Still Beatles After All These Years.

A little mock up of what the cover of the Black Album might look like.

Listening to NPR this morning, they were talking about the recent film, Boyhood, and how Ethan Hawke's character gives his son this 3-CD compilation of solo Beatles work he titled, The Black Album.  Apparently Hawke did this in real life for his daughter and director, Richard Linklater decided to use the actual album Hawke complied in the film.  You can hear audio about how listening to each of these songs back to back, rather than an entire album of one Beatle's solo work, shows that they were "still" the Beatles, even after the Beatles.  Listen to the conversation here: https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/395332

Here's the track listing for the Black Album:

Disc 1:
1. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Band on the Run”
2. George Harrison, “My Sweet Lord”
3. John Lennon feat. The Flux Fiddlers & the Plastic Ono Band, “Jealous Guy”
4. Ringo Starr, “Photograph”
5. John Lennon, “How?”
6. Paul McCartney, “Every Night”
7. George Harrison, “Blow Away”
8. Paul McCartney, “Maybe I’m Amazed”
9. John Lennon, “Woman”
10.Paul McCartney & Wings, “Jet”
11. John Lennon, “Stand by Me”
12. Ringo Starr, “No No Song”
13. Paul McCartney, “Junk”
14. John Lennon, “Love”
15. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “The Back Seat of My Car”
16. John Lennon, “Watching the Wheels”
17. John Lennon, “Mind Games”
18. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Bluebird”
19. John Lennon, “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”
20. George Harrison, “What Is Life”

Disc 2:
1. John Lennon, “God”
2. Wings, “Listen to What the Man Said”
3. John Lennon, “Crippled Inside”
4. Ringo Starr, “You’re Sixteen You’re Beautiful (And You’re Mine)”
5. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Let Me Roll It”
6. John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band, “Power to the People”
7. Paul McCartney, “Another Day”
8. George Harrison, “If Not For You (2001 Digital Remaster)”
9. John Lennon, “(Just Like) Starting Over”
10. Wings, “Let ‘Em In”
11. John Lennon, “Mother”
12. Paul McCartney & Wings, “Helen Wheels”
13. John Lennon, “I Found Out”
14. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey”
15. John Lennon, Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band, “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)”
15. George Harrison, “Not Guilty (2004 Digital Remaster)”
16. Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney, “Heart of the Country”
17. John Lennon, “Oh Yoko!”
18. Wings, “Mull of Kintyre”
19. Ringo Starr, “It Don’t Come Easy”

Disc 3:
1. John Lennon, “Grow Old With Me (2010 Remaster)”
2. Wings, “Silly Love Songs”
3. The Beatles, “Real Love”
4. Paul McCartney & Wings, “My Love”
5. John Lennon, “Oh My Love”
6. George Harrison, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”
7. Paul McCartney, “Pipes of Peace”
8. John Lennon, “Imagine”
9. Paul McCartney, “Here Today”
10. George Harrison, “All Things Must Pass”
11. Paul McCartney, “And I Love Her (Live on MTV Unplugged)”

John Schaefer mentions how, in his opinion certain songs like John Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Through The Night" and George Harrison's "Living in the Material World" are obviously missing, but you obviously can't include ALL of each of their solo work.  That got me thinking: What would your perfect compilation album look like?  Which songs would you include?  Which would you leave out?  Why?  Which song should segue into which next song and why?  Really interesting to think about.
    

The Beatles Live At The BBC Volume 2

Coming almost 20 years after the release of the two CD compilation that comprised live recordings and interviews with the band at BBC studios all over Britain between 1962 and 1965, Apple is set to release The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2.

This is reported to have more unreleased material that the BBC have dug up from their archives and it was previously thought to be lost due to the narrow minded policy that the BBC had of wiping and re-using tapes. This policy was upheld in BBC television too and has resulted in the loss of many hours of material, including the Beatles and John Lennon's solo appearances on Juke Box Jury and the Beatles last live appearance on music show Top of The Pops in 1966. It is really quite despairing that, without the use of a DeLorean fitted with a flux capacitor, we will never get to see this wonderful material.

The reported cover art for the second volume of BBC recordings.

 The Beatles, due to the constant pressures of fame, touring and studio work stopped giving live radio appearances on the BBC in 1965, despite promises from Brian Epstein, their manager, that they would continue. As their worldwide fame increased, radio was something that they had outgrown and didn't need anymore.

But at least the BBC have found something that we can at least listen to and I for one am looking forward to hearing some wonderful unreleased material that has been gathering dust all these years. Along with the new CD will be a book 'The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-70' written by Kevin Howlett, who has authored two other books about the Beatles at the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2 goes on sale October 10th.

