It is the first of the month so time for another Britpop Years compilation. Once again, this is not a playlist of Britpop songs/bands (even though the vast majority are), this includes music that came from the years 1994-97.
Disc 1
Wake Up Boo! – The Boo Radleys
Alright – Supergrass
Sorted For E’s & Whizz – Pulp
This Is A Call – Foo Fighters
God! Show Me Magic – Super Furry Animals
Block Rockin’ Beats – The Chemical Brothers
The Day We Caught The Train – Ocean Colour Scene
Everything Must Go – Manic Street Preachers
Oh Yeah – Ash
Peaches – The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Battle Of Who Could Care Less – Ben Folds Five
North Country Boy – The Charlatans (UK)
The Universal – Blur
Staying Out For The Summer – Dodgy
You Can Talk To Me – The Seahorses
King Of The Kerb – Echobelly
Beautiful Ones – Suede
Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage
You Do – McAlmont & Butler
Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead
Smile – The Supernaturals
Disc 2
Reverend Black Grape – Black Grape
Annie – Elastica
Lump – The Presidents Of The United States Of America
Motorbike To Heaven – Salad
Sour Times – Portishead
Lost Myself – Longpigs
One Night Stand – The Aloof
Into The Blue – Geneva
Common People – Pulp
Drop Dead Gorgeous – Republica
Just – Radiohead
Stupid Girl – Garbage
Kung Fu – Ash
Perseverance – Terrorvision
Live Forever – Oasis
The Day Before Yesterday’s Man – The Supernaturals
I didn’t realise until putting this entry together that Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ was a bit of a Marmite album. Either touted as one of the greatest or most overrated albums of all time, it was for a time the only Radiohead album I owned. I had tried getting into Radiohead after hearing ‘Creep’ for the first time, but ‘Pablo Honey’, the album from which that song was taken did not inspire me to buy anything else at the time. This began to change once some of the songs that were on their second album, ‘The Bends’ started appearing on compilation albums I bought at the time. ‘High & Dry’, ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, ‘Just’ and ‘Street Spirt (Fade Out)’ all made it onto mix tapes from the time but the parent album would have to wait until it was re-released on vinyl about twenty years after the event for me to take the plunge and buy it. There were no such qualms with ‘OK Computer’ though.
I’m not sure if it was ‘Paranoid Android’ or ‘Karma Police’ that made me feel that this album could be a welcome addition to the Squire Archives, but in it came and what an experience it was. It sounded like a complete album, and not a couple of great singles tagged with some substandard filler. This was prog rock for the 90s. It also signalled the death nail for the ‘Britpop’ movement as this complex style of writing and arranging would influence many acts that produced music over the following years.
I had not played ‘OK Computer’ as a whole for many years. What brought the album back to my attend was reports that a number of MIniDiscs that had belonged to Thom Yorke had been stolen. The story went that the band were contacted by the owner of the sound files and threatened with the whole lot being made available on line without a payment being made. If this happened or not is neither here nor there, but the band decided to officially release the music for a short period of time. In return, the band asked the buyers to donate to Extinction Rebellion.
So, being a huge fan of the record, I duly paid my money and slowly made my way through the files. Luckily, fans online published playlists for these discs but it took an age to edit them down into individual songs and then listen to them through. Even though the majority of it was not worth even one listen, there was some great outtakes that had not been officially released before and it does beg the question, why not? Picking up a copy of the OKNOTOK 19972017 edition of ‘OK Computer’, I wondered if I could put together an alternative version of the record.
What I did was to only use songs that I had not used on other compilations elsewhere. I would also add songs that had either been used as B-Sides or previously unreleased. The rest would be made up of different versions (and in some respects, the differences are negligible) of the songs that would make up rest of the record. I did delete ‘Lucky’, a song I do like but never thought that it fitted in with the rest of ‘OK Computer’. That could be down to the fact that I first heard it on the ‘Help’ Charity album from 1995. Personal taste I suppose.
Unlike the majority of my posts, this is designed for CD length instead of vinyl. The original link that the band posted to donate to Extinction Rebellion still works if you fancy making a donation. https://chuffed.org/pay/campaign/62932.
