Great thread, Gryph !
I'll give it a whirl .... however please keep in mind that these comments are based sole heartedly on my own imagination and humble opinion and are only hypothetical in nature !
1. John would have left the group and the replacement would have been fellow Liverpudian Gerry Marsden (Gerry and the Pacemakers). Marsden was basically inactive from 1966 so he'd be itching to join the reformed Beatles !
2. Musically the group would have lost their "heavier" edge due to Lennon's absence however under the full control of McCartney they would have achieved a huge following with numerous Top 40 hits and I'm sure Marsden could have written a few of them ! Their live concerts with songs from the Beatles, Paul's new solo songs as well as George's and a few songs from the Pacemakers' catalogue sung by Gerry would have attracted large audiences !...and of course Lovely Linda would also be there on keyboards.
3. Known still as The Beatles I would imagine that the group would have lasted until the wells ran dry in creativeness and song writing so when the 1980s closed out and grunge /alternative, hip hop and dance music evolved then I think the group would have basically packed it in except for a few lesser known album releases from Paul as a solo artist. George would have went on his own as well as Ringo and Gerry.
4. Most of Paul's solo songs as well as the numerous hits with Wings and originals from George would have made it on subsequent Beatle albums ! I think George would have come into prominence with his guitar playing and song writing and he would have carried the group into the realm of experimental music with his East Indian influences.
5. The press would be a bit harsher with the group without John in it ! They would have criticised the group for selling out to the masses in their release of Top 40 hits with no real creativity or new music to spesk of except for George's experimental material ! Remember Pink Floyd would have been in full force and possibly the top band in the UK ???....possibly The Rolling Stones also! So therefore direct comparisons would have emerged.
6. I don't think any force could have tarnished the Beatles' reputation. They would have still been releasing good quality pop rock songs that their fans would have loved !
7. If Apple Records had gone on I think Paul's love for Classical Music would have been one of Apple's recruiting factors. Also perhaps James Taylor (would have remained with Apple), Gerry Rafferty, Steeleye Span, and dare I say it - Magna Carta would have come into the Apple stable due to the fact that Paul loved a good melody and these artists could write a good song ! As far as collaborations, no, because the Beatles would have still been huge and no need to collaborate with other artists.
8. The Beatles would become similar to Paul's music with Wings and there would not have been any changes ! They would have kept going pumping out new tunes and allowing punk music to come into vogue. Paul's strong dedication to song and lyric would not be deterred or altered.
9. Linda's family, The Eastmans, would have become their managers in the latter years and due to their financial and marketing skills Apple would have become a strong and reputable company possibly branching out into music production of new artists, fashion, sports and social activism.
10, Peter Jenner as producer comes to mind. He would have been involved with giving texture and ambience to the Beatle tunes similar to what he was doing with Pink Floyd. Jenner would also have helped George with his keen interest in experimental music and therefore The Beatles' experimental song
Carnival of Light would have been released!
gryphon Wrote:If the Beatles had carried on passed the 1970 problems then this poses several questions
- Who would have decided to leave and who would have replaced them?
- How would they have evolved musically?
- How long would they have lasted ?
- Which of the solo post Beatle songs would have become Beatle songs and made it onto a Beale album ?
- How would the press have responded to them into the 70's ?
- Would they still be remembered as a great group or would time have eroded that ?
- How would Apple records have gone on if they ad managed to get it under control ? Which 70's bands might it have attracted and would this have lead to any great Beatle collaborations ?
- How would the Beatles have changed and how would they have coped with Punk Rock?
- Who might have become their manager in the later years and how might this have changed them?
- Who might have produced the post 70 albums and what influence might they have had ?
:biggrin:
