George Harrison - Redletter Days (1985)

The scant notability that George Harrison's last two studio albums received from the public was taken by him as a sign from up above that perhaps music shouldn't always be in the forefront of his mind. And so from 1982-1985, he focused more on his racing and film producing hobbies than he did on music. Some even say he never even touched a guitar in that span of time (obviously hyperbole). But all in all, the current music scene was just something he did not find very appealing, and he longed for the times where his music (and the music of others like him) topped charts. Hell, sometimes he even wished the Beatles were still around. They could definitely whip every schmaltzy artist into shape, he thought. His musical hiatus was cut short temporarily in 1985 when he was asked to provide a song for the sex comedy film Porky's Revenge!, produced by James Komack. His contribution was "I Don't Want to Do It", a song Bob Dylan had written for him 15 years prior, but it hadn't been released until now. In an act of desperation for some success to capitalize on his contribution, he decided to release a new studio album with the Dylan song as the lead single. This album would be mostly comprised of outtakes from previous albums, but they all still sounded fresh in his mind, and in his mind, not releasing them would be a waste.

The title Redletter Days referred to a red-letter period, or a time of any opportunistic significance. Harrison thought this title fit the last few years of his life quite well, and the album was released on April 21, 1985 (April 21 being the Queen's birthday, a nationally recognized red-letter day). Outside of "I Don't Want to Do It", which was a Top 50 hit, the album was received poorly, with critics saying there was nothing of note to listen to more than once. They also said that Harrison was now past his prime. But once his break from music had concluded, Harrison was now only warming up his engine with his new partner in crime, Jeff Lynne.

GEORGE HARRISON - REDLETTER DAYS

Released: 21 April 1985

Genre: Soft rock, pop rock, tropical rock

Producer: George Harrison, Ray Cooper, Dave Edmunds

Side A

I Don't Want to Do It

That's the Way It Goes

Unconsciousness Rules

Teardrops

Unknown Delight

Side B

Blood from a Clone

Hong Kong Blues

That Which I Have Lost

Gone Troppo

Mama You've Been on My Mind

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John Lennon - Menlove Ave. (1985)

The time following John Lennon's untimely death in 1980 was hard on everyone that knew him and his music. But it came the hardest to his wife Yoko Ono. Since their relationship started in the late 1960's, they had been considered two peas in a pod, and they accompanied each other quite well, not only personally but musically as well. In the 1970's, Lennon and Ono released two albums together when Lennon was not busy with Beatle matters, Fly (1971) and Free the People (1973). Ideas for a third Plastic Ono Band album to be released in the late 1970s were floated around but never came to fruition. Time passed by following his death, and the public had seemed to calm down about Lennon's passing. Ono had waited until the time was right to release an out-takes compilation album that would be seen as the epilogue of John Lennon's musical journey. Ono sought famed Aerosmith and Cheap Trick producer Jack Douglas to help produce and compile the material into a suitable LP. The resulting album, Menlove Ave. (named after his childhood home) was released on January 28, 1985. Side A was comprised of unused songs he written for the Beatles' Look Back in Anger, and Side B was comprised of multiple songs he had recorded throughout the 70's including the one Top 5 hit from the album, Lennon's cover of "Stand by Me". Despite most of these songs being unused Beatles recordings, none of the other Beatles are on any of these tracks.

JOHN LENNON - MENLOVE AVE.

Released: 28 January 1985

Genre: Pop rock, blues rock, rock & roll, rockabilly

Producer: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas

Side A

I'm Stepping Out

Cleanup Time

Nobody Told Me

I Don't Wanna Face It

Borrowed Time

Dear Yoko

Side B

John Sinclair

Tight A$

Scared

To Know Her Is to Love Her

Stand by Me

Ya Ya

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Paul McCartney & Wings - Amiens Mons (1984)

