earth back in time by a few days, meaning that Zod, Ursa and Non will have never escaped from the Phantom Zone.

Batman (released December 1982; takes place in 1980)

In Gotham City, vigilante Batman stops a bank robbery orchestrated by a criminal known as the Joker, but he manages to escape before Batman can catch him. Later, billionaire Bruce Wayne - also Batman - attends a circus performance by the Flying Graysons, but a bomb is detonated, killing John and Mary, but their son Dick survives and Bruce takes him in under his wing, emphasizing with the young boy's plight over losing his parents. It's later revealed that it was the Joker who detonated the bomb unless Batman revealed himself. At that time, photojournalist Vicki Vale is investigating to see who Batman really is, and starts dating Bruce Wayne.

The Joker continues to wreak havoc across Gotham City as it approaches its bicentennial, including putting district attorney Harvey Dent out of commission and vandalizing the Museum of Art. Police Commissioner Jim Gordon teams up with Batman to stop the Clown Prince of Crime in his tracks, and Dick learns what it means to be a hero, taking on the identity of Robin. While the celebrations go on, Batman and Robin confront the Joker on the top of a cathedral where he holds Vicki Vale hostage; the villain attempts to get Robin to kill him so he could "avenge his parents", but the young boy resists, and the Joker is arrested and sent to Arkham Asylum.

The Flash (released August 1982; takes place in 1980)

Barry Allen, a young forensic chemist, is living with a single father in Central City and has the unfortunate reputation for constantly running late, although he does everything possible to impress his crush, Iris West. One night, Barry gets drenched with unspecified chemicals due to a lightning bolt strike and he gains the ability to run at super-human speeds. Meanwhile, a man by the name of Leonard Snart lives in an ice truck and learns about the new superhero called The Flash in a newspaper article, wondering how he could stop the young superhero in his tracks - literally. He breaks into a cyclotron lab and designs a weapon to harness the power of freezing, donning the identity of Captain Cold.

Captain Cold then commits a series of crimes across Central City - fortunately, no one is killed - and tries to take Iris as his bride, but Barry comes to her rescue and sends his archenemy to prison. Both Barry and Iris fall in love, and some time after the attack, Iris meets up with fellow reporter Lois Lane, and the latter asks the former if she knows of anyone with super abilities themselves, having heard of the Flash vs. Cold battle from Metropolis.

Batman and Robin (released July 1984; takes place in 1981)

Following the Joker's arrest, a relationship between billionaire Bruce Wayne and journalist Vicki Vale had not worked out, with Bruce instead putting his attention on looking after his ward Richard "Dick" Grayson. However, the pair meet with a young woman by the name of Selina Kyle who becomes enamored with Bruce, much to Dick's disgust, which puts a strain on their relationship. Unknown to either of them (although Dick finds out first), she is actually a burglar who goes by the name of Catwoman, and is working under a mobster by the name of Oswald Cobblepot, who goes by the moniker "Penguin".

Bruce and Dick's relationship gets strained to the point that they argue over whether or not Selina should be trusted or not. In a desperate attempt to prove himself right, Robin goes off to hunt Catwoman down and have her arrested, only to be held at ransom by the Penguin and his goons. When Bruce hears of Robin's capture, he goes after his ward as Batman, leading to a final battle that ends with the Penguin being killed by Catwoman as revenge for turning on her. It is there that Batman unmasks himself in front of Catwoman, revealing himself to be Bruce Wayne and that Robin is Dick Grayson. Bruce and Selina part ways (but not without sneaking in one final kiss) while the former repairs his relationship with Dick. Some time later, Batman encounters a man in a blue suit with a red cape, wondering what his purpose is here on Earth.

