Chapter 80: We Are the World (July 13 and 14, 1985)

 July 13, 1985

Wembley Stadium - 7:00 to 8:45 EDT (12:00 to 13:45 BST)

Diana and Prince Charles attending Live Aid, 13 July 1985.

"It's 12 noon in London, 7 AM in Philadelphia, and around the world, it's time for Live Aid! Sixteen hours of live music in aid of famine relief in Africa," announced Richard Skinner. "Wembley welcomes their Royal Highnesses, the Prince and Princess of Wales!"

The crowd cheered as Prince Charles and his wife Diana Spencer appeared amongst them in the stands, accompanied by the Coldstream Guards playing to mark their arrival, before taking their seats. Bob Geldof stood by the prince's left as the latter greeted the crowd with a wave.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the Royal Salute!" announced Tommy Vance.

The Coldstream Guards kicked off the Wembley show with the first six bars to "God Save the Queen". They'd been performing for the British Army for two hundred years, and it seemed fitting that they be the ones to kick off the show.

"And now, to start off sixteen hours of Live Aid," Vance announced again, "would you welcome, Status Quo!"

Status Quo (7:01 EDT; 12:01 BST) fittingly kicked off Live Aid with a cover version of John Fogerty's "Rockin' All Over the World", following that up with "Caroline" and "Don't Waste My Time". They were soon followed up by the Style Council (7:19 EDT; 12:19 BST - "You're the Best Thing", "Big Boss Groove", "Internationalists" and "Walls Come Tumbling Down!") and the Boomtown Rats (7:44 EDT; 12: 44 BST - "I Don't Like Mondays", "Drag Me Down" and "Rat Trap").

Def Leppard (8:01 EDT; 13:01 BST) kicked off the second hour of Live Aid with "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages", both from their most recent album Pyromania[1]. Following up on them was Ultravox (8:17 EDT; 13:17 BST) with "Reap the Wild Wind", "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes", "One Small Day" and "Vienna".

Wembley Stadium (London) and John F. Kennedy Stadium (Philadelphia) - 8:45 to 17:00 EDT (13:45 to 22:00 BST)

George Segal and Marilyn McCoo introducing Live Aid to American audiences.

"Live from JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, USA!" announced George Segal. "And live from Wembley Stadium in London, England! The Live Aid concert! Welcome to the worldwide Live Aid concert! I'm George Segal in Philadelphia, and I'm here to welcome you to something more than a television show. As of this moment, we're being seen in sixty nations throughout the world, we can be seen on 85 percent of all the television sets on the planet, and we can be heard on 75 percent of all the radios on the planet! We welcome you to a massive, totally unprecedented coming together of all the peoples of our world in support of our neighbors in Africa."

"We've come together today to make a simple and powerful statement," added Marilyn McCoo, "that all men are our brothers, that all women are our sisters, and especially that all children are our children. When one of us suffers as millions today are suffering in Africa, then we all suffer. And as this is the custom in families everywhere, we extend our helping hand. We lift them up until they can stand on their own. And we don't do this because we feel guilt and certainly not because we feel pity. We do it simply because that's the kind of people that we are."

"And so, for the next sixteen hours, we'll all be enjoying what can only be characterized as the hottest acts in music today."

"And they are Crosby, Stills and Nash, Tom Petty, Sting with Phil Collins and the Who, Bryan Adams... you know who Bryan Adams is?"

"I know who he is."

"Oh, alright. Alright. Eric Clapton, the Beach Boys, Wham!, and much more."

"They're all performing free; not only for African famine relief, but also in support of an even larger purpose. Ending hunger in our world forever. But right now, we're going live to London!"

Joan Baez performing at Live Aid at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

The last performer in London just before the Philadelphia portion of Live Aid kicked off was Spandau Ballet (8:46 EDT; 13:45 BST) with "Only When You Leave", "Virgin" and "True". The first artists to play at Philadelphia were Bernard Watson (8:51 EDT; 13:51 BST - "All I Really Want to Do" and "Interview") and Joan Baez (9:01 EDT; 14:01 BST - "Amazing Grace" and "We Are the World"), the latter of whom kicked off hour three of Live Aid. Elvis Costello (9:07 EDT; 14:07 BST) was the next artist performing at London, singing a cover of the Beatles' "All You Need is Love". At the same time, Bruce Springsteen (9:10 EDT; 14:10 BST) played "Born to Run" and "Dancing in the Dark" at Philadelphia[2]. For the next hour and a half, the following artists and their respective setlists were as follows:

Nik Kershaw - 9:22 EDT / 14:22 BST (London)

"Wide Boy"

"Don Quixote"

"The Riddle"

"Wouldn't It Be Good"

Four Tops - 9:32 EDT / 14:32 BST (Philadelphia)

"Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)"

"Bernadette"

"It's the Same Old Song"

"Reach Out I'll Be There"

"I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)"

Billy Ocean - 9:45 EDT / 14:45 BST (Philadelphia)

"Caribbean Queen"

"Loverboy"

Sade - 9:53 EDT / 14:53 BST (London)

"Why Can't We Live Together"

"Your Love Is King"

"Is It a Crime?"

Black Sabbath - 9:55 EDT / 14:55 BST (Philadelphia)

"Children of the Grave"

"Iron Man"

"Paranoid"

Run–D.M.C. - 10:12 EDT / 15:12 BST (Philadelphia)

"Jam Master Jay"

"King of Rock"

Sting and Phil Collins - 10:18 EDT / 15:18 BST (London)

"Roxanne" (Sting)

"Driven to Tears" (Sting)

"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" (Phil Collins)

"Message in a Bottle" (Sting)

"In the Air Tonight" (Phil Collins)

"Long Long Way to Go" (both)

"Every Breath You Take" (both)

Rick Springfield - 10:27 EDT / 15:27 BST (Philadelphia)

"Love Somebody"

"State of the Heart"

"Human Touch"

REO Speedwagon - 10:47 EDT / 15:47 (Philadelphia)

"Can't Fight This Feeling"

"Roll with the Changes”

Howard Jones - 10:49 EDT / 15:49 BST (London)

"Hide and Seek"

David Gilmour performing at Live Aid with the rest of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters at Wembley Stadium.

Kicking off the fifth hour of Live Aid was Pink Floyd (11:03 EDT; 16:03 BST), reuniting with Roger Waters for the first time since 1978[3]. Their setlist began with "Speak to Me" and "Breathe", along with the reprise of the latter before transitioning to "Money", all from The Dark Side of the Moon. Before they began their next song, Roger Waters addressed the crowd.

"It's actually quite emotional to be standing up here with these three guys again, after all these years - standing to be counted with the rest of you," he said as they began to play "Wish You Were Here". "Anyway, we're doing this for the people who're not here - and particularly, of course, for Syd."[4]

Concluding Pink Floyd's setlist was "Comfortably Numb" from Roger Waters' The Wall. David Gilmour was especially receptive to this, as Waters had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to play the song live with Pink Floyd. The next two artists playing at Philadelphia were Crosby, Stills and Nash (11:12 EDT; 16:12 BST - "Southern Cross", "Teach Your Children" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes") and Judas Priest (11:29 EDT; 16:29 BST - "Living After Midnight", "The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown)" and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"), while the next London artist was Paul Young (11:40 EDT; 16:40 BST), performing the the intro of "Do They Know It's Christmas?", "Come Back and Stay", "That's the Way Love Is" as part of a duet with Alison Moyet, and "Everytime You Go Away". For the next hour and a half, the following performances were made:

Bryan Adams - 12:01 EDT / 17:01 BST (Philadelphia)

"Kids Wanna Rock"

"Summer of '69"

"Tears Are Not Enough"

"Cuts Like a Knife"

U2 - 12:19 EDT / 17:19 BST (London)

"Sunday Bloody Sunday"

"Bad" (w/snippets of "Satellite of Love", "Ruby Tuesday", "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Walk on the Wild Side")

The Beach Boys - 12:39 EDT / 17:39 BST (Philadelphia)[5]

"California Girls"

"Help Me, Rhonda"

"Wouldn't It Be Nice"

"Good Vibrations"

"Surfin' U.S.A."

