In our ongoing discussion regarding the merits (if any) of Paul McCartney's solo debut album Townsman misterioso posed the following thought:

...I love With a Little Luck, and that in my alternate universe it would have made a great Beatles reunion single, both thematically ("there is no end to what we can do together") and musically (albeit with less synth and a nice George slide solo).

This got me thinking: Imagine if, during the solo Beatles years of the 1970s through John Lennon's death, each former Beatle had the good sense and dedication to the band's fanboys and fangirls set aside a couple of songs from his solo catalog specifically for use on an eventual Beatles reunion album. In other words, they each would have said to themselves, "You know, I'm not going to release this song on my next solo album. It really needs input from all the lads. I'm going to save this one for our eventual, inevitable reunion album."

What 11 or 12 songs solo songs (4 or 5 by Paul, 4 or 5 by John, 2 by George, and 1 or 2 for Ringo, whether he would write them or not) would best have been served by a fully reunited Beatles?

And I should note: this isn't intended to be a Best of the Best of the Solo Beatles collection, but an attempt at determining 11 or 12 songs from their solo careers that would have best fit the fully reunited Beatles. In other words, there might be some solo songs that best fit each Beatle as a solo artist. I don't want us re-creating a less unified reunion album than The White Album.

I don't know if Paul McCartney blew his mind out in a car in 1966, but it's clear to me that by 1969-70, he'd gotten pretty rich and tired -- or maybe just lazy. His noble savage/country farmer persona -- only hinted at during the Get Back sessions -- probably reached its most fervent, greasy-haired expression in the music (and photos) that fill his first solo album, entitled simply McCartney.

Who knows why Paul decided to retreat to his farm/lighthouse/sheep station/rock studio and record this half-baked collection of unfinished demos? But he did -- and, for my money, it's a sad preview of the dozens (hundreds?) of half-assed songs he's foisted on the world since then, just because he can.

As usual, there's at least one jaw-dropper on the album (in this case, "Maybe I'm Amazed") -- the song that makes you want to sock the guy in the nose for betraying his talent on the rest of the record. But the rest of it is just stupid. I mean, really: is this LP any better than a bootleg collection of home demos -- clearly never meant to get "finished" -- would be?

Reading current reviews of this record, I'm sensing that the rock and roll revisionists are circling around this disc, telling us that it's a hidden "rough gem" in McCartney's otherwise polished catalog. Bullshit! The album sucks eggs.

Don't you agree?

HVB

The fallout over the dissolution of the Paul McCartney-Hamish Stuart partnership has reached settlement. In a tersely worded statement by Mr. McCartney's attorneys, the former Wings legend has agreed to pay Mr. Stuart an "undisclosed amount of cash and grant visitation rights" for the Hofner bass that the two used to trade on stage between songs during Mr. McCartney's Flowers in the Dirt tour. The McCartney camp had no comment on Mr. Stuart's 2007 accusations.

Hamish Stuart (second from left), in better times.

"I'm just thankful this long nightmare is over," said Mr. Stuart, when reached at his home studio, "and I wish Paul nothing but the best."

Not two, not four, not less, not more... Go!

Start playing at 3:15.

All this reminiscing about the godawful Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band movie got me thinking about the weirdest moment in an otherwise already super-weird decade in filmed musical entertainment: the 1970s. That moment has to be the grand finale of the Robert Stigwood-produced Sgt. Pepper's movie. The movie is stupid enough, but -- for the huge chorus finale -- you can tell Stigwood put a call out to all his cronies, cohorts, and coke dealers to round up as many washed-up rock stars and Love Boat cast members as possible. Then he set them on a huge outdoor set, taught them a few rudimentary dance moves, and had them sing along to a bad cover of the Sgt. Pepper's "Reprise."

The cast he assembled is downright strange. But -- rather than have me rattle them all off here -- why don't we rattle them all off together? It really is a fascinating, fun time-waster of an activity. I'm also hoping in my heart of hearts that you worthy Townsmen will also take a few moments to comment on the widely varying performances caught on screen.

I'll start the proceedings by pointing out: at 4:26 -- yes, that's albino guitar wizard Johnny Winter, "dancing" rather haphazardly!

I look forward to your responses.

HVB

Workin' their mojo.

I ran into an acquaintance from the Halls of Rock recently who had been following the recently completed Rock Town Hall World Cup of Rock 'n Roll. "You know the most striking thing I learned?" he confided, "The Beatles are heavier than The Rolling Stones."

"That's interesting," I replied, not surprised that he would come to that conclusion and, based on my own prejudices, almost immediately swayed by his conclusion.

He continued. "I love Charlie Watts - don't get me wrong - but he's a light," he said, sliding up a few notes as he reached the t in light, "drummer. And the Stones don't have McCartney on bass."

