The Beatles 14th Album

I think they could've had a double album in both 1970 and 1971 and it would've contained all great stuff. There wouldn't even be any "Honey Pie"'s or "Bungalo Bill" level songs. That's simply considering what they actually wrote at the time, irrespective of whether they would've worked as good group songs.

I didn't include "Imagine" for one reason: it's too huge. It's such a dominant song that I can't imagine any of Paul's songs being on the same album, exclude "Maybe I'm Amazed". Paul was into such a light pop mode at the time. He wasn't writing 'heavy' stuff. Also, I was limiting myself to songs that may have existed in mid/late 1970. I don't think any "Imagine" demos have turned up from that era. I was thinking that if they kept the same recording schedule, then since sessions for their last album ended in August 1969, they should've been starting a new album in 8-11 months, roughly. So I was thinking of what was available then. "Remember" actually works well in this context. In this alternate universe, the song may not have ever existed, because Lennon may never have seen Janov, so then we are stuck at literally what we KNOW existed based on what he had in January 1969. "Remember" occurred to me only because of that jam, and I was trying to find another up-tempo Lennon song.

"It Don't Come Easy" was almost complete in March 1970, a full year before it saw release. When you get into some of those songs, I struggle with whether it would have even been possible for them to co-exist on an album by the Beatles. They broke up for many reasons, different musical directions being one of them.

Yes, it would be a total disaster. Since so much of Paul's music at the time was acoustic, I tried to find George songs that were either acoustic or relatively subdued.

My limitation was that the songs stood a good chance of being almost completely written by mid/late 1970. Actual Beatles-era songs are low hanging fruit for something like this. Stuff like "Junk", "Child Of Nature", "Teddy Boy", and "All Things Must Pass" had almost as good a chance of being on an album as the stuff that actually made the albums.

Without the group, I think each writer was freed of the limitations placed on them by their role in the group. There was no one around to say 'no' to "Cold Turkey", so John went further out than he could have in the Beatles. They all did in their own way, which is why it's sort of hard to make a comp like this. "Remember" is only there because they jammed on something really similar to it at the end of a take of "Something", thus I could envision it as being by the Beatles. Plus, the chorus sounds like something John and Paul would've sounded great on. Also, I was trying to get more of a rocker. Otherwise, "Look At Me" or "Love" were probably safer bets.

 

Interestingly, the piano tag/jam on the unedited Something was played by Billy Preston!! I would most definitely include It Don't Come Easy. It was recorded, for the most part, whie the Beatles were still technically together... there's a cool take with George singing a guide lead vocal too! It means using non-official sources, but ATMP outtakes includes some stellar "pre-Spector" versions of Let It Down, All Things Must Pass, Hear Me Lord (with some scorching lead by Clapton) and Isn't It A Pity. These stripped down versions may sound more at home on a fantasy compilation such as this, especially when pared with McCartney and Lennon's more home-grown stylings.

For songs not worked on during Get Back, but recorded while the group was still together, you could include Instant Karma (LOVE Sean's suggestion of maybe using a stripped-down mix derived from the 5.1 mix) Almost anything from McCartney... Hot As Sun was a Quarreymen track resurrected during the Get Back sessions, same with Suicide... any of Paul's demo versions of this would fit it well. Here's my 14 track version (with 2 link tracks):

SIDE 1:

Maybe I'm Amazed
Remember
Hear Me Lord (ATMP outtake version)
It Don't Come Easy
Hot As Sun (link track)
Junk
Look At Me
Let It Down (ATMP stripped down mix)

SIDE 2:

Instant Karma (stripped down mix)
Every Night
All Things Must Pass (ATMP stripped down mix)
Gimme Some Truth
It's Johnny's Birthday (link track)
Suicide
Isn't It A Pity (ATMP stripped down mix)
Back Seat Of My Car

The inevitable CD re-issue would include the bonus tracks Oh My Love, Early 1970, Teddy Boy and Apple Scruffs Ron

 

I was playing around with some of the ATMP outtakes and they were generally preferable from a production standpoint, but the sound quality was a notch below everything else and the volume was way off, so it tended to flow worse than just using the real tracks. Of course that limited me to using tracks with less Spector. I was just monkey-ing around at work so I couldn't edit the files to make them all the same volume. My Lennon Legend "Instant Karma" is also much quieter than my DCC "It Don't Come Easy". Everything basically sounded different. A real album would presumably be produced and mastered by the same person. I suppose if I broke out Wavelab and normalized the volumes and applied EQ in certain places to get the songs to sound approximately the same, the comp would work better.