Dire Straits - 13:00 EDT / 18:00 BST (London)

"Money for Nothing" (with Sting)

"Sultans of Swing"

George Thorogood and the Destroyers - 13:26 EDT / 18:26 BST (Philadelphia)

"Who Do You Love?" (with Bo Diddley)

"The Sky Is Crying"

"Madison Blues" (with Albert Collins)

Freddie Mercury and Brian May performing at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium.

Smile (13:41 EDT; 18:41 BST) would go on to mark one of the most iconic performances of Live Aid, first beginning with the ballad portion of "Bohemian Rhapsody" with the guitar solo transitioning towards "Radio Ga Ga". After a brief vocal improvisation between Freddie Mercury and the crowd, Smile played "Hammer to Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "We Will Rock You" before concluding with "We Are the Champions".

Simple Minds - 14:05 EDT / 19:05 BST (Philadelphia)

"Ghost Dancing"

"Don't You (Forget About Me)"

"Promised You a Miracle"

David Bowie - 14:23 EDT / 19:23 BST (London)

"TVC 15"

"Rebel Rebel"

"Modern Love"

"Heroes"

Pretenders - 14:41 EDT / 19:41 BST (Philadelphia)

"Time the Avenger"

"Message of Love"

"Stop Your Sobbing"

"Back on the Chain Gang"

"Middle of the Road"

The Who - 14:59 EDT / 19:59 BST (London)

"My Generation"

"Pinball Wizard"

"Love, Reign o'er Me"

"Won't Get Fooled Again"

Santana with Pat Metheny - 15:21 EDT / 20:21 BST (Philadelphia)

"Brotherhood"

"Primera Invasion"

"Open Invitation"

"By the Pool"

"Right Now"

After The Who (with Phil Collins on drums) had finished up their set list, Bob Geldof walked on stage to introduce the next artist.

"This could be the most important performance of the entire concert, let alone the entirety of rock music history," he said. "So, please let me introduce to you, the act you've known for all these years..." He paused for dramatic effect; there was some scattered chuckling at the reference Geldof had just made, but they were drowned out by unstoppable clapping and screaming the moment he said their name...

"THE BEATLES!"

Paul McCartney performing with the Beatles at Live Aid at Wembley.

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr walked onto the stage, clutching their guitars and (in Ringo's case) drumsticks, a sense of excitement and anxiety shared amongst them. Despite this sense of nervousness, at 15:25 Eastern Time, 20:25 British Summer Time, they kicked off their setlist with "Come Together", with the outro being accompanied by the guitar introduction to "Revolution", transitioning into "Back in the U.S.S.R.". The crowd was beside itself with excitement the whole time, which, to the Beatles, was a good sign that their performance was going well.

The next song of the Beatles' setlist was George's vocal spot "Something". Backstage, the Beatles' families were watching the performance on the television set. Olivia had the biggest smile out of the Beatles' wives; although the song had been written back when George was married to Pattie Boyd, it didn't make the song any less resonant to her.

Back on the stage, Paul had put down his bass guitar and sat at the piano to perform the next number. "This song's a little something that we played twenty years ago," he told the crowd as he played the first chords. "Since this little number came out, God knows how many people have performed it, and I think you can guess what it is by the first lyric... Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..."

For the rest of the song, the crowd sang along with Paul. They cheered again as "Yesterday" drew to a close, and John picked up the acoustic guitar to perform the next song.

"This little number is dedicated to all the people we've met over the years, including those who are no longer with us," he said. "I would also like to dedicate it to a few very special people, wherever you are and even if you're not watching..."

Aunt Mimi was at home watching Live Aid on television and smiled; even though John wasn't here with her right now, she knew exactly who he was referring to. As did Madeline, watching the performance with the rest of the Beatles' families as John sang "In My Life".

"In my life... I love you more..." As the song drew to a close, the crowd once again began cheering loudly as the number of donations to support Ethiopia began to triplicate.

"For those who've not done anything yet," called John, "let's come together and donate what we can to help all the people of Ethiopia in their fight against famine!"

"Just standing here and playing with the guys," added Paul, "it's an amazing feeling, especially in fighting a cause that we all wished did not exist."

"This is a big deal, what we're doing right now," said George. "The world's watching us and they need to contribute to Live Aid."

"Peace and love, wherever you are!" finished Ringo. "Come on, everybody! Let's bring the house down!"

That was when the Beatles began the last song in their set, "With a Little Help from My Friends". Once again, the crowd was singing along, even during the extended outro to the song that transitioned towards "The End".

"And in the end... the love you take... is equal to the love you make..."

If the crowd wasn't in a frenzy before, they certainly were now! All four Beatles walked to the front of the stage together, arm in arm, and bowed before the crowd before leaving the stage again, feeling a strong sense of satisfaction with their performance. Meanwhile, back in Philadelphia, Ashford & Simpson (15:57 EDT; 20:57 BST) performed "Solid" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)", the latter of which was performed with Teddy Pendergrass.

Elton John performing at Live Aid at Wembley.

There was one hour left to go at Wembley, beginning with Elton John (16:00 EDT; 21:00 BST) whose setlist consisted of "I'm Still Standing", "Bennie and the Jets", "Rocket Man", "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", the latter two of which were duets with Kiki Dee and Wham! (George Michael on lead vocals), respectively.[6] Back at Philadelphia, Madonna (16:27 EDT; 21:27 BST) performed "Holiday", "Into the Groove" and "Love Makes the World Go Round", the latter of which was with Thompson Twins and Nile Rodgers.

With just fifteen minutes left for the Wembley performance, Freddie Mercury and Brian May (16:48 EDT; 21:48 BST) returned to the stage to perform "Is This the World We Created...?".

"Thank you very much," said Freddie after the song came to an end. "And now a man with glasses will return to the stage, and I think you can tell who he is! Ah, there he is now!"

"Thank you, Freddie," said John Lennon as he walked onto the stage again and to the piano. "There's still time left to donate, so let's fight against poverty not just in Ethiopia, but in the entire world! Every action is needed so we can... Well, you know what this next number's about, don't you?"

And that was when John began to play "Imagine" before transitioning to "Give Peace a Chance", being backed by David Bowie, Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet and Roger Waters.[7] The Wembley Stadium portion of Live Aid came to a close with Band Aid singing "Do They Know It's Christmas?", a song composed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure telling listeners about the Ethiopia famine.

"Thank you, everybody!" called Bob as the performance came to an end. "That's the end of our show, you've been a fantastic audience! Thank you, and good night! Over to you, Philadelphia!"

