Solo Beatles-it would've been a masterpiece "IF"

The general consensus from many deep fans ( not all ) might go something like this :

Well, Band On The Run, All Things Must Pass, Imagine & Plastic Ono Band & Maybe RAM, might rival a Beatles album for quality.

But for the most part, Solo Beatles albums have more filler, less great writing. Etc etc.

So ok in this thread,using studio outtakes, singles & Bsides, as well as the best songs on a given album. Make a new tracklist, for any solo album, by John, Paul, George or Ringo, elevating it to "Great" or "Historic" or as good as a Beatles album. Some latitude given to Harrison's Brainwashed songs.

Ok I'll go first, here's a much better version of McCartney's Flowers In The Dirt album.

Song substitutions, should be from the same sessions, or year. So for example, Instant Karma could be added or substituted onto Plastic Ono Band 1970. Or Live & Let Die could be added to Red Rose Speedway, because the song is from those sessions.

You can either substitute songs, or simply add without dropping anything. But you can't pick a song from 1970 & add it to album from 1975, within a year or the same sessions. So yes you could add Pipes Of Peace songs to Tug Of War, because both albums stem from the same sessions.

1-My Brave Face
2-Playboy To A Man
3-Put It There
4-We Got Married
5-You Want Her Too
6-Distractions
7-Lovers That Never Were


8-This One
9-So Like Candy
10 Flying To My Home
11 Figure Of Eight
12 That Day Is Done.

I dropped 5 of 13, added 3 outtakes & 1 bside, elevating the CD enormously imo. For a shorter more consise 12 song LP.

 

I find the solo albums showcase too much of the solo beatle.

The Beatles were great together.

Too much Paul is boring

Too much John is depressing

George just isn’t that great of a song writer

Ringo’s solo albums were actually the most interesting, imo.

 

Yoko had some more songs on it...

 

Um no.

 

Gasp! And coming from Johnny Moondog 909, too!

 

I've done this forever with McCartney albums!! The others don't lend themselves to this exercise anywhere near as well (less unreleased material outtakes, B-sides etc.)

I used to go for an organic album flow (thinking in terms of two album sides, opening & closing tracks, segues etc) but I do all my solo CD-R's, first by the general era & then I front load my faves first & my least faves appear last...

Maybe I'll see if I can toss out something besides Macca

 

"Walls & Bridges": add two songs (B-side originally on the track list of the album... & an unreleased fully finished outtake that works seamlessly with the sound of the album)
... and drop 3 songs for a tighter 10 song powerhouse from Dr. Winston O'Boogie

Level I:
#9 Dream
Whatever Gets You Thru The Night

Level II:
Going Down On Love
Old Dirt Road
Surprise Suprise (Sweet Bird Of Paradox)
*Move Over Ms L
*Here We Go Again

Level III:
Scared
Nobody Loves You (When You're Down & Out)

Level IV:
Beef Jerky

Edited Out:
Steel & Glass
Bless You
What You Got

 

RAM
Add Another Day and Oh Woman Oh Why and get rid of 3 Legs.

 

not sure I would put stuff from Fowers in the dirt on anything

 

"Somewhere In England"...
The best possible version lifts it from being half of the pair of worst releases (with "Gone Troppo") & while it doesn't become top shelf, or even second shelf... at least it's now up with the half-terrific "Dark Horse" & "Extra Texture"- both under appreciated efforts with lots to offer... but, like those two, you end up with a shorter 9 song effort by adding 3 songs from the original version of the album (4 were cut & "Tears Of The World" is still left out) & cutting 4 from the final version....

Level I:
Life Itself
*Lay His Head

Level II:
*Flying Hour
*Sat Singing
Writings On The Wall

Level III:
Baltimore Oriole
That Which I Have Lost

Level IV:
All Those Years Ago
Teardrops

Edited Out:
Blood From A Clone
Unconsciousness Rules
Hong Kong Blues
Save The World
*Tears Of The World
.

 

Plastic Ono Band is a masterpiece as is. A perfect album.

 

I add Another Day to strengthen Ram, & take off a weak tune Imo 3 Legs.

 

They don't work on Yoko's Double Fantasy tracks.
Instead, they tighten up the rest of John's tracks that ended up on Milk & Honey.
Props to Yoko for doing her best with them for M&H but had DF been like disc 4 is of the 1990 Lennon box is, it would have been a masterpiece.

Take the over production away from Mind Games and Walls and Bridges and both are great.

Keep Helen Wheels on Band On The Run as it is on the U.S. version and it remains stronger.


Drop Rockestra Theme, the Broadcast and the Winter Rose part of Winter Rose/Love Awake and add Goodnight Tonight and Daytime Nighttime Suffering and Back To The Egg is elite.

 

Most of The Beatles seventies solo albums are good. A few clunkers after the mid-seventies; but otherwise good. A shame that Lennon died in 1980. Would love to know what path he was headed towards as an artist, because the future still held so much for him.

 

As to Lennon & Double fantasy YES, drop the Yoko tunes & add Nobody Told Me & Don't Wanna Face it from Milk & Honey & bam great album !

Maybe Borrowed Time or I'm Stepping Out to give it an even 10 songs. If only a better version of Grow OldW Me existed.

 

Agree on Double Fantasy - an all John Double Fantasy plus "Walking On Thin Ice" = close to a masterpiece.

 

"Another Day" is one of Paul's best

 

Another one I like to reconfigure is Tug of War-Pipes of Peace. Everything is well produced, but I like the Beatley sounding ones, So here goes

1-Tug Of War
2-Ballroom Dancing
3-Pound Is Sinking
4-Wanderlust
5-Here Today

6-Keep Under Cover
7-Take It Away
8-Through Our Love
9-Get It
10 Pipes Of Peace

That's a masterpiece.

 

What really would have enhanced the solo records would have been if John, Paul, and George decided they'd all drop in and sing harmony with one another.

When it comes to the solo work, people think in terms of songs and what those not present would have contributed. But one of the elements that made The Beatles' music so compelling was their harmonies. Their voices worked together perfectly in all sorts of combinations.

Beyond that, the tone of each singer complimented the other's. So even when they were singing in unison with no harmony (as they do in parts of "She Loves You" and "It's All Too Much"), the combined effect was exciting. Then there were the little elements each singer added, like John popping in with a few words of the lead vocal in "Penny Lane" or Paul singing one part of the chorus on "Anytime At All" or adding one interjection at the end of "Little Child."

Without "Beatles vocals" their albums sounded somehow barren, even when the singing was impressive ("Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey," for example).

 

Any record with Get It on it, drags it a nod down

 

I've grown fonder of it in recent years, but ( no pun ) I Get It... Ok Somebody Who Cares instead.

 

The 3 singers, when solo as you pointed out, continued to sing basically the same type harmonies, doing all the parts themselves, & Yes I agree, the timbre, tone, just not as rich of a sound, seldom does anyone mention this however.

At least McCartney developed a new vocal sound for Wings, they weren't as good as Beatles harmonies ( imo ) but Denny & Paul & Linda blended well,

 

Yes at this point Paul should have been thinking quality > quantity. One of the reasons Cloud 9 is so good is that George waited until he had enough a grade material rather than just pumping out uninspired product every year or so

 

Get it is great although I'd prefer a Paul.only version.
Not a knock on Carl Perkins, I'm just not big on duets.

 

I already consider Ram to be as good as anything The Beatles ever did, but if you replaced "Smile Away" with "A Love for You" it'd be better than anything the fabs ever put out imo.