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

18 October 1985

The Clash - This is The Clash

Released: 18 October 1985

Recorded: January - March 1985

Producer: The Clash

Track listing[1]

Side A

Medicine Show

Cool Under Heat

E=MC²

The Bottom Line

Do It Now

Side B

This is England

Sudden Impact!

Three Card Trick

Electric Vandal

North and South

Life is Wild

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

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

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

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

Footnotes

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

Author's Comments

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

Extra Scenes: Hunky Dory Solo Projects (April 1972 - October 1976)

Pre-Highway 61 Albums (1972 - 1975)

The Velvet Underground - Satellite of Love

Released: April 7, 1972

Recorded: September 27, 1969 and December 1971 - January 1972

Producer: The Velvet Underground and Richard Robinson

Track listing[1]

Side A

I'm Gonna Move Right In

Going Down

Love Makes You Feel

New York Telephone Conversation

Berlin

Side B

Satellite of Love

Wild Child

I Love You

Walk and Talk It

Goodnight Ladies

The Velvet Underground's sixth and final album was actually intended to be a Lou Reed solo album, but a phone call with John Cale had prompted Reed to reconsider, eventually resulting in Satellite of Love becoming a full band effort. "What the hell, we might as well go out on a high note," Reed had said when recording began.

The only track not recorded during the sessions was "I'm Gonna Move Right In", an outtake from their fourth album, IV, but four more tracks - "Walk and Talk It", "I Love You", "Wild Child" and "Love Makes You Feel" - had actually been written and performed live in 1970 but never recorded in the studio. Another track, "Satellite of Love" had also been demoed in 1970, along with "New York Telephone Conversation" and "Goodnight Ladies" being played live in the same year as well. "Going Down" and "Berlin" were the only new tracks written for Satellite of Love.

The Velvet Underground's swan song hit #189 in the United States; whilst better than the previous album Loaded (#202), it still didn't achieve the heights that their debut album with Nico did (#171). The title track was also released as a single with "Love Makes You Feel", achieving far greater success in the United Kingdom when released in August (#119 US, #51 UK). But this minor success wasn't enough to keep the Velvet Underground from breaking up and Lou Reed moving onto a solo career, as well as the odd collaboration with Hunky Dory.

Lou Reed - Berlin

Released: July 20, 1973

Recorded: 1973

Producer: Bob Ezrin

Kevin Ayers - The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories

Released: May 10, 1974

Recorded: February - March 1974

Producer: Rupert Hine

Track listing[2]

Side A

Decadence

See You Later/Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought of You

It Begins With a Blessing/Once I Awakened/But It Ends With a Curse

Internotional Anthem

Side B

The Confessions of Doctor Dream

Ballbearing Blues

Beware of the Dog

The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories was Kevin Ayers' first album since 1971's Whatevershebringswesing, as well as his first with Ollie Halsall, who would later go on to become a constant musical partner for Ayers, even on his works with Hunky Dory. Comprised of various holdovers from Melting Pottery and the then-to-be-released The Gouster, Dr. Dream did not chart, but it has been regarded as one of Kevin Ayers' best works.

Lou Reed - Sally Can't Dance

Released: August 9, 1974

Recorded: March 18 - April 26, 1974

Producer: Steve Katz and Lou Reed

David Bowie - Sweet Thing

Released: January 17, 1975

Recorded: August - November 1974

Producer: David Bowie and Tony Visconti

Track listing[3]

Side A

We Are the Dead

Sweet Thing

Win

Candidate

Chant of the Ever Circling Skeletal Family

Side B

Somebody Up There Likes Me

Time

Can You Hear Me

Sweet Thing (Reprise)

Like his previous solo albums, David Bowie's Sweet Thing was comprised of leftovers from previous Rolling Stones albums, plus the soon-to-be-released Young Americans. After it was released at the start of 1975, it went on to reach #5 and #3 in the United Kingdom and the United States, respectively. However, although no one knew it at the time, Bowie was beginning to feel that the Rolling Stones were not experimental enough for him to stick around for the long run, which would eventually come to a head in the aftermath of the controversy surrounding his new persona, the Thin White Duke.

[AN: Yes, the album is released on Apple Records; I just put it there for chronology's sake.]

Robert Wyatt - Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard

Released: May 23, 1975

Recorded: October 1974 - March 1975

Producer: Robert Wyatt and Nick Mason

Track listing[4]

Side A

Sea Song

Alifib

Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

Side B

Soup Song

Muddy Mouse

Team Spirit

Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard was Robert Wyatt's first solo release following his accident that resulted in him becoming paralyzed from the waist down in 1973. Shortly after the release of The Gouster, Wyatt returned to the studio with Nick Mason to produce the album, with the first side comprising of art rock, and the second side being adaptations and arrangements of other people's music, much like Wyatt had done for Matching Mole's Little Red Record, Matching Mole's second and final album.

The album received a mixed public response, and it would be another decade before Robert Wyatt released another studio album. Over time, however, it became regarded as a forgotten gem among rock music fans.

Lou Reed - Metal Machine Music

Released: July 11, 1975

Recorded: 1975

Producer: Lou Reed

Highway 61 Albums (1976)

Kevin Ayers - Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)

Released: June 18, 1976

Recorded: March 1976

Producer: Muff Winwood

Lou Reed - Rock and Roll Heart

Released: October 8, 1976

Recorded: 1976

Producer: Lou Reed

Both Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) and Rock and Roll Heart were recorded and released after the members of Hunky Dory (barring David Bowie, already part of the Apple roster) signed up to Highway 61 Records. Kevin Ayers, always trying to stay out of the limelight, didn't bother with any promotion for his album, although it somehow got to #82 in the United States. Meanwhile, Lou Reed had greater success with his own album, managing to do #49 in the United States and an even better #40 in the United Kingdom.