Superman III (released June 1983; takes place in 1981)

A mysterious asteroid lands on Earth, which prompts interest from Clark Kent; it turns out to be a space pod from the planet Colu, and its sole occupant is a young woman by the name of Kara Zor-El, who takes on the civilian identity of Linda Danvers, who is later revealed to be Clark's cousin. A flashback reveals that when Krypton exploded, Kara was originally meant to arrive on Earth alongside the baby Kal-El, but her space pod had been knocked off course and she ended up in suspended animation for over twenty years before landing in Colu instead, where she is raised by Brainiac who becomes her surrogate father. While Linda adjusts to life on Earth, she and Clark come across an impish trickster from the fifth dimension known as Mr. Mxyzptlk, who uses his abilities to play pranks.

Some time later, Brainiac lands on Earth, having followed Linda the whole time, hoping that she'll use her abilities to cause destruction, but thanks to Clark's guiding hand, she's using them for good, and if even dubbed "Supergirl" in the press. In retaliation, Brainiac uses a personality machine to corrupt and manipulate Superman, therefore turning him evil. Supergirl fights him and with the help of Lois Lane, restores Superman back to good. A final battle with Brainiac then commences after the group time travels to a fiefdom in the Middle Ages that the villain has taken over, leading to him getting stuck there while the heroes return to the present. At a café, Clark and Linda meet up with Mr. Mxyzptlk (who had helped them travel back to the present) who gives them a cryptic warning about a greater evil coming to Earth.

Green Lantern (released October 1983; takes place in 1982)

Following the funeral of his father during a failed rescue mission, a young Hal Jordan becomes determined to honor his legacy in any way he can. Years later, Hal finds himself working for Ferris Aircraft in Coast City and becomes enamored with the co-founder's daughter Carol (who eventually takes over the company when her father is removed from power). One day, a ship crashes onto Earth near Coast City, and Hal encounters the dying pilot, an alien named Abin Sur who is a member of the Green Lantern Corps, serving to protect all life in Space Sector 2814, where Earth is. When Abin Sur dies, his power ring chooses Hal for his ability to overcome great fear, and he vows to honor Abin Sur's wishes. Hal then meets with Green Lantern leader Sinestro, who explains the history of the corporation to him.

Meanwhile, a criminal by the name of Hector Hammond discovers the fragments of an unusual meteor in Africa in which nearby plants have evolved rapidly, and so he kidnaps four scientists and exposes them to the meteor's radiation, evolving their intellect to which Hammond forces them to create amazing new inventions. Hammond quickly becomes a celebrity thanks to this newfound profit, which catches the interest of Hal and his friend Thomas Kalmaku, who helps him out by doubling as the Green Lantern with a duplicate power ring and costume. Hammond thinks Thomas is Hal and after capturing him, steals his ring and turns him into a monkey. The real Hal then confronts Hammond and a battle between them ensures, with Hammond losing when the charge of his ring runs out, and Thomas and the scientists are restored to normal. Some time after the final battle, Hal and Carol run into Barry Allen, who tells them that he's been travelling the country looking for some of the biggest heroes to prepare for a big threat against the world.

Justice League (released May 1985; takes place in 1983)

For the past few years, Diana Prince has been travelling the United States, trying to learn more about the superheroes that currently reside in man's world. At the same time, Clark Kent is left wondering about the cryptic warning concerning a greater evil coming to Earth, and Bruce Wayne is trying to learn more about the mysterious flying man in the blue suit. By sheer coincidence, Clark and Bruce meet up at a party being hosted at Wayne Manor, and both encounter Diana there as well, who gets the two men in a private room where she reveals herself to be Wonder Woman and explains about her quest to find other superheroes in the United States. Both Clark and Bruce agree to aid Diana in forming a superhero league.

Meanwhile, at Coast City, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan respectively encounter a half-human, half-Atlantean man by the name of Arthur Curry and a Martian known as J'onn J'onzz. Barry and Hal both talk about their findings and invite Arthur and J'onn to partner up and form a team themselves. Unknown to the heroes, however, Steppenwolf, a New God from Apokolips, is leading a horde of Parademons to Earth to find Superman and destroy him, under the command on his nephew Darkseid.

Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman battle the Parademons when they invade Metropolis, but they are quickly outnumbered. Just as Steppenwolf is about to finish off Superman, he is stopped by the sudden arrival of the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Martian Manhunter, along with the assistance of Supergirl and Robin. Instead of finishing off Steppenwolf, the villain returns to Apokolips to face his punishment at his failure to accomplish his goal. The Flash then explains that they heard about the impending invasion at Metropolis through Robin, which was how they were able to get there quickly. With Earth's heroes together for the first time, they form the Justice League and begin a new quest to not only protect the Earth, but find new superheroes to help them do so.

In the post-credits scene, Steppenwolf faces the wrath of Darkseid, who announces that when the time comes, he will be coming to Earth.

Cast for the DC Appleverse

The Heroes

• Christopher Reeve as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
• Jeff East as teenage Clark Kent
• John Travolta as Bruce Wayne / Batman
• Elizabeth Peña as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
• Thomas F. Wilson as Barry Allen / The Flash
• Jeff Goldblum as Hal Jordan / Green Lantern
• Tom Cruise as Dick Grayson / Robin
• Helen Slater as Kara Zor-El / Linda Danvers / Supergirl
• Rutgar Haur as Arthur Curry / Aquaman
• Carel Struycken as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter

Superhero Allies

• Margot Kidder as Lois Lane
• Jackie Cooper as Perry White
• Marc McClure as Jimmy Olsen
• Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent
• Phyllis Thaxter as Martha Kent
• Marlon Brando as Jor-El
• Susannah York as Lara
• E.G. Marshall as the President of the United States
• Dudley Moore as Mr. Mxyzptlk
• John Schneider as Steve Trevor
• Raquel Welch as Queen Hippolyta
• Michelle Pfeiffer as Iris West
• Harvey Keitel as Commissioner Jim Gordon
• Peter Cushing as Alfred Pennyworth
• Diane Keaton as Vicki Vale
• Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent
• Barbara Bach as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
• Geena Davis as Carol Ferris
• John de Lancie as Sinestro / Green Lantern
• John Getz as Thomas Kalmaku
• Paul Newman as Martin Jordan

The Villains

• Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor
• Terence Stamp as General Zod
• Patrick Stewart as Brainiac
• Sigourney Weaver as Paula von Gunther
• Ian McKellen as Ares
• Sharon Stone as Priscilla Rich / Cheetah
• Al Pacino as Leonard Snart / Captain Cold
• Robert de Niro as The Joker
• Donald Pleasence as Oswald Cobblepot / Penguin
• Geoffrey Rush as Hector Hammond
• Christopher Lee as Steppenwolf
• Liam Neeson as Darkseid

Supervillain Minions

• Ned Beatty as Otis
• Valerie Perrine as Eve Teschmacher
• Sarah Douglas as Ursa
• Jack O'Halloran as Non

Author's Comments

Not much to say about this one. It's basically a recapping of the films that have taken place thus far (with links as to which chapters they originated from) along with a casting list for the major players to date.

Extra Scenes: "This is The Clash" (October 1985)

18 October 1985

The Clash - This is The Clash

Released: 18 October 1985

Recorded: January - March 1985

Producer: The Clash

Track listing[1]

Side A

Medicine Show

Cool Under Heat

E=MC²

The Bottom Line

Do It Now

Side B

This is England

Sudden Impact!

Three Card Trick

Electric Vandal

North and South

Life is Wild

MICK JONES: "Taking some time off and away from each other after we did Rat Patrol [from Fort Bragg] was a good thing for us when we got back to the studio in early 1985. Topper [Headon] had gotten into rehab for his heroin addiction, and during that break, I played with General Public, but I didn't stay with them for very long. I had to get back together with Joe [Strummer], Paul [Simonon] and Topper to see if we still gelled as a band." (2015)[2]

Freshly reinvigorated, the Clash went into Apple Studios in early 1985 to begin work on their first album since Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg. Joe Strummer wanted to encapsulate a back-to-basics approach to punk while Mick Jones wanted to add more dance elements into the music. This led to a few clashes between the pair, so to speak, but eventually, a compromise was found between them with a style that was closer to London Calling. Although still weary of Jones' use of synthesizers and sampling, Strummer admitted to still being proud of the work he and the others did with clear minds after nearly falling apart in 1982.