Motion Picture Soundtrack (Solo Piano)
Airbag (Unmastered Album Version)
Paranoid Android (Late Mix)
Subterranean Homesick Alien (Late/Final Version 3 – Different Intro)
You really know when you are getting on a bit when the music of your youth becomes the subject of box set retrospectives, containing rare tracks, forgotten artists and the odd unreleased song. Between 2019 and 2021, there were three of these looking at the British music scene in the 1990s. These were ‘Steve Lamacq – Lost Alternatives’ (2019), ’Martin Green Presents: Super Sonics – 40 Junkshop Britpop Greats’ (2020), ’Caught Beneath The Landslide (The Other Side Of Britpop And The ‘90s (2021)’. These were jam packed with names I remember but loads that I did not. What I have been surprised about is that there has not been a second volume.
I thought I would see if I could produce my own box set following a similar template laid out by the ‘Lost Alternatives ’ by choosing tracks from the whole decade, but I would not be allowed to use any songs from the three compilations above*. I would also not be allowed to any songs that I have placed on any of the compilation or lost albums that I am posting or already posted this year. I also could not use the same artist more than once (unless guesting with someone else). This did prove to be a bit of a challenge but this is what I came up with.
Some of the more well known names represented with rare tracks such as B-Sides. I have also looked to include only bands from the British Isles, even though the odd interloper will make an appearance. Steve Lamacq also had nothing to do with this either.
Disc 1
Heavenly Pop Hit – The Chills
Rollercoaster – The Jesus & Mary Chain
13th Disciple – Five Thirty
Kinky Love – Pale Saints
Inertia – Blur
Dogs With No Tails – The Pale
Which Way Should I Jump? – Milltown Brothers
Twiggy Twiggy – Pizzicato Five
Here’s Where The Story Ends – The Sundays
Alternative Title – Carter, The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Funny How – Airhead
Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina – Pop Will Eat Itself
Yr Own World – The Blue Aeroplanes
Obscurity Knocks – The Trash Can Sinatra’s
Cherry-Coloured Funk – Cocteau Twins
Gimmie Some Truth – The Wonder Stuff
Flying – The Telescopes
Sweetness & Light (Demo) – Lush
Leave The All Behind – Ride
Disc 2
Unstable – Flamingoes
If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar
Judy Over The Rainbow – Orange
Dream – Pooka
Lowdown – Elextrafixation
Without Doubt – Mantaray
City Sickness – Tindersticks
Girl At The Bus Stop – My Drug Hell
Kent – Salad
Still Hanging Around – AutoPop
Every Day – Brianpool
Halo – Girl Of The Year
What’s What We’ll Do – The Poppies
Not Even Starcrossed – Telstar Ponies
In The Groove Again – Out Of My Hair
Undecided – Shack
So Glad (Album Version) – Thrum
White Love (Radio Mix) – One Dove
Souvlaki Space Station – Slowdrive
(Come On, Join) The High Society – These Animal Men
Kenuwee Head – Voodoo Queens
Disc 3
Who’s That Girl – The Mystics
Disco Hell – The Candyskins
Go Go Pepper – Tip Top Planets
Lewis Brightworth – Thurman
Seems You’ve Missed Sunday – The Weekenders
Out Of The Void – Grass Show
Sucrose – The Delgados
Spice Girls (Who Do You Think You Are?) – Period Pains
Teenage Girl Crush – Angelica
Mail Monarchy – Compulsion
Stand Up – Lick
Me & Mr Lonely – Pimlico
Working On A Beautiful Thing – The Pooh Sticks
Fear Of Flying – Ruth
The Milkman – Mice
Strawberries & Cream – Boutique
Sex & Cheques – Jolt
Kylie & Jason – Midget
Ignoramus (Alternative Version) – Baby Chaos
Ecstacy – Deluxor
Strength – Comet Gain
Loves A Cliché – The Karelia
I’m In Love – Taxi Driver
Twist – Arnold
Alfie – Don
Welsh Bands Suck – Teen Anthems
Disc 4
Heavens Above – Hillman Minx
Say Something – The Smiles
I Messiah, Am Jailer – AC Acoustics
Overthrown – Labido
I Was Starving Hungry (In Tesco’s) – Mogul
Hot Topic – Le Tigre
Daria – Chicks
Girlie Pop – Pop Tarts
Super Sexy Razor Happy Girls – Mika Bomb
Spyder – Jetsons
The Wee Wee Song – Girlfriendo
Ray Liotta – Linoleum
Jediwannabie – Bellatrix
Killing The Bland – Prolapse
Dirty Weekend – The Dandys
The Hymn For The Cigarettes – Hefner
Sweeping The Nation – Spearmint
The Book Lovers – Broadcast
Looking For Sparks – Seafruit
Shirley Wall – Doberman
Better Made – Head-swim
Baby Come On – Spacemaid
Disco 2000 (Original Mix) – The Lance Gambit Trio
The cover is adapted from one used for a Spotify playlist which represented tracks that didn’t quite make the ‘Lost Alternatives’ four CD box set.