July 13 and 14, 1985

John F. Kennedy Stadium - 17:00 to 23:00 EDT (22:00 to 4:00 BST)

Tom Petty performing with Mudcrutch at Live Aid at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

The remaining six hours of Live Aid at JFK Stadium began with Tom Petty and Mudcrutch (17:02 EDT; 22:02 BST) by performing "American Girl", "The Waiting", "Rebels" and "Refugee". They were followed up by Kenny Loggins (17:30 EDT; 22:30 BST) with "Footloose" and The Cars (17:39 EDT; 22:39 BST) with "You Might Think", "Drive", "Just What I Needed" and "Heartbeat City". The following two hours went as follows:

Neil Young - 18:06 EDT / 23:06 BST

"Sugar Mountain"

"The Needle and the Damage Done"

"Helpless"

"Nothing Is Perfect (In God's Perfect Plan)"

"Powderfinger"

The Power Station - 18:42 EDT / 23:42 BST

"Murderess"

"Get It On"

Thompson Twins - 19:21 EDT / 0:21 BST

"Hold Me Now"

"Revolution" (with Madonna, Steve Stevens and Nile Rodgers)

Eric Clapton - 19:38 EDT / 0:38 BST

"White Room"

"She's Waiting"

"Layla"

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page playing with the Yardbirds at Live Aid at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

Badfinger (20:00 EDT; 1:00 BST) made a surprise appearance at Live Aid; Mike Gibbins and Pete Ham had lived in America over the past decade, and the latter called up Tom Evans and Joey Molland about a one-off reunion for Live Aid, to which he found surprising agreement from both of them as well as Mike Gibbins, who had also played with Crosby, Stills and Nash and Eric Clapton. Badfinger performed "No Matter What" and "Without You" for their brief appearance at Live Aid[8]. Although it was intended to be a one-off reunion, Badfinger would perform for other charity concerts until Gibbins' death in 2005, their last performance being at Live 8 that same year.

Shortly following Badfinger was the Yardbirds (20:10 EDT; 1:10 BST) performing "Rock and Roll", "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway to Heaven"[9]. Marvin Gaye (20:39 EDT; 1:39 BST) came next with "What's Going On" and his newest hit, "Dodging a Silver Bullet"[10].

Duran Duran - 20:46 EDT / 1:46 BST

"A View to a Kill"

"Union of the Snake"

"Save a Prayer"

"The Reflex"

Patti LaBelle - 21:20 EDT / 2:20 BST

"New Attitude"

"Imagine"

"Forever Young"

"Stir It Up"

"Over the Rainbow"

"Why Can't I Get It Over"

Hall & Oates - 21:50 EDT / 2:50 BST

"Out of Touch"

"Maneater"

"Get Ready" (with Eddie Kendricks)

"Ain't Too Proud to Beg" (with David Ruffin)

"The Way You Do the Things You Do"

"My Girl" (with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin)

Ronnie Wood, Bob Dylan and Keith Richards performing at Live Aid at John F. Kennedy Stadium.

For the final hour of Live Aid, Mick Jagger (22:15 EDT; 3:15 BST) performed "Lonely at the Top", "Just Another Night", "Miss You", "State of Shock" and "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (But I Like It)", the latter two of which were with Tina Turner. Fellow Rolling Stone members Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood played with Bob Dylan (22:39 EDT; 3:39 BST) for "Ballad of Hollis Brown", "When the Ship Comes In" and "Blowin' in the Wind". Live Aid concluded with USA for Africa performing "We Are the World".

Outside of JFK and Wembley Stadiums, various other countries were pitching in to help the cause, such as Australia (Oz for Africa), Japan (Off Course, Eikichi Yazawa, Motoharu Sano and Meiko Nakahara), the Netherlands (B.B. King) and West Germany (Band für Afrika), with Cliff Richard even making a performance in the United Kingdom with "A World of Difference". Deep Purple was originally going to perform via satellite from Switzerland, but they pulled out as Ritchie Blackmore wanted nothing to do with the performance.

END OF PHASE THREE

Footnotes

1. Adam Ant played "Vive Le Rock". He later criticized Live Aid and regretted performing it. "It was the end of rock 'n' roll," he commented. In addition, as Rick Allen didn't lose his arm in his car accident in TTL, Def Leppard is able to perform, accepting Bob Geldof's invitation, which also happened in OTL, but they declined as they were waiting for Allen to recover.
2. The Hooters played "And We Danced" and "All You Zombies". In addition, Bruce Springsteen had declined to take part in Live Aid despite his popularity at the time, although he would come to regret this decision.
3. Bryan Ferry played "Sensation", "Boys and Girls", "Slave to Love" and "Jealous Guy" with David Gilmour on guitar. Pink Floyd's setlist is the exact same as that from when they performed at Live 8 in 2008.
4. Roger Waters' quote at Live 8 taken verbatim.
5. A one-off reunion with Dennis Wilson, who is still living by 1985.
6. Elton John's final song in his setlist was a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get a Witness".
7. Paul McCartney played "Let It Be". In addition, Pete Townshend played alongside David Bowie, Bob Geldof and Alison Moyet for the performance.
8. Phil Collins played "Against All Odds" and "In the Air Tonight" after flying out to Philadelphia to play a short solo set there, having also played alongside Eric Clapton for his solo set.
9. Phil Collins played drums for Led Zeppelin shortly after playing his solo set in Philadelphia.
10. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young played "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" and "Daylight Again/Find the Cost of Freedom".

Author's Comments

And so concludes Phase Three of Strawberry Peppers, as well as the first draft altogether! After a period of over thirty months and eighty chapters, I never imagined I'd get this done, as writer's block and unintentional abandonment are very much the bane of every alternate universe writer, I'd imagine. Still, hopefully I managed to do this finale justice and ended things on a strong note. I did have to gloss over some performances by listing who performed what, sticking mostly to what happened in OTL, with changes made to accommodate the butterflies that have occurred in the past twenty years. The Beatles' performance, of course, was the piece de resistance, hence it has the most focus out of the performances listed.

The first draft may be over, but there's still a few more posts to go, beginning with a standalone post showing my own version of Let It Be that'll come out this Friday. After that will be a new 1985 album for the Clash as part of an Extra Scene (remember those?) along with an information post about the DC Appleverse. Following that will be part four of An Alternative Beatles Discography - No Covers, focusing on the 1984-2009 period, and then what I have in mind for The Second Coming. Make sure to keep an eye out for those!

Chapter 55: Solsbury Hill (July 1975 - December 1977)

July - November 1975

Genesis, 1974. This photograph was taken the year prior to Peter Gabriel's departure.

TONY BANKS: "After Peter Gabriel left Genesis for reasons relating to looking after his family, we were soon signed onto Highway 61 Records courtesy of Dennis Wilson. The label was barely two years old at the time, but it was practically an extension of the Beatles' Apple Records, focusing mainly on the American market, and had brought in the likes of Bob Dylan and Alice Cooper. We kind of felt out of place there, and it didn't help that by the following year, the roster was practically bloated." (1997)

The first thing that Genesis had done since signing onto Highway 61 Records was notifying Jack Oliver, president of the label, about looking for a lead singer to replace Peter Gabriel. Oliver then arranged a meeting with Brian Epstein, Peter Brown and Lord Beeching about the band's problem, and then Brown made a call to Charisma Records to see if they had any artists on their label that were currently out of work.[1]

PETER BROWN: "Within a week or so, they'd found what Tony, Mike, Steve and Phil were looking for." (2007)

Kim Beacon performing live with String Driven Thing, 1975.

KIM BEACON: "String Driven Thing had recently broken up around the time that Peter [Gabriel] had left Genesis, and in a strange way, it seemed a bit like destiny that I was called up by Peter Brown of Apple Records about what was going on. Despite that we were on the same label, I hadn't had much interactions with Genesis, except maybe for a few meetings with Tony." (2015)

MIKE RUTHERFORD: "We tried Kim out on a few songs for a soundcheck, and my God, his voice just blew all of us away! His vocals were terrifically commanding, but they also had an angelic vibe to them. Right out of the gate, we clicked with him, and later made the announcement that he would be taking over vocals from Peter." (1995)

With Kim Beacon having passed the audition for Genesis, the group began recording that October in Trident Studios for their seventh studio album, A Trick of the Tail. The music was mostly composed by keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist Mike Rutherford, with drummer Phil Collins, guitarist Steve Hackett and Beacon occasionally providing their own contributions, with a couple of tracks - "Dance on a Volcano" and "Los Endos", the first and last tracks on the album, respectively - being written by all five members. The sessions went by pretty quickly, with Banks and Rutherford fondly recalling them as being some of the most fun Genesis had ever had.