From these albums onward, Lou Reed, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, as well as Syd Barrett and Iggy Pop would be latched onto Highway 61 Records, even after the break up of Hunky Dory following a tragedy...

Footnotes

1. "I'm Gonna Move Right In" is sourced from Another View; the remaining tracks are sourced from Lou Reed's eponymous solo debut album and Transformer.
2. Tracks are sourced from Bananamour and The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories.
3. Most tracks are sourced from Diamond Dogs and Young Americans. "Time" is sourced from Aladdin Sane.
4. Tracks are sourced from Rock Bottom and Ruth is Stranger Than Richard. "Muddy Mouse" is an amalgamation of "Muddy Mouse (a)", "Muddy Mouse (b)" and "Muddy Mouse (c)/Muddy Mouth".

Author's Comments

And here we go with the final extra scene for Phase Two; the solo projects the Hunky Dory members went through during 1973-1976, plus the final Velvet Underground album in 1972 as a bonus. The Lou Reed albums from 1973-1976 plus Kevin Ayers' Yes We Have No Mananas are all released in their original form, hence the track listings are not listed for each of them. I felt there was no reason to change them up.

The reason I made this the final extra scene to be posted publicly is to serve as a lead in to the first chapter (51st overall) to Phase Three, which will be about the members of Hunky Dory, as well as Syd Barrett's former band, Pink Floyd. And what do I mean by a tragedy taking place with Hunky Dory? Wait and see...

Extra Scenes: The Zombies and Russ Ballard (February 1971 - December 1974)

19 February 1971 - 6 December 1974

Russ Ballard - Ring of Hands

Released: 19 February 1971

Recorded: 1969-1970

Producer: Rod Argent and Chris White

Track listing[1]

Side A

Chained
Liar
Be Free
Schoolgirl
Lothlorien

Side B

Lonely Hard Road
Cast Your Spell Uranus
Sleep Won't Help Me
Stepping Stone
Bring You Joy

By the end of the 1960s, the Zombies had gone through a major shakeup with its band members. Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent had both stayed on as vocalists, with the latter also taking up keyboards, but they were joined by Bob Henrit (drums), Russ Ballard (guitar) and Jim Rodford (bass; Argent's cousin) following the departure of Paul Atkinson and Hugh Grundy. Even though Chris White stopped performing with them, he still stayed on as a non-performing songwriter and even became joint producer for the Zombies alongside Argent.

As well as doing guitar parts for the Zombies, Russ Ballard had taken up songwriting and singing. To avoid having to fight over album space, Ballard was granted the opportunity to put his own material out on solo albums with the Zombies playing as his sidemen and White and Argent in the producer's chair. The resulting album was Ring of Hands, which received mixed to positive reviews from critics but did not chart in either the United States or the United Kingdom. Nor did the sole single, "Liar", backed with "Schoolgirl".

The Zombies - Ennismore

Released: 21 April 1972

Recorded: 1971

Producer: Rod Argent and Chris White

Track listing[2]

Side A

Celebration
I Don't Believe in Miracles
Sweet Mary
Andorra
I Want Some More
Hold Your Head Up

Side B

Quartet (Exclusively for Me/A Sign/Every Sound/How Wrong)
Pleasure
I've Always Had You
Time's Running Out
I Am the Dance of Ages

The Zombies' follow-up to Back from the Dead, however, fared much better, charting at #23 in the United States and #13 in the United Kingdom. The lead single off of Ennismore was "Hold Your Head Up"/"I've Always Had You", which hit #5 in both countries, being regarded as one of the band's greatest ever singles alongside "Time of the Season". The follow-up single, "I Don't Believe in Miracles"/"Celebration", hit #31 in the United Kingdom.

Russ Ballard - All Together Now

Released: 28 July 1972

Recorded: 1971

Producer: Rod Argent and Chris White

Track listing[3]

Side A

Keep on Rollin'
He's a Dynamo
Tragedy
Where Are We Going Wrong

Side B

Be My Lover, Be My Friend
Pure Love (Fantasia/Prelude/Pure Love/Finale)

The majority of Ballard's sophomore album was recorded alongside Ennismore, and it even featured songwriting contributions from Argent and White, notably "Keep on Rollin'", "Be My Lover, Be My Friend", and the "Pure Love" suite. But like Ring of Hands, All Together Now didn't leave much of an impression on the charts on either side of the Atlantic.

Russ Ballard - In Deep

Released: 21 September 1973

Recorded: 1972-1973

Producer: Rod Argent and Chris White

Track listing[4]

Side A

God Gave Rock and Roll to You
It's Only Money, Part 1
It's Only Money, Part 2
Love

Side B

Thunder and Lightning
Rosie
Man for All Reasons
Gonna Meet My Maker

Unlike Ballard's previous efforts, In Deep managed to hit the charts in the United States, but at a measly #149. However, he did manage to gain a hit single in the United Kingdom, "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", at #18. (It also hit #114 in America.) In fact, it was notable enough to have cover versions recorded by Petra (1977 and 1984) and Kiss (1991), both times with altered lyrics.

