The Beatles - "Rainbow Falls" (1978)

Merry Christmas, everyone! To mark the occasion, I'm proud to present to you all the fourth post-Abbey Road album from Earth-130, Rainbow Falls! Again, to remind you all, this is a universe in which A Collection of Beatles Oldies is merely a compilation of non-album tracks, Yellow Submarine a proper Beatles album, and Let It Be was released in 1969 as originally intended. In addition to this, the Beatles don't break up, instead choosing to work on-and-off in the 1970s, releasing an album every few years when and if they feel like it. This strategy was agreed upon following Hot as Sun in 1970, and eventually led to Everest and Inclinations in 1973 and 1975, respectively. Rainbow Falls, the fourth album of six, is released in 1978, even with John Lennon in his househusband phase.

So imagine if you will...

Rainbow Falls (July 1978)

Side A (19:42)

1. Blow Away - 4:00

2. Waterspout - 4:45

3. Your Love is Forever - 3:45

4. One of the Boys - 2:39

5. Backwards Traveller - 1:07

6. Wings of an Eagle - 3:26

Side B (21:21)

7. I've Had Enough - 3:02

8. Not Guilty - 3:35

9. I'm Carrying - 2:44

10. Here Comes the Moon - 4:09

11. Interlude: 'Twas a Night - 1:24

12. Morse Moose and the Grey Goose - 6:27

1976 was largely quiet when it came to Beatles releases. On the solo front of things, Paul McCartney and Wings had put out their fifth album Wings at the Speed of Sound, backed by the big singles "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In", the former of which would go on to be the biggest selling single of the year, beating out Elton John's duet with Kiki Dee, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". Meanwhile, George Harrison released Thirty-Three & 1/3, along with the singles "This Song" and "Crackerbox Palace", and Ringo Starr put out Ringo's Rotogravure, with involvement from all three of the other Beatles, even John Lennon, who brought forth the album's biggest highlight, "Cookin' in the Kitchen of Love". Rotogravure would be the only solo album in which all four Beatles contributed to.

This was not the only noteworthy walk-in, however, for on the evening of April 24, John Lennon and Paul McCartney (whom was visiting with Linda) were at the Dakota, watching Saturday Night Live on television, with Raquel Welch hosting. On screen, producer Lorne Michaels appeared to give a $3000 cash offer to the Beatles to perform three songs. Despite that it was a night off, John and Paul were enthusiastic about appearing together, even if it was just the two of them. So, grabbing a pair of acoustic guitars and hailing a taxi, Lennon and McCartney were at NBC Studios within fifteen minutes.

Michaels had not expected one half of the Beatles to take up the offer, to which John said, "We were just down at the Dakota, watching you on telly, so we thought, why the hell not? It'll be a lark." John Lennon and Paul McCartney appeared before the Saturday Night Live audience to an excited frenzy, playing a few classic Beatles songs in a stripped-back, acoustic arrangement, being backed by guest musicians Phoebe Snow and John Sebastian on guitar, SNL actor John Belushi (portraying Joe Cocker) and guest host Raquel Welch on backing vocals. Although the performance was short, this unexpected crashing of the show would be regarded as a classic Saturday Night Live moment, in which what was meant to be taken a joke had led to ten minutes of pure television magic. "We'll send George and Ringo their shares of the three grand in the mail, Lorne," Paul said in the midst of wild applause. (George would later make a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live in November alongside Paul Simon.)

1977 would also turn out to be another quiet year for Beatles activity. George, having finally divorced from Pattie Boyd, spent much of the year traveling with his new girlfriend Olivia Arias, even becoming a regular presence at motor races in the Formula 1 World Championship. He would also join Monty Python member Eric Idle in the TV film All You Need is Cash, about a satire of the Beatles called the Rutles. Meanwhile, Ringo would begin recording for a follow-up to his Rotogravure album in February, but the results were considered to be sub-par at best, and when he attempted again in both June and November, the sessions were also aborted due to the inadequacy of the material.

As for Paul McCartney, he began work with Wings on recording a follow-up to Wings at the Speed of Sound at Abbey Road Studios. Initial plans for a follow-up of their well-received Wings Over the World tour were abandoned when it was discovered that Linda was pregnant; she would give birth to James Louis McCartney on September 12, 1977. Wings would do further recording in the Virgin Islands aboard a yacht called Fair Carol, with the newer material finishing up what became their sixth album Purple Afternoon (after a lyric in the opening track "London Town"). The final track, "Mull of Kintyre", would be recorded in August, and be released as the first single off of the album, eventually becoming the biggest selling single in the United Kingdom, eclipsing the Beatles' "She Loves You" from 1963. To this day, "Mull of Kintyre" remains the largest selling non-charity single.

While Purple Afternoon would continue Wings' success in the United States and the United Kingdom, it was not all good news when guitarist Jimmy McCulloch and drummer Joe English left for various reasons, reducing the group to the trio of Paul, Linda and Denny Laine once again. In February 1978, the McCartneys would meet with George and Olivia in Maui, Hawaii, where both men talked about doing another Beatles album, and whether or not it could be done without John. By that point, George had written up some songs for a planned solo album, but he did agree to bring forth a few for said album, tentatively titled Water Works. It wound up becoming the only Beatles album to be McCartney/Harrison led.

Recording sessions for Water Works took place at Friar Park, and would begin in April, lasting up to two months. However, the album would not be called Water Works much longer, for, inspired by some photos taken during the Hawaii trip, it would be renamed to Rainbow Falls, after the waterfall Waiānuenue in Hilo, Hawaii. Paul brought forth a few songs that were held back from Purple Afternoon, and after much convincing, John agreed to come to Friar Park for a week, mostly to provide overdubs along with a couple of demos. It was during the sessions that George's father, Harold Hargreaves Harrison, died, and so a dedication to his memory would be included in the liner notes.

"Blow Away" would mark the second time that a Beatles album opened with a Harrison-penned number, following "Taxman" from Revolver twelve years earlier. The song had been inspired by rain damage that had occurred to a roof at Friar Park, and George would turn the experience into one of positive thinking. "Blow Away" would be preceded by the sound of rain before fading into the song, and then followed by the sound of a water fountain, transitioning into Paul's first song for Rainbow Falls, "Waterspout". With a Caribbean rhythm, it added a reggae flavor to the album, talking about a bandit named Woody and a father's dancer meeting at a water park. In a similar vein to "Day Tripper" and "Drive My Car", there was a double entendre within the title and lyrics of "Waterspout", referring to sex between a man and a woman.

George's second song, "Your Love is Forever", transitioned out of "Waterspout" with the sound of a waterfall, and is a straightforward love song to both Olivia and God. This leads into a three-part medley, beginning with John's solo demo of "One of the Boys", suggesting acceptance of growing older, followed by Paul's fragment "Backwards Traveller" about going back in time, its lyrics juxtaposing with John's from the previous song, and then ending with Ringo's "Wings of an Eagle", a song he'd first worked in February 1977 for the planned Rotogravure follow-up. The first side then concludes with a flock of eagles calling out over the oceanside.

The second side of Rainbow Falls begins with Paul's punk rock-influenced "I've Had Enough", which John noted carried a similar structure to many of the Beatles' earlier songs and provided the guitar solo. And speaking of early Beatles songs, George had revisited "Not Guilty" from the White Album sessions from ten years prior, with its message about his frustrations towards John and Paul greatly toned back. Next was a Paul solo spot, "I'm Carrying", which had been recorded in a single take with orchestral strings overdubbed afterward. George spoke very positively about "I'm Carrying" by calling it "sensational", along with being his favorite from Paul's off of the album. George's fourth and final song, the most he'd ever had on a Beatles album since the White Album, "Here Comes the Moon", was a lyrical successor to "Here Comes the Sun", having taken inspiration for the lyrics from a psychedelic mushroom experience he'd had on Maui.

