Chapter 57: Wish You Were Here (October 1977 - September 1978)

28 October 1977 - June 1978

Pink Floyd pictured with Syd Barret (front-most member), 1967.

NICK MASON: "When we got the word that Syd Barrett had died after a bus accident in Germany, David, Rick and I spent a lot of time at home to reflect on him. Roger had just left Pink Floyd and now his best friend from his youth was no longer with us. I think Roger took it the hardest, though we were no less upset about what had happened. 1977 just seemed to be an annus horribilis for Pink Floyd. First there was the In the Flesh Tour, then Roger leaving the band due to stress, and now there was Syd dying." (2007)

Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright had taken a two month hiatus from the public eye following the tragic and unexpected death of Syd Barret, also a founding member of Hunky Dory, following the flipping of the band's tour bus in West Berlin, Germany. Pink Floyd was now in a difficult situation when Waters announced that he was leaving the band, and it was barely a week when he received a call from Rosemary Barrett about Syd's death. By the time he had re-appeared in the public eye again, Waters looked as though he had aged a few years, and he had grown out his facial hair.

The other members of Hunky Dory, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt had also taken time out of the spotlight following Syd's death. No one was planning to put out any solo works by the time of the event (although Pop had since put out Lust for Life and Bowie had composed various tracks waiting to be recorded), which gave them a lot of time to reflect on what they should do for the foreseeable future.

Lou Reed, 1977.

On 28 October, two months since Barrett's passing, it was Lou Reed who finally said something. He stood up and said the other surviving members, "I'm sorry, I love you guys, but without Syd, what's the point? He was very much the reason we got together in the first place, and if we recorded an album without him, it just wouldn't be the same."

"Well, we hear you, Lou," said Kevin, "but maybe Ollie could..."

"No." The tone of Lou's voice was a bit more blunt than he had intended, but it did get Kevin to stop with his suggestion of bringing in Ollie Halsall, a sideman to Ayers' own solo works and occasional producer to Hunky Dory, as a full time member. Lou didn't need to say anymore, but Kevin quickly understood the implication of his tone.

"How do you think Nick and the others are feeling about Syd's demise?" asked Robert. "He hasn't really been part of Pink Floyd since '72, but he was part of the band's history, even in the early days."

"Rob's got a point there, Lou," said David. "Perhaps one of us should call him or any of the others to see if we could do something to honor Syd and keep his legacy alive?"

IGGY POP: "I remember it was David who called up Nick about Syd. They talked for a bit, reflecting on the times they worked with him, even if he could be a bit of a pain in the ass for Roger and the others. David suggested that we hold a joint concert in Berlin to honor Syd and even donate the proceedings to a charity." (2017)

DAVID GILMOUR: "It was easy to get the rest of Hunky Dory to agree to this charity performance, but Roger was a lot harder to convince. It was Nick who got through to him, however, and assured him that this would be a one-time thing." (1994)

Roger Waters playing live at The Concert for Syd in West Berlin, Germany, 1 December 1977. It had been over three months since Syd Barrett's passing on 28 August 1977.

After some arranging and negotiating, the one-off joint concert between Pink Floyd, Roger Waters and Hunky Dory took place on 1 December in West Berlin, Germany. Titled The Concert for Syd, it consisted of songs performed during Barrett's time with Pink Floyd such as "See Emily Play" (with David Bowie on lead vocals), "Matilda Mother", "Apples and Oranges" and "Jugband Blues", as well as various selections from Hunky Dory's discography such as "Velvet Goldmine", "Speed of Life" and "Raw Power". All proceedings were donated to charity.

ROGER WATERS: "Doing the concert was quite enjoyable, and it really helped us to cope with the aftermath of Syd's death. Before we did the show, I'd been working on some lyrics to a song that became 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' and showed it to the rest of the guys. Then starting with David Bowie, everyone contributed some songs that they had leftover, and that resulted in a collaboration between Pink Floyd and Hunky Dory." (2015)

KEVIN AYERS: "I dunno if we were credited individually or as the Hunky Pink Sound, but either way, David [Bowie] really pulled us through, even though Roger and Lou got into a lot of petty arguing due to their clashing egos. It was pretty stupid if you ask me, but thank goodness Dave managed to keep the glue together." (2007)

The recording for the next album by Pink Floyd and Hunky Dory, jointly credited as The Hunky Pink Sound, would last beginning in January all the way into June of 1978, with all nine men bringing something to the table. Even Syd Barrett got a posthumous contribution with "Swan Lee (Silas Lang)", a song he had recorded towards the end of the Scream Thy Last Scream sessions, but it was left without 70s overdubs out of respect to his legacy. "He always liked his solo recordings raw," Nick Mason was heard to have said.