The Zombies - Christmas for the Free

Released: 1 February 1974

Recorded: 1973

Producer: Rod Argent and Chris White

Track listing[5]

Side A

Wonderful
The Coming of Kohutek
Beware
Once Around the Sun
Infinite Wanderer

Side B

Christmas for the Free
Beginning
Keep the Curtains Closed Today
Music from the Spheres

Although it wasn't known at the time, Christmas for the Free turned out to be the last Zombies album for at least seventeen years, citing exhaustion within the band, although this has never been fully explained. The album hit #90 in the United States and #49 in the United Kingdom, but no singles were released off of it. Shortly afterward, the Zombies performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 24 February and then St. Albans City Hall on 9 March. These recordings would be put out on the live album, Encore: Live in Concert, on 6 December.

Shortly after the live performances, Russ Ballard had left the Zombies to pursue a solo and songwriting career, writings hits such as Hot Chocolate's "So You Win Again" and Rainbow's "Since You Been Gone". By the end of 1974, the Zombies had split up for good, with Argent, Henrit and Rodford carrying on with two new guitarists, John Verity and John Grimaldi, to form the band Argent. They recorded one album to fulfill their contract with Capitol Records, Circus, and then one more album under RCA Records, Counterpoints, before breaking up for good in 1976.

But what about Colin Blunstone? Like the members of Argent, he recorded one more album under Capitol Records, Planes, for 1977, before transferring to Highway 61 Records at the start of 1978.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Argent's eponymous album from 1970 and Ring of Hands.
2. Tracks are sourced from Argent's Ring of Hands and All Together Now, as well as Colin Blunstone's Ennismore.
3. All tracks are sourced from Argent's All Together Now, excluding "Where Are We Going Wrong", taken from Ring of Hands.
4. Tracks are sourced from Argent's In Deep and Nexus.
5. Tracks are sourced from Colin Blunstone's Journey and Argent's Nexus; "Christmas for the Free" is sourced from In Deep.

Author's Comments

Wow, it has been over a year since I last featured the Zombies, hasn't it? It's really ironic that after I'd given them more recognition than they got in this timeline, I completely forgot about them for Phase Two! Hopefully this Extra Scene will rectify that issue, but even then, the Zombies couldn't last forever. Their story continues just about as it did in OTL, with the only difference being that they get more recognition by the time they reunite in the early 1990s. They deserved far better than what they got, but thankfully, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year gave them attention, even if it was over half a century too late...

Extra Scenes: Roy Wood's Side Projects (1972 - 1979)

Roy Wood (far left) with the rest of the Move, 1970.

Roy Wood had begun working on a side project as early as 1969 while he was still a member of the Move; playing every instrument on the album, he explored various genres including classical music, folk, country, art rock, psychedelia and rock and roll. The resulting album, Boulders, was released 21 July 1972, peaking at #15 in the United Kingdom.[1] The main single off of the album, "Dear Elaine", reached #18. Ever since its release, Boulders has received critical acclaim, being regarded as a true solo effort; even Jeff Lynne was known to have spoken positively about his bandmate's album.

Wood's next solo project, Main Street, would not come out until 12 December 1975 on Jet Records, under Wizzo Band, along with former Electric Light Orchestra members Rick Price and Mike Burney.[2] The album showcased the more jazz-rock side of Wood's music, being recorded during Face the Music as it was decidedly noncommercial compared to his output on his last album with ELO. Wood's second solo album, Mustard, was released 12 November 1976, and although more commercial, it failed to chart in either the United States or the United Kingdom despite positive reviews, being regarded as one of his greatest works.

Wizzo Band would put out a second album, Super Active Wizzo, on 9 September 1977, but once again, it failed to chart, resulting in the group splitting up the following year. Roy Wood would put out his third solo album, On the Road Again, on 17 August 1979, before leaving the music scene for several years.

Footnotes

1. Boulders was not released until 1973 because of Roy Wood's busy schedule with the Move, Electric Light Orchestra and then finally Wizzard, due to Don Arden demanding that the release be delayed to avoid clashing with the Move's material. With ELO being a part of Apple, Wood would have been free to release it whenever he liked. The track listing stays the same as it did in OTL; the same applies to Main Street and Mustard.
2. Main Street was recorded in 1975 but stayed in the vaults for many years before being rediscovered in 1999 and released the following year.

Author's Comments

Once again, nothing much to say here. The last paragraph does spill a little bit into Phase Three (1977-1985), but it doesn't really have much of an effect on it in the long run.

Extra Scenes: CSNY Solo Projects (March 1975 - January 1976)

March 17, 1975

Stephen Stills - Turn Back the Pages

Released: March 17, 1975

Recorded: 1973-1975

Producer: Stephen Stills and Peter Tork

Track listing[1]

Side A

Turn Back the Pages
My Favorite Changes
Everyday We Live
In the Way
Love Story
To Mama from Christopher and the Old Man

Side B

Everybody's Talkin'
I'll Be There
How Have You Been
Shuffle Just as Bad
Cold Cold World
Ivory Tower

Stephen Stills' fourth solo album was his first to be released on Highway 61 Records. Produced with good friend Peter Tork, Stills began work on Turn Back the Pages in 1973, then under the working title Everybody's Talkin', and was mostly completed by the time he toured as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, only returning to work on the album at the start of 1975. Despite the recording beginning in 1973, a little less than half of the album consisted of outtakes from early CSNY sessions that didn't make previous albums such as "Everyday We Live" and "Ivory Tower".