Harrison In Review: 'All Things Must Pass' (1970)

Of all the Beatles debut solo releases, 'All Things Must Pass' was the most successful. Indeed it was an auspicious start of a solo career for George. He'd been collecting material for a couple of years before hand and compiled it all in 1970 for a triple album set and with the Beatles break up he released it. Many of the musicians backing him on the record couldn't be legally credited at the time and there were far too many comings and goings of musicians to say who actually played what instrument on what track. What is fairly certain is that Ringo Starr and Eric Clapton were on the album with the rest of the soon-to-be Dominoes, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Pete Drake, Alan White, Klaus Voorman, Gary Brooker and Gary Wright. What is not fairly certain is the urban legends that have been perpetuated over the years. Harrison remembers that Phil Collins played congas on 'The Art of Dying' and somebody remembers seeing Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees who was a mate of Ringo's there and he may have played something. Alan White then dropped a bombshell by saying that John Lennon may have played on 'If Not For You'. The album continues to this day to receive universal acclaim but in the 2001 30th anniversary re-release Harrison regretted Phil Spector's co-production, stating that there was "Too much echo". The cover itself was a talking point in itself with Harrison sitting in his Friar Park garden among four gnomes. The message is pretty clear: the four gnomes are representative of his former band and George is above it all. Lennon commented that Harrison looked like "an asthmatic Leon Russell" on the cover and took offence to the supposed message but at that time, Lennon was being a brat about all his former bandmates solo albums, especially McCartney's.

Harrison and Dylan wrote 'I'd Have You Anytime' together.

The album's smash hit single was the subject of a plagiarism suit. 'My Sweet Lord' was deemed by the Bright tunes corporation to have too many similarites to the Chiffon's 1963 hit 'He's So Fine' which they owned. It went to trial in 1976 and George's manager Allen Klein actually purchased Bright Tunes during the suit, effectively becoming the man that was suing George. It all worked out in the end though as the court ordered that Harrison buy Bright Tunes himself and become owner of 'He's So Fine' which he did.

The album is definitely a masterpiece of George's and is probably considered his best work up until 1987's 'Cloud Nine'

McCartney In Review: 'Tug Of War' (1982)

After the release of 'McCartney II' Paul regrouped Wings for rehearsals and recording in October 1980. He was still undecided on how to carry on with the band and, lacking sufficient direction in the sessions, he called upon his old friend and producer George Martin to take charge and they got things back on track until the morning of 9th December when Paul heard the news from New York City that his best friend, collaborator and fellow ex-Beatle John Lennon had been murdered. Quite understandably, Macca and George Martin put a hold on further sessions for this album in order for him to grieve for his friend. Of course, when confronted by press mere hours after hearing the news, Paul was typically non-committal about John's death, his parting words to the camera being "It's a drag, isn't it?" which sparked off outrage at his seemingly non-caring attitude. In reality, Paul was seriously trying to keep it together on Oxford Street that day.

A Drag: Paul was confronted by the press on London's Oxford Street mere hours after hearing the news.

In an attempt to get over this loss, Macca did what he does best; Threw himself into his work. Sessions for the album resumed in February 1981 at George Martin's AIR studios in Montserrat. The location change obviously neccessary to avoid press seeking further comment from Paul about John. During these sessions, Paul collaborated with Stevie Wonder on 'What's That You're Doing?' and the single that would soon be a smash hit; 'Ebony And Ivory'. Also on the album was Carl Perkins, who did a duet with Paul on 'Get It' and to show some support for each other, Ringo turned up to play drums for 'Take It Away' which turned out to be the second single from the album. Eric Stewart from 10cc began a five year long collaboration with Paul on this album

You Never Know Who May Be Listening To Ya: Paul & Ringo perform 'Take It Away' for the 1982 promotional film which also starred John Hurt and George Martin.

The album, like most of Paul's releases from the 1980's suffers from its dated moments and the two glaring songs are 'What's That You're Doing?' and 'Ebony And Ivory' which are both with Stevie Wonder. It definitely seems that Paul works best either alone or with John Lennon. Another song which would probably seem dated to people today is 'Dress Me Up as A Robber' which is one of my favourite tracks on the album for it's falsetto vocals and ringing bass line. The album's eponymous opening track was a beautifully orchestrated affair which half of Paul's fans put on a par with Lennon's 'Imagine'. The track that really brought Lennon fans back to McCartney though and more than made up for his off-the-cuff comment was 'Here Today' which is an acoustic, heartfelt tribute to his friend referencing their relationship during the Beatles. 'Somebody Who Cares' is a good sing along track and as I write this, I can't get the chorus out of my head 'The Pound Is Sinking' was probably a throwaway song but again Paul proves his worth by fitting a melody around the words and, to quote an American friend who listened to the song, his "silly British stuff". 'Ballroom Dancing' and 'Wanderlust' are two songs that I believe Paul should do live again.

Side by Side on my Piano, Keyboard, Oh Lord: Paul & Stevie in the 'Ebony & Ivory' video in 1982.