*I suspect that I will have doubled up on at least one song.
Oasis in their mid 90s pomp always boasted that some of their best songs were relegated to the B-Sides of their singles and a collection of these flip sides were collected together on ‘The Masterplan’ compilation which was released in 1998. Taking a look at the other big hitters from the era, Oasis were the only band to do this (as far as I can tell) so I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see if there was enough material from some of these other bands to do the same. This is the first of these B-Sides Collections and it is the mighty Supergrass that get this honour.
These date from their first releases on Parlophone in 1995 up until the last album of the decade in 1999. Unlike their standard albums, there are a couple of covers on here. The title takes it name from ‘Wait For The Sun’, one of the B-Sides from the ‘Lenny’ single. An awesome song and such a shame that it was relegated to a B-Side.
Side A
Believer (Moving – 1999)
Nothing More’s Gonna Get In My Way (Richard III – 1997)
Condition (Alright – 1995)
Melanie Davis (Going Out – 1996)
Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (Sun Hits The Sky – 1997)
Faraway (Acoustic Version) (Moving – 1999)
Side B
We Still Need More (Than Anyone Can Give) (Late In The Day – 1997)
What A Shame (Pumping On Your Stereo – 1999)
Lucky (No Fear) (Pumping On Your Stereo – 1999)
20ft Halo (Richard III – 1997)
Odd? (Mansize Rooster – 1995)
Wait For The Sun (Lenny – 1995)
The sleeve is adapted from the Hollywood Bowl 2003 bootleg, with a slight change to the graphics. A nice pastiche of The Beatles Second album cover, ‘With The Beatles’.
I cannot believe that it is 30 years since the earliest releases of what would become Britpop came out. Yes, that period of the mid-90s where British bands seems to embraced the British music scenes of the late 60s, punk and glam rock vides of the 70s and even some indie influences of the 80s. This was where Cool Britannia became a thing and lad culture came to the fore. Women also got in on the act for those of you who remember The Girlie Show. Ah Britpop, the soundtrack to my university days and what days they were. I had never been into a current music scene before as I had always been looking backwards to the 60s and 70s for my musical fix. However, I was all over Britpop in a way I had not been before, and as it would turn out, since.
Like any other music scene, it is difficult to pinpoint what the first release was. For me, the first of the so called Britpop bands I heard was Suede, even though it was only through the music press than their music. After hearing ‘Animal Nitrate’ and ‘So Young’ on the radio, I was hooked in and the first album was duly bought. It was also during this time that the infamous Channel 4 programme The Word was broadcast and through that show, I was introduced to the bands that would soundtrack the next three to four years of my life. Oasis, Supergrass and the more obscure Thrum were just some of the bands I heard there and went out the next day to buy their records. The time most associated with Britpop are between 1994 to 1997 and I have plundered these key years to produce a series of compilations, with this being the first.
What is interesting about this movement is that it wasn’t really a movement the acts mostly associated with it wanted to be associated with. Three out of the so called big of Britpop bands have always maintained that they had nothing to do with it. Those bands being Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Suede. It also did not have much of a signature sound with the bands involved taking cues from so many periods in British music. However, one thing that the majority of he bands had was that they were guitar based.
Those eagle eyed of you will notice that there are a number of these artist that would not normally appear on a Britpop complication. Well, you would be correct but the title of the CDs give this away. It is The Britpop Years, not just Britpop. Therefore, American bands such as the Foo Fighters, Smoking Popes and The Presidents Of The United States Of America make an appearance. Bands who would normally be classed as being from the more dance or trip hop music such Massive Attack or Portishead are here. There is even the odd interloper from 1993 and 1998. This isn’t just about Britpop. This is about the Britpop Years, the soundtrack to my time at university and the memories this music brings back.