I don't think the Beatles really would've done "Hear Me Lord". It was too personal and too religious. I didn't think of "Suicide", but it's not like Paul DIDN'T put songs like that on Beatles albums. It was just as likely to be on an album as any of his other songs. Plus, it would fill the role of 'McCartney song on the album that Lennon hates'. He could've even produced it to sound like "Maxwell's Silver Hammer Pt. 2".

 

I was going to suggest using the raw pre-Spector ATMP tracks, but Ron beat me to it! Some of those early versions would work VERY well with the spare sounds of John and Paul's first solo albums. In addition to the studio basic tracks for ATMP, several of the acoustic demos are very beautiful and seem as "complete" as something like "Look At Me."

I also like the idea of "It's Johnny's Birthday" as a link track, Ron -- but shouldn't it link into a John song?

 

I can see why, George's performance is compelling and the chord progression is Harrison-esque. Dylan wrote this? I'm impressed..

 

"Imagine" was huge in the context of a solo Beatle album, but not in the context of a Beatles album. I think many Beatles songs are better than "Imagine", and it could have been on #14 with milder lyrics. However, I do agree that the song as we know it doesn't work for our purposes here, so out it goes.

If we agree that "Remember" is likely, then I'm fine with that. I would have to hear the jam to confirm it, do you happen to know which day the Something/Remember jam occurred on?

 

Love the track list although I would probably start side one with more of a rocker, maybe "Remember". "It Don't Come Easy" is a great addition. But we have five Harrison tracks here and I wonder if that would have happened in a reality-fantasy scenario? Probably more like five Lennon songs, five McCartney songs, three Harrison and one Ringo.

 

OK, I've sat down with pen and paper and did some scribbling, and I've come up with what I think would be a plausible Beatles XIV. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I've imposed certain "rules" on my scenario that would keep these fantasy albums somewhat grounded in reality. The way I see it, if they had continued past 1970, the Beatles would have entered a new era -- "Phase Two" if you will -- due to George's (and even Ringo's) new songwriting prowess and the presumed solo activity of all four. This would force a change in how Beatles albums were conceived and assembled.

The first change would be that George would be guaranteed "track parity" with John and Paul; this was actually discussed in reality in 1969, and I think it would have been a necessity if the Beatles had made it to "Phase Two." Thus, new Beatle records would revert to the old 14-tracks-per-album formula, with John, Paul and George getting four each, and Ringo two. John and Paul might balk at losing their stranglehold over the songwriting credits, but solo albums are assumed in this scenario, so they would have other avenues for the overflow of songs.

As the songwriting split might indicate, Beatles albums in the 1970s would have become less groundbreaking and more of a corporate product -- something to keep the fans happy, keep the revenue flowing, and keep in-studio fighting to a minimum. This means that many of the more experimental or personal compositions would be held for solo albums, and more commercial tracks would be donated to the common cause of the Beatles. This would mean sacrificing some solo hit singles, and I don't know if they could have honored this system, but it would have kept the "brand name" strong and unsullied while giving them the separate outlets they most certainly needed.

Beatles XIV (Released December 1970)

SIDE 1
--------
01. It Don't Come Easy (Ringo)
"Phase Two" of the Beatles kicks off with Ringo's first album-opener -- and first A-side. It's only fair, and thematically it's perfect for the occasion.
02. Instant Karma (John)
If possible, a more stripped-down mix from the Lennon Legend 5.1s would make this more Beatle-ready.
03. Every Night (Paul)
Paul's first song, a minor one compared to the first two, but I've given each Beatle a "killer" track on side one.
04. Let It Down (George)
Several-stripped down versions have been booted with varying layers of overdubs; one of these would suit this album.
05. Look At Me (John)
As you can see, John, Paul and George have two tracks each per side, and no Beatle has two in a row. Seriously, I think this is a reality which would have been negotiated to please George, and possibly to ensure that John and Paul would stay at "equal power."
06. Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul)
Paul gets his "killer" track, and gets to close out side one (almost).
07. It's Johnny's Birthday (George)
Short and a bit weird, but it wouldn't be a latter-day Beatles album without a short and weird track.