John's second contribution was a spoken word piece which the liner notes would call "Interlude: 'Twas a Night", referring to the first line of the track, which is as follows, spoken in a Scottish accent at points:

'Twas a night like Ethel Merman, not a sailor in the sky,

A kind of aged gentleman was giving me a try.

I remember it distinctly, as clear as yesterday,

I was excavating mucus, and I thought I heard him say:

"'O timorous beastly, what o'er the briney sea

The news oot the bracken, the mook lich dynadree

It's a long way to Tipperillo, och aye."

Mine eye was clouded o'er as I heard his mournful song

I asked him what the time was, he said it wasn't long.

Surrounded by sound effects courtesy of the BBC sound library, giving "'Twas a Night" a backing track, this spoken word piece would act as a linking track to the finale "Morse Moose and the Grey Goose". Recorded during John's brief time at Friar Park, it started as a jam session before evolving into a mad sea epic about those in peril on the sea, accompanied by sound effects of a blaring ship alarm, morse code, sea waves and stormy weather. "Morse Moose and the Grey Goose" wound up being one of the few songs to be credited to all four Beatles, as well as the third instance of an album of theirs ending with the longest song at over six minutes, following Everest's "Living in the Material World" and Inclinations' "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)", both clocking in at over five minutes each.

Released in July 1978, Rainbow Falls received warm reviews from critics, although much like Inclinations and Everest before it, they weren't as enthusiastic as those for the 1960s albums. One critic would even write that "The Beatles have gone from innovating and changing the music landscape to writing average music for average people." While most of the group would take these comments with stride, John would make his views quite clear, saying that "[The critics] don't know what the fuck they're talking about." Rainbow Falls would be backed by its two singles "Blow Away" and "I've Had Enough", both making the Top 10.

After finishing up Rainbow Falls, Ringo would go back to what he'd recorded the previous year and take some of the best material from the aborted sessions, along with a few new songs recorded with Russ Ballard producing, and put out It Beats Sleep. Critical reaction in general was that it was "no better or worse" than Rotogravure. George and Olivia would marry in September, one month following the birth of their son Dhani. Some time later, George would finally start work on his next solo album, which he intended on calling Flying Hour. Paul would also begin work on Wings' next album Back to the Egg, although John and George both felt that Paul could've saved some of his more electric stuff for Rainbow Falls. Back to the Egg would finally be released in June 1979.

The rest of the 1970s would be largely solo, save for a brief jam session at Eric Clapton's wedding to Pattie Boyd on March 27, 1979. As the decade drew to a close and the 1980s began, things would change once more for the Beatles, for better or for worse.

George Harrison: A Musical Retrospective (1970-2002)

Our final solo Beatles retrospective focuses on George Harrison, with this week marking 24 years since he died from cancer. This follows on from the solo retrospectives I did for Ringo Starr and John Lennon in July and October, respectively, and they all go together with Moondog385's Paul McCartney retrospective. Of the solo Beatles, George has never had a truly definitive compilation of his solo career. 1976's The Best of George Harrison was halfway dedicated to his work with the Beatles, and 1989's Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 solely focused on part of his career. And don't even get me started on 2009's Let It Roll; the fact that most of 1974-1986 was glossed over made it sound as if Olivia and Dhani had little confidence in George's solo work.

Like Moondog385's Pure Harrison compilation, I'm providing a much fuller picture of George Harrison as a solo artist, including all of the songs featured as well as many other additions of my own. Let's dive right in!

1970-1975 [Blue]

Side A (22:47)

1. My Sweet Lord - 4:38

2. Isn't It a Pity? (Version 1) - 7:10

3. What is Life - 4:22

4. Run of the Mill - 2:49

5. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) - 3:48

Side B (21:12)

6. All Things Must Pass - 3:44

7. I Live for You - 3:35

8. Bangla Desh - 3:57

9. Deep Blue - 3:47

10. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) - 3:36

11. Miss O'Dell - 2:33

Side C (23:01)

12. The Light That Has Lighted the World - 3:31

13. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long - 2:57

14. Living in the Material World - 5:31

15. Simply Shady - 4:38

16. Ding Dong, Ding Dong - 3:40

17. I Don't Care Anymore - 2:44

Side D (22:48)

18. Dark Horse - 3:54

19. Far East Man - 5:52

20. You - 3:41

21. Can't Stop Thinking About You - 4:30

22. Tired of Midnight Blue - 4:51

Unsurprisingly, this first part of the retrospective focuses on George's Apple years, and therefore his first four solo albums, if you exclude Wonderwall Music and Electronic Sound. The first disc focuses mainly on All Things Must Pass, with the addition of one bonus track ("I Live for You") from that era, as well as "Bangla Desh" and "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" and their respective B-sides. The second disc features three other songs from Living in the Material World, as well as material from Dark Horse and Extra Texture (Read All About It), plus an additional B-side, "I Don't Care Anymore". Because three songs are over five minutes in length, this compilation is just barely under 90 minutes.

1976-1985 [Coral]

Side A (24:16)

1. Woman Don't You Cry for Me - 3:18

2. Beautiful Girl - 3:39

3. This Song - 4:13

4. Crackerbox Palace - 3:57

5. Learning How to Love You - 4:13

6. Mo's Song - 4:56

Side B (21:10)

7. Flying Hour - 4:35

8. Love Comes to Everyone - 3:40

9. Here Comes the Moon - 4:09

10. Blow Away - 4:00

11. Faster - 4:46

Side C (20:10)

12. Dark Sweet Lady - 3:22

13. Life Itself - 4:25

14. All Those Years Ago - 3:45

15. Teardrops - 4:09

16. Dream Away - 4:29

Side D (21:35)

17. Wake Up My Love - 3:34

18. That's the Way It Goes - 3:34

19. Mystical One - 3:42

20. Let It Be Me - 2:56

21. I Don't Want to Do It - 2:51

22. Save the World (Greenpeace) - 4:58

Like 1970-1975, this compilation focuses mainly on four albums. Disc one brings attention to Thirty-Three & 1/3 and George Harrison, with the addition of two deep cuts. "Mo's Song" was recorded in 1977 as a tribute to Mo Ostin, but was left unreleased until 1994 on a six CD box set. "Flying Hour", an outtake from Somewhere in England, was first started in 1978. Speaking of said album, it and Gone Troppo are represented on disc two, with "Dark Sweet Lady" being a holdover. "Let It Be Me" was an Everly Brothers cover recorded in 1983, and "I Don't Want to Do It" was re-recorded for Porky's Revenge in 1985. "Save the World" was also re-recorded that year for Greenpeace - The Album.