2 February 1976

Genesis - A Trick of the Tail

Released: 2 February 1976

Recorded: October - November 1975

Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis

Track listing[2]

Side A

Dance on a Volcano

Entangled

Squonk

Mad Man Moon

Side B

Robbery, Assault and Battery

Ripples...

A Trick of the Tail

It's Yourself/Los Endos

In light of Peter Gabriel's departure in 1975, shortly after their tour for The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, many critics assumed that Genesis would break up as a result, with Gabriel having been part of the group since its formation in 1967. They were proven wrong when A Trick of the Tail came out on Groundhog Day 1976, with many praising Kim Beacon's vocals, with some even saying he was a better vocalist than Peter Gabriel. The album soon hit #2 in the United Kingdom, with the Beatles' Rock 'n' Roll keeping it out of the top spot, but it still sold extremely well. It also reached a respectable #25 in America. The sole single was "Entangled" backed with "A Trick of the Tail" (#29 UK, #36 US).

Genesis soon went on tour for A Trick of the Tail lasting from 26 March to 11 July, with performances taking place in Canada, the United States and various European countries including France, Belgium, Switzerland and Denmark. The tour was very much a coming out party for Kim Beacon, being the first time that he was touring the world, especially with a big name group such as Genesis, and he had to learn the material they had recorded with Peter Gabriel from 1969 to 1974. That didn't make the tour any less a success, however, and his performances were widely praised, especially "I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)", originally from 1973's Selling England by the Pound. As the tour went on, Beacon would notice Phil Collins slouching during the performances and reminded him about this, suggesting that he sit up straighter so as not to ruin his back, which Collins would soon take to heart. This was one of the first moments between the pair that would eventually cement a friendship that would last for years to come.

PHIL COLLINS: "Thank God Kim Beacon was there to take over lead vocals. I don't want to imagine what might've happened to Genesis if we hadn't brought him into the group." (2003)

January - July 1976

Nancy and Ann Wilson, 1976.

Following the success of Dreamboat Annie, Pete Ham and Heart set to work on making the band's sophomore effort, tentatively titled Magazine, intended for a July 1976 release. The Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy were enjoying this newfound success and had a good working relationship with Ham and Highway 61 Records.[3] What could possibly go wrong?

ANN WILSON: "I don't know who it was that made up that article for Rolling Stone, but what happened was that they used a photograph of me and Nancy topless - from chest up, of course - and the public ran with the story that we were in an incestuous relationship. We and those in charge of Apple were outraged with the tabloid." (1985)

"It was only our first time!" Rolling Stone magazine had claimed, taking the Wilson sisters' quote out of context. What they had actually meant to say was that the success of Dreamboat Annie had been their first, not whether or not they were incestuous lesbian lovers. Pete Ham was so infuriated by the tabloid that he wanted to have Rolling Stone sued for libel and the journalist who wrote the article fired and blacklisted.

JACK OLIVER: "Pete just wouldn't let up about what Rolling Stone had claimed. Nor would Ann and Nancy. Michael [Fisher, Ann Wilson's then-boyfriend] was also angered by the tabloid. They were so caught up in the controversy that they ended up putting their follow-up album on hold. We've tried getting Pete to calm down, even saying that a lawsuit would only draw more attention. He did eventually settle down, of course." (2009)

A barracuda is a snake-like predatory fish that can be found in tropical and subtropical oceans. In Heart's famous 1977 single, the metaphorical barracuda refers to anyone on the dark side of music business, whether they be the local promotion person or the president of a record company.

PETE HAM: "Those goddamned journalists didn't do their fucking research. I swear, they're nothing more than a bunch of snakes. No, scratch that - barracudas would be a more accurate depiction of those fuckers!" (1976, to Jack Oliver)

Only five planned tracks for what could have been Magazine had been recorded - "Heartless", "Just the Wine", "Magazine", "Devil Delight" and a cover of Badfinger's 1970 hit "Without You". But rather than simply leaving them on the cutting room floor, four of the tracks were released as non-album singles - "Heartless"/"Just the Wine" (#11 US) on July 19 and "Without You"/"Devil Delight" (#59 UK, #18 US) on November 1. The overall affair had left everyone involved feeling very drained, especially after a radio promoter asked Ann Wilson about her lover (whom she thought was Michael Fisher, but the promoter had actually meant Nancy), causing Ann to storm back to her hotel room. Frustrated, she began work on what would become one of Heart's biggest hits, and had also taken inspiration from a remark made by Pete Ham concerning journalists.

17 December 1976

Genesis - Wind & Wuthering

Released: 17 December 1976

Recorded: September - October 1976

Producer: David Hentschel and Genesis

Track listing[4]

Side A

Eleventh Earl of Mar
One for the Vine

Your Own Special Way

Pigeons

Side B

Inside and Out
Blood on the Rooftops
Nightbird
In That Quiet Earth
Afterglow

Throughout September and October, Genesis had relocated to Hilvarenbeek in the Netherlands to record their next album, Wind & Wuthering. Nearly seventy minutes' worth of music had been recorded for possible inclusion, but they could only include less than sixty minutes' worth, which caused a bit of friction in the band, most notably for Steve Hackett, who felt that his contributions would end up being overlooked in favor of Tony Banks' instead.

STEVE HACKETT: "I hadn't been feeling all that happy since Peter had left to look after his family, and then eventually, a solo career. Kim did everything he could to serve as the peacemaker for the band, even suggesting we put out a double album. I know his heart was in the right place, but the last time we put out a double album [The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway], it didn't make the numbers we were expecting. I did end up getting a couple of more contributions on the final album, it wasn't enough to make we want to leave." (1989)

KIM BEACON: "I know I was barely in Genesis for a year when we started work on Wind & Wuthering, but I did feel a bit sorry for Steve. He wanted a quarter of his material on the album, but Tony and Mike insisted on having the best material for it. Phil agreed with them, even saying that splitting the writing equally was a bit of a dumb idea. But even then, Phil and I tried to help Steve, but there wasn't anything more we could have done to keep him around. We still wished him well, however." (2003)

The most notable contribution on the album was Kim Beacon's first solo contribution to Genesis, "Nightbird", a slow waltz track about a couple in the moonlit night following a rainstorm. The rest of the band was astounded by the beauty of the track, with Phil Collins calling it one of his favorite Genesis songs. The first single off of Wind & Wuthering, "Your Own Special Way" and a full version of "It's Yourself" (#11 UK, #15 US), was released under Highway 61 Records on 18 February 1977, with "Nightbird" and the non-album B-side "Unquiet Slumbers for the Sleepers" (#14 UK, #6 US) being released as a single in June, quickly reaching the Top 10 in America in the midst of Bee Gees domination.

Steve Hackett performing live with Genesis, 1977. Phil Collins is barely visible from behind Hackett.

Wind & Wuthering had been released two weeks before New Years' Eve and was a commercial success on both sides of the Atlantic (#4 UK, #13 US), with "Nightbird" and "Your Own Special Way" being acclaimed as the best songs from the album. "They're ballads that are destined to become timeless classics for years to come," New Musical Express wrote in its review on the album, also praising Kim Beacon's vocal performances.