So, this year I will be presenting a number of Britpop themed compilations, lost albums as well as my usual content.
Disc 1
Yes – McAlmont & Butler
Girl From Mars – Ash
Place Your Hands – Reef
Nancy Boy – Placebo
Breathe – The Prodigy
Scooby Snacks – Fun Lovin’ Crimnals
Wide Open Space – Mansun
Wonderwall – Oasis
One To Another – The Charlatans (UK)
Never Here – Elastica
Novocaine For The Soul – Eels
Richard III – Supergrass
Hey Dude – Kula Shaker
You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For – Catatonia
Sparky’s Dream – Teenage Fanclub
Good Enough – Dodgy
Great Things – Echobelly
Nice Guy Eddie – Sleeper
Ladykillers – Lush
Love Spreads – The Stone Roses
Stardust – Menswear
Disc 2
Miss Sarajevo – Passengers
Life In Mono (Album Version) – Mono
To The End – Blur & Francoise Hardy
Nothing More’s Gonna Get In My Way – Supergrass
Waking Up – Elastica
What Do I Do Now? – Sleeper
What Do You Want From Me? – Monaco
The Riverboat Song – Ocean Colour Scene
Acquiesce – Oasis
Your Woman – White Town
Do You Remember The First Time? – Pulp
Just When You’re Thinking Things Over – The Charlatans (UK)
Ready To Go – Republica
You & Me Song – The Wannadies
Love Fool – The Cardigans
Stripper Vicar – Mansun
Goldfinger – Ash
Stars – Dubstar
Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From – Teenage Fanclub
Well, it is the last day of 2023 and in a follow up to last year, here are another collection of pictures I have found on line that look like LP covers. I have tried to acknowledge the person who took the picture, but if there isn’t one, it is because I took them from the wonderful X (Twitter) account ‘Images That Could Be Album Covers’ (@ImagesAlbum).
Jaroslaw Kolacz– All Dressed Up……
The photo was taken by Jaroslaw Kolacz & I used him as the recording artist as well. The rest of the title (& nowhere to go) would have appeared on the back if there had been one.
Pentagram Of Venus – Standing Stones
Taken from the @dr_places X/Twitter page
The Redeems – A Quiet Night Out
~From Twitter user @ollsjam. Re’em is a mythological animal from the Hebrew Bible. Some say this is a Oryx so a sketch of the animal has been included as the band logo.
Motel – You Look So Lonely
I did not add the title nor the name of the band. There were already in the graphic & it was perfect as it was.
The Red Lines – Eye Of The Needle
The Hooligans – Self Portrait
Saint Cecilia – Return Ticket
Saint Cecilia is the patron saint of musicians.
Orange 1-4 – When God Calls
I loved the image but I am not sure that the graphic works with it
An Academy Of Sparrows – Air In A Curved Rainbow
A play on the classic album, ‘A Rainbow In Curved Air’ by Terry Riley
Kate Bush has been one of the most innovative and eclectic songwriters of the last 50 years. She was an innovator because she moved away from conventional instrumentation, being one of the earliest exponents of the Fairlight CMI sampler. She was one of the first people to use a headset wireless microphone so her hands would be free during the choreographed dance sequences of her one and only concert tour. She was also the first female artist to achieve a number one hit single in the UK charts with a songs that she had written herself. None of her original albums have failed to break the top ten in the UK charts, and her singles have also achieved high chart status on a regular basis. Not bad for someone who has only released two albums this century.
As is my want at this time of year, I have decided to put together a Christmas themed what-if release, and as this is the season of good will, I have added a second one for good measure. The first is a selection of recordings Kate Bush has completed that have a Christmas theme. There aren’t many different songs that could have been included here and three versions of the same song might be overkill, but they are all different so I am sure the Kate Bush completist would like it.