1986-2002 [Olive]

Side A (23:52)

1. Shanghai Surprise - 5:09

2. Cloud Nine - 3:15

3. This is Love - 3:48

4. When We Was Fab - 3:57

5. Devil's Radio - 3:52

6. Someplace Else - 3:51

Side B (21:09)

7. Got My Mind Set on You - 3:52

8. Zig Zag - 2:45

9. Ride Rajbun [edit] - 4:06

10. Handle with Care - 3:19

11. Heading for the Light - 3:37

12. End of the Line - 3:30

Side C (22:51)

13. Poor Little Girl - 4:33

14. Cockamamie Business - 5:15

15. Cheer Down - 4:08

16. This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying) [1992 Re-Recording] - 3:55

17. Horse to the Water - 5:00

Side D (23:10)

18. Any Road - 3:52

19. Rising Sun - 5:27

20. Marwa Blues - 3:40

21. Stuck Inside a Cloud - 4:04

22. Brainwashed - 6:07

As George only released two studio albums under his name from this era, we're going to have to get a bit creative with what else we can find. Disc one features about half of Cloud Nine, as well as the adjacent B-side "Zig Zag", and the three songs from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 1 in which George sang lead vocals. Also filling up that disc is the title track for the critically panned Shanghai Surprise featuring Vicki Brown, and "Ride Rajbun", recorded in 1988 but left unreleased until 1992 for The Bunbury Tails. The three new songs from Best of Dark Horse 1976-1989 begin disc two, with the rest of the third side being filled in by the 1992 re-recording of "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)" from Extra Texture and "Horse to the Water", the final song recorded by George prior to his death. The last side, of course, is an abridged Brainwashed. The final running time is about 91 minutes in length, which is stretching the limits as it is, but what can you do?

In total, that's 66 songs covering George Harrison's solo career, almost double that of Moondog's compilation! This isn't meant to replace what he's done; I'm just adding my own spin on things. For bonus tracks, I would throw in "The Answer's at the End" from Extra Texture, "Tears of the World" (another Somewhere in England outtake), "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3 and the live cover of  "Absolutely Sweet Marie" from a 1993 Bob Dylan tribute show. The latter two especially give a bit more spotlight to the 1990s, of which there was very little known recording activity from George. The bonus tracks would bring the total up to 70.

John Lennon: A Musical Retrospective (1969-1984)

In celebration of what could have been John Lennon's 85th birthday this week, akin to the Ringo Starr retrospective I posted three months back, I've done one for John himself. Out of the solo Beatles, he's had the most compilation albums released, with only 1975's Shaved Fish being released during his lifetime, and many of the same songs are featured across the majority of them. Moondog385 went with a different approach for his Pure Lennon compilation, wanting to represent all of John's periods as equally as possible, even skipping over some hits like "Give Peace a Chance" and "Mother".

My take on a musical retrospective of John Lennon's solo career uses all of the songs included on Pure Lennon, but I'm including every one of his singles and even throwing in a few extra songs, all in more or less chronological order. I wanted to split the difference between featuring the big hits and focusing on the unfinished nature of John's life and work. Again, I try to keep within a 90 minute timeframe as best as I can, but it wasn't always easy.

1969-1973 [Green]

Side A (23:46)

1. Give Peace a Chance - 4:55

2. Cold Turkey - 5:01

3. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) - 3:18

4. Mother [single edit] - 3:53

5. Working Class Hero - 3:48

6. Isolation - 2:51

Side B (21:01)

7. Love - 3:21

8. Look at Me - 2:53

9. God - 4:09

10. Power to the People - 3:23

11. Imagine - 3:01

12. Jealous Guy - 4:14

Side C (22:25)

13. Gimme Some Truth - 3:16

14. Oh My Love - 2:44

15. How? - 3:43

16. Happy Xmas (War is Over) - 3:34

17. Woman is the N****r of the World [single edit] - 4:38

18. New York City - 4:30

Side D (23:45)

19. John Sinclair - 3:28

20. Mind Games - 4:13

21. Aisumasen (I'm Sorry) - 4:44

22. Out the Blue - 3:23

23. I Know (I Know) - 3:49

24. You Are Here - 4:08

The first disc of the retrospective focuses mostly on 1969 and 1970, and dips a little into 1971 towards the end. For Side A, I've reinstated "Give Peace a Chance", "Cold Turkey" and "Mother", and added "Working Class Hero". Disc two contains the rest of 1971 and goes all the way into 1973. The only new additions to Side C were "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" and "New York City". The overall length, even with single edits, is close to 91 minutes, but if you trim down "Give Peace a Chance" (which is really more of a chant than a song), then that's not a huge deal.

1974-1984 [Rose]

Side A (22:19)

1. Here We Go Again - 4:50

2. Whatever Gets You thru the Night - 3:28

3. Bless You - 4:38

4. Scared - 4:36

5. #9 Dream - 4:47

Side B (22:04)

6. Steel and Glass - 4:37

7. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) - 5:08

8. Stand by Me - 3:26

9. Move Over Ms. L - 2:58

10. Free as a Bird (Piano Demo) - 3:16

11. One of the Boys - 2:39

Side C (22:26)

12. Real Love (Piano Demo) - 4:23

13. Help Me to Help Myself - 2:37

14. (Just Like) Starting Over - 3:56

15. I'm Losing You - 3:57

16. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) - 4:02

17. Watching the Wheels - 3:31

Side D (22:17)

18. Woman - 3:32

19. Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him - 3:18

20. I'm Stepping Out - 4:06

21. Nobody Told Me - 3:34

22. Borrowed Time - 4:29

23. Grow Old with Me - 3:18

"Here We Go Again" seems like an odd inclusion and way to kick off this second half of the retrospective, being recorded in late 1973; however, it was done after the Mind Games period, and was intended for Rock 'n' Roll, released in 1975, so that's where I've decided to put it. On disc one, I've added in "Stand by Me" and its B-side "Move Over Ms. L", originally intended for Walls and Bridges, as well as an additional unfinished song, "One of the Boys". As for disc two, I've added another unfinished song, "Help Me to Help Myself", and John's version of "Every Man Has a Woman Who Loves Him". Overall, the first half covers 1974-1977, and the second half 1979-1984.

Given how short John's solo career was, I threw in an extra eleven songs, bringing the total up to 47 songs. If I were to throw in an extra three songs to make it 50 even, they would be "Rock and Roll Music" (a Mind Games outtake), "Ain't That a Shame" (the very first song John played on guitar as a teenager) and "Now and Then" (the demo version).

The Beatles - "Inclinations" (1975)

Believe it or not, I've gotten quite a few monthly posts written up in advance for the rest of the year, and this is the one for September. This post is a continuation of a scenario in which A Collection of Beatles Oldies was merely a compilation of non-album tracks, Yellow Submarine a proper Beatles album, and Let It Be came out a year earlier as intended. Also happening here is that the Beatles continue into the 1970s, releasing Hot as Sun in 1970 and Everest in 1973. (Also, let's assume that Apple Corps didn't go under like it did in our timeline.) 1975's Inclinations is the third album of six in this scenario, in which I have subtitled "Earth-130".

So imagine if you will...

Inclinations (February 1975)

Side A (20:01)

1. Junior's Farm - 4:23

2. Be-Bop-a-Lula - 2:39

3. So Sad - 4:30

4. You Gave Me the Answer - 2:15

5. What You Got - 3:09

6. Blue Moon of Kentucky - 3:05

Side B (21:33)

7. #9 Dream - 4:47

8. Can't Stop Thinking About You - 3:49

9. Call Me Back Again - 4:17

10. Only You (and You Alone) - 3:26

11. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out) - 5:14

1974 marked ten years since the Beatles first landed in America and appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. The individual members had changed so much in that time from four loveable, youthful moptops to four middle-aged men with individual pursuits and beliefs. While the Beatles as a group were still one of the biggest acts in popular music, they were no longer the top act, what with artists like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Queen threatening to take the throne from them.

