Yesterday and Today

Beatles ’75 pt7

It's summertime 1975 and the wave of Beatles nostalgia and reunion rumors that had persisted for several months prior is continuing to grip the world of popular music. With relations warm between John, Paul, George and Ringo -- and with Allen Klein out of the picture -- all seemed prime for the fab four to join forces once more...but short of a David Frost television tribute special, the public didn't have much tangible hope to cling to. Instead, a new phenomenon was brewing - one that had been picking up steam since the 1973 hit single My Love and continuing on into the smash success LP Band on the Run and beyond: the phenomenon known as Paul McCartney & WINGS. On May 30th, in conjunction with the chart-shaking new single Listen To What The Man Said, the new Wings LP Venus & Mars is released. For anyone who thought the aforementioned Band on the Run LP was a fluke, this new album from Paul, Linda, Denny, Jimmy and Joe soared to new heights, cementing the "Wings sound" and bringing the band to the precipice of global pop domination. The dream of the Beatles was still in the hearts of many, but few could argue with the unstoppable rock and roll machine that McCartney had spent the last 4 years building and honing. For the former Beatle who perhaps stumbled the hardest post-break-up, Macca was at last not only a solo force on his own, but a solo BRAND to be reckoned with... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt6

The spring of 1975 saw some of the most candid and nostalgia-laden interviews ever from each of the four former Beatles since their split over five years prior. First up on April 19th was George Harrison, talking with WNEW FM about everything from his plans for Dark Horse Records, to a brand new studio album, to his struggles with the rock music press - specifically those of the recent harsh reviews by Rolling Stone magazine. As Harrison details in the interview, Dark Horse Records was George's way of fulfilling the creative promise of the now-defunct Apple Records - which he and fellow former fab Ringo Starr had initially envisioned re-branding without the input of the reluctant Lennon and McCartney - as the emerging artist haven it was always intended to be. In lieu of a "re-envisioned" Apple Records, Ringo's new label Ring O'Records was itself still in the launch stage, similarly hoping to rekindle some of the magic that Apple had lost since the split of the band and their break with Allen Klein. John Lennon, meanwhile, continued his series of TV and radio appearances that year with an in-depth interview on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow Show, where the former Beatle spoke at length about his past, current status, and plans for the future. Similar in tone to George's WNEW talk, Lennon seemed eager to discuss the early influences of his life as a Beatle - yielding some of the most vivid recollections of those pre-fame Liverpool days ever captured on camera. Paul McCartney was making the press rounds as well, but the past was not the topic du jour for the high-flying Wings frontman. No, Macca was preparing a massive world tour and stood on the eve of the release of a brand new album, destined to be "Wings Greatest"... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt5

From the streets of New Orleans to the heat of Los Angeles, Paul McCartney and Wings were at last finished with Venus And Mars, the follow-up LP to the wildly successful 1973 Band On The Run album -- and it was time to celebrate! What ensued was a veritable who's who of the Los Angeles music scene partying heartily aboard the permanently-docked ocean liner The Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Macca's staggering guest list (reminiscent of the Wings launch party 4 years prior) included such stars as Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Marvin Gaye, The Faces, Phil Everly, The Jackson Five, Dean Martin, Tony Curtis, Cher, Derek Taylor and Mal Evans. Even former Beatle George Harrison, with girlfriend Olivia by his side, was in attendance to christen the latest Wings effort. Invited but absent from the festivities were John Lennon and Ringo Starr, who themselves had a busy schedule as the spring of 1975 slowly drew to a close. Ringo O'Records, the brand new label fronted by Starr, was in the midst of its first big promotional push. Meanwhile, John Lennon would formally take the stage for (what would turn out to be) the final show of his career -- performing a variety of songs including cuts from his new Rock And Roll record at the A Salute to Sir Lew Grade: The Master Showman televised gala. A third of the way through 1975 and John Lennon still seemed very much in the public eye, but a cancelled April 14th recording session would wind up being a telltale sign of things to come in as the decade progressed... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt4