Turn Back the Pages charted at #19 in the United States and received mixed reviews from critics. No singles were released off of the album. Reflecting on this period in his life, Stills commented that he "short-circuited for a while; things were moving too fast. I got a little crazed. Too much drinking, too many drugs. What can I say?" (2018)

January 30, 1976

Crosby & Nash - Wind on the Water

Released: January 30, 1976

Recorded: 1975

Producer: David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Barncard

Track listing[2]

Side A

Spotlight
Bittersweet
Marguerita
Naked in the Rain
Dancer
Love Work Out

Side B

Mama Lion
Low Down Payment
Cowboy of Dreams
Take the Money and Run
Critical Mass/Wind on the Water

Much like Stephen Stills, David Crosby and Graham Nash worked with an outside producer for their next collaboration; in this case, Stephen Barncard. Crosby and Nash had begun recording Wind on the Water not too long after the completion of the recording for Human Highway, and even did a few shows as a duo in-between the sessions. Among the people working on the album included keyboardist Craig Doerge, who would collaborate with Crosby on songwriting in the future.

Wind on the Water received positive reviews from critics and charted at #16 in the United States. However, the sole single, "Take the Money and Run"/"Out of the Darkness", only managed to reach #52 in the same country.

Footnotes

1. "Everyday We Live", "Everybody's Talkin'", "I'll Be There", "How Have You Been" and "Ivory Tower" are all CSNY outtakes from 1969 and 1970; the remaining tracks are sourced from Stills (1975).
2. Tracks are sourced from Wind on the Water and Whistling Down the Wire.

Author's Comments

Not much to say here; just putting out the remaining CSNY solo projects from the 1975-1976 period. And in case you're wondering, Illegal Stills (1976) comes out with the same track listing as it did in OTL.

Extra Scenes: The Former Beach Boys/Passions (Post-1973)

The Beach Boys, 1966.

With the underwhelming performance of the Passions' fourth album Holland, the band members had gone their separate ways by the end of 1973. Dennis Wilson had found a new calling as a music producer for Highway 61 Records, as well as joint A&R director with ex-Badfinger member Pete Ham. Like his older brother, Carl continued being part of the music industry, mostly providing backing vocals for the likes of Elton John and various other soft rock bands, as well as doing the odd solo project. Carl remained active until his death from lung cancer on February 6, 1998, at the age of 51.

Similarly, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston continued onward with music careers in their own way; Love's solo career had its own ups and downs, such as his 1988 hit single "Kokomo", before finally bottoming out with his 1992 solo album, Summer of Love[1]. It would be another twenty-five years before he went back into the studio again.

On the other hand, Bruce Johnston's career was less eventful, ending up mostly as a songwriter for other artists, sometimes even working with the likes of James Taylor. But what about Al Jardine? Well, he was mostly retired from the music industry, deciding instead to take up farming, even becoming an advocate for vegetarianism. Every once in a while, he reunited with the other ex-Beach Boys either for a charity performance or for small reunion tours with guest musicians playing in lieu of Brian Wilson. Although there were talks of a reunion album either as the Beach Boys or the Passions, they never came to fruition.

One can only debate what could've happened had Brian Wilson lived...

Footnotes

1. OTL's Summer in Paradise, regarded by many as the worst Beach Boys album.

Author's Comments

This is perhaps the shortest post I've made for the story thus far, so there's not really a lot to talk about here. It was doing that Beach Boys 1967-1973 discography that made me realize I'd made a horrible misjudgment in killing off Brian Wilson too soon. But alas, I can't really go back and make changes. I've always intended for this to be a first draft of sorts, so when I get to a second draft, most likely when I finish up Phase Three, I can iron out the kinks, weed out the really awkward bits and even expand upon some elements that I didn't in the first draft. Although I planned to bring up to the end of the 1980s, I might stop the first draft at Live Aid because - let's face it - if Bohemian Rhapsody was anything to go by, it just feels like a real finale. And maybe an epilogue chapter if I feel like it.

The main point of divergence was the Rolling Stones putting out Could You Walk on the Water like they originally planned, which ends up disrupting the Beatles' career later on down the road and, by extension, affects the rest of the world (and not just in the music industry). Think of it akin to the point of divergence in Blue Skies in Camelot in which Marilyn Monroe surviving past 1962 does not directly service the intended narrative and the main butterfly, John Kennedy surviving the Dallas ambush in 1963; for the narrative to make sense, both points of divergence need to happen. (For the second draft of Strawberry Peppers, it's the Rolling Stones releasing Could You Walk on the Water, and, something that will happen for the second draft, George Harrison's songwriting being taken more seriously by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, preventing the eventual breakup of the Beatles.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Before that, I've got a few more Extra Scenes to put out before moving onto Phase Three, beginning in 1977.

Extra Scenes: Yes' "Ocean" (May 1975 - June 1976)

May 1975 - January 1976

Yes during their Relayer tour, 1975.