‘December Will Be Magic Again’ in its original studio version was recorded in 1979 but not released until a year later. It was a Top 30 hit in the UK and did a lot better in Ireland. This is followed by ‘Home For Christmas’ which originally appeared in the Comic Strip Presents film, ‘Wild Turkey’. It then appeared on the B-Side of the UK single ‘Moment of Pleasure’ which came out in 1993. She also privately pressed a number of these on a 3” CD single (anyone remember these?) which were sent out as a Christmas card. We end Side A with a non Christmas song, but it did feature in the Kate Bush Christmas Special that was broadcast in 1979. It was written as an introduction to guest Peter Gabriel and was performed as a three part harmony with her brother Paddy and Glenys Groves. Side B has two more versions of ‘December Will Be Magic Again’. The first is from the aforementioned Christmas Special and was performed live with Kevin McAlea on Keyboards, with Kate on piano and vocals. The last song is the bongo mix of ‘December Will Be Magic Again’ which has, as far as I can tell, not appeared on a Kate Bush released but has found a home on Christmas compilation albums down the years.
The Christmas EP
Side A
December Will Be Magic Again
Home For Christmas
The Angel Gabriel (Kate – Christmas Special 1979)
Side B
December Will Be Magic Again (Kate – Christmas Special 1979)
December Will Be Magic Again (Bongo Mix)
The second EP complies folk songs that Kate Bush has released. I was quite surprised that she had covered any at all, considering that she has focused mostly on her own compositions. The opening song was released in 1996 for a compilation album ‘Common Ground – Voices of Modern Irish Music’. Bush herself was born in England but her mother was from Ireland and said that he mother helped out with the recording as she is not a speaker of the Irish language. She had to learn it phonetically before laying down her recording. The song itself tells of a woman that represents Ireland, and is given over her gifts (such as cattle, her land and even herself) to the cruel English and wondering why Irish men do nothing to defend her.
The second might be pushing it a bit as being a folk song, because it is not a traditional song like the others on this disc, but was written by Donovan for his ‘HMS Donovan’ album. Donovan may well have started off as a folk singer but quickly morphed into something distinctively more psychedelic. ‘HMS Donovan’ was his second album directed at children and did draw on traditional folk songs, poems and hymns. Bush covered the song for the B Side of her ‘Sat In Your Lap’ from 1981.
Side B starts with another Irish folk song, ‘My Lagan Love’. The Lagan might refer to the river of the same name that runs through Belfast or a stream that flows into Lough Swilly in County Donegal. ‘The Handsome Cabin Boy’ is another traditional folk song which refers to girls impersonating sailors and heading off for a life at sea. This was released on the B-Side of the ‘Hounds of Love’ single in 1986. Even though this is a traditional song, some pressings of this single credited Bush as the sole writer of the song, instead of the trad arr. by credit you’d expect. It is a shame Kate Bush did not release more traditional songs as she had an excellent voice for interpreting this style of music.
A second volume of ‘Psych, Crackle & Pop’ to end this year of Psych related compilations. The vast majority of songs on ‘Volume 1’ were taken from the corresponding web page but this volume has only a smattering of songs from there. For this one, I branched out a bit adding tunes from my own collection. As I have been using the same artwork that the person who put together the original website was using, I felt that this compilation needed to have one songs form each of the artists shown on the cover. This did prove a bit challenging as I am not a fan of The Id.
Disc 1
Morning Morgantown – Jude
Summer – Octopus
Keep The Motor Running – The Exception (UK)
Sun – Margo Guryan
Waiting For Someone – Mortimer
Let Her Come In – Sapphire Thinkers
We Can Help You – Nirvana (UK)
Turn of The Century – Bee Gees
Maybe After He’s Gone – The Zombies
How’s Ya Pa – Jawbone
Don’t Turn Around – The Loot
Midspring Dithering – Roy Harper
Wild Times – The Id
Please Excuse My Face – Kaleidoscope
Midsummer Dreaming – John Carter & Russ Alquist
Nursery Rhyme – The Pleasure Fair
Portobello Road – Billy Nicholls
Bat Mucumba – Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Gai Costa & Os Mutantes
Night Of The Lions (Single Version) – Mark Eric
Hello Suzie – The Hello Corner
A Little Bit Of Shangri La – Our Plastic Dream
Glasshouse Green Splinter Red – The Kinsmen
Hold My Hand – the Rokes
Tinkerbell’s Mind – The Glitterhouse
On A Saturday – Kieth West
To Girls – Juan & Junior
I Said Goodbye to Hime – The Glass Menagerie
A Certain Kind – Sort Machine
Disc 2
Would You Believe (Mono Single Version) – Billy Nicholls
The Better Side – Freedom
Mr. Lion – The Marmalade
Why Don’t You Follow Me – Mighty Joe Young
Can You See Me? – Piccadilly Line
Somewhere Friday Night – The Turtles
One Hour Cleaners – The Blue Things
Evening’s Child – Savage Rose
Don’t Go Away – Margo Guryan
Long Hair Soulful – Bhagavad Gita
Ill Wind – Morgan
Gold Is The Colour Of Thought – The Smoke (US)
White Paper Sail – The Smubbs
Don’t You Ever Want To Think About Them? – Bear
Slow Motion – The Sweet
Similitude – Elizabeth
If I Knew You Were The One – Richard Twice
Raggedy Ann – John Randolph Marr
Writer In The Sun – Donovan
Why Are We Sleeping? – Soft Machine
10,000 Years Behind My Mind – Earl Jordan
Together – The Illusion
Casey Jones – Billy Nicholls
Due to the original image being so low, I have had to recreate it. I could not get the same font for the “Psych Crackle & Pop’ name but other than that, it is as close as I could get it.