This is The Clash was released on 18 October 1985, being preceded by the first single "This is England"/"Sony" (#9 UK, #26) on 30 September. The follow-up single, "E=MC²"/"Sex Mad Roar" (#4 UK, #15 US), would be released 9 December. The album managed to reach #1 in the United Kingdom and #3 in the United States, with many calling it one of their greatest works to date, calling it a return to their roots while simultaneously maintaining a forward trajectory in their sound.

Although it looked as though the Clash would last longer having made a big comeback, it was sadly not to be, as the following year, they released their final album No. 10, Upping St.[3] before disbanding for good following one final tour in 1987. Mick Jones would go on to form Big Audio Dynamite, Paul Simonon with Havana 3am, and Joe Strummer with The Latino Rockabilly War. Fifteen years after the Clash's final show, Strummer would die of heart attack from an undiagnosed congenital heart defect at the age of fifty, putting an end to any chances of a Clash reunion.

Footnotes

1. Most tracks are sourced from Cut the Crap and This is Big Audio Dynamite. "Do It Now" is sourced from Singles Box and "Electric Vandal" from the 2010 Legacy Edition of This is Big Audio Dynamite.
2. In OTL, Topper Headon had been asked to leave the Clash prior to the release of Combat Rock as his heroin addiction was affecting his health and drumming. Terry Chimes, the band's original drummer in 1976 and 1977, was brought back as a replacement up until February 1983, when he was replaced by Pete Howard. As the Clash continued to tour, tension amongst the band grew, eventually culminating with Mick Jones being fired in September that same year, leading to him forming General Public, but he left during the recording of their first album. Nick Sheppard and Vince White were soon brought in as the Clash's new guitarists with Howard staying on as drummer. Most of this is avoided in TTL due to the band hearing of Ozzy Osbourne's death, although, as stated, Mick Jones still plays with General Public and leaves per OTL.
3. Joe Strummer co-produced Big Audio Dynamite's No. 10, Upping St. with Mick Jones, even co-writing five songs (plus two bonus tracks) together. Some could argue that it was indeed the true last album by the Clash, even if it was just half of its members playing on it.

Author's Comments

Well, here it is; the final Extra Scene for the first draft of Strawberry Peppers. Out of the albums for this story, This is The Clash is the only one that's beyond the July 1985 cut-off date, but only by three months, even if the album was recorded before then. In a way, you can consider this to be a post-credits scene for the story, giving the Clash a proper conclusion to their career.

Revisiting "Let It Be" - The Lost Beatles Album

With The Beatles: Get Back making it onto Disney+ next month, I figured it'd be high time that I throw my hat into the ring over a recreation that many Beatles fans have done for years - what would Let It Be have been like had it been released as Get Back, as originally intended? I'm not the first to ponder this, nor will I be the last. I've done this a few times myself, but have never been satisfied with the results, so hopefully, this will be the recreation that sticks with me the most!

To those who may be wondering why Let It Be is a controversial album among fans, I'll try to explain as best as I can while keeping things succinct.

The Beatles performing their final concert on the rooftop of Savile Row, January 30, 1969.

It began back on August 27, 1967 - why this particular date? Because that was the day that the Beatles' manager, Brian Epstein, died of drug overdose (whether or not it was a suicide or accident remains a mystery; it doesn't change the story before or after). His death marked the beginning of the end of the Beatles. The following year, they went to India to practice Transcendental Meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and while they were there, wrote many songs that would form the basis of their follow-up to Sgt. Pepper, The White Album. When they went to record the songs, however, there was no longer a group mentality; each Beatle wanted to do their own thing while the other three were practically sidemen.

This was when Paul McCartney suggested that they write, rehearse and record an album as quickly as possible much like the old days, so they could recapture what they had lost over the past few years. All live with no overdubs was the mentality for what was going to be called Get Back. While it was a good idea in theory, unfortunately, it was not so great in practice as George Harrison did not want to do Paul's songs and vice-versa, while John Lennon wanted nothing to do with the project at all. Ringo Starr just played along for the miserable ride. The sessions throughout January 1969 ended with their final live performance on the 30th - "Get Back", "Don't Let Me Down", "I've Got a Feeling", "One After 909" and "Dig a Pony" - and definitive takes of "Two of Us", "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" on the 31st.