Then, before we parted ways, we discussed how much the Stones' heaviosity must be based on their image. Depending on how we define heavy in this context, this Townsman may have a point.

I haven't been able to shake these comments since that chance encounter.

At a time when they surely have bigger things to think about, the Vatican's official newspaper has published a glowing appraisal of the Beatles, calling their music "beautiful" and dismissing their years of drug use and excessive living. On the front page of the L'Osservatore Romano, the paper admits that the band once "said they were bigger than Jesus and put out mysterious messages, that were possibly even Satanic", but also asks: "what would pop music have been like without the Beatles?" Read more...

The Pope stressed that this apology only extened to The Beatles, that he was not planning to overstep the Church's jurisdiction regarding Rock Crimes.

It's the thought that counts.

Previously...

I've never seen Paul McCartney's vanity film Give My Regards to Broad Street, not a lick of it if you don't count any segments that were broadcast on MTV in the day as his video single. From the little I've seen on YouTube this morning and the little I've read about it - hell, from nothing more than still photographs from the shoot - I'm thankful for not having seen it. Although the video clip that kicks off this thread is of a surprisingly half-decent song (and features friend of Rock Town Hall Chris Spedding front and center), I suspect this film would be included in the Great Beatles Refuse Removal Truck that's coming to your town.

Simple question: What Beatles-related debris would you chuck once and for all?

Specific songs you don't like, be it "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" or "She's a Woman," will not be accepted. Nor will blanket tosses, such as the entire solo career of your least-favorite solo Beatle. This psychedelic dumptruck is looking to collect the offshoot stuff, the vanity projects and collectibles, that are truly not necessary and that will possibly threaten the band's legacy - and your own rock nerd reputation - through this millenium. For instance, George's limited-edition autobiography, I Me Mine, may be another example of Beatles debris that's ready to be tossed, but I wouldn't know, because I wasn't one of the suckers lucky 2000 to pay some exorbitant price for this tome.

A Beatle-on-Brothers bashing.

Paul McCartney has added fuel to the raging fire that has followed Mark McGwire's admission Monday to using steroids during his career.

In response to McGwire's admission, Jose Canseco, Big Mac's "Bash Brother" from their days together in Oakland, contended that the disgraced slugger was not being entirely forthcoming about the matter. Meanwhile, the former Beatle has stepped forward to contend that Canseco was not being entirely forthcoming about his claims of having injected McGwire with PEDs.

"It may be true that Jose injected Mark," said McCartney, interviewed briefly by The Independent following a chance encounter at a London vegan clothing boutique, "but I could have injected injected him first."

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Have you ever wished a favorite artist could do-over a particular album, song, or period in its career? I've always wished that The Beatles could have finished their final 3 albums in a more satisfying, more unifying way. I believe I speak for most Beatles fans in saying that there's a lot to be gained by our shared experiences with the band. In a world where there is little consensus, Beatles fans are pretty much in step with each other over the first two periods of the band's career:

• After acknowledging the greatness of the band's entire output, Beatles fans states their preference for "Early Beatles" (ie, everything up to and usually including Rubber Soul, which few Beatles fans criticize in any way) or "pot-smoking Beatles" (ie, the period beginning with Rubber Soul and Revolver, when they became known for crafting albums).
• Next Beatles fans take a moment to state that Sgt. Pepper's is "overrated," only pausing to differentiate whether it's "grossly overrated" (a sign that something slightly less than a true Beatles devotee is among our ranks) or "still a remarkable achievement, despite the fact that we're all a little sick of having had it jammed down our throats for 40 years!"
• A brief discussion among Beatles fans is likely to ensue over the band's worst and most underrated song ever.
• We've all got a favorite Beatle, but no true Beatles fan dislikes any one member, not even Paul.
• We may have a laugh over the issue of the Fifth Beatle.

For all there is to discuss concerning our love for The Beatles, there aren't too many issues over which we have great differences. These days, only those who've been living under a rock the last 30 years may have an issue with Yoko "breaking up" the band. One area over which Beatles fans can divide, sometimes painfully so, is over their last three studio releases: The White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road. I don't have to tell you all the points of contention, do I?

In my do-over, The White Album's best songs would have been the band's straightforward, stripped down release - not to mention a single album.

This morning, for the first time, I listened to Volume 3 of the old Anthology series of releases. I bought the first two volumes when they came out and was mostly disappointed with what I found after having peeked behind the Wizard's curtain. I'm one of those Beatles fans who's always wished that The White Album could have been a single album - maybe even an EP - and I've also got problems with large chunks of Abbey Road and its influence on one of my close personal friends. On the other hand, I actually love Let It Be.

Listening to the outtakes, demos, and raw tracks of these albums on Anthology, Volume 3, I had a revelation. I wish I could call for a do-over of the band's final leg. Dig.

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