9 June 1978

The Rolling Stones - Some Girls

Released: 9 June 1978

Recorded: 10 October 1977 - 2 March 1978

Producer: The Glimmer Twins

Track listing[1]

Side A

Miss You
When the Whip Comes Down
We All Get Old
Some Girls
Lies

Side B

Far Away Eyes
Respectable
Before They Make Me Run
Beast of Burden
Shattered

The rest of 1976 and 1977 were mostly uneventful for the Rolling Stones following the departure of David Bowie. Controversy surrounding the Thin White Duke notwithstanding, Bowie had been feeling restricted by the confines of being part of a band, as if they weren't experimental enough for his liking. They had brought in Ronnie Wood on guitar hoping that he'd shake things up a bit. While Wood was a welcome addition, briefly making the Stones a sextet, Bowie that that he himself didn't add anything to the band anymore, becoming another factor that he decided to leave to pursue a solo career full time, though it was delayed due to the death of Syd Barrett and the subsequent project with Pink Floyd and the remaining members of Hunky Dory.

MICK JAGGER: "We knew it was nothing personal when David left the band. He wanted to explore new kinds of music, but we didn't. I suppose we were pretty conservative at the time about how we want to sound. *chuckles* Still, we parted on good terms, though it was years later when it was exposed to the public that me and Dave got a little too cozy with one another in bed." (2013)

The Rolling Stones, 1978. Save for Bill Wyman's departure in 1993, this lineup has remained unchanged since 1976.

Despite Bowie's departure, personal relationships outside of the band falling apart and the occasional bust and subsequent trial for drug possession, especially concerning Keith Richards on the latter point, the Rolling Stones were able to put out their live album Love You Live that September, and Mick Jagger was filmed for a cameo role in a Beatles parody film conceived by Eric Idle. This film, titled All You Need is Cash, would also feature Mick's wife Bianca as well as Ronnie Wood in other roles. The Stones were reunited in the studio that October to begin work on their next album, for which the sessions would last up to March the next year.

The Rolling Stones' sixteenth album (eighteenth according to the American discography) Some Girls reached #1 in America but stalled out at #2 in their native England. It was preceded that May with the single "Miss You"/"Far Away Eyes", which also hit #1 in America, but reached no higher than #3 in the United Kingdom. The follow-up single, "Beast of Burden"/"Respectable" (#23 UK, #8 US), was released that September.

Some Girls marked a return to form for the Rolling Stones following the controversial tour for Red and Black Blues, even being hailed as their greatest album since Ziggy Stardust. For the first time since Lazarus of England ten years ago, the songwriting was dominated by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, although Ronnie Wood would contribute one song to the album, "We All Get Old". The punk vibes on the album, as well as some disco influence, helped to reinvigorate the Stones' success and showed that they could still be a force to be reckoned with despite the departure of David Bowie.

CHARLIE WATTS: "The sessions were so productive during that time; we must've done about fifty songs and we could've easily done a double album with the material we had leftover. We decided to use some of the songs we had leftover to make another album out them. We were once again on a creative streak as the 70s drew to a close." (2006)

1 September 1978

The Hunky Pink Sound - Wish You Were Here

Released: 1 September 1978

Recorded: 28 May 1968, January - June 1978

Producer: Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, Hunky Dory and Brian Eno

Track listing[2]

Side A

Four Notes [The Hunky Pink Sound]
"Heroes" [David Bowie]
China Girl [Iggy Pop]

Side B

Shine On, You Crazy Diamond [Roger Waters]
Once Upon an Ocean [Kevin Ayers]
Coney Island Baby [Lou Reed]

Side C

Swan Lee (Silas Lang) [Syd Barrett]
Art Decade [David Bowie, Rick Wright]
Memories Membrane [Robert Wyatt, Nick Mason]

Side D

Subterraneans [David Bowie]
Wish You Were Here [David Gilmour]
The Farewell March [The Hunky Pink Sound]

Wish You Were Here marked not only Pink Floyd's eleventh album, but also Hunky Dory's eighth and final album as well (though still jointly credited to The Hunky Pink Sound). It reached #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom and was released on both Highway 61 Records (North America) and Harvest Records (Europe). All profits made off of Wish You Were Here (including re-issues) would go to charity for mental illness research. The album received wildly positive reviews from critics and fans alike, the general consensus being that in the wake of Syd Barrett's untimely demise, Hunky Dory had gone out on a high note.