Following the moderate success of Arnie Pupe, Paul McCartney wished to get back on the road and finally commit to a world tour. McCartney hadn't done a tour of that scale since the mid 1970's with the Beatles, but since then he had done multiple smaller venue tours with his backing group Wings. Wings had formed in 1972 and usually comprised of Paul, his wife Linda and friend Denny Laine, along with some other lesser known session musicians that changed over time. It was formed to give McCartney an excuse to play live shows when the other Beatles weren't up to it, and the band consistently broke up and reformed when McCartney felt the need to tour. Before 1983, their biggest concert had been at the Concert for the People of Kampuchea in 1979, in which their lineup was the two McCartneys and Laine, as well as Laurence Juber as an additional guitarist and Steve Holley as their drummer. This lineup returned for their 1983 tour that didn't end until mid 1984. This tour roughly coincided with David Bowie's world tour that also went from 1983-84. Some expected a reunion of some kind, but in the end none ever occurred.

The tour would end up being incredibly well received, and McCartney wanted to take the energy of their live shows into the studio. Sessions for a new McCartney album, and his first with Wings, would start while the tour was still underway. George Martin would return as the album's producer, despite some pushback for McCartney to record the album on his own. He eventually fell in line, and for once, McCartney didn't have to assemble a band to record his album with. Recording went smoothly and, for the most part, the live energy that McCartney wanted was maintained. The album eventually became a double as a concept was established; the first disc would symbolize war and conflict, and the second would represent peace through love. This would be represented in the album's name Amiens Mons, referring to the first and final cities of the Hundred Days Offensive that would end World War I. Holley would be accompanied by Ringo Starr on a few tracks, and George Harrison would add guitar to "Cage" and "Through Our Love", although David Bowie, still on his world tour, wouldn't be able to add anything.

Amiens Mons would release on February 27, 1984 to very positive reviews. Critics would applaud the exceptional songwriting effort, typical from Paul McCartney, as well as the rest of Wings, who provided the backbone for McCartney's musical ideas. Laine and Linda McCartney's songs weren't ignored either, both given credit for their musical and lyrical abilities. The album would go on to be a favorite of Generation X, and it along with Bowie's Serious Moonlight would come the closest to hitting the mainstream. Retrospectively, the album has been considered the best thing McCartney associated himself with in the 80's, minus Look Back in Anger of course. David Bowie as well as for its collaborations with former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Retrospectively, it has been seen as a precursor to the bloated CD albums that would come to define the 1990's.

PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS - AMIENS MONS

Released: 27 February 1984

Genre: Pop rock, art pop, progressive pop

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Tug of War

Be Together

The Other Me

Clock on the Wall

The Pound Is Sinking

So Bad

Side B

Again and Again and Again

Ballroom Dancing

Rainclouds

Be What You See/Love Awake

Maisie

Cage

Side C

Pipes of Peace

Silly Love Songs

Silver

Dress Me Up as a Robber

Hey Hey

Side D

Weep for Love

Through Our Love

Love's Full Glory

Summer's Day Song

Tug of Peace

One of These Days

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Ringo Starr - It Beats Sleep! (1983)

See Old Blood for details.

RINGO STARR - IT BEATS SLEEP!

Released: 16 June 1983

Genre: Pop rock, new wave

Producer: Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stephen Stills, Ronnie Wood

Side A

Private Property

In My Car

Hopeless

Wake Up

Attention

Side B

Picture Show Life

You Belong to Me

You've Got a Nice Way

Everybody's in a Hurry But Me

Going Down

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David Bowie - Serious Moonlight (1984)

1982-83 was a rarely calm time for David Bowie. For once, there was no recording for the new studio album or playing live or anything of that sort. That's not to say he didn't work in other places. He had worked as the composer for the German film Christiane F. that released in late 1981 and later worked on films such as The Hunger and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, both releasing in 1983. But he would finally give in to his fans and start the Silhouettes World Tour that would span from early 1983-1984. His first solo tour, he would play both contemporary songs from his most recent album as well as old Beatles songs that he had performed on. All shows would include a performance of the Beatles' "Imagine" as a tribute to John Lennon. What was most noted by fans who went to these shows was Bowie's reworking of some his older songs, such as "Heroes" and "Changes", to fit a more modern dance-pop sound. This was the result of Bowie starting work on a new album in December 1982, something that fans didn't know just yet. Due to the tour, recordings was on and off, and, by the time of the tour's end, the album was still nowhere near finished.