KIM BEACON: "I'm glad I had my big break with Genesis in the 70s. If I hadn't been invited to sing for them, I don't know where I'd be today. Mind you, Genesis has always been a unit, not just a front man and a band. Just because I'm the front man doesn't mean I'm the most important member. We're all important in our own ways, and that's something I've always believed in since first joining. I'm just glad that most of our fans have understood that." (2015)

Despite this success, not all was well in the Genesis camp. After being part of the band since recording for 1971's Nursery Cryme, Steve Hackett left the band after seven years as Genesis' guitarist following the Wind & Wuthering tour, lasting from 1 January to 3 July. Recordings from the tour would be used for their live album Seconds Out, released 14 October on Highway 61 Records, primarily sourced from the 11-14 June shows at Palais des Sports in Paris, France.

MIKE RUTHERFORD: "Now that we were reduced to a quartet once again, I ended up taking on both bass and guitar duties, but we needed a replacement for Steve on guitar whenever we went on tour. Alphonso Johnson auditioned for us but didn't make the cut. However, he knew someone called Daryl Stuermer and put his name forward." (1992)[5]

The rest of Genesis was impressed by Daryl Stuermer's guitar work, and from 1978 to the present, he became the band's touring guitarist. The main lineup now consisted of Banks, Rutherford, Collins and Beacon, although they would only end up making one album together as a quartet before the current, iconic lineup would be born...

1 January 1977

Dennis Wilson, 1977.

As 1976 drew to a close, Highway 61 Records had a healthy roster that was a mixture of seasoned veterans and up-and-coming music stars. But perhaps it was a little too healthy, as there were more artists signed up to Highway 61 Records than there were on their sister label, Apple Records, almost at a ratio of two to one.

DENNIS WILSON: "Highway 61 Records was not even five years old by then, and already, there was the issue about some artists being sidelined in favor of others. No disrespect to those involved at the time of formation, but I don't think the likes of Elton John or Neil Young could've foreseen that the label would face the problem of having a bloated roster. So I did some searching and requested an audience with Peter Grant and the Yardbirds about the issues facing Highway 61." (2001)

Swan Song Records had a very small roster; the Yardbirds, Bad Company, and the recently-signed Sad Café. Two other artists, Maggie Bell and the Pretty Things, would depart by the end of 1976; counting them, that was a total of five artists (soon to be three) compared to Highway 61's thirty to forty artists. Dennis Wilson concluded that Swan Song could not sustain itself simply for having two big-selling bands, and he worked out a strategy so that both Highway 61 and Swan Song could share the load of artists between them, and therefore kill two birds with one stone.

PETER GRANT: "Dennis seemed very pleased with this proposal, and so the two of us arranged for a meeting with several other executives at Apple and Highway 61." (1989)

Blue Öyster Cult, 1975. They were among several artists initially signed onto Highway 61 Records who decided to transfer to Swan Song Records.

It was a very lengthy meeting, and a lot of discussions took place, but by the end of it all, it was agreed that beginning on New Year's Day 1977, Swan Song Records would officially become a subsidiary of Apple. Those who were signed onto Highway 61 Records were given an advance reminder that they had the opportunity to transfer to Swan Song Records. Some artists such as Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and Blue Öyster Cult were eager about the transfer; others such as Bob Dylan, Kiki Dee and Tom Petty chose to stay at Highway 61. (A select few like Nigel Olsson and Tom Scott would depart the following year.) Dave Edmunds would stay as record producer for Highway 61, but he would also release his own material on Swan Song Records.

TONY BANKS: "Genesis was among those who chose to transfer to Swan Song Records, and I think it was very symbolic in retrospect; we had brought in a new guitarist, and now we were part of another label under Apple. This marked the beginning of what the press would call 'Phase Two' of Genesis." (2003)

With a lot of hard rock and punk artists being signed onto Swan Song Records, the label would inevitably be branded as a hard rock label, given it had the likes of the Yardbirds, Bad Company, Aerosmith and Blondie on their roster. Those who were part of the label at any given period of time would dismiss these claims as "stereotypical bullshit" and that "there's more to Swan Song if you listen more closely!" Parents even tried to prevent their children from buying any album off of Swan Song Records, saying that their music was dangerous and could corrupt, with the odd exception, but even that didn't stop sales.

May 6, 1977

Heart - Little Queen

Released: May 6, 1977

Recorded: 1976, February - April 1977

Producer: Pete Ham

Track listing[6]

Side A

Barracuda

Love Alive

Sylvan Song

Dream of the Archer

Magazine

Side B

Little Queen

Treat Me Well

Say Hello

Cry to Me

Go On Cry

Not wanting "Magazine" to be left on the shelves, Heart added in overdubs so that it could blend right in with the new recordings from February to April. These recordings resulted in the long-awaited followup to Dreamboat Annie, Little Queen (#21 UK, #4 US), released that May alongside the lead single "Barracuda" (#47 UK, #5 US) alongside the non-album B-side, "Kick It Out". The album received mixed to positive reviews from critics, while the "Barracuda" single got a more positive reception, earning Heart another Top 10 hit. The follow-up single, "Little Queen"/"Treat Me Well" (#16 US) did not sell as much, but it was still a reasonable enough hit that Heart, along with several of their stablemates at Highway 61 Records (as well as those on Swan Song Records), were starting to grow a following among rock music groups.

That December, Heart put out an extended play, Without You. Side A consisted of both sides of the "Heartless"/"Just the Wine" single as well as "Kick It Out", and Side B featured their cover of "Without You", as well as "Devil Delight" and "Here Song". Later CD releases of Little Queen would feature the extended play as bonus tracks.

Nobody could explain why at the time, but with Apple, Highway 61 and Swan Song Records having the respective talents of the Beatles, Bob Dylan and the Yardbirds under their belts, people would end up talking about who just got signed up under any of the three labels. Even if these new artists were relatively unknown by the public, they would certainly get people talking and wondering what they had to offer.

Footnotes

1. Phil Collins was part of jazz fusion band Brand X from 1975 to 1977 as well as 1979. He left the band at various times due to his commitments with Genesis in OTL. In TTL, he leaves Brand X for good before Unorthodox Behaviour is released, meaning he is committed full time to Genesis and even devotes more time to his family. Bill Bruford became the new drummer for Brand X before leaving at the end of July 1976. Joe Blocker then takes over between August and October before being replaced by Chester Thompson. Thompson is then followed up by Kenwood Dennard (1977-1978), Chuck Burgi (May-October 1978) and Mike Clark (October-December 1978) before returning in 1979, occasionally being swapped out for Clark. Brand X breaks up in 1980 per OTL and their future after that remains unchanged.
2. The track listing remains unaltered for A Trick of the Tail, with the exception of "It's Yourself", an outtake from said sessions, preceding "Los Endos". For TTL, all tracks are sung by Kim Beacon with Phil Collins providing secondary vocals on "Robbery, Assault and Battery".
3. Heart was planning on releasing another studio album for Mushroom Records, but they were dropped by the label who deemed Heart as a one-hit wonder.
4. Once again, all tracks for TTL's Wind & Wuthering are sung by Kim Beacon, barring the instrumental track "In That Quiet Earth". "Pigeon" and "Inside and Out" from the Spot the Pigeon EP are also included; for TTL, Phil sings lead on the verses to "Pigeons" and the chorus of "Inside and Out". Kim Beacon sings lead on "Inside and Out" while doing backing vocals for "Pigeons". "Nightbird" is sourced from Beacon's 1979 solo album Ravenna; I simply pretended that it had been written as early as 1976. "Match of the Day", "Wot Gorilla?" and "All in a Mouse's Night" end up being part of an extended play called Spot the Gorilla, released May 1977.
5. Daryl Stuermer was indeed recommended as a replacement for Steve Hackett in late 1977. Like in OTL, he isn't a full-time member of Genesis, but he did at least perform live as both lead guitarist and bass player between 1978 and 1992. Stuermer later rejoined Genesis for their Turn It On Again Tour in 2007 and is planned to reunite with them for The Last Domino? Tour in early 2021 (originally scheduled for 2020, but it has been delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic). In addition to touring with Genesis, Stuermer has also played on Mike Rutherford's Acting Very Strange, three of Tony Banks' solo albums (The Fugitive, Still and Strictly Inc), and all of Phil Collins' solo studio albums barring Both Sides and Going Back.
6. All tracks are sourced from Little Queen, excluding "Magazine", taken from the 1978 release of the album of the same name.

