Intermission: The Red/Blue/Green Albums (1973-1975)

THE BEATLES - 1962-1966

Released: 2 April 1973

Genre: Rock, pop

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Love Me Do

Please Please Me

From Me to You

She Loves You

I Want to Hold Your Hand

All My Loving

Can't Buy Me Love

Side B

A Hard Day's Night

And I Love Her

Eight Days a Week

I Feel Fine

Ticket to Ride

Yesterday

Side C

Help!

You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

We Can Work It Out

Day Tripper

Drive My Car

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

Side D

Nowhere Man

Michelle

In My Life

Girl

Paperback Writer

Eleanor Rigby

Yellow Submarine

THE BEATLES - 1967-1970

Released: 2 April 1973

Genre: Rock, pop

Producer: George Martin, Glyn Johns

Side A

Strawberry Fields Forever

Penny Lane

With a Little Help from My Friends

Love You 'till Tuesday

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

A Day in the Life

All You Need Is Love

Side B

I Am the Walrus

Hello, Goodbye

Magical Mystery Tour

Lady Madonna

Karma Man

Hey Jude

Revolution

Side C

Dear Prudence

Blackbird

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Helter Skelter

Get Back

London, Bye Ta-Ta

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Side D

Space Oddity

Something

Come Together

The Long and Winding Road

Across the Universe

Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End

Let It Be

THE BEATLES - 1971-1974

Released: 21 November 1975

Genre: Rock, pop

Producer: The Beatles, George Martin, Tony Visconti, Ken Scott

Side A

Maybe I'm Amazed

All the Madmen

The Man Who Sold the World

Changes

Another Day

Imagine

Life on Mars?

Side B

Back Off Boogaloo

Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

Suffragette City

Hi, Hi, Hi

Starman

Meat City

Live and Let Die

Side C

Band on the Run

Mind Games

Jet

Aladdin Sane

Ziggy Stardust

Out the Blue

Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

Side D

The Diamond Dogs

(It's All Down to) Goodnight Vienna

Rebel Rebel

Rock 'n' Roll with Me

Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)

Listen to What the Man Said

Fame

The Beatles - Space Oddity (1969)

Following the release of Get Back and their return to live performances, The Beatles were in the mood to write and record together. This would be the first recording sessions since The Beatles in early 1968 to have no large conflict whatsoever. David Bowie would be thanked for that, bringing John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison together in a way that would benefit the group as a whole. Bowie would also be to blame for their next single and the band's biggest song since "Hey Jude". On 25 July 1969, the Beatles would release "Space Oddity", just in time for the Apollo 11 Moon landing, which had concluded the previous day. The song would be an immediate smash hit and would be the impetus for the remainder of the sessions leading up to the release of their next album. On August 22, 1969, The Beatles would perform the song on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, with universally positive reviews from everyone watching. The song's B-side "You Know It Ain't Easy" would receive minor backlash for using the word "Christ".

Following the hype of the Moon landing and the smash success of their latest single, the band decided that their next album's concept would be space-themed. Songs written before the decision would be mixed in with songs after to make one cohesive statement that the band could be proud of. McCartney had producer George Martin and his orchestra work overtime to capture the feeling of space and all its majesty. Songs were worked and reworked multiple times during the sessions to make sure every aspect was perfect. McCartney would later say he hadn't felt this good about an album on release since From Liverpool.

It was also McCartney's idea to throw some unused song ideas he had lying around into a side-length medley that would close the album. Lennon would throw some of his old ideas, dating to their trip to India, into the mix, and Bowie would write some new bits of his own to include. The medley would be well received for how each song nicely transitioned to the next without sacrificing any details. Due to Bowie's massive backlog of songs that Lennon and McCartney allowed for him to add to the album, George Harrison would feel more pushed to the corner then he had ever been before. For the first time ever, Bowie had more songs then Harrison, despite Harrison being the senior member. This would negatively affect his stance towards working with the group for some time.

Finally, on November 14, 1969, the album Space Oddity released. It was immediately met with universally positive reviews from everyone, citing its cohesiveness and its simple sound compared to their previous outings. Retrospectively, it is still considered one of the greatest albums of all time, alongside the likes of From Liverpool and Ziggy Stardust. People consider this album to be the exact point in which David Bowie became a strong and confident songwriter and even a star in his own right. Following its release, the Beatles would take a good half-year to themselves before returning to the studio to record another masterpiece.