DAVID BOWIE: "It was fun while it lasted, but without Syd, it was for the best that we split up. We still have contact with each other and catch up on things, but will Hunky Dory ever reunite? Maybe we will, maybe we won't. Right now, it's very unlikely, but who knows what the future may hold? As Ringo Starr once said, tomorrow never knows." (1979)

So where did the members of Hunky Dory go from there? David Bowie stayed on Apple Records, continuing to put out solo albums, finally making a name for himself as a solo artist in 1979. Both Kevin Ayers and Iggy Pop would transfer to Swan Song Records, with the former putting out Rainbow Takeaway by the end of 1978, and the latter releasing New Values in 1979. But after 1980, Ayers would leave Swan Song Records and keep hopping between labels, putting out new albums "whenever [he] felt like it", with his last album, The Unfairground, coming out on LO-MAX Records in 2007. He died while sleeping in France on 18 February 2013 at the age of 68.

By contrast, Lou Reed stayed with Highway 61 Records, putting out Street Hassle shortly after the sessions for Wish You Were Here, and every once in a while releasing music that baffled fans and critics, culminating with Lulu, a collaboration with Metallica in 2011. Reed died two years later at the age of 71.

David Gilmour and Rick Wills on the latter's wedding day, 1972. Both men were members of Cambridge-based rock band Joker's Wild in the mid-1960s. Wills also recorded with Cochise (1970-1972), Peter Frampton (1972-1974) as well as on Kevin Ayers' 1976 album Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today). He played with the reformed Small Faces for Playmates (1977) and 78 in the Shade (1978) before they broke up for good due to poor reviews and sales.

As for Robert Wyatt, due to his friendship with Nick Mason and having nothing better to do in the meantime, he would leave Highway 61 Records at the start of 1979 to become a full-time member of Pink Floyd. Since Roger Waters would continue to pursue a solo career around that time, he was replaced in Pink Floyd by Rick Wills on bass guitar, an old friend of David Gilmour from the days of Joker's Wild in the mid-1960s, and they were also jointed by Snowy White, who served as backing guitarist during the In the Flesh Tour.

With the current lineup consisting of Rick Wright, Nick Mason, David Gilmour, Rick Wills, Snowy White and Robert Wyatt, what was going to happen next for the newest phase of Pink Floyd, now a sextet? And what about Roger Waters? Well, at the time, only we could think and wonder if time would tell heaven from hell...

Footnotes

1. All tracks are sourced from Some Girls, excluding "We All Get Old", sourced from Ronnie Wood's Gimme Some Neck. Wood had begun recording his album as early as January 1978, around the time of the final sessions for Some Girls.
2. Tracks are sourced from the following:
1. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" parts one through three from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.
2. David Bowie's "Heroes".
3. Iggy Pop's The Idiot.
4. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" parts four through seven from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.
5. Kevin Ayers' Sweet Deceiver.
6. Lou Reed's Coney Island Baby.
7. Syd Barrett's Opel.
8. David Bowie's Low.
9. Custom mix by Rusty Shackleford.
10. David Bowie's Low.
11. Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, but fades out earlier.
12. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" parts eight and nine from Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.

Author's Comments

Yep, this is pretty much the last chapter where I take influence from Auran's Gummaumma timeline, as well as the last time we see Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Kevin Ayers in the story. But the stories for Pink Floyd, Robert Wyatt, Roger Waters and David Bowie are far from over! We'll be seeing more from them in the future, and I've thought of taking influence from Mass' So You Think You Can Tell timeline in which Roger Waters does leave Pink Floyd for real, with the major obvious difference being that Syd Barrett is no longer around. There's pretty much enough material from David Gilmour and Rick Wright, as well as Nick Mason, Robert Wyatt and maybe Snowy White and/or Rick Wills (depending on what material they had at the time would fit) for three albums, maybe even four or five! Roger Waters' solo career will include The Wall and The Final Cut, as well as the cancelled Spare Bricks project, but after 1985, his solo career carries on like in OTL.