SIDE 2
--------
01. Early 1970 (Ringo)
That's right, Ringo gets to open BOTH sides -- "Phase Two" is all about soothing egos and starting anew with EVERYONE being respected.
02. That Would Be Something (Paul)
Another "minor" Paul track, perhaps, but George liked it and it makes a good second song.
03. Remember (John)
I have no problem with this as a "Beatle" track -- it's already got two Beatles on it, and while it's intense it's not quite as harrowing as some of the other "primal" songs.
04. Junk (Paul)
I love this song, and it was demoed for the White Album, so in it goes. A peaceful interlude after the explosion that ended the previous track.
05. Apple Scruffs (George)
A very poppy track with obvious Beatle connections, and one of the less bombastic Spector productions. One of the booted rough versions would be even better here.
06. Love (John)
I made sure John had both loud and quiet songs on each side; I figured he'd want it that way.
07. What Is Life (George)
The most heavily produced song on this album, and the second single, so I placed it at the end in the "potboiler" position.

I think that makes for a pretty darn good "Phase Two" Beatles album. Of course, it's impossible to do this truly objectively -- each of us will favor songs we like or we think are "appropriate" for a Beatles album. In reality, it could have been much, much different -- if "Yer Blues" and "Honey Pie" can be on the same album, then "Bip Bop" and "Well Well Well" certainly could have. But I rationalize this with the theory that they would have agreed to serve the greater good by contributing their most "Beatley" songs to the Beatle albums, and keeping the "Bip Bop"s and "Well Well Well"s on their solo albums.

Finally, because I never know when to stop, I went ahead and set up the next album, which was much harder because I needed to stretch the timeline to include George's and Ringo's 1973 albums:

Beatles XV (Released December 1973)

SIDE 1
-------
01. Band On The Run (Paul)
02. Give Me Love (George)
03. Oh My Love (John)
04. Photograph (Ringo)
05. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long (George)
06. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Paul)
07. Gimme Some Truth (John)

SIDE 2
--------
01. Let Me Roll It (Paul)
02. Be Here Now (George)
03. Mind Games (John)
04. Six O'Clock (Ringo)
05. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five (Paul)
06. Living In The Material World (George)
07. Imagine (John)

 

It's on take 96.

I like the sequence presented here. Maybe I'm Amazed/Remember is a great opener, and Junk/Look At Me works well!

I didn't know Look at Me was from 1968, but it makes so much sense. That finger-pickin' Donovan taught them in India, could be straight out of the White Album.

 

I made a double album myself using the pre-exisiting "theory" that "Across The Universe", "I Me Mine", "The Long & Winding Road" and "Let It Be" would not have been issued on the Get Back (no longer called LET IT BE) album. Phil Spector would save these tracks for the "new" album and Glynn Johns would take over work on the Get Back tapes and fill in the album with the best of the oldies and impromptu moments.

it's not much but I thought it worked. Because of the length of the sides of the album, it might become a triple album:

Side 1
• What Is Life
• Instant Karma!
• Every Night
• Hold On
• Whispering Grass
• If Not For You
• The Lovely Linda
Side 2
• Remember
• Maybe I’m Amazed
• Working Class Hero
• You
• Jealous Guy
• Let It Be
• Her Majesty
Side 3
• Love
• Junk
• I Me Mine
• Mother
• Isolation
• Teddy Boy
• My Sweet Lord
Side 4
• Look At Me
• Not Guilty
• Well Well Well
• The Long And Winding Road
• Isn't It A Pity (version one)
• Dream
• Across The Universe


Discuss, decipher, and critique'....

 

Great song and George eventually released a version of it on the soundtrack to "Porky's Revenge" of all things!

 

Wow, I love those (especially Beatles XIV)! Nice sequencing and I like the way thing work for Phase Two, in which Ringo gets his oats.

As far as "Let Me Roll It" being on Beatles XV though, it would never have been written had the Beatles stayed together.

 

I've come to the same conclusion every time I've tried this exercise in the past several years.

 

I just gave it a try and it did not work out either. I ended up putting How Do You Sleep after Another Day just to give it drama. Then I wanted George doing Moma You've Been on My Mind closing side one. That's right a Dylan cover on a Beatles album, works for me.

