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It Was 50 Years Ago Today...

No more Beatles...miss them, miss them. Paul announced the breakup. It was sad, I am sure, although I don't remember it. We now know that Dave D had already left, leaving George, Mickey and Tich to finish off I Me Mine. Consider, also, that obvious collaborations between Lennon and McCartney after Rubber Soul are arguably few - a snippet of one's song would occasionally be inserted into another's. From the White Album on the Beatles were largely a backing band for each member's "solo" tracks. 

 Then, they officially break up. It's not like John, Paul and George suddenly lost their ability to write,  but the magic was gone. Or was it?

 What is missing? Several things come to mind. The guitar sound....who got the Leslie? George Martin wasn't producing anymore. Paul's tunes no longer have Ringo's drumming. John and George no longer have Paul's bass lines behind them. None of them have the Beatle harmonies on back up. George and John no longer had to contend with Beatle Ed's perfectionism and music hall ditties. Paul didn't have John sitting across from him, "taking the piss"...and he didn't have George to push around anymore.

 They made a few good albums, at least one apiece if only a "Best of" of their AM hits, but they don't stack up against the least of the proper Beatle albums released in the wake of Rubber Soul. I know I don't listen to any of them like I do a Beatles album. 

 Maybe the solo albums lack variety, and most of them have some filler and dreck. John and Paul each only had to come up with about 15-20 minutes worth of stuff for a Beatle album, with George adding a song or two. Then the vocals are shifted from singer to singer. Maybe a whole album fronted by any one of them is too much. A mix of their charting singles, Ex-Beatles 1970-1980, works better but is still a "Best of," not an album.
After 50 years, it is time for a boxed set. We can also group the albums largely by year, virtual Beatle albums compiled from the strongest cuts: songs that got radio play, (excluding "My Love").  Most of those tunes that were originally written for or offered up to the Beatles at some point, and songs that are just "Beatley" due to hooks, phrasings, production techniques, and effects. 

 Our first "album", Let it Rot: Solo Beatles '70, features tracks from All Things Must Pass, McCartney, Plastic Ono Band and Beaucoups of Blues. 
Wow, that wasn't easy, cutting down the Harrisonian Backlog.  I moved "What is Life" and "Apple Scruffs" to 1971, as that's when they were released as a 45.

In 1971 John released Imagine. Paul released Ram and then formed Wings and released Wild Life. George issued a single in support of the Concert for Bangladesh, and co-wrote a hit single for Ringo.  Ramagine: Solo Beatles '71, would have been in the company of a number of albums that would dominate FM radio over the next decade, including Sticky Fingers, Led Zeppelin IV, Who's Next.
The version of "Imagine" included here is an early take...with some different instrumentation to the released version. John's "How" is interesting. He uses the hook from "Long and Winding Road", on which he couldn't be bothered to play more than root bass notes because he didn't like the song. What's with that? How could he sleep?

1972 was a slow year. Paul released "Give Ireland Back to the Irish". Ringo released "Back off Boogaloo". John and Yoko put out Sometime in New York City, and...here goes....the best tune is "Sisters, Oh Sisters", by....Yoko?!? How embarrassing...on par with the best tune on Wings' Wildlife being a cover.

By 1973's Plastic Ringo Band on the Run, Paul is back in form after Red Rose Speedway. John is back with Mind Games including several good tunes...and some formulaic riffing. Ringo's album famously included songs by all of the others, three written or co-written by George.
Venus, Mars, Walls, Bridges & 1/3: Solo Beatles '74-'76 is - sonically - surprisingly consistent. Is it the sax on "What the Man Said", "Crackerbox Palace" and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night", that seems to tie them together? Were similar recording techniques or technologies used? "#9 Dream" and "Let 'Em In" are somehow Beatley. I probably listen to this one more than the others.
The mix for 1977-1980 reflects Paul's increasing output, in fact, the exercise becomes one of cutting the fluff out of Paul's albums and replacing it with stronger tracks from John and George.
It is often said that Paul wrote the poppy stuff, the ditties, while John was the rocker. Maybe so, but "Helter Skelter" is as wild as "Revolution" and some of John's stuff could be sappy. Looking at his output from the '70's we see that Paul wrote quite a few rockers and power pop gems that cohere together nicely....or nastily, if you prefer.
From 1982-2003 it is really just a case or picking the song or two per album that are worth hearing. There are the two new songs, and by the late 1980's Paul is good for a couple of songs per album, although this list doesn't go beyond Flaming Pie. Ringo eventually pairs up with Mark Hudson, with whom he writes several songs on Vertical Man and Ringorama that manage to evoke the Beatles, at least for me.
For those who are really into the Beatles- and if you're still here, I'll warrant you are - you can listen to the Solo Beatles Boxed Set. We can bicker and quibble about ridiculous inclusions and glaring omissions later. After all, we're not going anywhere for a while.


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Comments

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2020 at 2:44 PM

    you've found (or just realized) your calling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DadApril 18, 2020 at 8:18 PM

    Philosopher?
    Did you bullsh!t last week?
    Did you try to bullsh!t last week?

    ReplyDelete

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