I loaded up YouTube a little while back for my daily dose of new content by one of the creators I subscribe to and found that the algorithm had decided that I liked The Beatles. This is true, but this was something a bit different. The video was called “ABANDONED: This Beatles Jam Was Almost A Masterpiece Pt.1” on a channel called ‘almost beatle songs’. What I got when I clicked on it was some video of the band from the 1969 ‘Get Back’ sessions playing an unreleased/unfinished song called “Watching Rainbows”. The narrator talked about the similarities between it another Beatles song called ‘I’ve Got A Feeling”. The lyric watching rainbows had also been used in a Bee Gees song called ‘Morning Of My Life” which had been recorded in 1968 by Mary Hopkin, who was signed to The Beatles record label, Apple. The video teased that the song could have been a masterpiece if the band had worked on it a bit more and finished it off. Well, the people who produced the video decided to do just that.
How do you finish off a Beatles song from over 50 years earlier? Well, this story goes back early 1969 when The Beatles met up at Twickenham Film Studio to rehearse material for a potential live concert. It was decided that they would only play new material. Having only just finished the sessions to ‘The Beatles (White Album)’ just over two months previously, there was a dearth of new material. It had also been decided that a film crew would be on hand to record the rehearsals as part of a TV documentary, culminating in the aforementioned live concert. The soundtrack of the film was recorded on two mono Nagra tape recorders. At some point in the 1970’s, these tapes were stolen from The Beatles archive and become a source of numerous bootlegs throughout the years. It was also a treasure trove for Beatles archeologists to hear the band working on new material, some of which never went further than a one off play through.
So taking these unfinished tracks, using different parts from different takes and in some cases, slicing in some other unreleased material from the sessions, the people behind the channel recorded a more realised take of the song than The Beatles every did. Whilst the video of the song played, dates would appear on the screen showing which date that particular section was taken from. Over the next year, they would release a number of other songs that they had interpreted and it is a selection of these that I present today.
Side 1
How Do You Tell Someone?
Rambling Woman
I Lost My Little Girl
Suicide
There You Are, Eddie
Watching Rainbows (Melody Version)
Taking A Trip To Carolina
Side 2
Madman
Pillow For Your Head
Child Of Nature
Window Window
Case Of The Blues
Woman
All I Want Is You
All I Want Is You (Lennon)
The original recording sounds nothing more than the band warming up in the studio. Not a lost classic by any stretch of the imagination but this version takes elements of ‘Hey Jude’ and because of this, it finishes the set off nicely.
A Case Of The Blues (Lennon)
As far as I can tell, this was not presented to The Beatles as a song to record during the ‘Let It Be’ sessions, but predates it by about a year. That does not mean it wouldn’t find a home here. The Beatles would resurrect all sorts of songs during these sessions including ‘One After 909” which was one of the earliest songs Lennon and McCartney wrote together.
Child Of Nature (Lennon)
Inspired by a lecture given by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi during The Beatles’ stay in India, early in 1968. The song was demoed for ‘The Beatles’ and played during the ‘Let It Be’ sessions. The melody and the tune were kept but the lyrics would be completely changed before being released on Lennon’s 1971 ‘Imagine’ album.
How Do You Tell Someone? (Harrison)
A quick run through of this song was as far as The Beatles got with this George Harrison song.