'Tug Of War' was released in April 1982 hitting the number one spot worldwide and restoring much of the critics faith in Macca. Some had thought, rather wrongly, that they'd seen the last of Paul McCartney.

Lennon In Review: 'Live Peace in Toronto' (1969)

I consider this album to be John Lennon's debut release, his first studio album came a year later in 1970 but this live album, recorded at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, Canada. Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band were on the bill with 1950's stars such as Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry and up and coming groups of the day; Alice Cooper and The Doors. The festival was billed as the "Toronto Rock and Roll Revival" and attracted around 20,000 when it was announced.

Winging It: Klaus, John & Eric rehearsing on the plane.

The band, which consisted of John on guitar and vocals, Yoko doing her thing, Alan White on drums, Klaus Voorman on bass and Eric Clapton on lead guitar, had no prior rehearsal and they had to rehearse on the plane on the way to Canada which barely happened. By the time the band took the stage they'd agreed on a set list; 'Blue Suede Shoes', 'Money (That's What I Want)', Dizzy Miss Lizzy', 'Yer Blues', 'Cold Turkey', 'Give Peace a Chance', 'Don't Worry Kyoko' and 'John John (Let's Hope for Peace)'. The last two tracks were decided on stage and were largely improvised and were "sang" by Yoko Ono.

Sweet Little Rock & Roller: Lennon performs at the Toronto festival.

When the album was released, Yoko's performances were put on side two and thus were rarely or never played by people who bought the album. It's fair to say these performances by Yoko were not welcome at a rock and roll festival and on the accompanying film of the concert, Alan, Eric, Klaus and even John begin to leave Yoko to her screaming which lasted for about 12 minutes. The crowd also got fed up and began to leave. On a recent DVD viewing, my father, who'd had a few bevvies and could have probably lasted through a Cliff Richard song, soon got fed up of Yoko doing her thing all over him. "SHUT YOUR F***ING HEAD YA TONE DEAF BITCH!" he screamed at the telly, his dog-ends going everywhere. I have to say, after witnessing John, Eric, Klaus and Alan lead us through some very enjoyable music, I was inclined to agree.

 

 

McCartney In Review: 'McCartney II' (1980)

McCartney II: Paul's stark cover for the album.

Ten years after his debut solo album 'McCartney', Paul released the highly experimental and at least a decade ahead of it's time, 'McCartney II'. This was only his third completely solo release (the other nine being with Wings) and was released at a time when Wings' were in limbo. It seems Paul was unhappy with the way 'Back To The Egg' turned out and began recording on his own in July 1979 at his titular titled 'Rude Studio' on his farm in Scotland. 

What these sessions yielded was the lion's share of 'McCartney II'. He'd been very productive, recording 20 songs, the first being 'Check My Machine' as a way to test his recording equipment. Undecided on what to do with the recordings, he shelved them for the time being and began preparations for a UK tour with Wings that winter. During that tour Wings performed a new song that Paul had written; 'Coming Up'. This live version of the song, recorded in Glasgow, produced a more fuller sound and was released as the B-Side to the studio recorded version in April 1980. 

The live version is subsequently more well known in the US whereas the studio version is more known in the UK. That January, Wings' tour of Japan had a false start when Paul was arrested upon entering the country due to them finding a bag of Marijuana in his luggage. This cancelled the tour and this event seemed to confirm that Paul was finished with Wings and wanted to truly go solo. That May, the album came out and went straight to number one. 

Also as a happy result, 'Coming Up' revived the creative juices in his old partner John Lennon;

"I heard one track of Paul's; 'Coming Up' which I thought was a damn good piece of work," - John Lennon

                                                                                                                  

Coming Up: McCartney performing with Wings on their Winter UK Tour in 1979.

The main thing I like about the album is it's improvised sound. This is Paul McCartney making music without really thinking about it and that for me is what makes McCartney II one of my favourite albums of Paul's. Indeed, his jam 'Check My Machine' is probably my favourite track on the album. His bass has a wonderful tone to it and cuts through everything else to make it the lead instrument. 

Maccing Out: Paul performs with himself and as himself in the promotional video for 'Coming Up'

Another single from the album that I love is 'Waterfalls', an electric piano driven song that should have been a bigger hit than it was at the time. All in all, McCartney II was another of Paul's masterpieces. 

Whether you're a fan of Paul McCartney or not, you have to give him credit for keeping it up. There were long periods between albums for John, George & Ringo but Paul kept churning them out no matter what people thought of his music, simply because he can. 

'Temporary Secretary' is another fun track and probably the single track that is thought of as being ahead of its time. The synthesizer loop, the plodding drums and Macca's lament of "how hard it is these days for young girls in the face of everything to stay on the right track" are what make this track one of Paul's unloved songs. In 1980, Paul McCartney proved that with 'McCartney II' he was still a force to be reckoned with in the music world.