As a solo artist, Paul McCartney was finding great success with his new group Wings, and he was able to fulfill what the remaining three Beatles were unwilling to do; go on tour and perform live. The personal lives of John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr could not have differed any greatly from that of Paul's - John was temporarily separated from his wife Yoko, with their assistant May Pang acting as his lover; George's marriage with Pattie Boyd was on the rocks after it was discovered that she was seeing his good friend Eric Clapton, and then George ended up having an affair with Ringo's wife Maureen, which no one would've expected to be the inner scandal that nearly broke up the Beatles. Meanwhile, Paul and Linda's marriage appeared to be rock solid.

Whilst Wings' third album Band on the Run was charting high, George Harrison had not opted to record a follow-up to The Magic is Here Again, with his only release of 1974 being the holiday single "Ding Dong, Ding Dong", to be released that December. Otherwise, George had opted to take a sabbatical for the year to allow his voice the chance to heal.

As it turned out, the first half of 1974 would be mostly quiet for the Beatles, save for a meeting between John Lennon and Paul McCartney during the former's "Lost Weekend" in Los Angeles that March. This meeting would result in a jam session that included the likes of Harry Nilsson and Stevie Wonder. Ringo Starr (recording with Nilsson at the time) would later join the session, albeit he wasn't too pleased about Paul messing up his drums. Inevitably, rumors of a new Beatles album would soon follow, and after talking with George, it was agreed upon the members that the sessions for a follow-up to Everest (tentatively titled Beatles 16, referring to their sixteenth studio album) would take place in September.

To keep himself busy until then, John returned to the studio in June to record his fifth solo album - the only one under his name alone - Walls and Bridges, saving a few songs for the next Beatles project. Released in September, Walls and Bridges would contain his first solo #1 hit "Whatever Gets You thru the Night", as well as a cover of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" as the follow-up single. Towards the end of those sessions, John would contribute the title track to Ringo's Goodnight Vienna in August, later slated for a November release.

The sessions for what ultimately became Inclinations - a title in which the band had floated around for several albums across the 1960s - lasted a brisk three weeks. Paul brought in the lead-off track (and first single) "Junior's Farm", a high-energy rocker that he'd written while in Nashville with Wings, the music hall number "You Gave Me the Answer" and "Call Me Back Again", influenced by the sound of New Orleans. John's songs were also varied in style; the funk rocker "What You Got" recalled Sly Stone and The Isley Brothers, "#9 Dream" (the second single) had a dreamy, psychedelic atmosphere reminiscent of "Strawberry Fields Forever", and the closing number, "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" reflected his feelings of loneliness following his separation from Yoko, having been written towards the end of 1973.

Despite the wealth of material he'd written up over the past couple of years, George only brought in two songs - "So Sad" and "Can't Stop Thinking About You" - both reflecting upon his feelings of his separation from Pattie. As it turned out, eight original songs wouldn't be enough to fill up a long play, so for the first time since 1965's Help!, nearly a decade prior, the Beatles recorded a few covers to fill out the album.

As Ringo had no new songs to bring in, nor did any of the others have anything in mind for him, he sang a version of The Platters' "Only You (and You Alone)"; the resulting cover would be placed near the end of the album. John contributed the lead vocals to Gene Vincent's "Be-Bop-a-Lula", which the Beatles hadn't performed since their early days, and reminded John of the day that he and Paul first met back in 1957. George offered up a re-written version of The Everly Brothers' "Bye Bye Love", once again making a reference to Pattie leaving him for Eric Clapton - "There goes our lady, with a-you-know-who / I hope she's happy, old Clapper too." However, it was rejected for being far too personal, even by the Beatles' standards, and was subsequently replaced with a cover of Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky", with Paul taking the lead. Meanwhile, "Bye Bye Love" wound up in the vaults, and would remain so for over a decade.

Inclinations would not be released until February 1975, to a decidedly mixed reaction, especially in regards to the inclusion of three covers. The originals written by John and Paul were praised, with some reviewers commenting that they were back to bringing out the best in each other. George's contributions, however, were not as warmly received, with one such critic writing, "Since 1968, George has written some of the best songs the Beatles ever recorded such as 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Something', 'Here Comes the Sun', 'All Things Must Pass' and 'Don't Let Me Wait Too Long'. But now? He's written up miserable drecks like the appropriately titled 'So Sad' and 'Can't Stop Thinking About You'. Unlike John, who at least knows when to let loose with 'Be-Bop-a-Lula' and 'What You Got', George makes his failing marriage his sole talking point on Inclinations. Twice. At least lighten up a little bit, Georgie, will you?"

It wasn't all bad news, of course, for the Beatles wound up making their first official live performances since 1966 (the rooftop concert from 1969 notwithstanding) at Madison Square Garden for three nights on November 28-30, 1974, with Elton John as their opening act. In fact, it was Elton, with a little help from Paul McCartney, to stage a reunion between John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which would set the stage for John's temporary retirement from the spotlight, in which the couple were blessed with a baby boy, Sean Ono Lennon, on October 9, 1975, John's 35th birthday.

With the Beatles having split up for a third time, Paul went back to New Orleans to finish up Wings' fourth album, Venus and Mars, which came out in May, three months after the Beatles' Inclinations did, and earned Paul another #1 album. George would also put out another album that same year, Speech of Flowers, released in September. Ringo did not put out a new album that year, although he would make a few film appearances. Once again, there was the question as to whether or not the Beatles would put out another album, even with John Lennon in retirement. Only time would tell for sure...

The Second Coming - More Random One-Off Albums

As a sequel to a post I wrote up last year, here's five more albums by various artists in Strawberry Peppers: The Second Coming! Like the previous post, all albums are sorted by artist rather than by release date.

Mardi Gras (Creedence Clearwater Revival, 1973)

Side A (17:42)

1. Sweet Hitch-Hiker - 2:59

2. Lookin' for a Reason - 3:28

3. Mystic Isle Avalon - 2:27 (Zephyr National)

4. Comin' Down the Road - 2:57 (non-album single)

5. What are You Gonna Do - 2:42

6. Back in the Hills - 3:09 (non-album single)

Side B (17:58)

7. Joyful Resurrection - 3:37 (Zephyr National)

8. Ricochet - 3:30 (non-album single)

9. Hello Mary Lou - 2:14

10. Door to Door - 2:09

11. You Don't Owe Me - 2:27 (non-album single)

12. Someday Never Comes - 4:01

Credence Clearwater Revival fell apart following Tom Fogerty's departure, and after six well-acclaimed albums, their unlucky seventh, Mardi Gras, spelled the end for the band in 1972. Since then, despite a few reunions, Doug Clifford and Stu Cook have bitched about John Fogerty and vice-versa; whoever's side you're on, it was a pretty ugly breakup.

In this scenario, Tom doesn't leave CCR, but the band agrees to take a sabbatical to sort out their differences, and they reunite in late 1972 to record their comeback album. I'm still debating as to whether or not they record another album for 1975, taking the place of John Fogerty's 1975 eponymous album, but I'm almost certain that they would've completely broken up anyway.