Glyn Johns had been brought in to compile the album together, being given the simple task of presenting the Beatles with their pants down, as John Lennon put it. I'll present the track listings below, but as it turned out, Glyn Johns' first version of Get Back was the Beatles naked from the waist down! The project was temporarily halted so the Beatles could return to work on their superior work, Abbey Road, before another version of Get Back was compiled, dropping "Teddy Boy" and including "I Me Mine" and "Across the Universe". While it was marginally better, it didn't meet the Beatles' standard either, leaving everyone wondering if Get Back would ever get released at all.

This was where Phil Spector came in to finish what Glyn Johns could not, but he abandoned the notion of "no overdubs" and included orchestration overdubs over "Across the Universe", "I Me Mine", "Let It Be" and, most infamously, "The Long and Winding Road". Paul was furious over the treatment given to the latter, especially as it was without his consent, and announced the Beatles' breakup that April, one month before it finally came out as Let It Be and received harsh reviews from critics. Come 2003, Paul had commissioned a new version of the album subtitled Naked that stripped away Spector's orchestrations, and it was viewed as superior to the original Let It Be album, although not by a whole lot. Was it even possible to make the Beatles' final(ish) album coherent? Could anyone achieve what Glyn Johns could not?

As I'm about to explain, all four track listings were fatally flawed in some way or another.

Get Back, Version 1 (May 1969)

Side A - "One After 909" / "Rocker" / "Save the Last Dance for Me" / "Don't Let Me Down" / "Dig a Pony" / "I've Got a Feeling" / "Get Back"

Side B  - "For You Blue" / "Teddy Boy" / "Two of Us" / "Maggie Mae" / "Dig It" / "Let It Be" / "The Long and Winding Road" / "Get Back (reprise)"

Only "One After 909" is taken from the rooftop concert, while the rest of the tracks were studio versions. This was perhaps not what the Beatles had in mind about being shown with their pants down; "Two of Us" and "The Long and Winding Road" were far rougher compared to the polished performances recorded on January 31, and Glyn Johns even included an aimless jam called "Rocker" and a sloppy rendition of the Drifters' "Save the Last Dance for Me". It's a mess all around and it feels like there was no thought whatsoever into arranging the album.

Get Back, Version 2 (January 1970)

Side A - "One After 909" / "Rocker" / "Save the Last Dance for Me" / "Don't Let Me Down" / "Dig a Pony" / "I've Got a Feeling" / "Get Back" / "Let It Be"

Side B - "For You Blue" / "Two of Us" / "Maggie Mae" / "Dig It" / "The Long and Winding Road" / "I Me Mine" / "Across the Universe" / "Get Back (reprise)"

"Let It Be" is moved onto the end of Side A, and "Teddy Boy" is deleted in favor of "I Me Mine" and "Across the Universe", both featured in the movie while "Teddy Boy" was not. Some chatter was also removed to improve the pacing of the album. Although slightly better, clearly this album's weakness was inescapable, and one wonders why Glyn Johns insisted on keeping "Rocker/Save the Last Dance for Me" since it was never used for the final album.

Let It Be (May 1970)

Side A - "Two of Us" / "Dig a Pony" / "Across the Universe" / "I Me Mine" / "Dig It" / "Let It Be" / "Maggie Mae"

Side B - "I've Got a Feeling" / "One After 909" / "The Long and Winding Road" / "For You Blue" / "Get Back"

Phil Spector might have used better takes, but the album's cohesion is a mess all around. Not only do we alternate between acoustic and electric tracks, but he left off "Don't Let Me Down" altogether, which is just insanity. Not only that, both sides are unbalanced; Side A runs at 19 minutes and Side B almost 16 minutes! Even if we tacked on "Don't Let Me Down" towards the end of Side B to have evenly timed sides, it would still sound sloppy and all over the place. There doesn't seem to be any cohesion whatsoever.