I Lost My Little Girl (McCartney)
McCartney says that this was one of the first songs he ever wrote on a guitar in around 1956. It was played during there ‘Let It Be’ sessions with John Lennon on lead vocals. The version presented here is a lot darker than the Buddy Holly inspired track that McCartney himself would perform on his “Unplugged’ performance in 1991.
Madman (Lennon)
Attempted at least twice during the ‘Let It Be’ sessions, the song shares certain similarities to another Lennon song, ‘Mean Mr Mustard’.
Pillow For Your Head (McCartney)
Performed twice during the ‘Let It Be’ sessions, this was never attempted again. The folks over at Almost Beatle Songs needed to have an educated guess as to what some of the lyrics were on this one as the original recording, his vocals are really hard to hear.
Rambling Woman (Harrison)
On the original recording, this sounds like George Harrison is doing his best Bob Dylan impression.
Suicide (McCartney)
Another McCartney song that dates from the 1950’s, he is said to have offered it to Frank Sinatra to record but with a title such as this, it would seem that Blue Eyes decided to pass.
Taking a Trip To Carolina (Starkey)
Unlike the original ‘Let It Be’ album, we have included a song written by Ringo. The original snippet of this song was included on the ‘Fly On The Wall’ bonus disc which was included on the ‘Let It Be…Naked’ album from 2003
There You Are, Eddie (McCartney)
McCartney wrote a song about his dog Martha for the ‘The Beatles’ album. As far as I can tell, this was written about his other dog called Eddie.
Watching Rainbows (Lennon/McCartney)
The tune is similar to ‘I’ve Got A Feeling’ and some of the improvised lyrics hark back to ‘I Am The Walrus’.
Window Window (Harrison)
Harrison once again channels his inner Dylan with a bit of Simon and Garfunkel thrown in. Seemingly inspired by his marriage to Patti Boyd.
Woman (McCartney)
A song that did make it out of the sessions, four years before it was played at the ‘Let It Be’ sessions. McCartney had given this song away to Peter & Gordon but insisted that the writing credit would be for Webb as he wanted to see if the duo would have a hit with a song that was not obviously written by Lennon/McCartney.
I decided that fourteen songs was the correct amount of songs to include here as the majority of The Beatles UK albums had this number of tracks. There is also a nice balance between the amount of songs the three main songwriters get, including one from Ringo to boot. Listening to these songs lifts the lid on an alternative ‘Let It Be’ album. All songs credited to the member of the band who wrote it. You can find more of the songs recorded by this collective on the aforementioned almost beatles songs YouTube account (https://www.youtube.com/c/almostbeatlessongs), bandcamp (https://elvisorbison.bandcamp.com/album/almost-beatles-songs-vol-2) listed under Elvis Orbison on Spotify as well as their own site (https://almostbeatlessongs.com/). Elvis Orbison is the name used by musician Brett Lyda to complete this project.
Last month I put together a version of Dennis Wilson’ ‘Hubba Hubba’ album, I wondered if there enough material to put together an album that The Beach Boys could have put out in either late 1974 or sometime in 1975. I have picked this time because after the band released in ‘Holland’ in 1973, they did not release another record of new material until 1976 when they put out ’15 Big Ones’. What happened in those three years. Well, as was noted last month, they did try to record some new material in 1974 but these sessions went nowhere. The release of the ‘Endless Summer’ compilation meant that the band started to focus more on touring. Murray Wilson, father to the Wilson brothers passed away in 1973 and Brian retreated into his bedroom to abuse drugs and over eat. With all of these factors, the creativity of the band disappeared and the great run of albums they had been making was derailed.
So what if the record company had demanded a new album? Well, the band did not seem keen to return to the studio so what about an LP of outtakes. As it turns out, there was plenty of material to put together a double, but I felt that a single would be more appropriate. The album also shows how far musical styles had changed. ‘Soulful Old Man Sunshine’ and ‘Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane)’ bely their late 1960s origins. The album runs in an almost chronological order and if the record company wanted to put out a single from this release, the best song to fit the bill (in my opinion) is ‘Hard Time’. I decided that ‘Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane)’ would have been an appropriate B-Side. There isn’t any Dennis Wilson material because all of his unreleased material is on the aforementioned ‘Hubba Hubba’ released.