Gummy Fetus Skull Trip (The Flaming Lips, 2011)

1. Butterfly, How Long It Takes to Die - 6:37 (Strobo Trip)

2. Drug Chart - 5:16 (Gummy Song Skull)

3. In Our Bodies, Out of Our Heads - 4:43 (Gummy Song Skull)

4. Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear Part 2 - 5:05 (Gummy Song Fetus)

5. Walk with Me - 5:39 (Gummy Song Skull)

6. Steven's Moonbow - 1:26 (Gummy Song Fetus)

7. Hillary's Time Machine Machine - 9:03 (Gummy Song Skull)

8. Squishy Glass - 5:59 (Gummy Song Fetus)

9. Two Blobs Fucking - 3:39 (12-track mix)

10. Evil Minds - 3:59 (Strobo Trip)

Total length: 51:26

The Flaming Lips released some of their most interesting music throughout 2011, with some of it coming out in the most unconventional ways imaginable! So what if they put it all together onto a single album rather than a few extended plays? The release dates for all that crazy music were in February, April, June and September, with the only cut song being the six-hour "I Found a Star on the Ground". Perhaps that could be a standalone album in and of itself?

Listen Without Prejudice (George Michael, 1991)

1. Praying for Time - 4:41

2. Freedom! '90 - 6:30

3. Too Funky - 5:39 (Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged)

4. They Won't Go When I Go - 5:06

5. Something to Save - 3:18

6. Do You Really Want to Know? - 4:49 (Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged)

7. Cowboys and Angels - 7:15

8. Happy - 4:09 (Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged)

9. Waiting for That Day - 4:49

10. Mother's Pride - 3:59

11. Crazy Man Dance - 6:00 (Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged)

12. Heal the Pain - 4:41

13. Soul Free - 5:29

14. Fantasy - 5:02 (Listen Without Prejudice/MTV Unplugged)

15. Waiting (Reprise) - 2:25

Total length: 73:52

George Michael had intended for Listen Without Prejudice to be a double album, but then he later changed his mind to release two volumes instead. However, he ended up only releasing Vol. 1 while three of the remaining songs ("Too Funky", "Do You Really Want to Know", "Happy") all came out on Red Hot + Dance, while a fourth ("Crazy Man Dance") was released as a B-side, and the last one ("Fantasy") remained unreleased until 2017, in three different forms.

I don't know if a track listing for the original double album exists, so I went with the original running order with the new songs slotted in wherever necessary, making sure to spread them out as evenly as possible. At nearly 74 minutes, it'll all fit onto a single CD without issue. Even if you included George's mashup of "Killer" and "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" (recorded live in March 1991) at the end as a bonus track, there's still just enough room for inclusion.

Schizophonic (Spice Girls, 1999)

1. Holler - 4:15 (Forever)

2. Lift Me Up - 3:52 (Schizophonic)

3. If It's Lovin' on Your Mind - 3:42 (1999 outtake)

4. Right Back at Ya - 4:09 (Forever)

5. W.O.M.A.N. - 3:30

6. Bag It Up - 3:46 (Schizophonic)

7. Pain Proof - 3:26 (1999 outtake)

8. Free Up Your Mind - 3:24 (Pokemon: The First Movie)

9. Sophisticated Lady - 2:44 (Word Up! single)

10. A Day in Your Life - 4:14 (1999 outtake)

11. Goodbye - 4:35 (Forever)

Total length: 41:37

Geri Halliwell's departure from the Spice Girls marked the beginning of the end for their golden era, and their third album, Forever, disappointed greatly. A combination of creative differences, burnout and poor management contributed to Ginger Spice leaving the group, and the remaining girls carried on without her. In 1999, Geri released her first solo album, Schizophonic, with three singles reaching #1 in the United Kingdom.

I've imagined that, for a third Spice Girls album with Ginger Spice, things played out differently behind the scenes, and she's less inclined to want to leave, but the band still chooses to go in a different direction, with some of the members having solo spots. From Schizophonic, from which this re-imagined album gains the title, I've picked "Lift Me Up" and "Bag It Up". Both were big hits under Geri's name, so perhaps they'd still be big under the Spice Girls banner as well?

Speaking of whom, out of the Forever tracks, I picked "Holler", "Right Back at Ya" and "Goodbye", all of which were performed during the Spice Girls' Christmas in Spiceworld Tour, suggesting that they would likely remain. Also performed live was an outtake, "W.O.M.A.N.", which has never been released in any capacity. I also threw in three outtakes - "If It's Lovin' on Your Mind", "Pain Proof" and "A Day in Your Life".

Two more songs were needed to bring this re-imagined album up to length, and the first of these comes from the soundtrack to Pokemon: The First Movie, "Free Up Your Mind" by Emma Bunton (Baby Spice) featuring songwriting contributions from Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice). The final addition is "Sophisticated Lady", the non-album B-side to Melanie Brown's (Scary Spice) cover of "Word Up" for the Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack, in which Emma provides backing vocals.

The resulting Schizophonic will sound disjointed, what with it combining actual Spice Girls songs with solo songs, but see if you can imagine Geri having increased involvement and the others contributing a lot more to her songs! After all, isn't the whole better than the sum of its parts?

Melody Attack (Talking Heads, 1981)

Side A (18:48)

1. Wordy Rappinghood - 6:27 (Tom Tom Club)

2. My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks) - 2:45 (The Catherine Wheel)

3. Slink - 4:20 (The Red and the Black)

4. Big Business - 5:16 (The Catherine Wheel)

Side B (21:10)

5. What a Day That Was - 5:32 (The Catherine Wheel)

6. Big Blue Plymouth (Eyes Wide Open) - 4:45 (The Catherine Wheel)

7. Genius of Love - 5:34 (Tom Tom Club)

8. Popsicle - 5:19 (Popular Favorites 1976-1992: Sand in the Vaseline)

Although the Talking Heads were together during 1981 and 1982, there was no album released between 1980's Remain in Light and 1983's Speaking in Tongues. So imagine that they pooled together the best of their solo projects during that time to create a whole new album, plugging in that gap.

Putting it together was surprisingly easy; the first seven songs were all performed live by the Talking Heads in 1982 and 1983, so it was a no-brainer to include all of these. The final song, "Popsicle", was an outtake from Speaking in Tongues and left unreleased until 1992. There is another outtake from that era, "Two Note Swivel", but I opted to leave it off, feeling that less is more, keeping the album close to a succinct 40 minutes.

Ringo Starr: A Musical Retrospective (1970-2025)

Today marks Ringo Starr's 85th birthday, and to celebrate the occasion, I've put together four compilation albums of his solo career, beginning with Sentimental Journey from 1970, all the way up to 2025's Look Up!

Part of the reason for making this is because out of the four Beatles, Ringo's solo career has had the least amount of attention brought to it. 1975's Blast from Your Past and 1989's Starr Struck: Best of Ringo Starr, Vol. 2 both focus on specific periods of Ringo's career - his Apple era and his post-Apple/pre-Thomas era, respectively - whereas 2007's Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr was basically Blast from Your Past, only expanded and glossing over the 1976-1983 era, while the albums released since 1989 were represented by a song each. Not to mention how Ringo the 4th, Bad Boy and Old Wave had no representation at all. And as if that's not enough, Sentimental Journey is skipped entirely!

There's also Ringo 5.1: The Surround Sound Collection from 2008, but that only focuses on material from 2003's Ringo Rama and 2005's Choose Love, so it hardly counts.

I've taken inspiration from Moondog385 and his six-part series Paul McCartney: A Musical Retrospective, in which he compiled the big hits, as well as several deep cuts, to create a full picture of Paul's solo career. Respectively, I've subtitled these albums Red (70-73), Orchid (74-79), Indigo (80-86), Orange (87-97), Cyan (98-09) and Purple (10-20) after their borders. That equates to roughly eight or nine hours of Paul. I want to accomplish something similar for Ringo, capping off at about 80-90 minutes in length, about less than six hours in total.

