Imaginary Beatles

Imagine if the Beatles hadn’t broken up in 1970. I was going to add, “It’s easy if you try,” but really, I think the breakup was inevitable. They started out as four lads from Liverpool and by 1969 they were four young married men with awakened social, political, religious, and artistic sensibilities. That hasn’t stopped me from speculating what the next Beatles album would have sounded like. We have their solo releases, but the Beatles were more than the sum of their parts. Still, a few solo songs have that “Beatles sound,” like “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Instant Karma.” And we can imagine what they would have sounded like if John, Paul, George, and Ringo had recorded them on a new album in 1970.

It turns out I’m not the only one to wonder about this. Google “imaginary Beatles” and you’ll find Stephen Baxter’s short story “The Twelfth Album” about a “lost” Beatles album, God. There’s also Allyn Gibson’s Hot as Sun mix, Mark Feldman’s Fixing a Hole albums, Marvin Marks’s 1971 Beatles album, and Maximum Bob’s Imaginary.

So, I decided to play along. Tackling my own version, I borrowed some of their ground rules.

— 25 minutes per side, about the limit of a vinyl LP (it is 1970, remember)

— 2-3 George songs (George would have asked for equal songs, but I bet he'd get more singles)

— 1 Ringo song

— Songs released or at least partially written by the date (late 1970)

I didn’t want a compilation of their greatest solo hits; I wanted an album that captured the playfulness and eclecticism that characterized their later releases.

There are some problems imagining the Beatles recording some of the solo songs, though. Would they have recorded John’s rejection of the Beatles in “God” (I could see that), or George’s overt spirituality in “My Sweet Lord”? What about the songs that reference the breakup? Or John’s solo releases before they officially broke up? Well, if we’re rewriting history to keep the Beatles together, why not rewrite a bit further and include “Instant Karma”? So, I imagined that they took some time off in mid-1970 and dealt with their differences, then recorded their new material in the fall for a December release produced by George Martin.

I call it Apple, after their company. (Also imagine that Apple Corp. wasn’t the train wreck it was in reality.) I’ve always loved the cover art for the Hey Jude compilation; so in my version that’s the Apple cover, with the back cover a photo of an apple tree rife with green apples.

So, without further ado, I give you the Beatles’ 1970 release, Apple:

Side One

1. Every Night (Paul) – George Martin usually started an album off a bit more rocking, but all of the solo Beatles early releases start softer. This underrated song from McCartney lulls us in like an old friend.

2. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) (John) — John gets us rocking with a song held off to also be the single. This has Phil Spector’s fingerprints all over, so we have to imagine a George Martin-produced version.

3. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) (George) — I originally had “My Sweet Lord” here, but the more I thought about it the less likely it seemed that John or Paul would have played along.

4. Maybe I’m Amazed (Paul) – Paul’s greatest solo song, sounding perfect the way it is. Also a single.

5. Love (John) – The song slowly building out of the “Maybe I’m Amazed” fadeout makes you have to listen to the silence. A shift in tone from the rockers on either side. Imagine Paul on piano instead of Phil Spector.

6. It Don’t Come Easy (Ringo) – Terrific Ringo song comes out of the silence.

7. Well Well Well (John) – The “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” of the album. I can imagine the lads really rocking on this one.

Running time: 25:43. A bit over, but they could trim a bit from “Well Well Well.”

Side Two

1. Another Day (Paul) – Paul brings us a new day on side 2, a partner to his side 1 opener. This was Paul’s first single in 1971, but I think if he were bringing new material to a Beatles album, he would have brought some other things he was working on. McCartney was a personal experiment; he’d have other songs for the group.

2. Look at Me (John) – John started this in India. A piece straight off the White Album.

3. What Is Life (George) – George’s other big hit, this is his centerpiece song. A double-A side with “Maybe I’m Amazed.”

4. Junk (Paul) – Beautiful acoustic number from Paul.

5. Isolation (John) – John still had a lot of personal issues to deal with. This seems more appropriate to the Beatles than “Mother” or “God,” which I imagine John would release as solo singles.

6. All Things Must Pass (George) – Bringing things almost to a close, a possible message that this is the end.

7. The Back Seat of My Car (Paul) – But Paul has the last word with a big “A Day in the Life” number, his tribute to American rock. I’ve always felt this song was missing that little extra. Something the Beatles and George Martin would supply. I know this is from Ram from 1971, but Paul started this when the Beatles were still together, and it is exactly the sort of big piece he’d work on for a Beatles release

Running time: 22:49

For singles, I imagine they'd continue the industry trend of releases from the album, instead of all new releases. The 1970s were already going toward album-based releases.

Singles:

A-side: Instant Karma (John)

B-side: Isn't It a Pity (George)

(Released before the album.)

Double A-side: Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul) / What Is Life (George)

A-side: Another Day (Paul)

B-side: Working Class Hero (John)

I imagine George would have released “My Sweet Lord” as a solo single with “Beware of Darkness,” while John would release “Mother” with “God” as the B-side.

There’s the likely prospect that they would have written new songs, or combined some unfinished songs, as they frequently did. A merger of “I Found Out” and “Well Well Well” is tempting, or a McCartney interlude borrowed from his great riffs like “Oo You” or “Valentine Day” added to “Remember.”

But this is my version of the Beatles in 1970. To my ears it sounds less like a John Lennon number, then a Paul McCartney song, then a George Harrison, and more like the Beatles. Give it a listen.

— Jeff