Author's Comments

Before I get to the commentary on this chapter, I'd like to say this; I'm sure you know this by now, but a new Blogger format has been introduced. I suppose it works fine on mobile phone, but I don't think it works at all for personal computers. (I write these posts on my laptop, so I probably wouldn't know and could be wrong.) I'm sure there's good intentions behind this, but not everybody uses a mobile phone; there's probably more out there who prefer to use social media on computer, but again, I could be wrong. I don't want Blogger to make the wrong choices in the future; I've seen it happen before on DeviantArt, and this happening to Blogger as well is a potential worse case scenario.

Okay, that aside, I bet you didn't expect to see this chapter coming, huh? I personally was not expecting to write this chapter either, but here we are. Yep, Genesis is now a big part of the story, and they've brought in a new vocalist in the form of Kim Beacon. He's probably one of the most obscure artists out there, and despite being part of String Driven Thing, there's hardly much information about him. He sang on Tony Banks' A Curious Feeling in 1979 and released two solo albums before dying in 2001. That sounds like a pretty cruel fate, doesn't it? Dying without even making a dent in music history. Thankfully, this story has him survive to at least 2016 (and still lives to this day) and gives him a proper chance in the spotlight. We'll see how this affects Genesis in the near future.

Another unexpected bit was Swan Song Records becoming part of Apple; that label had a similarly cruel fate of shutting down in 1983 and didn't have that many artists under its belt, but hopefully we'll be able to fix both problems. Apple is really dominating the music scene, isn't it? Not much to say about Heart, though, and there probably won't be much happening for them in future chapters.

Thanks to danielmartin273 for helping in writing this chapter out, mainly suggesting ideas on what should happen.

Chapter 49: American Girl (February - November 1976)

February 16 - June 7, 1976

Mike Gibbins (far left) with the rest of Badfinger, circa 1973.

MIKE GIBBINS: "When Badfinger split up, the four of us were left wondering where we would go next after we put out Head First. Pete ended up becoming the joint director of A&R for Highway 61 Records with Dennis Wilson. Joey toured with Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra. Tom ended up being part of Utopia with Todd Rundgren and the like. That left me on my own, wondering what to do with myself." (1981)

GRAHAM NASH: "It had been well over a year since we'd finished recording for both Hawaiian Sunrise and Human Highway. We were kinda feeling burned out by the time Highway had finally been released, and so the break did the four of us some good; Neil and Steve put out their own solo projects for Highway 61, and David and I were planning another duo album with the leftover material we had. By now, I'd heard of Badfinger's split, and I wanted to call up one of the members to see if they were available." (2002)

STEPHEN STILLS: "Graham got a hold of Mike after learning that Tom and Joey were already busy with other bands, and he asked if he could serve as a full-time drummer for us. He then told me, David and Neil about Mike's situation, and so after a brief meeting, we all agreed to bring him into the fold, and then Graham gave Mike a follow-up call to confirm that he was now part of the band." (1994)

David Crosby and Graham Nash performing with Carole King, 1975.

DAVID CROSBY: "I think it was a good thing that Graham invited Mike Gibbins to join the group. We still carried on as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cause... well, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young & Gibbins doesn't quite have the same ring, does it? *chuckles*" (1998)

MIKE GIBBINS: "I didn't have any material of my own when we did my first album with them, but that was fine with me. I did occasionally provide backing vocals on some of their tracks though; all in all, I was just happy to be part of a band again. Being part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young was probably one of the best things to happen to me after Badfinger broke up ten years ago." (1985)

The recording sessions for the first CSNY album with Mike Gibbins as their new drummer began in mid-February and was to be called Long May You Run, serving as a follow up to Human Highway. The sessions lasted only four months, in contrast to Human Highway's production lasting about eighteen months, and took place at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida. By contrast to the more folksy sound that had dominated previous albums, Long May You Run would take on a more experimental approach, most of that being credited to Neil Young and Stephen Stills.

August 6, 1976

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Long May You Run

Released: August 6, 1976

Recorded: February 16 - June 7, 1976

Producer: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Track listing[1]

Side A

Long May You Run
Broken Bird
Black Coral
Time After Time
Mutiny
Midnight on the Bay

Side B

J.B.'s Blues
12/8 Blues (All the Same)
Taken at All
Ocean Girl
Foolish Man
Guardian Angel

Like many follow-ups to great movies or albums, Long May You Run fell short for most critics, especially in regards to their more experimental songs (i.e. "12/8 Blues", "Ocean Girl") contrasting sharply with the more traditional sounding songs ("Taken at All", "Foolish Man"). On reflection to the sudden change of sound, the album did not reach the Top 10 in either the United States (#26) or the United Kingdom (#12), and nor did the two singles "Long May You Run"/"Time After Time" (#71 UK, #24 US) or "Taken at All"/"Black Coral" (#39 US, did not chart in the UK).

Despite the generally mixed reviews (although leaning towards positive), CSNY and Mike Gibbins went on a tour in the United States to promote their new album beginning with two performances at the Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan on June 23 and 24. However, after the Charlotte Coliseum performance in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 18, Neil Young pulled out via a telegram to Crosby, Stills and Nash:

"Dear David, Stephen and Graham, it's funny how some things that start spontaneously end that way. Eat some peaches. Neil."

Neil Young, 1976.

NEIL YOUNG: "At the time, I was feeling disillusioned with being a part of CSNY. I wanted to carry on with a solo career, as well as with the guys at Crazy Horse. It didn't feel fair of me, in hindsight, to leave some of the burden onto Mike Gibbins, who'd just become a part of the band." (1988)

The rest of the tour carried on under Crosby, Stills & Nash for the first time since 1969 following their eponymous debut album. After all, the show had to go on, with or without Neil. Many dates following the Charlotte Coliseum performance were changed up, and the trio plus Gibbins soon found themselves performing abroad in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Japan by the end of the year.

October 8, 1976

Neil Young - Zuma

Released: October 8, 1976

Recorded: June 16, 1974 - August 29, 1975 and August 11, 1976

Producer: Neil Young and David Briggs

Track listing[2]

Side A

Don't Cry No Tears
Hitchhiker
Campaigner
Lookin' for a Love
Barstool Blues

Side B

Stupid Girl
Drive Back
Cortez the Killer
Hawaii

Ironically, Neil Young's first album following his split with Crosby, Stills & Nash had actually been recorded while he was part of the group; shortly before the release of On the Beach, during the tour that led to the Hawaiian Sunrise live album, during the recording sessions for both Human Highway and Homegrown. The remaining three songs, "Hitchhiker", "Campaigner" and "Hawaii", were all recorded along with various other songs on August 11, 1976. The other five songs from the sessions would eventually find their way onto a future Young project for next year.

Zuma (#44 UK, #25 US) received generally positive reviews from critics, being Young's first post-Ditch Tetralogy album following Time Fades Away, Tonight's the Night, On the Beach and Homegrown. The sole single from the album, "Lookin' for a Love"/"Drive Back", did not chart on either side of the Atlantic, but it did reach #48 in Young's native Canada.