1970-1979 [Yellow]

Side A (22:17)

1. Sentimental Journey - 3:26

2. Beaucoups of Blues - 2:33

3. Coochy Coochy - 4:48

4. It Don't Come Easy - 3:02

5. Early 1970 - 2:20

6. Back off Boogaloo - 3:22

7. Blindman - 2:46

Side B (21:33)

8. Down and Out - 3:04

9. I'm the Greatest - 3:21

10. Photograph - 3:56

11. You're Sixteen - 2:48

12. Oh My My - 4:16

13. Six O'Clock - 4:08

Side C (22:44)

14. (It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna - 3:02

15. Snookeroo - 3:27

16. No No Song - 2:33

17. Only You (and You Alone) - 3:26

18. A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll - 3:24

19. Hey! Baby - 3:11

20. Cookin' (In the Kitchen of Love) - 3:41

Side D (22:05)

21. Just a Dream - 4:23

22. Can She Do It Like She Dances - 3:12

23. Simple Love Song - 2:57

24. Who Needs a Heart - 3:48

25. Heart on My Sleeve - 3:20

26. One Way Love Affair - 4:25

I think this is a good starting point for those who may be interested in Ringo's solo career. The first disc covers 1970-1973, with Side A featuring the title track from Sentimental Journey, as well as his first three singles and their respective B-sides. Side B features the best from Ringo's eponymous album from 1973, as well as "Down and Out", which was the B-side of "Photograph". The second disc covers 1974-1978; Side C covers Goodnight Vienna and Ringo's Rotogravure, and Side D briefly covers Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy, with the addition of the B-side "Just a Dream" and the outtake "One Way Love Affair". The latter was recorded in July 1978 with Russ Ballard producing, but it has never been released, so I think that gives the compilation some exclusivity.

1980-1998 [Pink]

Side A (20:00)

1. Private Property - 2:44

2. Wrack My Brain - 2:21

3. Attention - 3:20

4. You Belong to Me - 2:10

5. Sure to Fall (in Love with You) - 3:44

6. You Can't Fight Lightning - 5:41

Side B (20:47)

7. In My Car - 3:13

8. Hopeless - 3:17

9. She's About a Mover - 3:52

10. Picture Show Life - 4:21

11. I Can Help - 3:04

12. Act Naturally (Revisited) - 3:00

Side C (22:37)

13. You Never Know - 4:03

14. Weight of the World - 3:54

15. Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go - 3:20

16. Golden Blunders - 4:06

17. I Don't Believe You - 2:48

18. Everyone Wins - 4:26

Side D (23:04)

19. Lay Down Your Arms - 3:25

20. One - 3:02

21. King of Broken Hearts - 4:44

22. La De Da - 4:14

23. I'll Be Fine Anywhere - 3:39

24. Mr. Double-It-Up - 4:00

Because Ringo took a recording sabbatical for most of the 1980s (with a couple of exceptions), it's combined with the 1990s (well, most of it) into a single compilation. Disc one focuses entirely on the 1980s; Side A features five songs and one outtake from Stop and Smell the Roses, and Side B has four songs from Old Wave, along with a 1987 cover of Billy Swan's "I Can Help" and a 1989 re-recording of "Act Naturally" with Buck Owens. Disc two focuses on the 1990s, with Side C beginning with "You Never Know", a song recorded for the movie Curly Sue, followed up by four songs off of Time Takes Time, as well as the original recording of "Everyone Wins", later redone eighteen years later for Y Not. Side D begins with another duet, a version of "Lay Down Your Arms" with Stevie Nicks for a Harry Nilsson tribute album, and then four songs and a B-side from Vertical Man.

1999-2014 [Brown]

Side A (23:17)

1. Come On Christmas, Christmas Come On - 3:36

2. Eye to Eye - 3:19

3. Never Without You - 5:24

4. Imagine Me There - 3:55

5. Love First, Ask Questions Later - 4:45

6. English Garden - 2:18

Side B (23:28)

7. Blink - 2:52

8. Fading In, Fading Out - 3:55

9. Oh My Lord - 5:32

10. Some People - 3:17

11. Choose Love - 3:07

12. Free Drinks - 4:45

Side C (21:44)

13. Liverpool 8 - 4:51

14. Gone Are the Days - 2:49

15. Harry's Song - 4:00

16. It's Love - 3:07

17. Peace Dream - 3:34

18. The Other Side of Liverpool - 3:23

Side D (21:01)

19. Walk with You - 4:42

20. Y Not - 3:49

21. Anthem - 5:01

22. Wings - 3:31

23. Samba - 2:48

24. I Wish I Was a Powerpuff Girl - 1:10

Okay, from this point onward, this might be where taste becomes a bit subjective, since much of Ringo's career post-Vertical Man isn't universally known, but I personally think he's made some good music since; it's just a matter of digging deep and having the patience to see what you really like. Of course, for this album and the next, your mileage may vary.

Anyway, with disc one, it starts off with a single track from I Wanna Be Santa Claus, mostly to avoid a lengthy gap between Vertical Man and Ringo Rama, with the majority of Side A being taken up by the latter album. Side B contains a bonus track from Ringo Rama and five songs off of Choose Love. Disc two features songs from Liverpool 8, Y Not and Ringo 2012, as well as a non-album single, "It's Love", from 2008, and "I Wish I Was a Powerpuff Girl" that he recorded for The Powerpuff Girls: Dance Pantsed in 2014. If you aren't a fan of that song, don't worry; it's pretty short, so you wouldn't be missing much.

Gray [2015-2025]

Side A (22:04)

1. Rory and the Hurricanes - 4:09

2. Postcards from Paradise - 5:18

3. Island in the Sun - 4:02

4. Let Love Lead - 4:11

5. We're on the Road Again - 4:24

Side B (23:21)

6. King of the Kingdom - 4:36

7. So Wrong for So Long - 4:03

8. Give More Love - 4:01

9. Grow Old with Me - 3:18

10. Thank God for Music - 3:38

11. What's My Name - 3:45

Side C (22:46)

12. Here's to the Nights - 4:05

13. Zoom In Zoom Out - 3:57

14. See You Later, Alligator - 2:48

15. Just That Way - 3:29

16. World Go Round - 4:12

17. Let's Be Friends - 4:15

Side D (20:42)

18. Feeling the Sunlight - 3:06

19. Rewind Forward - 3:30

20. February Sky - 3:19

21. Look Up - 3:10

22. Time on My Hands - 3:59

23. Thankful - 3:38

This compilation is pretty straight forward, I think. Disc one comprises of material from Postcards from Paradise, Give More Love and What's My Name, and disc two features stuff from all five of Ringo's extended plays, as well as a cover of "See You Later, Alligator" recorded for a charity album and three songs from his latest album, Look Up. Not much else to comment on, really.

So overall, that's 97 songs representing a 55-year solo career. Not bad, if I do say so myself! Of course, if you want to round it up to a hundred, you can throw in "It's No Secret" from Ringo the 4th, "Hard Times" from Bad Boy (both tracks of which I included in my It Beats Sleep re-imagining) and a fourth track of your choice from Look Up. Then again, Ringo will probably announce a new album or extended play at some point, and in that case, you'll probably throw in (as will I) the best two or three songs from that. We'll see, but for now, it'll do.