JON ANDERSON: "By the time we had finished up the Relayer tour, we were feeling, I dunno, pretty burnt out. By then, Alan [White] had recorded some some bits and bobs for a planned solo record, and Steve and I appeared on one of the tracks, 'Song of Innocence'. Somehow, that had gotten through to someone at Atlantic Records, and when they heard it, they insisted that we put out another album." (2014)

STEVE HOWE: "Man, we were scared out of our fucking shitless when we we told to get back into the studio once the tour was over. We tried to fight our way out of it, but the executives at Atlantic refused to budge. Something in my gut told me that this would only lead to clashing egos and creative differences, which wouldn't have been so bad if we were given solo albums to work with." (1995)

PATRICK MORAZ: "What I wanted to work on was a romantic story of this massive tower in the midst of a jungle, and people from all over the world would go there but were forbidden to fall in love with each other. Two people, however, break this rule and plan on escaping as the tower also served as a prison where the inhabitants were slaves to their own desires. Jon wanted to tell the story of an alien race traveling to a new world after their home planet was destroyed following a volcanic apocalypse. Chris [Squire], Steve and Alan just wanted to do their own thing." (2001, translated from a Swiss interview)

CHRIS SQUIRE: "We must've done, I dunno, about three hours' worth of material overall, maybe even four. A whopping forty-something songs, and some went on for as long as at least eight minutes total. We wanted to put out a quadruple album, but Atlantic was worried that it would've been too expensive, and so we were forced to whittle it down to a double album, our second overall, which meant a shit-ton of material ended up on the cutting room floor. Patrick was cross about this, which was one of the reasons he left and Rick [Wakeman] came back." (2003)

ALAN WHITE: "Jon and Steve weren't too pleased with how much of their material had been left off of the album; I think they were jealous of Chris stealing their thunder. *chuckles* Most of what I'd written for my solo record wasn't that great anyway, so I'm kinda glad it never got released. Perhaps between the double album by Yes and five solo records by each member individually, the band effort was the lesser of two evils?" (1985)

18 June 1976

Yes - Ocean

Released: 18 June 1976

Recorded: May 1975 - January 1976

Producer: Yes, Bob Potter and Eddie Offord

Track listing[1]

Side A

Ocean Song
You by My Side
Spring Song of Innocence
Ram
Best Years of Our Lives

Side B

Hold Out Your Hand
Meeting (Garden of Geda)/Sound Out the Galleon
One Way Rag
Dancing Now
Break Away from It All

Side C
Beginnings
Lucky Seven
Cachaça (Baião)
Flight of the Moorglade

Side D
Oooh Baby (Goin' to Pieces)
Lost Symphony
Silently Falling

Upon its initial 1976 release, Yes' eighth album Ocean - named for the opening track, "Ocean Song", written and performed by Jon Anderson - received many mixed reviews from critics, more so than the previous effort, Relayer. Among the many criticisms Ocean received was the lack of focus, especially towards the tracks by Anderson and Patrick Moraz, saying they were "leftovers" from their respective planned concept albums before they became part of the Yes album instead. Ocean reached #47 in the United States and #22 in the United Kingdom, but the sole single, "Lucky Seven"/"Best Years of Our Lives", failed to chart in the former country. Over time, however, Ocean would go on to become a critical favorite, being cited as one of Yes' greatest works.

Footnotes

1. Tracks are sourced from Jon Anderson's Olias of Sunhillow, Chris Squire's Fish Out of Water, Alan White's Ramshackled, Steve Howe's Beginnings, and Patrick Moraz's The Story of I.

Author's Comments

Has it been a few weeks since I last posted here? Wow! Despite the fact that the world's essentially on lockdown due to COVID-19, I haven't been working much on the Strawberry Peppers story, mostly due to focusing on other projects for the time being and feeling a little burned out after writing the last few chapters of Phase Two. I've decided to post it as a way of telling you all that I'm not dead, just taking a break. I don't know when I'll come back to it full time, but we'll see.

Anyway, as for the extra scene itself, like I said, it was planned to be part of chapter 48, but I decided that the sole focus on the Beatles was strong enough on its own. Which was probably a good thing as I really didn't know what to do with that scene anyway, but I am considering giving Yes their own storyline for Phase Three, depending on what I can think of for them.

The album itself was interesting to try out; Albums Back from the Dead did a 1976 Yes album called Harmonium that featured solo tracks by Jon, Chris, Alan, Steve and Patrick and later posted about a sampler disc called Yes Solos that contained two of the same tracks - "Hold Our Your Hand" and "Spring Song of Innocence". Then there's Albums I Wish Existed that did a triple album called Works, with many of the tracks different from my selections. (Interestingly, "Spring Song of Innocence" seems to be a popular selection when it comes to a hypothetical Yes album from 1976.) I went with the double album as a middle ground and stuck with the tracks used on Harmonium and Yes Solos and tried to evenly spread the tracks as best as I could. It could still work as two albums with one being sort of a symphony and the other more self-contained, though lacking in Jon Anderson's vocals.

I could try a triple album version, but I don't even want to think about trying to whittle down over three hours' worth of music to just two hours; I think a double album is easier to handle, especially since overall, there were three songs each from Jon, Alan and Patrick and four each from Chris (almost his entire Fish Out of Water!) and Steve, which is fairly even. Could Yes have attempted an album between Relayer and Going for the One? Who knows? I guess we can only dream.