November 2, 1976

Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, 1976.

When George McGovern was elected president in 1972 against Gerald Ford, he'd only obtained the highest office by pure luck; Ford had chosen Bob Dole as his running candidate for vice-president instead of one of the more liberal Republicans, Nelson Rockefeller, whilst McGovern had chosen Terry Sanford. Not only that, the reputation of the Republican Party had taken a heavy blow following the Watergate scandal - and later, Richard Nixon's ten-year imprisonment - meaning that it was too soon for a Republican president after Nixon's fall from grace. Yet despite these factors, Ford had won 27 states and McGovern 23 (plus the District of Columbia), but McGovern had won more votes in the electoral college - 282 to Ford's 255.

Despite these victories, as well as getting American soldiers out of Vietnam by 1975, McGovern wasn't a hugely popular president to his peers; he was a liberal that was either ahead of his time or behind his time. What didn't help his reputation was the energy crisis that had hit the Western world, leading to an oil crisis that began in October 1973 at the same time as the Yom Kippur War; an oil embargo had been proclaimed by the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) targeting nations believed to be supporting Israel, and that included the United States. McGovern was given public blame for these issues, and on top of being disliked by the Democratic Party, this would haunt George McGovern for the remainder of his time in the White House.

Election Day couldn't come fast enough for America when 1976 rolled around; it had been a few years since the Watergate scandal blew up, and the Republican Party was slowly beginning to heal. Their most popular candidate for the election on November 2 was former governor of California (as well as former actor) Ronald Reagan.

McGovern had won only six states (Rhode Island, West Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota and Hawaii, as well as the District of Columbia), whilst Reagan won the remaining 44 states in a landslide victory of 489 electoral votes to McGovern's 49. On January 20, 1977, Ronald Reagan would become the 39th President of the United States and would continue for a second term in 1981.[3] As for George McGovern? While he left office as one of the least popular Presidents in American history, as time went on, he would be regarded as a "tragic hero" of the 1970s, especially in showing support for LGBT rights in America as well as attempting to get the Equal Rights Amendment approved for the United States Constitution.

November 6, 1976

Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - American Girl

Released: November 6, 1976

Recorded: 1976

Producer: Pete Ham

Track listing[4]

Side A

Rockin' Around (With You)
Breakdown
Mystery Man
Surrender
The Wild One, Forever
Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll

Side B

Strangered in the Night
Fooled Again (I Don't Like It)
Hometown Blues
Luna
American Girl

Like their eponymous debut album, Tom Petty and Mudcrutch's second album, American Girl, was produced by Pete Ham, but without any involvement from George Harrison. It had performed even better than their previous album by charting as high as #36 in the United States and even managed to chart at #20 in the United Kingdom, supported by a tour in said country.

Critical reception to American Girl was also very positive; the title track was released as the lead single alongside "The Wild One, Forever" in October, and did a respectable #14 in the United States and #30 in the United Kingdom. The following single, "Breakdown"/"Anything That's Rock 'n' Roll" just barely made the Top 40 in America - at #38 - following its release in January 1977.

Although this was a period in which punk rock and disco were reigning, Tom Petty and Mudcrutch were quickly gaining a following, and would go on to be one of the greatest rock acts of the 1970s.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Crosby & Nash's Whistling Down the Wire and The Stills-Young Band's Long May You Run. The full CSNY tracks are taken from Neil Young's Decade ("Long May You Run"), Stephen Stills' Carry On ("Black Coral") and the third disc of the CSN box set ("Taken at All").
2. All tracks are sourced from Zuma, excluding "Hitchiker", "Campaigner" and "Hawaii", all sourced from Hitchhiker (recorded 1976, but not released until 2017).
3. In OTL, Ronald Reagan did become President, but he was elected in 1980, winning against the incumbent Jimmy Carter, and was President until 1989 due to the 22nd Amendment (approved 1947) restricting politicians from becoming President for longer than eight years.
4. All tracks from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are utilized and rearranged to have evenly-timed sides. "Surrender" is the 1976 recording found on An American Treasure.

Author's Comments

As the penultimate chapter for Phase Two, here's a nice, short and simple one, especially given how lengthy the last chapter was. And no, the inclusion of the "Day After Day" tag was not a mistake; the lives of the Badfinger members post-breakup will be part of it, and Mike Gibbins' side of the story does overlap with the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young story, "Before the Silver Rushes". Plus, we got a brief mention of Pete Ham working with Tom Petty on the second Mudcrutch album, so half of the members are featured.

Meanwhile, we'll soon be saying goodbye to George McGovern as President of the United States of America, and hello to Ronald Reagan in the White House. I haven't done much with President McGovern since chapter thirty, mostly because the political side of the story doesn't have a huge effect on the music scene of 1973-1976. However, I do intend to do a profile on George McGovern during his time as President, drawing some parallels as to what Richard Nixon and (later) Gerald Ford went through in the 1973-1977 term; I imagine that a fair number of things would be different in regards as to how McGovern would handle certain topics like LGBT rights and the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Oh, and he also grants John Lennon citizenship in America mostly because he has bigger fish to fry than dealing with overseas rock stars "causing trouble on American soil".

Next chapter will not only be the last for Phase Two, but also the fiftieth chapter as a whole! Wow! I never imagined when I started this blog that I would put out five chapters, let alone fifty, but it's been an amazing journey so far. Phase Three has a lot to live up to, and I don't even know how many chapters long it'll be! I'm predicting at least forty given that it covers nine years (1977-1985), but I could write up as many as fifty, potentially hitting 100 chapters. We'll see.

Chapter 43: Magic Man (January - September 1975)

10 January 1975

Badfinger - Head First

Released: 10 January 1975

Recorded: July and December 1974

Producer: Chris Thomas

Track listing[1]

Side A

Lay Me Down
You're So Fine
Got to Get Out of Here
Know One Knows
King of the Load (T)
Rockin' Machine
Dennis

Side B

Just a Chance
In the Meantime (Some Other Time)
Saville Row Link
Love Time
Keep Believing
Back Again
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch (Should I Smoke)

Badfinger's eponymous album, their sixth overall, had been released on 1 February 1974, backed by the sole leading single "I Miss You"/"Shine On". It had managed to do a respectable #17 in the United Kingdom, but it was a dismal flop in the United States. The album had marked their first with producer Chris Thomas, who had also done some engineer work with the Beatles on albums such as Beatles '68 and Alice in Wonderland. Their next album with Thomas was intended to be released in December, but that same month, the band had returned to the studio following the initial July sessions (following a brief spring tour in Europe) to record a few new songs for possible inclusion.

JOEY MOLLAND: "We didn't know it when we began recording Head First in July, but when we  did the final December sessions, we were certain that Badfinger was a spent force by that point. We just had to turn the album in to fulfill our contract with Apple." (1981)

Since Apple Records' formation in 1968, Badfinger had been a backbone for the label, achieving great success that almost rivaled the Beatles in their heyday up to 1971, alongside Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Elton John. In recent years, however, Badfinger was beginning to falter, most notably when putting out the self-produced Zoo at the end of 1972. The music landscape had greatly changed since 1970, and it seemed as though Badfinger had become irrelevant in favor of reggae, funk and soul music. It was better to burn out than to fade away.

Joey Molland and Pete Ham performing live with Badfinger, 1974.

Head First was the first album released under Apple Records in 1975, on 10 January. It was Badfinger's least impressive album performance wise, having decided not to tour in support of the record because of the breakup. As a result, the album only managed to reach #39 in the United Kingdom, and the sole single, "Lay Me Down"/"Queen of Darkness" (non-album B-side), did no better at #35. Neither the album nor the single charted in the United States.[2]

Badfinger was officially over, but it wasn't all bad news.

