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My (returning) guest is Andrew Grant Jackson, author of the newly-published 1973: Rock at the Crossroads. He makes the case for this period being a time of tremendous conflict: AM vs FM – 60s giants vs emerging upstarts – mainstream vs underground, all achieving levels of success whether at the time or in years later as influences. Against this backdrop, the four ex-Beatles issued five all albums of new material in total; all of which made the Top Ten (while three scored US number one hit singles, two of them back-to-back).
We discuss where The Beatles as a collective and individually fit into the picture and how this year set the table for arguably greater triumphs in the year that followed.
The crux of this discussion is when Lennon nixes going to New Orleans to work with Paul and gets drawn back in the the Yoko cocoon …it ends the possibility of another direction to the whole story, musically and orherwise. What a shame. George’s work is underrated in this period , he went on and made great albums in the late 70’s which get overlooked. Paul was pure POP and Ringo partied himself out of comission…
The crux of this discussion is when Lennon nixes going to New Orleans to work with Paul and gets drawn back in the the Yoko cocoon …it ends the possibility of another direction to the whole story, musically and orherwise. What a shame. George’s work is underrated in this period , he went on and made great albums in the late 70’s which get overlooked. Paul was pure POP and Ringo partied himself out of comission…
You mention John Lennon and a frustrating moment when he wanted a song he was recording to sound reggae. I realize this segment focuses on 1973, but a similar thing happened during the “Milk and Honey” sessions. John had apparently envisioned “Borrowed Time” to sound reggae-like, but the backing musicians just weren’t getting it, which caused him to abandon the track (doubtless, had he lived, it would have been included on the album).
You mention John Lennon and a frustrating moment when he wanted a song he was recording to sound reggae. I realize this segment focuses on 1973, but a similar thing happened during the “Milk and Honey” sessions. John had apparently envisioned “Borrowed Time” to sound reggae-like, but the backing musicians just weren’t getting it, which caused him to abandon the track (doubtless, had he lived, it would have been included on the album).