What were are left with is a good album, showing that the band were keeping some quality material in the archive. Its not a classic but what album of unreleased material is. I do believe that this is a better record than any the band released in real life after ‘Holland’.
Out In The Country (Version 2 Edit)
Two songs were recorded with the same name. One is an instrumental but this version is a vocals only. It would eventually be released as part of the 1972 sessions CD in the ‘Sail On Sailor’ Box Set. I edited out the studio chatter at the start and then edited the end so that it faded out.
Soulful Old Man Sunshine
Recorded late 1969, this one of the many songs recorded for the ‘Sunflower’ album which did not make the cut. It remained in the vaults until it came out in 1998 on the ‘Endless Harmony’ compilation. It was said to have been include on the 1993 Box Set, ‘Good Vibrations – Thirty Years of The Beach Boys’ but it was vetoed for this by Carl Wilson. This was because he fluffed his lines somewhat, singing ‘shunshine’ instead of ‘sunshine’.
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way
There can’t be many songs out there that have the word enema mentioned in the lyrics. It also mentions the Radiant Radish, a West Hollywood health food shop once owned (and sometimes manned) by Brian Wilson. Wilson could be seen serving in the shop wearing a dressing gown and pyjamas as he usually opened the shop up when he could be bothered, normally at night. The subject matter of the song deals with Wilson’s self-image and eating problems. The song was recorded during the ‘Surf’s Up’ sessions but would first see the light of day on the ‘Good Vibrations – Thirty Years of The Beach Boys’ box set.
Games Two Can Play
The lyrics refer to Joe South and his recording of ‘Games People Play’, but we can only speculate as to what songwriter Brian Wilson meant by games two can play. He once again refers to his weight by saying he is as fat as a cow. This and the previous song on this collection were slated to appear on the unreleased 1977 album, ‘Adult/Child’. The song was recorded during the ‘Sunflower’ sessions but would first see the light of day on the ‘Good Vibrations – Thirty Years of The Beach Boys’ box set
Sweet & Bitter
The song was recorded during the ‘Surf’s Up’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions’ box set.
It’s Natural
The song was recorded during the ‘Surf’s Up’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions’ box set.
Won’t You Tell Me
The song was recorded during the ‘Surf’s Up’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions’ box set.
Oh Sweet Something
It would be released as part of the 1972 sessions CD in the ‘Sail On Sailor’ Box Set.
Hard Time
The song was recorded during the ‘Holland’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Sail On Sail – 1972’ box set.
We Got Love
Recorded for the ‘Holland’ album and it did make the track listing until Reprise, the band’s record label at this time decided that the recorded did not have a hit single on it. This song made way for ‘Sail On Sailor’. However, there was a mispress in Germany and a small number of copies with the original track listing came out. It would eventually be officially released in 2016 as a bonus track on the SACD version of the ‘Holland’ album.
Where Is She?
There is a resemblance between this song and ‘She’s Leaving Home’ by The Beatles. The song was recorded during the ‘Sunflower’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Made In California’ box set.
Seasons In The Sun
Recorded prior to the release of the more famous version by Terry Jacks, this song is a reflection by the narrator of the life he has lived and those who spent their time with him. Originally written by Jacques Brel, Jacks rewrote the lyrics and was called into to produce The Beach Boys version. Mike Love said the band didn’t like their version, stating that it was the wrong song for them. The song was recorded during the ‘Surf’s Up’ sessions and would first see the light of day on the ‘Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions’ box set.
Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane)
The song started out as a demo by Carl and Brian Wilson which was recorded for the ’20/20’ sessions in 1969. Al Jardine decided to rework the song, added all sorts of instrumentation and special effects. Jardine was not happy with the vocals and the song remained in the vaults until finally being released with a new vocal on 1998 ‘Endless Harmony’ compilation. This is the original 1969 mix.
Side A
Out In The Country (Version 2 Edit)
Soulful Old Man Sunshine
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way
Games Two Can Play
Sweet & Bitter
It’s Natural
Won’t You Tell Me
Side B
Oh Sweet Something
Hard Time
We Got Love
Where Is She?
Seasons In The Sun
Single B-Side
Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane)
I have tried to use as close to the original mix as possible because some of these songs have have updated mixes on recent compilations.
The cover and title come from Reddit under, Circlonta6a who made a number alternative sleeves for Beach Boy records.