Also, and I wasn't planning on it, but I think there's about enough material for the Rolling Stones to put out a 1979 album with the leftover material they had from Some Girls. This may end up having an effect on Emotional Rescue, their 1980 album, and if that's the case, I'll have created three albums from the 1979-1981 period! Since some tracks ended up on Tattoo You, and since I've some leftover material from Ronnie's Gimme Some Neck album, it'll be interesting to see what I can come up with.

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.

Chapter 50: Don't Go Breaking My Heart (May - December 1976)

10 May - 16 June 1976

The cover for the Beatles' unreleased 1976 album Between the Lines, planned for a release date of 16 July 1976.

GEORGE HARRISON: "We planned for our first album of originals since Everest to be called Between the Lines. The meaning behind it was that when people think of the Beatles, they think of John as the Beatle who always wrote the hard rockers like 'Revolution' and 'Come Together', Paul for writing the ballads like 'Yesterday' and the more outlandish songs like 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', me for being the quiet one, and Ringo being... Ringo. That was reflected on our projects apart between 1970 and 1975, but if you look deeper, there's more to us than what we've often been stereotyped as." (1996)

PAUL McCARTNEY: "Since he'd had three songs on Abracadabra, George had always been frustrated at the fact that John and I always dominated the albums. I mean, John recognized George's talent during the trip in India in 1968 and I didn't; if I had, maybe we wouldn't have broken up in 1970. Having heard his music as part of the Ladders, I'd realized how much I'd taken George's growth for granted. He deserved to stand alongside me and John, y'know, and the critics agreed. That was why, for when we did Between the Lines, the three of us would have equal vocal spots. Ringo could have an extra vocal spot if he felt like it." (2005)

Among the first songs auditioned for Between the Lines was "Beautiful Girl", a song that George had begun back in 1969, and now, he had finished it up for possible inclusion, inspired by his girlfriend Olivia Arias. His other contributions to the sessions included the comedic "Crackerbox Palace" (with the line "it's twoo, it's twoo" inspired from Madeline Kahn's character Lili Von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles), the jazz-sounding "Learning How to Love You", and a co-write with John Lennon, "This Song", following their respective lawsuits over "My Sweet Lord" and "Come Together".

Paul's first contribution to the sessions was what he considered probably his most ambitious and complex track, "Silly Love Songs", a response to John Lennon and music critics for mostly writing... well, silly love songs. The track was met with skepticism among the other three Beatles, thinking it would never be a hit single. Still, they recorded it with the mindset that it could end up being either the Beatles' biggest surprise hit (or at least, among their biggest), or a single that would render them a musical joke. It could've also ended up somewhere in the middle; "Silly Love Songs" was a gamble at this point. Two of Paul's other contributions had a much harder rock sound - the counter argument "Beware My Love", and a track written as early as 1971, "Soily". He'd also had another track from 1973, "Six O'Clock", which was given to Ringo to sing, having had no songwriting contributions of his own.

John's contributions were all from the Goodnight Vienna sessions. The best of the leftovers, according to the other three Beatles, were the psychedelic dreamlike "#9 Dream", the jazzy "Bless You", and the 50s-influenced "Move Over Miss L", a jab at Lennon's ex-wife Yoko Ono. The only new song he contributed was another track for Ringo to sing, "Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)". That left the total at four songs each from John, Paul and George, with one track from the latter being left aside for a possible B-side, and the former two each giving a track for Ringo to sing.

John Lennon, 1976.

JOHN LENNON: "We split up the $3,200 we'd earned for our performance on Saturday Night between us and used that money to pay for studio space at the Hit Factory in New York. That place was chosen because I wanted to be there for Maddy when our child came. That, and our wedding. While I gave part of my share to pay for studio space, most of it went into preparing for the birth of our child as well as wedding planning. As excited as I was to record with us as the Beatles again, I wanted to put as much focus as I could on taking care of Maddy and our unborn child. Paul and Ringo understood, given that they had each fathered children; George was the only one who didn't have any at the time, but even he could sense that I wanted to prioritize family over business." (1988)

MADELINE KAHN: "While John and the others were recording, I spent time with Linda and her children and got to meet Olivia for the first time. Unofficially, we had formed a club about being lovers to the Beatles, along with Nancy Andrews, though we didn't see her that often. Poor John was torn about splitting time with me and his bandmates, so I had to assure him that things would be fine with me. Didn't stop him from worrying, though. *giggles*" (2003)

