The 1973 Beatles Album

This was a prolific and profitable year for John/Paul/George/Ringo.  John recorded and released the Mind Games album as well as recorded the first batch of his Rock 'n' Roll songs with Phil Spector.  Paul released two albums, Red Rose Speedway and Band on the Run, he produced a TV special James Paul McCartney, he wrote the theme song to a James Bond movie, and he had three singles reach the top ten.  Ringo reached the pinnacle of his solo career in 1973 with his album Ringo that featured a "Beatles reunion" of sorts as John, George, and Paul all contributed songs.  He also sported two number one singles that year.  George released his popular Living in the Material World, which also yielded a number one single.

Track Listing:

1.  Band on the Run

2.  Photograph

3.  Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)

4.  Out the Blue

5.  Don't Let Me Wait Too Long

6.  Let Me Roll It

7.  You Are Here

8.  Mind Games

9.  Jet

10.  Bring on the Lucie (Freda People)

11.  Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-five

"Band on the Run" -- A no brainer from Paul's 1973 album of the same name, and a great lead off song.

"Photograph" -- Ringo and George wrote this 1973 song from the Ringo album, and George plays guitar on it.  Perennial Ringo.

"Give Me Love" -- Number one single for George off of his 1973 Living in the Material World.  It was in his set list for his 1974 tour.

"Out the Blue" -- From John's 1973 album Mind Games.  I don't have any rationale for including it except that I need four John songs for this album, and it is one of my favorites from Mind Games.

"Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" --  Another hit single taken from George's Living in the Material World.

"Let Me Roll It" -- It's hard to chop up Paul's Band on the Run, as it is a nearly perfect album, but I chose this track as it is a favorite of Paul's and has been showcased on numerous tours.

"You Are Here" -- Another one of my favorites from John's Mind Games.

"Mind Games" -- A song that John seemed to favor, as it was a single and the title track of his album.  Is this song about his immigration problems, his problems with Yoko at the time, crazy Phil Spector who disappeared with the Rock 'n' Roll tapes, or all of the above?

"Jet" -- Another of Paul's favorites from Band on the Run.  It features prominently in all of his tours.  The lyrics to this track flummox me though.  I know this song is supposed to be about his dog, but why am I supposed to be worried that the major is a suffragette?

"Bring on the Lucy (Freda People)" -- Another song from John's Mind Games.  Perhaps he would have picked this track to be on the Beatles' 1973 album as it's not as pretty as the others and has that lyrical bite that he embraced.

"Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-five" -- This was the B-Side to Paul's "Band on the Run" single.  It perfectly ends the album with a fade out of "Band on the Run" tacked onto the end.

1973 Non-album Singles:

"My Love" backed with "Big Barn Bed"

"Live and Let Die" backed with "Country Dreamer"

"I'm the Greatest" backed with "Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)"

"My Love" was a track from Red Rose Speedway that preceeded Band on the Run by half a year.  Paul wouldn't have waited for the Beatles 1973 album which would have been released late in the year.  I love Henry McCullough's solo on this track, but I would love to hear what George would have come up with.  Paul originally B-sided this mellow track with a rocker, "The Mess."  As I've already used "The Mess" on the 1972 album, I thought Paul might pick "Big Barn Bed" which featured in his 1972 tours and the James Paul McCartney TV special.

"Live and Let Die" also needed to be released on its own schedule, as it was part of the James Bond film of the same name.  I thought Paul would like to juxtapose this rockin' A-side with a country song.  Knowing about Ringo's affinity for country music, I think he would have approved.

"I'm the Greatest" is a track from the Ringo album.  As Ringo was generally allotted only one track per album, and there were a lot of great tracks on the Ringo record, The Beatles would have had to release at least one of them as a single.  "I'm the Greatest" was written by John who also plays piano and sings harmony.  George plays guitar, and Billy Preston plays organ.  The B-side, "Sunshine Life for Me" also comes from the Ringo record.  This is a track that George wrote for Ringo.  George plays guitar and sings backup.