THE BEATLES - SPACE ODDITY

Released: 14 November 1969

Genre: Pop rock, art rock, baroque pop, folk rock, psychedelic pop

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Because

Space Oddity

Something

Every Night

Letter to Hermione

Jealous Guy

All Things Must Pass

Side B

Come Together

Two of Us

God Knows I'm Good

Hot as Sun/Glasses

Octopus's Garden

I Want You (She's So Heavy)

Side C

Here Comes the Sun

An Occasional Dream

The Long and Winding Road

Across the Universe

Cygnet Committee

Side D (The Space Oddity Medley)

You Never Give Me Your Money

The Supermen

One Sweet Dream

Here Comes the Sun King

Come and Get It

Right On, Mother

Mean Mr. Mustard

Polythene Pam

Black Country Rock

Bathroom Window

Golden Slumbers

Carry That Weight

The End

Blue Moon [hidden track]

Track list sources:

For Sides A-C, all of Bowie's songs are from Space Oddity, and the Beatles' songs are from Abbey Road, Let It Be ("Two of Us" is from Naked), McCartney, Imagine and All Things Must Pass.

For Side D, all songs segue into the next one. All tracks from the medley on Abbey Road are used, as well as "The Supermen" and "Black Country Rock" from The Man Who Sold the World, "Come and Get It" from Anthology 3, and "Right On, Mother" from Divine Symmetry. A mix is in the works so that the entire thing can be listened to without any editing from the reader's part. "Blue Moon", a hidden track, is from the 50th Anniversary edition of The Beatles.

Back cover

The Beatles - Get Back (1969)

The Beatles were in turmoil at the beginning of 1969. Along with the failure of Unfinished Music and the constant bickering between members, it was Paul McCartney's new idea for a television documentary that pushed them over the edge. McCartney had wanted to return the band to live performances following the turmoil from the previous year, but John Lennon and George Harrison were not favorable to this idea at all. McCartney's dominance, Lennon's reluctance and Harrison's aspiring songwriting skills made working together impossible, and their long time producer, George Martin, took off from most of the hostile sessions. In the middle of all of this were the Beatles other two members, Ringo Starr and David Bowie. Compared to the other three, they were willing to go along with whatever the group consensus was. But seeing as there was no group consensus, Bowie decided to do something about it. When Harrison threatened to leave the group, Bowie helped calm his nerves, and he returned to the group before there could be a falling-out. With Bowie being seen as the middle-man, Lennon and Harrison became more open to McCartney's live performance idea, as well as recording for the album that would release thereafter. Bowie would be rewarded for his achievements in the near future.

McCartney's live performance idea would pay off. On January 20, 1969, after a dress rehearsal just two days before, The Beatles would perform a single concert at the Palladium. It would be their first performance as a fivesome, with this being the largest concert Bowie had every performed at thus far. The concert was a smash success and boosted the band's morale ten-fold. By then, most of their upcoming album had been completed. The album would be have a rawer sound compared to their earlier work, with the closest comparison being to the White Album. The album would produced by George Martin as well as Glyn Johns, a first for the band.

The album would be released on April 25, 1969, exactly two weeks after their latest single "Get Back" / "Don't Let Me Down" had released. It was met with success both commercially and critically, but not to the Beatles usual standards. It didn't matter to them, however. The Beatles, with a little help from their newest bandmate, felt like a whole again and were at the top of their game. For their next album, McCartney pleaded with George Martin to have him produce again. Martin replied "Only if you let me produce it the way we used to".

THE BEATLES - GET BACK

Released: 25 April 1969

Genre: Blues rock, pop rock, roots rock, folk rock

Producer: George Martin, Glyn Johns

Side A

One After 909

All I Want Is You

Oh! Darling

Old Brown Shoe

I've Got a Feeling

Did You Ever Have a Dream

Get Back

Side B

Don't Let Me Down

Not Guilty

Teddy Boy

Janine

For You Blue

Can You Dig It?

