Let's face it. There are few Beatle fans who wouldn't, had they had a choice, prevented the Beatles from breaking up.
But, of course, that's the impossible dream. One can argue about the whys and how comes, but basically, the Beatles would have broken up anyway because they grew apart.
"Let's Put the Beatles Back Together Again 1970-2010: How to Assemble & Appreciate the 2nd Half of the Beatles' Legacy," by Jeff Walker, pretends the breakup never happened and puts a new spin on it. The premise of the book is to replace Allen Klein (which will certainly get the book fans for that reason alone) with a manager who has the Beatles release their solo tracks, recorded separately because they don't want to record together, as group albums.
Walker creates the imaginary albums with track lists and also lists the history behind each. The tracks include unreleased versions, adding a wider variation of what's available. The first two albums are based on tracks from the "Get Back"/"Let It Be" sessions. Then comes "The Black Box," not to be confused with "The Black Album" bootleg of alternative White Album sessions.
He even takes the trouble to reconfigure the released albums. These changes include, for example, adding "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields Forever" to the "Sgt. Pepper" album.
Neither John Lennon's murder or George Harrison's passing stops the releases. And, in fact, some of the releases go from a group focus to an individual collection of tracks by one Beatle.
It might seem pointless, but Walker's logic behind the new albums makes for a "what if?" scenario that creates, at the least, something to consider.
(Win a copy of this book. Answer this question: How many tracks are on the two-disc soundtrack of "Nowhere Boy"? You can find the answer here. Deadline is Tuesday at 11 p.m. PT. Email us with the answer at beatlesexaminer@gmail.com.)
Comments
The whole point of my slimming down and rejigging the post-Beatles works was to create a terrific listening experience for Beatles fans, an experience they otherwise might never have. I can't understand how someone could read the book and then suggest that the imaginative exercise therein seems pointless.
Jeff: I wasn't saying the book was pointless. I was saying on its face, it might not seem logical, but, in fact, the ideas in it are something to ponder.
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