Extra Scenes: The Best of Highway 61 Vol. 1 (July 1973 - December 1976)

Various Artists - The Best of Highway 61 Vol. 1: 1973-1976

Released: July 12, 2013

Recorded: 1973-1976

Producer: Various

Track listing[1]

Knockin' on Heaven's Door [Bob Dylan]
Amoureuse [Kiki Dee]
Strut Your Stuff [Tom Scott and The L.A. Express]
Sweet Home Alabama [Lynyrd Skynyrd]
Walk On [Neil Young]
I Am Missing You [Ravi Shankar]
Dreamer [Supertramp]
Only One Woman [Nigel Olsson]
Spin 'Round the Room [Stackridge]
Only Women Bleed* [Alice Cooper]
Baby, Get It On [Ike & Tina Turner]
Magic Man* [Heart]
Walk This Way [Aerosmith]
Bad Blood [Neil Sedaka]
A Song for You [Solution]
Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones]
Gloria [Patti Smith]
Devil Woman [Cliff Richard]
Honey Don't Leave L.A. [Attitudes]
(Don't Fear) The Reaper* [Blue Öyster Cult]
Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright) [Rod Stewart]
American Girl [Tom Petty & Mudcrutch]

The first Best of Highway 61 compilation was released close to the fortieth anniversary of Bob Dylan's first post-Columbia Records single, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", from the album Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. Despite the subtitle "1973-1976", there was barely any emphasis on 1973 (with Dylan and Kiki Dee both representing said year), with the majority of the music being from 1974 to 1976, largely due to Highway 61 Records finding its feet and some up-and-coming talent upon formation.

Apple's American sister branch did eventually find great talent from Lynyrd Skynyrd ("Sweet Home Alabama") to Alice Cooper ("Only Women Bleed") to Heart ("Magic Man") to the Ramones ("Blitzkrieg Bop") and to Tom Petty & Mudcrutch ("American Girl"), the majority of them being signed onto the label by ex-Beach Boys and Passions member Dennis Wilson and ex-Badfinger member Pete Ham. These two men would form a partnership that would define the label for years to come, eventually leading to talents such as Toto, the Buggles, Huey Lewis and the News and Pat Benatar, as well as bringing in veterans such as Carly Simon, Yes and Colin Blunstone.

The most popular track of the compilation was Blue Öyster Cult's "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", which saw a resurgence of popularity on Saturday Night Live in 2000 in a sketch called "More Cowbell", written by Will Ferrell and Donnell Campbell. In the sketch, Ferrell plays fictional cowbell player Gene Frenkle during the recording sessions of the song, whose overzealous cowbell playing got on the band's nerves but impressed producer Bruce Dickinson (guest host Christopher Walken), demanding for "more cowbell". Due to the sketch's popularity, "more cowbell" became a pop culture catchphrase.

The Best of Highway 61 Vol. 1 received positive reviews from critics, charting at #1 in the United States and #4 in the United Kingdom, calling it a fine start for Apple's sister label.

Footnotes

1. Tracks marked with an asterisk are single edits in order to fit on a single compact disc.

Author's Comments

Not a lot to say here; the artists featured on the compilation are a partial spoiler as to what's to come in a chapter for Phase Three, but there's no other way around it, to be honest. So far, I've got the roster mapped out to 1976, and I know what artists I'll have signed up to the label up to 1983. It's all a matter of deciding who stays on and later leaves the label.

Extra Scenes: The Byrds' "20 c." (September 1967 - May 1968)

September - October 1967

The Byrds, 1967.

The recording sessions for the Byrds' next album were fraught with tension. For the past three months, the band, led by Roger McGuinn, had only managed to record seven songs, the most recent one being a cover of Gerry Goffin and Carole King's "Goin' Back", made popular the previous year by pop singer Dusty Springfield.

ROGER McGUINN: "There was a lot of pressure from Columbia to have an album out before the Christmas rush. We were having a bit of writer's block, and we hadn't enough material for a ten-track album." (1989)

If it wasn't writer's block that put pressure on the Byrds, it was arguments among the members, especially with Michael Clarke and David Crosby. The former resigned from his position as the band's drummer following disputes with the other band members over his playing ability as well as his feelings toward the material that Crosby, McGuinn and Chris Hillman had gathered. Crosby was soon kicked out of the band over the recording of "Goin' Back", arguing that his controversial song "Triad" should be on the album instead.

CHRIS HILLMAN: "After Roger and I fired David, we considered bringing back Gene Clark to replace him, but Columbia reminded us that we had to put out an album by November. There was no time to bring in replacement members, so we had to release what we had already managed to finish as well as bring back a few older songs onto the track listing. It's a miracle we managed to get The Notorious Byrd Brothers out at all, given all the shit we were going through." (2004)

DAVID CROSBY: "If Roger and Chris hadn't fired me, I'd have never formed a group with Stephen [Stills] and Graham [Nash]. Oh, and Neil [Young] too. Sometimes bad things have good outcomes." (1977)

November 17, 1967

The Byrds - The Notorious Byrd Brothers

Released: November 17, 1967

Recorded: December 5, 1966 - September 9, 1967

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[1]

Side A

Lady Friend
Goin' Back
Tribal Gathering
Draft Morning
Don't Make Waves

Side B
Change is Now
Old John Robertson
Triad
Dolphin's Smile
It Happens Each Day

The songs included with the seven planned album tracks were the "Lady Friend"/"Don't Make Waves" single from July, as well as an outtake from Younger Than Yesterday, "It Happens Each Day". The Notorious Byrd Brothers received good reviews from critics, but it only managed to peak at #47 in the United States. It fared far better, however, in the United Kingdom by topping out at #12. The album's sole single, "Goin' Back", was released ahead of the album on October 20 and reached a rather dismal #89 on the Billboard Hot 100. It failed to chart at all in the United Kingdom.

Whilst the various incidents surrounding the album's production were noted at the time, they were eventually forgotten about over time in favor of the quality of the music, being regarded as some of the best music the Byrds had ever recorded, despite running at less than a half hour. Their next album, however, would be bigger not only in length, but in terms of innovation...

March - April 1968

Gram Parsons, 1968.