U2's "The Joshua Tree" - Double Album Edition (1987)

The Joshua Tree is widely considered to be U2's greatest album, and following a three-year hiatus since the release of The Unforgettable Fire, it's since become one of the best selling-albums of all time. Of course, the band had recorded far more material than what was released on the actual album; at least a whole other album's worth of material, in fact! Seven of the remaining songs were released as B-sides during 1987, while an eighth, "Heartland", eventually showed up on Rattle and Hum a year later. Two more outtakes, "Beautiful Ghost" and "Wave of Sorrow", would eventually be released on deluxe editions. Sounds like we have our work cut out for us, then!

The Joshua Tree (1987)

Side A (22:03)

1. Beautiful Ghost/Introduction to Songs of Experience - 3:56

2. Where the Streets Have No Name - 5:38

3. Silver and Gold - 4:37

4. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - 4:38

5. Spanish Eyes - 3:14

Side B (23:10)

6. With or Without You - 4:56

7. Luminous Times - 4:35

8. Walk to the Water - 4:49

9. Bullet the Blue Sky - 4:32

10. Running to Stand Still - 4:18

Side C (23:33)

11. Red Hill Mining Town - 4:52

12. In God's Country - 2:57

13. Heartland - 5:02

14. Trip Through Your Wires - 3:33

15. Wave of Sorrow (Birdland) - 4:06

16. Sweetest Thing - 3:03

Side D (22:23)

17. One Tree Hill - 5:23

18. Deep in the Heart - 4:31

19. Race Against Time - 4:04

20. Exit - 4:13

21. Mothers of the Disappeared - 5:12

I've looked up several track listings for a double Joshua Tree, and one of the commonalities that I noticed was that "Silver and Gold" followed up from "Where the Streets Have No Name", and on some of those, "Beautiful Ghost" led into "Streets". I can just hear the transition between the two! There were a few cases in which "With or Without You" and "Walk to the Water" were swapped around, and I ended up going with the former as the opener to Side B. It was one of U2's biggest singles after all, so why not? May as well start off on a strong note!

The second disc was a bit trickier, and as it turned out, Side C was a bit short at just 19 and a half minutes, so I threw in "Wave of Sorrow (Birdland)" to even up the side lengths and add a bit more meat to the running order. The orderings varied from person to person, but I think I'm happy with the choices I ended up going for. I even made a new album cover to go along with the expanded track listing.

Had The Joshua Tree been a double album as Bono intended, would it still be U2's greatest album, or would it be too much of a good thing? It's hard to say, especially since, as a single, it pushed the group into superstardom, and they're still performing to this day. Their recent album, Songs of Surrender made the Top 10 in America, so clearly, there's still an audience for them. But I digress; I think the Joshua Tree double more clearly shows U2 at their creative peak, willing to take chances, even if they didn't always play out as intended. It's like a director's cut with all the deleted scenes re-inserted.

All additional songs come from the Super Deluxe Edition of The Joshua Tree, except "Heartland", coming from Rattle and Hum. Speaking of which, I've done a solely-studio version of that album as a bonus:

Rattle and Hum (1988)

Side A (21:54)

1. Desire - 2:58

2. Van Diemen's Land - 2:51

3. Hawkmoon 269 - 6:22

4. When Love Comes to Town - 4:14

5. A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel - 5:29

Side B (24:10)

6. Angel of Harlem - 3:49

7. Love Rescue Me - 6:24

8. Hallelujah (Here She Comes) - 4:12

9. God Part II - 3:15

10. All I Want is You - 6:30

In general, I've kept the order of the studio tracks per the original track listing. I've swapped "Van Diemen's Land" and "Desire" around so that the latter kicks things off, and I've moved up "When Love  Comes to Town" so that the collaborations with B.B. King and Bob Dylan aren't back to back. Since "Heartland" is now on The Joshua Tree, I've replaced it with two B-sides, "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hallelujah (Here She Comes)", which help to fill in the gaps and bring the album up to a respectable 46 minutes in length.

The Beatles - "Everest" (1973)

I've had this idea in the back of my mind for some time - in fact, I even have a draft timeline about it! - about a scenario in which, instead of breaking up in 1970, the Beatles take a break from each other for a couple of years, and then they reunite towards the end of 1972 to record another album. This would establish a pattern in which they put out solo albums while still remaining the Beatles, but a new album from them as a group comes out every two or three years up until John Lennon's murder in 1980. And yes, that does include the period in which he was in his househusband phase.

The 1973 album I came up with, Everest, is the follow-up to 1970's Hot as Sun, in a scenario in which A Collection of Beatles Oldies merely compiles non-album tracks, Yellow Submarine is a proper Beatles album, and Let It Be was released in 1969 as originally intended. So imagine if you will...

Everest (July 1973)

Side A (21:44)

1. Big Barn Bed - 3:48

2. Rock and Roll People - 3:07

3. I'm the Greatest - 3:21

4. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long - 2:57

5. Get on the Right Thing - 4:42

6. I Know (I Know) - 3:49

Side B (23:23)

7. Mind Games - 4:13

8. One More Kiss - 2:25

9. Step Lightly - 3:15

10. Hands of Love/Power Cut - 4:57

11. Out the Blue - 3:02

12. Living in the Material World - 5:31

Between May 1968 and February 1970, the Beatles had recorded five albums' worth of material, with their self-titled White Album being a double. By the time they'd finished up Hot as Sun, the group was feeling burnt out - John Lennon especially had wanted to leave the band for his new wife Yoko Ono - and there was the possibility of a split while they were at a creative peak. Paul McCartney wanted to go touring again, George Harrison wanted his voice to be heard more, and Ringo Starr wanted to be happy. Everyone needed a break from each other, whether they wanted to admit it or not.

So, it was decided to put the Beatles on a temporary hiatus while the members focused on solo projects. Ringo had released his first solo album, Sentimental Journey, back in March, and put out Beaucoups of Blues that September. Still having enough material for a full album, George recorded and released his self-titled album for November, backed by "My Sweet Lord", the first number one hit for a solo Beatle, and "What is Life". John and Yoko ended the year of 1970 with Plastic Ono Band, a double album featuring sparse instrumentation of just guitar, bass and drums, with piano on select tracks such as "Mother" and "God".

Paul's solo debut album, Ram, was finally released in May 1971, with his wife Linda credited as a collaborator, and this album would pave the way for Paul's side group Wings. They would go on a university tour throughout the United Kingdom shortly after forming, before entering the studio to record what would become their debut album, Wild Life, released in the spring of 1972, backed by its lead single "Give Ireland Back to the Irish".

The Plastic Ono Band would also release two albums that period; the first of these, Imagine Clouds Dripping, released September 1971, would be preceded by the single "Power to the People", followed afterward by "Imagine", becoming John's most well-known song in his career. The follow-up album, One and All, released June 1972, was studio tracks on one side, with the second side predominately featuring live performances from the John Sinclair Freedom Rally that took place on December 10, 1971. The album concludes with the holiday single "Happy Christmas (War is Over)".

George had also been kept busy by arranging The Concert for Bangladesh, in which Ringo also partook in, as well as working on his next solo album, The Magic is Here Again. In October 1972, as a response to a series of bootleg albums, Apple Records would put out two Beatles compilation albums, 1962-1966 and 1967-1969, respectively known as the "Red" and "Blue" Albums, marking ten years since the release of "Love Me Do". Both compilations managed to squeak into the #1 spots in both the United States and the United Kingdom, indicating that the public still had an appetite for new Beatles material.