Let It Be... Naked (November 2003)

"Get Back" / "Dig a Pony" / "For You Blue" / "The Long and Winding Road" / "Two of Us" / "I've Got a Feeling" / "One After 909" / "Don't Let Me Down" / "I Me Mine" / "Across the Universe" / "Let It Be"

This is perhaps the best sounding version of Get Back/Let It Be, but even then, we lost "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae", which were very much part of the original album's running as far back as the first Glyn Johns mix. Studio and live chatter were also removed, and some songs fade out too quickly, making them sound abrupt and unnatural.

And now, here's my reconstruction of Get Back, for which I've decided to keep the final Let It Be title.

Let It Be (May 1969; October 2021)

Side A - "One After 909" / "Dig a Pony" / "I've Got a Feeling" / "Not Guilty" / "Don't Let Me Down" / "Get Back"

Side B - "Dig It" / "Let It Be" / "All Things Must Pass" / "Maggie Mae" / "Two of Us" / "For You Blue" / "The Long and Winding Road" / "Across the Universe"

I've taken some cues from all four track listings; both of the Glyn Johns mixes start with "One After 909", the oldest Beatles song recorded for the sessions, having been written some time between 1957 and 1960, and was even considered for a single release in 1963. This would be a good thing to set the tone for the "back to basics" approach of the album, so it's our opening track.

Also on both Glyn Johns mixes, "Dig a Pony" and "I've Got a Feeling" are played back to back. This is the same sequence used for the rooftop concert, although the latter was the second take rather than the first as heard on Let It Be, but whatever. Similarly, I've chosen to end Side A with "Get Back" per the first Glyn Johns mix, preceding that with "Don't Let Me Down", not dissimilar to the sequencing of "Ask Me Why" and the title track on their debut, Please Please Me.

So that's all of Side A completed... except we're one track short. I'm sure most people would include "I Me Mine" or "For You Blue" to flesh it out further, but I've made a decision that would probably baffle some people. I've decided to insert "Not Guilty" in between "I've Got a Feeling" and "Don't Let Me Down" for three reasons - one, to maintain the electric vibe of Side A; two, I wanted to keep all recordings pre-February 1969; and three, I think it would've fit in better than "I Me Mine", recorded January 1970. This may not seem believable, but they did include "Across the Universe", recorded February 1968, so why not include a track that was recorded in August 1968? Is this something any 60s band would've pulled on us? I think they would have.

So Side A is comprised of all five songs recorded on the rooftop concert - even "Not Guilty" was miraculously performed - but how do we begin Side B? Side A of Let It Be ended with "Dig It" and "Maggie Mae", with the title track inserted in between. Not a bad sequence, although the jokey performance of "Maggie Mae" seems to disregard the serious tone of "Let It Be", but is there a way around it?

Insert anachronism number two; "All Things Must Pass". Specifically, the demo version as found on Early Takes Volume 1, because neither the Anthology 3 nor bootlegged versions sound that great to begin with. I'd include either of them, but I want to make it sound as polished as I can. With some editing, it runs at a pretty similar length, and it fits right in between "Let It Be" and "Maggie Mae". I view "All Things Must Pass" as an amen response to "Let It Be" before jumping into "Maggie Mae". Think of it as being similar to the "Love You To"/"Here, There and Everywhere"/"Yellow Submarine" sequence on Revolver. And like Revolver, it gives George three vocal spots - "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" were considered the best songs on Abbey Road, so I think giving George a third song would've further proved that, showing that he deserved to stand alongside John and Paul as a songwriter.

Speaking of which, the "For You Blue"/"The Long and Winding Road" sequence is taken directly from Let It Be... Naked, with "Two of Us" being the link between "Maggie Mae" and "For You Blue". The first Glyn Johns mix ends with "The Long and Winding Road" while the second mix ends with "Across the Universe" - in both cases, we exclude the reprise of "Get Back".