 

Here's my 73. Albums only have 6 tracks per side now. Side one is a rather scorching rocker of a Beatles album side. Not since the early days have they rocked as consistantly hard for a side. Get Back indeed!

side one
Hi Hi Hi
New York City
I'm the Greatest
Back off Boogaloo
Move Over Ms. L
Rock and Roll People

side two
Power To the People
Give Me Love
Uncle Albert
Luck of the Irish (of course no Yoko)
Deep Blue
My Love

 

Hmmm, we can't talk about bootlegs here, but my un-official ATMP recordings are not a notch below the quality of the released tracks at all. Some songs sound BETTER! And yea, you need to normalize the sound, considering all the different sources used. Just don't MAXIMIZE it

I started messing with my compilation last night and did some tight editing in some places. No gap between the the last note of Maybe I'm Amazed straight into the piano opening of Remember. After the explosion at the end of Remember, I created a good 3-second gap before the intro of Hear Me Lord for some drama. Chief, I don't think a song being too personal would be an issue by this point. This version is unlike the released one, with some hot guitar (courtesy of Clapton) and a louder, more upfront vocal performance. Standard gap before the ringing intro of It Don't Come Easy. (I tried syncing some of George's vocal with Ringo's but the speed seemed a bit off so I gave that up) After IDCE, a hard edit straight into Hot As Sun, try it, it works!! Since it's meant as a link track I faded it early, before the Glasses/Suicide bit. Junk and Look At Me work well together, though I could easily have substituted Oh My Love (maybe that will be the EU version ). I like ending Side 1 with a nice uptempo (well dynamic) Harrison song. Several ATMP outtake versions of this song would fit the bill quite nicely. I'll mess with Side 2 later.

Isn't it funny how we still try making these fantasy sets as LPs?! It's a lot of fun programming this way. If it was CD-only I would re-arrange some of the running order. Probably starting with Instant Karma... that 3, 4 count-in is the perfect opener. So it works as a lead track on Side 2 of the album, but not quite as well as say track 8 of the CD.

To Sean.... I wanted It's Johnny's Birthday to follow Gimme Some Truth and preceed Suicide, a bit of George's sardonic humor always works well for me. Ron

 

Here's my take on The Beatles '73:
Side 1
• Sunday Bloody Sunday
• Tomorrow
• Back Off Boogaloo
• Little Woman Love
• Woman Is The ****** Of The World
• Give Ireland Back To The Irish
• The Luck Of The Irish
• Hi Hi Hi
Side 2
• Only People
C Moon
• John Sinclair
• I Dig Love
• Mary Had A Little Lamb
• Angela
• I am Your Singer
• Coochy Coochy

A bit of a crazy/protest album featuring vocal contributions from Linda and Yoko. Why not?!

 

This is a fun topic but I have to admit, it's frustrating. I've played around with various configurations over the last few years. I've even had two post-Beatles fantasy albums, using the first albums or singles by John, Paul and George and It Don't Come Easy by Ringo for the first album, and the second albums of John, Paul and George plus Photograph by Ringo for the second album. The purist in me keeps rejecting those configurations because they all involve songs that the Beatles did not write or perform with each other while they were together.

My most recent attempt (still a work in progress) is to use those songs that are known to have existed in some form before the break-up, and supplement them as necessary with some logical choices. Here's my working list:

SIDE ONE

1) Gimme Some Truth (performed during the Get Back sessions)
2) Another Day (performed during the Get Back sessions)
3) Isn't It A Pity (also Get Back sessions)
4) It Don't Come Easy (no group connection except that George co-wrote it and produced it, and there is a demo with George singing the lead, and it was initially recorded in early 1970 before the break-up became official)
5) Cold Turkey (again, no group connection but John did want to put it out as a Beatles single, and it also pre-dates the break-up)
6) Junk (demoed during the Esher sessions, and also performed somewhere during the Get Back sessions, I think; plus, it just sounds great immediatley on the heels of Cold Turkey)
7) The Back Street of My Car (Get Back sessions; it ended Ram, and would make a good final song for Side 1)

SIDE TWO

1) Jealous Guy (as Child of Nature, dates back to the Esher sessions; also performed during the Get Back sessions)
2) Every Night (Get Back sessions)
3) Let It Down (Get Back sessions)
4) Oh My Love (John did a home recording of this song in a very early incarnation late in 1968; after the very loud Let It Down, with the Phil Spector production, this very quiet number seems to fit here)
5) Teddy Boy (from the Get Back sessions)
6)

 

As well as Suicide, also a snippet on McCartney. Also, Not Guilty, released on George's self-titled LP.

