Sunday, January 22, 2012

The 1971 Beatles Album

Three members of The Beatles were busy fellows in 1971.  George was getting his Concert for Bangla Desh organised.  John was making films with Yoko and performing in concert for various causes.  Ringo was filming Blindman.  But that wouldn't stop them from putting out a stellar album.


Track Listing:

1.  Too Many People
2.  It Don't Come Easy
3.  Crippled Inside
4.  Jealous Guy
5.  Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey
6.  If Not for You
7.  Imagine
8.  Gimme Some Truth
9.  Heart of the Country
10.  Deep Blue
11.  The Back Seat of my Car


"Too Many People" -- From the tracks off of Paul's 1971 album Ram, you can't choose any of the songs where Paul takes a dig at John, so this album will start off with the socially conscious "TMP," as George and John's activist spirit rubs off on Paul.

"It Don't Come Easy" -- A single from 1971 that Ringo wrote himself.

"Crippled Inside" -- A song off of John's 1971 Imagine album.  George plays guitar on this track.

"Jealous Guy" -- This was originally a song called "Child of Nature" written when The Beatles went to India and then recorded the "White Album," but since they chose Paul's "Mother Nature's Son" to be on the album, John decided to shelve his song.  He later rewrote the lyrics and included it on Imagine.

"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" -- Paul's hit single from his 1971 Ram album.

"If Not for You" -- The other Beatles were Dylan fans, and would probably have been excited for it's inclusion.  George did not release an album of new songs in 1971, but he would've had this 1970 song ready.

"Imagine" -- This was a hit single and the title track of his 1971 solo album.

"Gimme Some Truth" -- John would've pushed to include this Imagine song about his frustration over being harassed by the US government over his immigration status.  George plays guitar on this track.  John said that the guitar solo on this track was one of the best he'd ever heard from George.

"Heart of the Country" -- John wasn't the only one who wrote songs about his personal life, as this song from Ram shows how happy Paul is with his life on his farm in the country.

"Deep Blue" -- George had a lot of All Things Must Pass songs stocked up, but I passed them up as I think George would have included this 1971 song instead.  It was the B-side added to his single "Bangla Desh," written after the death of his mother.

"The Backseat of my Car" -- This track from Paul's Ram gives this Beatles '71 album a big, dramatic ending.


1971 Non-album Singles:

"Power to the People" backed with "Early 1970"
"Bangla Desh" backed with "Wah-Wah"
and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" backed with "Oh Yoko!"


"Power to the People" was a 1971 song John released as a single before he started the Imagine sessions. "Early 1970" was the B-side of Ringo's 1971 "It Don't Come Easy," a song about the people in his Beatles family.

"Bangla Desh" was a song George released in the summer of 1971 that announced the campaign to help the refugees of Bangla Desh.  The B-Side "Wah-Wah" is a song that George performed at the Concert for the People of Bangla Desh.

"Happy Xmas" in a way continues The Beatles's tradition of releasing a Christmas song during the holidays.  This was a single John released in 1971.  The B-side is one of the love songs for Yoko on Imagine.  Gotta have one of those somewhere.

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