Despite John's concerns, the recording sessions for Between the Lines went by extremely smoothly, especially given that the album as a whole was self-produced. Although there was a brief spat between George and Paul over how some songs should be arranged, Ringo acted as the mediator telling them that they were too old to be squabbling like this. After all, they were all grown men, and every track had to say "produced by the Beatles", and not "'Six O'Clock' produced by Paul McCartney", "'Beautiful Girl' produced by George Harrison", and so on. After the recording was done, two days before Paul's 34th birthday, the track listing was decided as follows, according to the journals of John Lennon:

Side A:

Silly Love Songs

Kitchen of Love (both tracks to be a single together)

Beautiful Girl

Move Over Miss L

Soily (You Know He's Right)

No. 9 Dream (as part of a single)

Side B:

Crackerbox Palace

Beware My Love (both also to be a single together)

Bless You (Wherever You Are)

Six O'Clock in the Morning

Learning How to Love You

This Song as a B-side to No. 9 Dream

Although the album's planned release date was set for 16 July 1976, for whatever reason, it never happened. But why? It wasn't like the music was anything to be ashamed of, right? Actually, it was because Paul McCartney had been dragged back into working with Smile and had to prepare for a tour beginning in July, and unfortunately, this would leave him with little to no time to promote the album.

RINGO STARR: "It was unbelievable. We were so close to putting out a Beatles reunion album and a few singles, but label problems had other plans in store." (2010)

PAUL McCARTNEY: "We'd put so much effort into this album, but because I was committed to Smile at the time, the album was pulled at the last minute. What was even harder for all of us was that I asked for my vocal spots to be removed; George didn't want to do this, and I don't blame him. Between the Lines had gone from being a Beatles reunion album to a Ladders album." (1988)

GEORGE HARRISON: "With John set to marry Madeline and Paul having dropped out, I was left in charge with reworking the album. I had to rely on older John songs from when we did Goodnight Vienna just to fill the void that Paul left behind. At least he got to re-use his own songs for the next Smile album, so it wasn't a complete loss for everyone involved." (1996)

Even though the Beatles' version of Between the Lines was never officially released, the planned track listing was, and over the years, the album gained a cult following for its status. On the internet in the 2010s, blogs such as Albums That Never Were would try to recreate what the Beatles reunion album would've been like had it been properly released. Other blogs like The Reconstructor and What If - Misc would go a step further to determine what the Beatles' albums between 1970 and 1975 would've been like had they stayed together during the first half of the decade; mostly it was a matter of personal preference and taste. Then there were blogs such as Something Creative and Apple Merseysiders[1] that envisioned a different story for the Beatles altogether pre-1970. Imagine that.

22 June 1976

Madeline Kahn, 1976.

Madeline Kahn grew up under a nonobservant Jewish roof, and in Jewish circles, it was considered to be good luck if you were married on a Tuesday, based upon the account of the third day of creation with the phrase "and God saw that it was good" (Genesis 1:10-12) appearing twice. The wedding between her and John Lennon took place on Tuesday the 22nd of June, shortly after the recording sessions for the Beatles' Between the Lines and before Paul McCartney went on a world tour with Smile throughout the latter half of 1976 and into the first few months of 1977.

Paul served as the best man to John whilst Linda McCartney was Madeline's maid of honor. The attendees of the wedding were the other two Beatles, along with Cynthia Powell, Julian Lennon, Maureen Cox, Olivia Arias, the McCartney and Starkey children, as well as Apple associates Brian Epstein, Peter Brown, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans and Derek Taylor. Some additional members from the entertainment scene (including Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Dennis Wilson, Freddie Mercury and Elton John) were also invited to the subsequent party near Madison Square Garden. Shortly after the wedding, Mr. and Mrs. John Lennon began their honeymoon in Greece. It was a happy time for all involved.

17 September 1976

The Ladders - Between the Lines

Released: 17 September 1976

Recorded: March - April 1975, 10 May - 16 June 1976

Producer: The Beatles (Paul McCartney on 1976 tracks) and Dennis Wilson (1975 tracks)

Track listing[2]

Side A

This Song**
Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)*
Scared
Crackerbox Palace*
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)

Side B

Six O'Clock***
Bless You***
Beautiful Girl*
#9 Dream*
Learning How to Love You***

The final Between the Lines album was essentially a hodgepodge; "Scared", "Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)" and the original version of "Bless You" were all taken from the Goodnight Vienna sessions. The Beatles' version of the latter track and "Soily" both ended up in the vaults whilst "This Song" was included in the track listing and "Move Over Miss L" relegated to B-side status. "Learning How to Love You" had been given a new mix and "Six O'Clock" was shortened to four minutes, removing the coda that featured Paul McCartney's vocals. The remaining four tracks ("Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)", "Crackerbox Palace", "Beautiful Girl", and "#9 Dream") were all full Beatles recordings in all but the name.