 

Coochy Coochy? Waaaa???? As long as we are breaking the rules, how about "It Don't Come Easy." It has two Beatles on it, at the very least . . .

 

OOPS! I hadn't finished my post.

6) Hot As Sun/Glasses (Hot As Sun was performed during the Get Back sessions; the Glasses part seems to be part of Suicide, which was also done during those sessions)
7) All Things Must Pass (Get Back sessions, and a most suitable ending, I think)

I would only use the released, finished versions of these songs since the idea is to have a finished product. The problem is that the production styles are all over the map.

I had thought of including Imagine, since there are a few notes from the Get Back sessions where John seems to be fooling around on the piano with the tune to this song (also heard on Fly On The Wall). But Imagine is just too big, too closely identified with John as a solo artist. I suppose the same can be said for All Things Must Pass and George, but the group worked quite a bit on that song during the Get Back sessions, and it was virtually a completed composition at that point, so it stays in.

Another fun aspect is to come up with a title. I have tried a variety over the last few years. Postpartum (still my favorite) was the first. Dissolution is another. After the Fall. Unfinished Business (appropriate for the theme of the above track listing). Loose Ends. None of these are very "Beatley" though. Any good ideas?

In the end, this exercise may be just a way for Beatles fans to waste time, but so what? John Lennon himself was the first to suggest that, if Beatles fans miss the group so much, they can just put together a tape with one song from Paul, one song from John, one from George and one from Ringo (or words to that effect). So we have his somewhat backhanded blessing, I guess.

 

Gotta have Maybe I'm Amazed and Back Seat of My Car (great album closer). Ringo track should be (as discussed earlier) It Don't Come Easy.

 

My own fantasy album is called Frustrations, and contains a lot of tracks where the Beatles vent their irritation for each other, but it all comes together in the end. The agreement is that both George and Ringo's offerings will be considered and that they will have more opportunities to get songs on albums. (Yes, there are fantasy albums all the way up to 1980...)

Maybe I'm Amazed has already been released ahead of the album as a non-album single, with Early 1970 as a B-side, on 26 August 1970.

Frustrations (15 Nov 1970)

1. Love

A beautiful fade-in opens the album, and John gets off to a great start.

2. Not Guilty

George gets to show his frustration first... Previously recorded for the White Album, this tune only receives a few touch-ups.

3. It Don't Come Easy

Ringo's tune on the album is a killer track, which all reviewers single out .

4. Mother

John gets back in with one of his monumental songs.

5. Momma Miss America

Paul lightens the mood with a silly-ish instrumental. The name is obviously inspired by the preceding tune.

6. Run of the Mill

George is still grumpy, and gets to end side one with this song.

7. Working Class Hero

John starts off side two with a folk-ish acoustic song.

8. Junk

Paul continues in the acoustic vein, but with a lighter tune.

9. Hear Me Lord

George has his third(!) contribution on the album, and this time he's trying to get to grips with his annoyance.

10. Man We Was Lonely

Paul shows that he too was affected by the troubles within the group.

11. God

John gets in another monumental tune which shows how near the group really was to breaking up. Luckily...

12. All Things Must Pass

which George tells us in this song. They are all much happier now, and this song reflects that there will be better times ahead.

All in all, George shines on this album, and John gets in a couple of great tunes. Paul's offerings are a bit lighter, but help to offset the darker mood of the other two (and he's already had a fantastic A-side out just before the album). Ringo has his first truly killer track.

And just after the album, there is another non-album single released: Instant Karma b/w Apple Scruffs.

 

The two Harrison tracks on the "fantasy" album need to be "All Things Must Pass" (I agree - a great closing track for the album) and "Not Guilty". IIRC, "Not Guilty" was also played during the Get Back sessions.

Now, which tracks contain more "Paul Is Dead" clues or will there be some backwards gibberish in between some of the tracks?

 

A few people are starting to mention "Not Guilty." I think that's a great idea. It's a completely finished outtake, so it would be perfect for a "fantasy Beatles album" (although I think it's very likely the band would've re-recorded it). You could probably even get away with including something like "Come And Get It."

Just some ideas...

The most difficult part of these exercises, for my money, has been trying to get the disparate production styles to gel. I've even used ATMP outtakes, but something just isn't right.