It's March of 1975 and a flurry of activity is once again stirring in the world of John Lennon. Newly reunited with wife Yoko Ono and flying high off the heels of his successful Walls & Bridges and Rock And Roll LPs, the reinvigorated ex-Beatle was making preparations to enter the studio to record his next album of original material - tentatively titled Sally & Billy. The prolific John had a lot to be excited about, with new songs of his debuting that month on both David Bowie and Keith Moon's respective new LPs, as well as an extensive interview and live performance session on music haven The Old Grey Whistle Test. Absent from all of this was Paul McCartney, whose hopes for a reunion with Lennon during the New Orleans Wings recording sessions were dashed the month prior. While that meeting was not to meant be, relations remained warm between the Lennons and McCartneys - hope was indeed kept alive for a future collaboration between the two former partners. The Wings Venus & Mars sessions had since relocated to Malibu CA, where Paul and Linda again ran afoul of the law on a Marijuana possession charge when a routine traffic stop yielded a massive bag of weed found on Linda McCartney's person. While this latest altercation with the law resulted in a another slap on the wrist for the famous couple, Marijuana conviction complications would continue to complicate Wings' plans in the months to come. Meanwhile, George Harrison and his Dark Horse label pushed forward with a new single from Splinter, and Ringo Starr brought his new hit single The No No Song to NBC's Hoyt-Axton Boogie Woogie Gospel Rock and Roll Show. Over five years since the Beatles' split, John, Paul George and Ringo were all in the process of making 1975 their most prolific year yet... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt3

February of 1975 saw the official release of John Lennon's most laborious, expensive album project in the entirety of his solo career: Rock & Roll. This collection of oldies may have seemed like an effortless cash-grab from the recesses of John's nostalgia, but the truth, drama and love behind the project ran far deeper than any listener at the time could have expected. The concept of an oldies album dates back to 1973 and the beginning of John's initial separation from estranged wife Yoko Ono (the time period now known as his so-called "Lost Weekend"). Self-appointed "Godfather of the music business" Morris Levy was in hot pursuit of legal action against Lennon for cribbing lyrics from Chuck Berry's You Can't Catch Me (a song which Levy owned the publishing) for John's Abbey Road classic Come Together. The solution? A new album of cover songs by Lennon featuring some Levy-owned tunes and a host of other rock classics that would serve as an outlet for the pained and out-of-control former Beatle. Two years, stacks of missing tapes, gunshots in the studio and a completely separate other solo studio album later... and John's love-letter to the sound of his past was at last out in the world. Of course, this flurry of activity also coincided with John & Yoko's rekindled romantic relationship - the couple was seen together again in public for the first time that same week at the 17th annual Grammy Awards (where John and Paul Simon delivered an award). Down in New Orleans, Paul McCartney finally got the call from John cancelling plans to join the Venus & Mars sessions - and with that call, the last true possibility of a Lennon & McCartney studio reunion was dashed. But was the reunion hope truly dead? Believe it or not, Art Garfunkel may hold the answer... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt2

In the early weeks of 1975, the burst of productivity and music that characterized John Lennon's so-called "lost weekend" continued on in its typical, blistering pace. But the "weekend" was almost over, and while John didn't know it at the time, these last few projects at the beginning of 1975 would be among his last major works as a solo artist. First up? Pal David Bowie invites John into the studio to contribute to the Young Americans sessions. Bowie and John team up on an epic cover rendition of the Beatles classic Across the Universe, but while the pair were at it, a new song (and a new hit) emerges as well: the funky riff-jam titled simply Fame. But cranking out a hit with one of the biggest artists in the world was only the start - from there it's back in the studio to put the final touches on mixing the long-awaited Rock And Roll album, which was itself on the eve of finally being released. Started at the beginning of John's separation from Yoko Ono in 1973, it seems only fitting that the project at last see fruition as the estranged couple find their way back to one another once again. Yoko Ono was indeed back in John's life, and suddenly the scheduled recording session with Paul & Linda McCartney in New Orleans seemed less and less likely to actually happen... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’75 pt1

It's 1975! A new year brings a new locale and recording project for Paul McCartney and Wings, who are headed down south to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans! While this newest Wings line-up continues to solidify, the band drinks in the sights and sounds of the Louisiana atmosphere, capturing moments and melodies destined for the follow-up LP to Paul's December '73 masterpiece Band On The Run. But it's more than just Wings that McCartney is looking to see take flight. An open musical invitation to old pal John Lennon on behalf of Paul in New Orleans appears to validate the ever-swirling rumors of a Beatles reunion that have ebbed and flowed since the fab foursome split 5 years prior. Wounds are now healed, friendships rekindled, and the stage appears to be set for the studio reunion of Lennon and McCartney...but another voice from the past has called for John's attention. Estranged wife Yoko Ono has recaptured John's attention as well, and the spell of the ocean child would ultimately prove more powerful than that of the McCartneys in the big easy... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’74 pt13

It's the end of 1974 - a year of productivity, transformation, music and the definitive ending for The Beatles partnership. After four long years of litigation, Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr (plus a parade of their respective attorneys) put pen to paper on the document that would once and for all conclude the greatest pop music enterprise the modern world had ever seen before or since. But this ending wouldn't be without the trademark drama and heartache that marred the former Beatles' lives since their split in 1970. On December 19th, 1974, George Harrison and his Dark Horse tour took the stage for the first of three engagements at New York City's famed Madison Square Garden - and John Lennon was scheduled to appear with George to perform as a special guest. With Paul in the audience, and George and John on the stage, the old friends planned to return together to an afterparty that would see the signing of the dissolution papers completed, and conclude the Beatles partnership on a happy note. This was not to be. For reasons known only to to the man himself, John Lennon hatched an excuse, bailed on the concert and refused to sign the papers. It wouldn't be for another 10 days, with some arm-twisting by McCartney, for John Lennon to finally sign the documents that would end the project he began so many years ago. A project that carried he and his friends from scruffy lower middle-class teddy boys to the most famous, most successful musicians on the planet - leaving a mark not only on history, but on the lives of the countless millions touched by their music. And with that, both 1974, and the Beatles, were finished. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’74 pt12

In a year jam-packed with new music from each of the four ex-Beatles, the 3rd and final studio album from the former fabs in 1974 was the widely anticipated, tour-supported George Harrison LP Dark Horse. In the wake of the Beatles' split (a full 4+ years earlier) George found himself uniquely poised for success amongst his colleagues - with arguably the lowest expectations for solo project output, combined with the soaring heights of his first full-fledged solo studio effort All Thing Must Pass. There was a time in the early 70's when George Harrison could do no musical "wrong". But audiences were growing increasingly frustrated with the preachy nature of Harrison's music, and that (combined with his noticeably strained voice and combative songwriting fodder) lead to the mixed reaction Dark Horse wound up receiving in December of 1974. Gone were the wall-of-sound pop gems of All Things Must Pass and the sweeping cinematic landscapes of Living In the Material World - replaced instead by ballads and grooves doused in pain, substance abuse and an existential confusion that permeated the quiet Beatle's personal life at that time. To say Dark Horse is a "break-up record" would be like calling She Loves You a "toe-tapper", and after years of solo dominance over John and Paul, George was once again back on his heels in the minds of fans, critics and contemporaries alike. But speaking of John, George and Ringo - one crucial step remained in the dissolution of their once-inseparable partnership -- and before 1974 was over, the world would see that final step fulfilled... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beatles ’74 pt11

It's November 1974 and George Harrison's Dark Horse Tour is rolling on through the heart of North America. While George's ragged voice continued its decline on these tour stops, the fun and energy of the musicianship on stage was evident to the thousands of excited fans packing concert venues to see the former Beatle perform some of his iconic hits for the first time in years (in some cases, ever). Classics such as In My Life and While My Guitar Gently Weeps may have been crowd-pleasers, but it was the brand-new soundcheck-written, boogie-woogie jams that truly exemplified the fun that George's band was having every and every night. But Harrison wasn't the only former Beatle taking the stage in November of '74, John Lennon had himself a bet to settle with pal and Whatever Gets You Through The Night collaborator Elton John. As Elton and his band reached New York City's famed Madison Square Garden on Thanksgiving night, fans in attendance bore witness to Lennon's triumphant return to concert performance (though no one could know at the time that it would be his last in such a context). It had been over two years since John was last seen at MSG, and he and Elton's band tore through an electric three-song set including Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds, the aforementioned #1 hit single Whatever Gets You Through The Night and the McCartney-sung Beatles classic I Saw Her Standing There. One of those lucky fans in the audience that night? John's estranged wife Yoko Ono... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.