By the time the Byrds were back in the studio, their new lineup included drummer Kevin Kelley (Hillman's cousin) and folk guitarist Gram Parsons alongside the McGuinn/Hillman duo. The next album was set to be a musical history of American popular music during the 20th century, ranging from traditional folk music all the way up to psychedelic music. McGuinn and Hillman had already recorded five new songs during the mixing of The Notorious Byrd Brothers which already covered psychedelic music, and they were recorded with Michael Clarke who only agreed to return to play the drums.

GRAM PARSONS: "I was ambivalent when it came to the psychedelic noodlings Roger and Chris did with Michael. I wanted a full country record, but we soon reached a middle ground that the entirety of the first half of what became 20 c. focused a lot on traditional tunes and country and folk music. The second half would include more modern country and folk before delving into psychedelic territory." (1970)

The first songs recorded were a rendition of Bob Dylan's "You Ain't Going Nowhere" and a Parsons original, "Hickory Wind". Over a week, the Byrds had managed to record eight new songs, far more efficient than the seven new songs recorded over a three-month period. The last three songs, Merle Haggard and Jelly Sanders' "Life in Prison", Luke McDaniel's "You're Still on My Mind" and the Louvin Brothers' "The Christian Life" were all recorded the following month, along with two other outtakes, William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water" and Cindy Walker's "Blue Canadian Rockies".

May 31, 1968

The Byrds - 20 c.

Released: May 31, 1968

Recorded: October 23, 1967 - April 15, 1968

Producer: Gary Usher

Track listing[2]

Side A

Pretty Polly
I am a Pilgrim
The Christian Life
Hickory Wind
Nothing was Delivered
Life in Prison
You're Still on My Mind
Pretty Boy Floyd

Side B
You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Lazy Days
You Got a Reputation
Get to You
Natural Harmony
Artificial Energy
Space Odyssey
Moog Raga

Originally dubbed Cosmic American Music, a term Parsons used to describe McGuinn's concept, 20 c. was met with some confusion among fans and critics; was this really an album made by the same band that recorded "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"? This sounded like a step backwards... at least until you get to the second half of the second side. At the time, people didn't really see the concept behind the album and saw it as simply another country album. Despite that common criticism, 20 c. managed to hit #77 on the Billboard charts, the Byrds' lowest album chart position thus far. The lead single from April, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere", was a modest hit, reaching #75 and #45 in America and the United Kingdom, respectively.

Like The Notorious Byrd Brothers before it, time eventually proved kinder to 20 c., being regarded as the Byrds' most ambitious effort as well as their last influential album. Of course, fans and listeners are still divided regarding the album's merits as until the three-quarters mark, the Byrds' trademark experimentation is nowhere to be heard.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from The Notorious Byrd Brothers excluding "Lady Friend", "Don't Make Waves" and "It Happens Each Day", sourced from Younger Than Yesterday.
2. Tracks are sourced from Sweetheart of the Rodeo and The Notorious Byrd Brothers.

Author's Comments

Another band getting some focus that they didn't get in the initial Phase One; it's the Byrds, David Crosby's band before he became a member of Crosby, Stills, & Nash... and sometimes Young. The inspiration for my take on 20 c. came from AEC on Albums Back from the Dead, only my version includes tracks from The Notorious Byrd Brothers and is a single album instead of a double. I did use AEC's tracklisting as a basis and rearranged some songs around so my version could stick out a little more, also using Sweetheart of the Rodeo as a basis. After that, their discography continues as it did with Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde. Unless something else changes courtesy of yours truly.

Album cover for 20 c. was made by IdesignAlbumCovers on Tumblr.

Extra Scenes: Badfinger's "Magic Christian Music" (July 1969 - January 1970)

4 July 1969

The cover for the Iveys' (later Badfinger) Maybe Tomorrow album, released July 1969.

Badfinger had originally began in 1961 as The Iveys, fronted by lead guitarist Pete Ham. It had taken them seven years before they finally found themselves signed up onto the Beatles' Apple Records and released their first single, "Maybe Tomorrow", which was a Top 40 hit in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Eight months later, they put out their first album, Maybe Tomorrow, named for the November single. It topped out at #30 in the United Kingdom and reached a slightly higher #23 in the United States.

PETE HAM: "Maybe Tomorrow - both the album and the single - weren't quie the huge success we were aiming for, but it was still a good start for us when we signed up for Apple. The company was barely a year old, but hits were coming in like Mary Hopkin and Jackie Lomax, and many were being produced by the Beatles; we got their roadie, Mal Evans. Sweet guy, he is. By the end of '68, Ron [Griffiths] had become a father, but he stuck around for Magic Christian Music despite falling ill during the sessions. That was before Joey [Molland] came onto the scene and we re-branded ourselves as Badfinger." (1977)

The Magic Christian, based on the novel by Terry Southern and directed by Joseph McGrath, was due for a theatrical release by the end of 1969, and so Badfinger were commissioned to record three songs for the film. Paul McCartney was their producer, and he also wrote up the hit single "Come and Get It" for them to record. The other two tracks, both written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans (with Mike Gibbins co-writing "Rock of All Ages"), were also produced by McCartney.