London Bye Ta-Ta

Get Back (Reprise)

Track list sources:

"One After 909", "All I Want Is You" (Dig a Pony), "I've Got a Feeling", and "For You Blue" are all sourced from Let It Be... Naked, and "Can You Dig It" and "Get Back (Reprise)" are the 1969 Glyn Johns mixes from the Super Deluxe edition of Let It Be. The rest of the Beatles' songs are sourced from Abbey Road, Past Masters, Anthology 3 and McCartney. For Bowie's songs, "Did You Ever Have a Dream" is sourced from The Deram Anthology 1966-1968, "Janine" is from Space Oddity, and "London Bye Ta-Ta is from Bowie at the Beeb.

The Beatles - Yellow Submarine (1969)

Yellow Submarine was the Beatles' fourth film and the first that was animated. Due to the band not even voicing their own characters, the movie has very little to do with the band, except for the band's likeness and their music. The Beatles had asked to supply three new songs for the movie, with them making use of their past material to pad out the rest of the film. All three "new" songs the Beatles brought to the table had been outtakes from 1967 and 1968. Even though the companion album released after all three of their 1968 albums, on January 13, the entire project had been recorded beforehand. It was not seen as a significant release by the band and the public. Curiously, while in Britain it was released as a double EP, it was released as an LP in the US, with songs from the film on the A-side and non-album singles going on the B-side.

THE BEATLES - YELLOW SUBMARINE

Released: 13 January 1969

Genre: Pop rock, psychedelic rock, psychedelic pop, hard rock

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Yellow Submarine

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Hey Bulldog

It's All Too Much

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)

All You Need Is Love

Side B

Lady Madonna

Karma Man

Baby, You're a Rich Man

Revolution

Hey Jude

Track list sources:

All of the Beatles' songs are from Yellow Submarine, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Magical Mystery Tour and Past Masters, with "Yellow Submarine" being the Highlighted Sound Effects version from the Super Deluxe edition of Revolver. "Karma Man" is sourced from The Deram Anthology 1966-1968.

The Beatles - Unfinished Music (1968)

Unfinished Music was the Beatles' third and final album of 1968, releasing December 20. Unlike the previous two albums, this released on Zapple Records, an Apple Records subsidiary meant for spoken word and avant-garde recordings, of which Unfinished Music certainly is. The entire album, mostly commandeered by John and George, is a mix of out-there band songs that didn't fit the mood of either of the last two albums and solo recordings with little to no structure made for the fun of it. It was also their first album to be self-produced (it was still co-produced by their regular producer, George Martin). Predictably, while the album charted, it did horribly commercially and critically, with critics not getting the avant-garde nature of it all. The back cover features a quote from George Martin: "No comment". Following the release of this album, the Beatles took a few weeks off from music-making before setting off on their next project.

THE BEATLES - UNFINISHED MUSIC

Released: 20 December 1968

Genre: Experimental, experimental rock, music hall, novelty, musique concrète

Producer: The Beatles, George Martin

Side A

Wild Honey Pie

You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)

What's the New, Mary Jane?

Revolution 2

Side B

(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care

Under the Mersey Wall

Please Mr. Gravedigger [hidden track]

Track list sources:

"Wild Honey Pie" and "Revolution 2" (Revolution 9 in our timeline) are sourced from The Beatles, with "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" being from its 50th Anniversary edition. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)" is from Past Masters, "What's the New, Mary Jane?" is from Anthology 3, Under the Mersey Wall is from George Harrison's Electronic Sound, and "Please Mr. Gravedigger" is from David Bowie's self-titled 1967 album.

The Beatles - Mad Day Out (1968)

The Beatles' second album of 1968 was Mad Day Out, named after the photoshoot they had done a few months back, and it was released just two months after their last on November 22. This album was more in line with what fans wanted out the band during this time, heavier songs and soundscapes that rivaled other artists such as the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix. "Revolution", a new song by John, was considered for this album but was instead made a B-side for "Hey Jude", which released in September, due to time constraints. It did just as good, if not better, than the White Album and continued their success as well as their musical progression. However, not everybody was positive. The New Left criticized the band for seemingly avoiding political and social issues of the day with pastiche and eclecticism, and many critics gave low marks to Bowie's two songs for being soft and unfitting compared to the rest of the album.