To the surprise of everyone, it was George who got in touch with Paul about the possibility of a new Beatles album as a reaction to The Red and Blue Albums, and after discussing the matter with John on speakerphone (he was unable to leave America due to being spied upon by the Nixon administration), it was agreed that recording for the next Beatles album would take place in America. Paul had been working on the next Wings album, Red Rose Speedway, when planning took place, so he brought forth a few songs from the sessions - "Big Barn Bed", "Get on the Right Thing", "Only One More Kiss" and the two-part medley "Hands of Love/Power Cut" - that were re-recorded with the other three Beatles' involvement. George had also brought forth a couple of holdovers from The Magic is Here Again - having been put on hold for the time being - "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" and "Living in the Material World", the latter of which name drops the other three Beatles.

John had been working on a few songs in preparation for what would become Everest (a working title for Abbey Road), including "Mind Games", which he'd actually started back in 1969 as "Make Love, Not War" - the sentiment was a cliché by 1973. "Rock and Roll People" and "I'm the Greatest" were also holdovers, both having been started in 1970, although the latter would be sung by Ringo. "I Know (I Know)" and "Out the Blue" were newly written by John for the album. Ringo would also contribute a song of his own, "Step Lightly", being the Beatles' first song to feature tap dancing, as well as marking the first album in which Ringo would have two songs on the same disc.

Wings' Red Rose Speedway would be the first album release for 1973, featuring the hit singles "My Love", "Hi Hi Hi" and "Live and Let Die", the latter of which was recorded for the James Bond film of the same name. This helped to build up hype for the Beatles' return to the stage with Everest come July, backed by the singles "Mind Games" and "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long". While Everest had its share of highlights throughout, and it even reached #1 like many prior albums, reaction to the album was a bit underwhelming, with many hoping to hear Hot as Sun: Part II, some even saying that the Beatles were heading in a more "poppy" direction. As time went by, however, critical reaction towards Everest became kinder, with some even calling it an underrated gem.

Nonetheless, the Beatles went their separate ways once more, with George rushing to complete The Magic is Here Again, albeit at the expense of nearly wrecking his voice, finally released in September and featuring the hit single "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)". John and Yoko would complete the Plastic Ono Band's final album Nutopia, released that October. Ringo had also worked on his first proper solo album during the Everest sessions, featuring contributions from George and Paul throughout, including his first #1 hit single "Photograph". Meanwhile, Wings had gone off to Lagos to record the bulk of what would become Paul's solo masterwork Band on the Run, released toward the end of 1973, ending the year on a high note for the Beatles.

Ringo Starr - "It Beats Sleep" (1978)

The period between 1976 and 1983 was not a great one for Ringo Starr. After two Top 10 albums with Ringo and Goodnight Vienna in 1973 and 1974, respectively, his solo career quickly took a nose dive. Ringo's Rotogravure, despite having involvement from the other three Beatles for the second time, failed to live up to expectations of the previous two albums, peaking out at #28 in America in 1976. And things only got worse from there when Ringo the 4th topped out at a shocking #162 in 1977; most unthinkable for a former Beatle! 1978's Bad Boy fared no better, peaking out at #129.

Three years later, Stop and Smell the Roses was released, and despite the presence of Paul McCartney and George Harrison, as well as the likes of Harry Nilsson, Ronnie Wood and Stephen Stills, it only managed  to reach #98 in America, despite "Wrack My Brain" being a Top 40 hit (albeit at a paltry #38). And his final album before his musical sabbatical, Old Wave, didn't make the American charts at all.

Is there a way to make the most out of this controversial period in Ringo's solo career? Well, one could make the argument that Ringo's Rotogravure was his last "good" album of the 1970s, and of his two 1980s albums, Stop and Smell the Roses is the better one; it even came with bonus tracks when released on CD, which I think helps a little. However, can we take Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy, generally regarded as Ringo's combined low point, and make one halfway decent album out of them?

It Beats Sleep (1978)

Side A (18:32)

1. She's So in Love - 3:30 (Ballard)

2. Who Needs a Heart - 3:48 (Starkey/Poncia)

3. Just a Dream - 3:58 (Starkey/Poncia)

4. Heart on My Sleeve - 3:20 (Gallagher/Lyle)

5. One Way Love Affair - 3:56 (Ballard)

Side B (18:54)

6. Drowning in the Sea of Love - 4:02 (Gamble/Huff)

7. Hard Times - 3:31 (Skellern)

8. It's No Secret - 3:42 (Starkey/Poncia)

9. As Far as We Can Go - 4:42 (Ballard)

10. Simple Love Song - 2:57 (Starkey/Poncia)

To make this hypothetical "new" album any good, we'll have to take the best from both Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy and throw in some other stuff from the time period, however scarce it may be. From 4th, I picked "It's No Secret", "Simple Love Song" and Ringo's cover of "Drowning in the Sea of Love". The latter was released as a single, albeit it was shortened. I've done an edit that's a little longer than the single version, but it's still shorter than the official 5:09 album version.

Also from the Ringo the 4th era is the non-album B-side "Just a Dream". The original length of this song was 4:23, but I shortened it by 25 seconds to eliminate a repeat of the chorus near the end. The tracks I picked off of Bad Boy were "Who Needs a Heart" and cover versions of "Heart on My Sleeve" and "Hard Times", all in their original length; no editing required.

So far, that's seven songs picked out; four written by Ringo with Vini Poncia, and three covers. But what about the other three slots? Well, that's where a bit of obscure Ringo recording history comes in; on July 22 and 23, 1978, Ringo was recording with Russ Ballard for a potential follow up to Bad Boy, but it appeared to have been canceled. The songs recorded for these sessions were "As Far as We Can Go", "One Way Love Affair" and "She's So in Love", along with a fourth that has never been leaked in any way. However, the sessions were postponed but never resumed, and Ringo wouldn't be back in the studio for another two years.

Out of the three, only "As Far as We Can Go" was officially released under Ringo's name, but it had been reworked for 1983's Old Wave, and the original version was included as a bonus track on CD. Meanwhile, "She's So in Love" was first released by Lulu for her 1978 album (some sources say 1979) Don't Take Love for Granted, and it was later covered by Dutch band The Cats for Flyin' High in 1985. "One Way Love Affair" has never been recorded by another artist as far as I'm aware, which I think is a shame, since it's the cute story song that fits Ringo so well.

I've made "She's So in Love" the first track on the new album as I feel like it could've had single potential under Ringo's name. "One Way Love Affair", meanwhile, closes out the first side, and I've trimmed away about half a minute, which was basically two repeats of the chorus at the end. "As Far as We Can Go" uses the original version, albeit I've trimmed out a repeat of the chorus and an instrumental section, making it longer than the version as heard on Old Wave, but still shorter than the original version. I like how it's immediately followed up by "Simple Love Song", ending the album on an upbeat note.

Finally, there's the album title, It Beats Sleep. It was the working tile for Old Wave, but I like how it fits some of the material on this album, "Just a Dream" especially. So I think it's right that an album featuring a few unreleased songs uses an unused title. The image of Ringo comes from about 1978, from a promo for his eponymous made-for-TV movie from the same year.

Is It Beats Sleep a great album from Ringo? Well, it obviously isn't on the same level as his 1973 eponymous album; how could it, what with the presence of the other ex-Beatles? But is it at least better than Ringo the 4th and Bad Boy? I like to think so, but of course, your mileage may vary. Some may be disappointed by the absence of "Wings", but perhaps in this scenario, Ringo unearths it and records a new version years later, like he did for Ringo 2012. Of course, if you think that some other song should've been included instead, why not try making your own version your yourself?

Listen to the album here