Bowie had hired Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers to co-produce and help inspire a fresh, polished sound for his new record. In the last years of the 70's, Chic had become one of the most successful bands around, and Rodgers had written countless dance songs that would no doubt influence Bowie in the early 80's. Another overwhelming influence on the new album was the compact disc. Released only in 1982, a few artists such as Billy Joel had taken advantage of the new medium, releasing their newest albums as an alternative to the vinyl record. But Bowie wanted to take the idea further. Throughout 1983 and 1984 he recorded at least 15 tracks that he seriously considered for the album, a good amount of them over 5 minutes. Bowie's idea was to throw everything on there at once and commit to an hour album that would span only a single disc.

Both the LP and CD versions of Serious Moonlight would release on May 10, 1984. Critics and fans were immediately baffled when the album released, not only by the drasticly new sound Bowie had decided to pursue but also because of the CD release. Bowie knew that an hour long album on an entirely new way to store audio would be drastically expensive and almost certainly not worth it due to the album being recorded analog, resulting in less-than-desirable quality. But Bowie went through with it as an experiment for not only himself but also to see how the consumers would react. And they did not react well. The vinyl record almost tripled the sales of the CD release (ironically it would become Bowie's best-selling solo album of his entire career). This left the songs that weren't on the vinyl record somewhat rare until decades later when CDs became the primary medium for listening to music. The album was hailed as yet another left-turn for the musical chameleon that was David Bowie as well as for its collaborations with former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Retrospectively, it has been seen as a precursor to the bloated CD albums that would come to define the 1990's.

DAVID BOWIE - SERIOUS MOONLIGHT

Released: 10 May 1984

Genre: New wave, pop rock, dance-pop, sophisti-pop, pop soul

Producer: David Bowie, Nile Rodgers

Disc One

Modern Love [ft. Paul & Linda McCartney]

China Girl

Loving the Alien

Let's Dance

Tumble and Twirl

Without You

Ricochet

Blue Jean

I Keep Forgettin' [ft. Ringo Starr]

Tonight [ft. Tina Turner]

This Is Not America [ft. Pat Metheny]

Criminal World

Shake It

Dancing in the Street [ft. Mick Jagger]

Side A

Modern Love [ft. Paul & Linda McCartney]

China Girl

Loving the Alien

Tonight [ft. Tina Turner]

Side B

Let's Dance

Blue Jean

Tumble and Twirl

Shake It

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Paul McCartney - Arnie Pupe (1982)

The death of bandmate and close friend John Lennon and the following dissolution of the Beatles hit Paul McCartney hard. By then, he had become the de facto leader of the group, always having the most of his songs on their records and guiding the group through the turbulent 70's. The fact that he had to give that all up hit him like a brick. He quickly became depressed, secluding himself inside his Scotland home with his wife and kids. But he would never stop making music. Indirectly influenced by the growing new wave and synth-pop artists that were becoming popular, McCartney began to play with synthesizers, hoping to make a new album out of his experiments. He had experimented with the same idea during the creation of Rockestra, but now McCartney wanted an entire cohesive product using the new technology. Unfortunately, this project would never come to be, or at least the majority of it. Always moving and always changing, McCartney would soon turn tail to a different more ambitious idea of his; a full-blown concept album.

The origins of Arnie Pupe go back to the Look Back in Anger sessions, even when John Lennon was still alive. In fact, McCartney stated in later interviews that had Lennon not died and the Beatles never broken up, the Arnie Pupe concept would've probably become their next project. Not letting his idea he thought genius go to waste, he got to work on a brand new batch of songs that he hoped would be cohesive enough to sequence into a story. He brought in his wife Linda on keyboards and his former Wings and Beatles bandmate Denny Laine on guitars (with a smattering of other session musicians) to help with his ambition, and brought back Beatles producer George Martin to produce. But as the sessions progressed, it became clear how flimsy McCartney's story was. The story revolved around a loner named Arnie who considered himself the world's most average person. The idea was that, throughout the album, he would find a sense of adventure and eventually love. But the songs didn't always reflect that lyrically. But the songs were damn good, so no one was bothered too much. The tracklist was tweaked multiple times until all parties were content with the tracks and its sequencing. George Martin convinced McCartney to add "Coming Up" to the tracklist, even though it didn't really fit the concept, because he thought it could be a hit.