9 January 1970

Badfinger - Magic Christian Music

Released: 9 January 1970

Recorded: 1968-1969

Producer: Paul McCartney, Mal Evans, Tony Visconti and Pete Ham

Track listing[1]

Side A

Come and Get It
Crimson Ship
No Escaping Your Love
Mrs. Jones
Midnight Sun
Storm in a Teacup
Rock of All Ages

Side B
Carry on Till Tomorrow
And Her Daddy's a Millionaire
Walk Out in the Rain
Arthur
Give It a Try
Looking for My Baby

"Come and Get It" had been issued as a single the week before The Magic Christian was released in theaters in the United Kingdom, and it marked Badfinger's first #1 single in said country. When it was later released in the United States the following month, it topped out at #5. Critics praised the Beatle-esque sound of the single, part of it due to McCartney's involvement in writing the single as well as producing it.

The film had been hit with a mixed to negative reception among critics, especially due to the extensive use of black comedy. However, there was plenty of praise given to the performances of Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, and although it was not produced by Apple Films, The Magic Christian was adopted as part of the canon due to the involvement of the people associated with Apple at the time, and the film has since then become a cult hit among audiences.

As for the Badfinger album, along with the three songs recorded for the movie, ten previously unreleased tracks produced either by Tony Visconti or Mal Evans (with "Looking for My Baby" produced by Ham himself) were packaged with the movie songs for an album release. It was given a more positive reception than Maybe Tomorrow, topping the charts in the United Kingdom but only hitting #8 in the United States.

Footnotes

1. The replacement tracks are sourced from the CD editions of Maybe Tomorrow (1992) and Magic Christian Music (1991). The track listing in general follows the latter.

Author's Comments

Ah, Badfinger; probably one of the most unlucky bands in rock music history. Despite being a part of the Beatles' Apple label, misfortune seemed to follow Pete Ham and co. wherever they went, eventually leading to Ham's suicide in 1975, followed by Tom Evans' in 1983. It's too bad that it's only now we realize how great they were musically.

With 20/20 retrospect, I can hopefully salvage their good name and give Pete Ham a better fate than he got in OTL, starting with a redo of Magic Christian Music. I couldn't believe I overlooked that when I wrote up Phase One. Hopefully this will fill up that gap; I wonder what other gaps I'll fill in during the 1966-1970 period that I can give a proper resolution to.

Extra Scenes: Bob Dylan's "Back to Mono" (March - April 1970)

March 3, 1970

Bob Dylan, 1970.

After his performances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in August, the remainder of the 1960s were very quiet for Bob Dylan. Two months into 1970, he was finally back in the studio to record a followup to his previous album, Nashville Skyline.

BOB DYLAN: "I wanted the Nashville followup to be something of a joke when it came out. For all the success I had in the 60s, I just wanted people to get off my back and destroy the 'spokesman of a generation' label I was given by critics and fans alike. However, Bob [Johnston] took me aside, and said, 'The Beatles had almost destroyed their own reputation with [Back in Your] Safely Beds.' I'd heard that album when it came out and thought it quite comical. I think Bob was afraid that that album would inspire other artists to do the same thing and talked me out of it. That's pretty much how Back to Mono came to be; a tribute to the days before rock and roll." (2013)

Recording for the album took place over a three day period, with at least half of the material being recorded on March 4. Dylan had wanted to do overdubs for some of the material, but once again, Johnston talked him out of it, and instead, insisted on having the album released as soon as possible, much like the early days. The only Dylan originals recorded during the sessions were "All the Tired Horses" and "Wigwam", but both were left off the album to focus solely on covers.

April 10, 1970

Bob Dylan - Back to Mono

Released: April 10, 1970

Recorded: March 3-5 1970

Producer: Bob Johnston

Track listing[1]

Side A

Copper Kettle
Railroad Bill
Pretty Saro
Days of '49
Annie's Going to Sing Her Song
In Search of Little Sadie
House Carpenter

Side B
Little Sadie
Thirsty Boots
Belle Isle
This Evening So Soon
These Hands
Tattle O'Day
Alberta #3

The release of Back to Mono was met with confusion amongst fans and critics. This was Bob Dylan's first work of the new decade - a collection of covers? Many even derided it as "a complete step backwards". But after that initial shock wore off, some listeners felt that Back to Mono truly was a callback to rock and roll's roots, and even believed that Dylan did justice to the songs, despite that he would disparage the album in later years, feeling like he was being controlled during the album's production. However, the one cover that managed to draw consistent praise for the past fifty years has been Alfred Frank Beddoe's "Copper Kettle" from 1946, originally later covered by Joan Baez in 1962.

Back to Mono reached #4 in the United States and hit #1 in the United Kingdom before being toppled by the Beatles' Everest. The fact that it was an album consisting solely of covers was a novelty at the time, and in years to come, artists like Linda Ronstadt, David Bowie, Jeff Lynne, Bryan Ferry, Eric Clapton, George Michael, and most recently, Weezer.

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from The Bootleg Series Vol. 10: Another Self Portrait (1969–1971). Of the material chosen, five songs were recorded on March 3, eight songs on March 4, and "Alberta #3" on March 5.

Author's Comments

Here's the first of what we'll call Extra Scenes. This is where we go back to an earlier stage of one of the Phases of the series and expand on an element that I didn't cover during that particular Phase. This one is a sort of replacement for Bob Dylan's Self Portrait, considered by many to be one of his worst albums. Another Self Portrait was a very convenient source for the material needed for making Back to Mono.

The overall result runs at 48 minutes long, which is a bit lengthy for a callback album; of course, if you like, you can remove two to four of the songs you consider of weaker quality and still have a decent album overall. But is Back to Mono really superior to Self Portrait? That's up to you, dear listener/reader, to decide.