The Ladders' seventh (and final) album managed to reach #1 for a couple of weeks in the United States, largely due to its status as "the Beatles album that almost was". Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Between the Lines reached #6. The first single, "#9 Dream"/"This Song" (#23 UK, #9 US), was intended to be the second reunion single following "Silly Love Songs"/"Cookin' (in the Kitchen of Love)", and it received positive reviews upon its release on 23 August, with the most common complaint being that it was a Ladders single in name only. The same applied to the second single, "Crackerbox Palace"/"Move Over Miss L" (#19 UK, #7 US), released 15 November.

JOHN LENNON: "We decided to end the Ladders right there when we put out Between the Lines. I had a family to raise after messing up the first time with Julian. George and Ringo still regrouped to form the Dark Horses with Eric, Ronnie and Vangelis. Paul continued with Smile; it would be a few years before we reunited once more, this time for real." (2003)

26 November - 10 December 1976

Paul McCartney & Smile - Silly Love Songs

Released: 26 November 1976

Recorded: 11 May and August - October 1976

Producer: Paul McCartney and Roy Thomas Baker; The Beatles (track 6 only)

Track listing[3]

Side A

Let 'Em In
The Note You Never Wrote
Long Away
She's My Baby
Beware My Love*

Side B

Silly Love Songs*
Tie Your Mother Down
Time to Hide
Drowse
San Ferry Anne
Warm and Beautiful

With permission from the other three Beatles, Paul re-used the full-length, unedited recording of "Silly Love Songs" for the next Smile album, from which the title was derived from. It was released as a single with Brian May's "Tie Your Mother Down" (with Freddie Mercury on vocals) on 27 September, reaching #1 in both the United States and the United Kingdom, becoming the greatest selling single of 1976, with Elton John and Kiki Dee's "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" a close second.

Silly Love Songs, the fourth album by Paul McCartney & Smile, was purely Smile from start to finish, excluding the title track. Unlike the title track, however, "Beware My Love" was re-recorded from ground up, cross-fading from the previous track "She's My Baby". The album hit #1 in the United States but stalled at #2 in the United Kingdom and received mixed to positive reviews from critics, noting the increased vocal prominence of Denny Laine, Brian May and Roger Taylor, feeling like a group effort.

This was further proven by the release of the second single, "Long Away"/"Let 'Em In" (#10 UK, #2 US), on 6 December, with the A-side featuring May on lead vocals, the first Smile single to do so. The third and final single, "Time to Hide"/"Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together)" (non-album B-side) (#5 UK, #8 US), released 7 February 1977, featured Denny Laine on lead vocals for the A-side, being regarded since as his best song.

Freddie Mercury's second extended play, Somebody to Love, was released on 10 December 1976, and charted at #1 in the United Kingdom for two weeks. The first side consisted of "You Take My Breath Away" and "The Millionaire Waltz", whilst the second side consisted of the title track, "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" (both released as a single together on 15 November; #1 UK, #9 US) and "You and I", John Deacon's sole contribution to the extended play.

15 - 31 December 1976

Frederick "Freddie" Jerome Lennon II, the first-born son of John Lennon and Madeline Kahn, 1999.

At the New York Hospital in New York City, Frederick Jerome Lennon[4] was born to John Winston Lennon and Madeline Gail Kahn. The Lennons were joined by John's ex-wife Cynthia, his first born son Julian, Gene Wilder, and the McCartneys during a break in Smile's 1976-1977 world tour when young Frederick was born. John's second-born son was named in honor of not only his character in Young Frankenstein, but also his father Alfred Lennon, who had died earlier in the same year. The newborn's middle name, Jerome, was in honor of their friend Gene Wilder, whose birth name was Jerome Silberman, per Madeline's suggestion.