While McCartney was the first Beatle to begin recording an album after the Beatles' dissolution, he was the second to release one, after David Bowie's Silhouettes and Shadows, with Arnie Pupe releasing on March 29, 1982 to mixed to positive reviews from critics. Critics pointed out that the "concept" was barely a concept with the story feeling jumbled throughout. But they praised the album's songwriting and production calling it a jumpstart for McCartney's solo career.

PAUL MCCARTNEY - ARNIE PUPE

Released: 29 March 1982

Genre: Pop rock, art pop, soft rock, progressive pop

Producer: George Martin

Side A

Introduction

Keep Under Cover

It's Not On

The Sweetest Little Show

The Average Person

Famous Groupies

Ebony and Ivory

Side B

Coming Up

My Secret Friend

Somebody Who Cares

After the Ball/Million Miles

Baby's Request

Track list sources:

Tracks are sourced from Pipes of Peace, Tug of War, London Town and Back to the Egg. "Introduction" is "A Beginning" sourced from the Beatles' Anthology 3, "Ebony and Ivory" is the solo version found on the Archive Collection of Tug of War and "My Secret Friend" is the single edit found on The 7" Singles.

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George Harrison - Lost/Found (1980)

The Beatles' Going Faster had bombed terribly for a Beatles record, and the fallout would happen publicly. Where the band were once celebrated for their mere appearance out in public, they were now barely noticed at all. The music world had changed, and by 1979 had given way to new wave, punk and other new forms of rock. The Beatles had tried to capitalize on these trends and failed. They would go on hiatus for the remainder of the year before even thinking about putting out a follow-up. But George Harrison didn't seem to mind all that much. It just gave him more free time for himself. He had initially left the band for some much-needed peace of mind (among other factors), and he thought to himself that this would be no different. He spent the remainder of 1979 mostly away from his guitar and with friends and family. He attended Eric Clapton's wedding to his former wife Pattie Boyd (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would also attend). He was able to dive deeper into his interest in motor racing, attending multiple shows during the year (Beatles song "Faster" was about said interest). He vacationed in Maui, a beautiful locale that allowed him to get away from it all for even a week or so. All of these events would form the basis of Harrison's next studio album, which began recording in late 1979.

The vibe was immediately different from the Beatles records as of late and even his previous solo efforts. Everyone was in a generally fun mood, and the songs generated from these sessions showcased it. George dug back to the early 70's (late 60's in the case of "See Yourself") to find suitable material for the record, along with newly-written material and a single cover. When finished, the record showcased a side of George that few had seen before; laid-back, happy and weirdly secular. The album was so slow-moving at times that Apple Records told Harrison to remove the slower-sounding songs in favor of some more upbeat songs. However, Apple Records President Ron Kass vetoed this decision, telling his staff they were out of their minds to deny a Beatle his music. Lost/Found would release on April 5, 1980 to mostly positive reviews. In actuality, many critics simply didn't review it. The bad press towards the Beatles had only begun to settle down, and Harrison was unfortunately just caught in the crossfire. This would start to effect his view of the press and the music industry for years to come.

GEORGE HARRISON - LOST/FOUND

Released: 5 April 1980

Genre: Soft rock, pop rock

Producer: George Harrison

Side A

This Song

Sat Singing

Beautiful Girl

Tears of the World

Learning How to Love You

Side B

Hong Kong Blues

See Yourself

Soft Touch

Your Love Is Forever

Save the World

Track list sources:

Tracks are sourced from Thirty Three & 1/3, George Harrison and Somewhere in England. "Sat Singing" is sourced from the Songs by George Harrison EP and was originally to be on Somewhere in England.

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