It was during the recording sessions for the White Album and Mad Day Out that the band played an extended jam session of "Revolution". John and George then overdubbed it and added tape collages and spoken word extracts to make a new, finalized product. John wanted to include it on one of the two albums, but Paul argued that it wouldn't fit either due to its avant-garde nature. Following some back and forth bickering between the two, it was decided that there would be a third album released in 1968 that would avant-garde in its entirety, with "Revolution 2" (as it was now called) as its center point.

THE BEATLES - MAD DAY OUT

Released: 22 November 1968

Genre: Pop rock, hard rock, baroque pop, blues rock

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Glass Onion

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

Let Me Sleep Beside You

I'm So Tired

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

Side B

In the Heat of the Morning

Savoy Truffle

Don't Pass Me By

Piggies

Birthday

Yer Blues

Helter Skelter

Track list sources:

All of the Beatles' songs are sourced from The Beatles, with Bowie's two songs being sourced from The Deram Anthology 1966-1968.

The Beatles - The Beatles (1968)

1967 had brought on peak success for the Beatles with their two critical successes From Liverpool and Magical Mystery Tour. They were keen on following up this success in 1968 with a new opus to their name, but the band was sidetracked when they went to India for a Transcendental Meditation course led by the Maharishi (all five attending this time around). It was during these months that the band was extremely active, writing almost 50 songs in the span of their time in Rishikesh. While none of the five finished the course, it was clear by their new songs that India and the people surrounding them had influenced the band plenty. During their stay, the band released the non-album single "Lady Madonna" / "Karma Man". George's "The Inner Light" had originally been considered for the B-side, but it was cast aside when Bowie brought forth his new song.

When the band returned to England, they met at George's house in order to figure out what to do with the songs they had written. A majority of the songs were worked on in rough form at this time, but eventually, all of them would be used in some capacity when it came to making studio recordings. By the time recording had finished, it was clear that the Beatles had a new monster in their possession. It was a vast and eclectic collection of songs that, style-wise, was all over the place, nothing like From Liverpool. Talks were made to put everything on a double LP, but it was Paul who had the idea to split the album in two, the first being a collection of soft, acoustic songs and the second being much heavier in sound and subject. In an effort to distance themselves from their 1967 projects, the covers of their 1968 albums would be a simple and plain as possible, without the intervention of any real artists to help out.

The Beatles (now colloquially known as The White Album), was their first album of 1968, releasing September 13. While catching the public off-guard with its stripped-down approach, especially following their heavily-orchestrated psychedelic albums, it sold just as well as any other Beatles album and remains one of their best and most consistent.

THE BEATLES - THE BEATLES

Released: 13 September 1968

Genre: Psychedelic folk, pop rock, folk pop, singer-songwriter

Producer: George Martin

Side A

The Inner Light

Dear Prudence

Rocky Raccoon

The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill

Blackbird

Cry Baby Cry

Long, Long, Long

Side B

There Is a Happy Land

Honey Pie

Sexy Sadie

I Will

Come and Buy My Toys

Julia

Mother Nature's Son

Good Night

Track list sources:

All songs are sourced from The Beatles, with the exception of "The Inner Light" from Past Masters and both of Bowie's songs, which are once again from his self-titled 1967 album. "Dear Prudence" is the Vocal, Guitar & Drums version, "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill" is the Esher Demo, and "Good Night" is Take 10 with a guitar part from Take 5.

The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

The summer of 1967 had been eventful for the Beatles to say the least. The Summer of Love was in full swing, and the Beatles had played "All You Need Is Love", a new composition, for the Our World satellite broadcast (which would later be released as a single). While the four of them were attending a Transcendental Meditation class held by the Maharishi in Wales (Bowie decided not to attend), they got the news that their long-time manager Brian Epstein had died by apparent suicide. Devastated, the band decided to take a short break before continuing recording of their follow-up to From Liverpool.

Paul McCartney wanted the Beatles' next film to be psychedelic in nature, taking influence from the Merry Pranksters in the United States. It was to be totally unscripted and follow a psychedelic bus ride across the countryside with the Beatles going on "magical" adventures. Following Epstein's death, recording for the film started almost immediately (Epstein had given the ok for the film before his death). It was clear from filming that McCartney never had any clear direction for the movie, and a majority of it was ad-libbed. Yet, McCartney was happy with how the movie came out once production had finished.