PETE HAM: "By that point, I wasn't interested in making music anymore. My heart just wasn't in it. Of course, I still wanted to be involved in the music industry and Apple itself, and so I told George [Harrison] that I wanted to become a record producer instead. Highway 61 Records was slowly taking off after it was launched forty years ago, and it needed people behind the console to produce potential hits." (2003)

Pete Ham wasn't the only person signed up to Highway 61 Records as a producer; Dave Edmunds and ex-Monkees member Peter Tork had been brought in to produce potential hit artists in 1973, and most recently, Dennis Wilson had also been brought into the portfolio, following the dissolution of the Passions. Throughout the past year, Highway 61 had brought in Alice Cooper, Supertramp, Nigel Olsson, Neil Sedaka, Tina Turner, Solution, and most famously, Tom Petty and his band Mudcrutch.

August 15, 1975

Tom Petty & Mudcrutch - Tom Petty & Mudcrutch

Released: August 15, 1975

Recorded: 1971, 1974 - 1975

Producer: George Harrison and Pete Ham

Track listing[3]

Side A

Lost in Your Eyes
Don't Do Me Like That
Makin' Some Noise
Up in Mississippi Tonight
I Can't Fight It

Side B

Cry to Me
Since You Said You Loved Me
On the Street
Another Lonely Night
Depot Street

TOM PETTY: "We were signed onto Highway 61 back in '74. Mike [Campbell], Benmont [Tench], Randall [Marsh], Danny [Roberts] and I were looking for a record contract in Los Angeles, and who should sign us up but George Harrison himself!" (1996)

MIKE CAMPBELL: "George did some test recording with us upon signing us up and could tell that we had great potential to be great artists. The initial sessions for our debut album were in 1974, but then they stopped when George went played live with the Ladders and Elton John. Luckily, he didn't forget about us and called in Pete Ham to finish the job he'd started." (2010)

The only recording outside of the 1974 and 1975 sessions was Tom Petty and Mudcrutch's first single, "Up in Mississippi Tonight", released in 1971 under Pepper Records. Its B-side, "Cause Is Understood", did not make it onto the album, and was not re-released until the CD reissue in 2001.

RANDALL MARSH: "Some of the songs had to be re-recorded when Pete Ham took over as producer, but I think the end result was worth it." (1983)

The members of Tom Petty & Mudcrutch, 1975. Not pictured: Benmont Tench.

Tom Petty & Mudcrutch (#87 US) was released on August 15, 1975, with the production credit jointly shared between Harrison and Ham. The first single, "Depot Street"/"Wild Eyes" (non-album B-side), was released in June before the album but only reached #55 in the United States. However, the second single, "Don't Do Me Like That"/"Lost in Your Eyes", did much better, charting at #17 there and even managed to reach #38 in the United Kingdom. In retrospective years, the album was looked back as a modest start to Tom Petty's music career, and since its release, he has gone on to make even better albums and write up some greater songs.

But while Tom Petty & Mudcrutch was seen as a modest start for Tom Petty, many tend to overlook the fact that it was Pete Ham's first real success following the breakup of Badfinger. He had been seeing problems Apple had been facing at the time with a stagnating roster and wanted to make the effort to discover new, unknown artists for Highway 61.

Nancy and Ann Wilson of Heart, 1975.

Among Ham's first signings was a Canadian female-fronted band called Heart, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, and even produced their debut album Dreamboat Annie as well as the lead single "Magic Man"/"How Deep It Goes", which reached #9 in the United States. Following Heart's success, as well as approval from label president Jack Oliver, Ham would also go on to sign up Patti Smith and the Ramones to Highway 61. It was the beginning of the punk scene in the music world.

Dennis Wilson was also kept busy in singing up new artists. Most of his contributions in 1975 were signing up previously established artists in the music scene such as blues artist Dr. John, progressive rock band Genesis, Blue Öyster Cult, as well as ex-Faces member Rod Stewart. For both Ham and Wilson, their foresight would pay off as all would go on to achieve success in the future and even face a career revival in some cases, most notably Genesis and Rod Stewart. The only new signing that year not by either Wilson or Ham was Harry Nilsson, signed up by John Lennon.

19 September 1975

Electric Light Orchestra - Face the Music

Released: 19 September 1975

Recorded: May - June 1975

Producer: Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood

Track listing[4]

Side A

Fire on High
Brand New 88
Waterfall
I Dun Lotsa Cryin' Over You
Nightrider

Side B

Rattlesnake Roll
Poker
Everyday I Wonder
Down Home Town
We're Gonna Rock 'n' Roll Tonight

The Electric Light Orchestra's fifth album, Face the Music, was preceded by the non-album single "Rattlesnake Roll"/"Strange Magic" (#14 US, #38 UK) and then followed up by "Evil Woman"/"Indiana Rainbow" (#10 US and UK), for September and December releases, respectively. The album itself would hit #8 in the United States and #27 in the United Kingdom, as well as marking the end of an era.

JEFF LYNNE: "Just two months after we finished recording for Face the Music, Roy called me up and said that he wanted a change. At first, I didn't know where he was coming from, but then he said to me that he wanted to leave the Orchestra and carve out a path for himself. By the end of August, Rick [Price] and Mike [Burney] had left the band as well and joined Roy to form Wizzo, and left Apple. There's no hard feelings between us, of course. We still hang out every now and again to catch up on the goings-on between us." (2000)

Face the Music received generally positive reviews from critics; for the tour supporting the album, many lamented the absence of Roy Wood and Rick Price, having been part of the band since its inception (Mike Burney had been part of the group since 1972), but it was still regarded as the turning point for ELO, which now had a bigger success in America. It was further exemplified the following year with A New World Record, which launched them into global success, making them one of the biggest bands of the 1970s.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Wish You Were Here (Badfinger) and Head First.
2. In OTL, Head First remained unreleased until 2000, becoming their tenth album as opposed to their eighth. In addition, Joey Molland was replaced by Bob Jackson following the former's resignation from Badfinger, and Pete Ham took his own life just three days short of his 28th birthday.
3. Seven of the tracks can be found on the 2000 box set Playback. "Lost in Your Eyes" can be found on the posthumous box set An American Treasure, and "Makin' Some Noise" and "Another Lonely Night" can both be found on the bootleg Mudcrutch and Solo Petty Outtakes.
4. Tracks are sourced from OTL's Face the Music and Introducing Eddy and the Falcons, excluding "Rattlesnake Roll", taken from the 2000 reissue of Roy Wood's Mustard.

Author's Comments

A bit of a shorter chapter this time around, but it's fairly significant when it comes to the story's development. Badfinger has ended, but happily, Pete Ham's still with us and he's gained a new position at Highway 61 Records. But what'll become of the post-Ham Badfinger albums? Well, I figure that if there's no Pete Ham, then they probably can't be Badfinger albums. Maybe they'll exist in some capacity as a solo album for one of the members with Pete Ham producing, not dissimilar to how Joe Strummer produced for Mick Jones' album with Bad Audio Dynamite, No. 10, Upping Street.

As well as that, we're finally introduced to Tom Petty and Mudcrutch - Tom himself, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Charlie Souza and Randall Marsh (taking the place of Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, respectively). Even though Mudcrutch broke up in 1975 in OTL, they still carried on under the Heartbreakers, or at least, Tom, Mike and Benmont did, almost like a metamorphosis. With Bob Dylan also at Highway 61 Records and George Harrison and Jeff Lynne at Apple, four of the five Wilburys are now all under the same banner - don't worry about Roy; they'll cross paths with him soon enough.

The next chapter will be up Monday the third, but before that, this Friday will come out with a post regarding the various ELO lineups up to 1975.