Here's the tracks I've chosen to exclude:

• "Rocker/Save the Last Dance for Me" - They're superfluous and would have added nothing of value to the album.
• "Teddy Boy" - It was dropped after the first version of Get Back, and not to mention that I wanted to avoid having too many McCartney-penned tracks.
• "I Me Mine" - As mentioned, I preferred "Not Guilty" to it. Plus, it was recorded in January 1970, a year since the project was first started. Yes, I know it was included for the final album because rehearsals were in the original film, but again, I am sticking to 1968-69 recordings. Maybe "I Me Mine" could be included for a theoretical follow-up to Abbey Road?

Overall, my version of Let It Be runs at about 44 and a half minutes with Side B a bit longer than Side A, but to me, it feels coherent with one side giving us a final taste of the Beatles as a live band, and the other being a studio performance. Maybe it's not quite what the Beatles were envisioning back in 1969, but I did try to maintain George Martin's mentality when it comes to sequencing the albums as best as I could, and I think it came out very nicely.

How to Assemble Get Back/Let It Be

"One After 909" - Primarily sourced from Let It Be... Naked with opening ambience taken from the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition and the closing ambience from Let It Be.

"Dig a Pony" - Naked version with opening and closing ambience from Let It Be.

"I've Got a Feeling" - Let It Be version with no edits. This is whole first take on the rooftop while the Naked version is a composite edit of both performances.

"Not Guilty" - Take 102 from the 2018 deluxe edition of The White Album, with opening ambience taken from the bootleg As Nature Intended to create a faux live performance. I've cut about thirty seconds' worth of the ending guitar to keep it a similar length to the rest of the live tracks, around three to four minutes.

"Don't Let Me Down" - Naked version with opening and closing ambience from the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition.

"Get Back" - I've utilized the Anthology 3 version because I feel it sounds different enough from the single version, especially the coda. I've included opening and closing ambience from Let It Be, which restores John's "I hope we passed the audition" quip at the end. All six tracks are crossfaded together to make one continuous live performance.

"Dig It" - A unique mix that starts off with the "Morning Camera" dialogue from an alternate take of "Two of Us" before jumping into the album version - with John's "dig it" outro made twice the length - that crossfades into "Can You Dig It", being cut down so it's just under two minutes. Like the original Let It Be, the closing dialogue leads right into...

"Let It Be" - Naked version with closing dialogue from the first take found on Anthology 3 - "I think that was rather grand. I'd take one home with me."

"All Things Must Pass" - Early Takes Volume 1 version cut down to 3:30 so it could run at a similar length to several rehearsals; the 2021 re-release of All Things Must Pass cuts it short for some reason. As stated before, the 1969 versions are not that great sounding, so let's pretend that it was recorded during on January 31, with John sitting it out. The quiet laughter at the end leads right into...

"Maggie Mae" - Let It Be version with no edits.

"Two of Us" - Naked version with extended outro sourced from Let It Be. Closing dialogue is sourced from the 1969 Glyn Johns mix found on the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition.

"For You Blue" - Take 4 with opening dialogue sourced from the 1969 Glyn John mix, both from the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. I'm sure most would choose the Naked mix, but I wanted as few overdubs as possible. The opening dialogue from the first take of "Let It Be" from Anthology 3 is added onto the end - "Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?" "Yeah." "Okay." "This'll... this is gonna knock you out, boy."

"The Long and Winding Road" - Naked version with no edits.

"Across the Universe" - The 1970 Glyn Johns mix with the opening dialogue cut, sourced from the 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition. This version includes Lizzie Bravo and Gayleen Pease's backing vocals, otherwise mixed down, to make it sound less sparse.

Sources

The Beatles - Anthology 3 (1996)

The Beatles - As Nature Intended (1994; bootleg)

The Beatles - Let It Be 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition (2021 remaster)

The Beatles - Let It Be... Naked (2013 remaster)

The Beatles - The White Album 50th Anniversary Edition (2018 remaster)

George Harrison - Early Takes Volume 1 (2012)