David Bowie Joins The Beatles (An Alternate Beatles Timeline)

David Bowie had made the trip to Berlin in late 1976. Eager to make connections and draw inspiration from the burgeoning German culture, Bowie, and his good friends Iggy Pop and Brian Eno, took many trips around the city wanting to find out what Berlin got what America don't. They found their answer in krautrock, a broad genre of German experimental rock, careened by Tangerine Dream, Neu!, and Kraftwerk. Bowie had first heard the of the genre when the Beatles' own Station to Station was described as such. He knew it was the natural next step in his musical direction, and he decided to climb the next rung of his ladder of musical excellence. Or at least that would've happened immediately if Bowie hadn't gotten caught up producing Iggy Pop's debut record, The Idiot . Similarly krautrock/art rock, the album was divisive, being a major sound change for the former Stooge. This put Bowie's label, RCA, into a panic of if Bowie's eventually next solo album would so

John Lennon quit. David Bowie left. Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr were absolutely dumbfounded at their place in the music industry in mid 1976. A temporary hiatus was in order to get their bearings together, but none of them knew what this meant for the band upon their eventual return to writing and recording. McCartney continued playing with his side band, Wings, throughout 1976, playing small clubs and venues to anyone who'll listen. His band was comprised of himself, his wife Linda, Denny Laine formerly of the Moody Blues and Ginger Baker's Air Force, and session musicians Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English. These shows went over well, with the band playing a healthy mix of Beatles songs and songs that Paul had written by himself while on the road. It was during these shows that people started to notice that Denny's position in the live band was almost akin to John Lennon and his partnership with McCartney. This gave McCartney an idea that would manifest o