Shortly after Frederick's birth, the Lennons and McCartneys would spend the holidays together, celebrating both Hanukkah (December 17 to 24) and Christmas. While Madeline and Linda spent a lot of their time looking after the kids, John and Paul would spend long hours either jamming together on their acoustic guitars (it is believed that some songs were recorded by the pair, but this has never been fully confirmed) or reflecting on everything that had happened for the past year; both men expressed their disappointment that the Beatles never got to put out a proper reunion album, but they still understood that there were circumstances beyond their control. Happily, neither John nor Paul ruled out the possibility of reuniting once John felt comfortable enough to return to the spotlight. "I gotta have time to be a real dad, after all," John said.

At the start of the 1970s, the Beatles had split up into two parties - Paul McCartney and the Ladders. But with John Lennon becoming a househusband as of 31 December 1976, three parties now existed under the same banner; Lennon himself, Paul McCartney and Smile, and the Dark Horses, the latter of which consisted not only of George Harrison and Ringo Starr, but also Eric Clapton (guitar), Highway 61 Records artist Ronnie Wood (bass guitar), and former Aphrodite's Child member Vangelis Papathanassíou (keyboards).

All four Beatles had expressed their disappointment at being unable to release Between the Lines as intended, even apologizing to fans for not being able to fulfill their wishes. Still, they all had fun being together again for the first half of 1976, and they all shared the same optimism that when John was ready, they would get back together to record a proper album as a group. The question was, how long would it be before John Lennon would come out of retirement to record again? As Ringo once said, tomorrow never knows. After all, life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans...

END OF PHASE TWO

Footnotes

1. This universe's equivalent to Strawberry Peppers.
2. Tracks are sourced from Thrity-Three & 1/3, Ringo's Rotogravure, Walls and Bridges and Ringo's eponymous 1973 album. Any tracks marked with an asterisk (*) were recorded by the Beatles; "This Song" is marked with two asterisks, noting that it was intended to be a B-side instead of an album track. "Six O'Clock", "Bless You" and "Learning How to Love You" are marked with three asterisks, noting that they are different mixes from what was intended for the Beatles' version of Between the Lines. "Scared" and "Nobody Loves You" were never intended for the Beatles album.
3. Tracks are sourced from Wings at the Speed of Sound and A Day at the Races; "Tie Your Mother Down" is the single edit that removes the instrumental intro featuring the Shepard tone melody that "Teo Torriatte" later reprises. All tracks from Somebody to Love are also sourced from A Day at the Races. On Silly Love Songs, tracks marked with an asterisk were intended for the Beatles' Between the Lines, but were either re-recorded ("Beware My Love") or given their original length back ("Silly Love Songs").
4. Frederick Jerome Lennon is this universe's equivalent to Sean Lennon. Also, in OTL, Sean was born on October 9, 1975, his father's 35th birthday.

Author's Comments

Wow... fifty chapters since this blog first started, and in that time, we've covered eleven years and well over a hundred albums. All within the span of fourteen months! That's pretty impressive if I do say so myself. But now, Phase Two has come to a close, and soon, we'll be entering Phase Three, which will cover the 1977-1985 period.

So the Beatles have almost put out a reunion album, but sadly, fate had other ideas in store. But they're still hoping for a proper reunion once John's ready, so it's not a complete loss. In meantime, Paul carries on with Smile and George and Ringo rebrand once more under the Dark Horses. And yeah, I decided to title drop various alternate album blogs cause hey, it's the fiftieth chapter, so you gotta do something special for it.

As for what'll happen with Phase Three? I've been rethinking my release strategy; what if I was to put out chapters close together based upon a specific time frame? First would be 1977, then 1978-1980, then 1981-1983, and ending with 1984-1985. A weekly release is nice and all, but I did have to take a hiatus between chapters 30 and 31 in order to think about how the latter would go. If I was to work in blocks, a break would give me plenty of time to think about what I could include for the next block. 1977's going to be fairly short, so that'll be covered within five chapters at most. (Maybe six depending on what comes up.)

In the meantime, here's what I have in mind for extra scenes for Phase Two, in no specific order: (if there's anything you think I may have missed out on for both Phase One and Two, let me know)

• Hunky Dory Solo Projects (July 1973 - October 1976)
• Roy Wood's Side Projects
• The Beach Boys/Passions Post-1973
• The Zombies and Russ Ballard Post-Back from the Dead
• CSNY 1975 - 1976 Solo Projects
• The Best of Highway 61 Volume 1 (July 1973 - December 1976)

So that does it for now; we'll see you in Phase Three!

Album cover art for the Ladders' Between the Lines was designed by Auran.