While the album was originally going to be a soundtrack album with only songs from the film, the clear abundance of songs from the four songwriters transformed it into a true successor for From Liverpool. They changed the cover from a shot from the film to something completely original. While originally it was to be released as a double EP in the UK, it would now be released as a single LP. Similar to the albums accompanying their last two films, it would have songs from the film on Side A and other original songs recorded around the same time on Side B. Side B would include "Hello, Goodbye", a single released a few days before the album that was included in the end credits of the film, "Getting Better" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" which were released as a single in early 1967, "Fixing a Hole", a outtake from From Liverpool, and "Sell Me a Coat" and "All Together Now", outtakes from this album's sessions.

The album, Magical Mystery Tour was released on November 27, 1967 to generally favorable reviews. While not as grand and eclectic as From Liverpool, it still performed extremely well with tons of positive reviews about it. The same could not be said about the film, which flopped horribly. It was the Beatles' first real failure as a group, and it haunted them into the new year of 1968 where they would have to start fresh.

THE BEATLES - MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR

Released: 27 November 1967

Genre: Psychedelic pop, pop rock, baroque pop, sunshine pop, psychedelic rock

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Magical Mystery Tour

The Fool on the Hill

Blue Jay Way

Your Mother Should Know

She's Got Medals

I Am the Walrus

Side B

Hello, Goodbye

Getting Better

When I'm Sixty-Four

Fixing a Hole

Sell Me a Coat

All Together Now

Track list sources:

All songs are sourced from Magical Mystery Tour, with the exception of "Getting Better", "When I'm Sixty-Four", and "Fixing a Hole" from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and "All Together Now" from Yellow Submarine. As with From Liverpool, both of Bowie's songs are from his self-titled 1967 album.

The Beatles - From Liverpool (1967)

David Bowie, born David Jones, was at a crossroads in his career. After a few failed singles with a few bands, he had left his label, Pye Records, for a new one, that being EMI. He had passed the audition, and it was here where he would make his mark on music, starting with his first single. He would record "The Laughing Gnome" in January 1967 when who should stop in the studio but one of the four kings of EMI John Lennon. When he first heard the recording, he laughed his ass off, calling it "the most absurd thing i've ever heard". But it was when Bowie played his other, more serious songs when Lennon started to take interest in him.

The Beatles had just entered the studio in January, as well, to make their next album, the follow-up to Revolver. There was a loose concept in Paul McCartney's mind, but other than that, it seems that the Beatles had run empty following the short break in recording "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" in November. It became worse when, following no significant Beatles release since mid-1966, the Beatles had to release "Getting Better" / "When I'm Sixty-Four" as a single. Knowing this, Lennon rushed to McCartney to show him what he had found. McCartney agreed that this is what they had been searching for. The mix of the Beatles' psychedelic direction mixed with Bowie's baroque pop could lead to a new sound. So for the first time since Ringo Starr in 1962, the Beatles added a new member to the group. Bowie had bounced around different bands before, but now, he had joined the biggest one.

Work on the new album started to pick up a lot faster now that there was a fifth member and fourth songwriter in the room. Bowie brought two songs to the recording, "Love You 'till Tuesday" and "Join the Gang". Lennon and McCartney bestowed their signature harmonies on the former, while George Harrison played sitar on the latter. Everything else fell into place, and the album was completed in early May.

The resulting album From Liverpool (an ironic name seeing how Bowie was from Brixton), was released on May 26, 1967. A love letter to their hometown (sans Bowie), it was greeted with universal acclaim and success. People and critics alike welcomed Bowie into the group with open arms and rated his two songs highly. The album would go on to be considered the most influential album of all time and usher in a new era for the Beatles and the music world at-large.

THE BEATLES - FROM LIVERPOOL

Released: 26 May 1967

Genre: Psychedelic pop, art pop, baroque pop, psychedelic rock, pop rock

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Strawberry Fields Forever

Only a Northern Song

Lovely Rita

Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!

Love You 'till Tuesday

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

She's Leaving Home

Side B

Penny Lane

Within You Without You

Join the Gang

Good Morning, Good Morning

With a Little Help from My Friends

A Day in the Life

Track list sources:

All of the Beatles' songs are sourced from the 50th Anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with the exception of "Only a Northern Song" from Yellow Submarine. Both of David Bowie's songs are from his self-titled 1967 album.