re: Unpopular (likely) McCartney opinion

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The thing I like to avoid is pretending they would have been suspended in the relatively negative state they were in at any point in time. I think it's abundantly clear that they would have gone on to be entirely healed and would have been highly functional adults, kind to each other and creating beautiful things.

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Great thoughts. It could have happened that way. But, there's a very important factor in the break-up that is often forgotten. That factor is John Lennon's heroin use and perhaps addiction during those years. His heroin use coincided in time with his growing boredom and dissatisfaction with The Beatles.

Had John never been a heroin user, the break-up might not have happened.

Legal issues also contributed to the break-up.

But, still, IMHO George is right in that any "The Beatles" album published for sale in the 1973 or so time-frame would have had a lot of Paul Songs that would have been very similar to the Wings songs of that time-frame. No problem, though. Beatles albums were eclectic. It would have been another eclectic Beatles album, perhaps similar to The White Album.

Finally, of course Paul and the others should defend one another when any commentator bashes one or the whole group. Commentators do lots of evil things to gather attention and sales money.

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But, still, IMHO George is right in that any "The Beatles" album published for sale in the 1973 or so time-frame would have had a lot of Paul Songs that would have been very similar to the Wings songs of that time-frame. No problem, though. Beatles albums were eclectic. It would have been another eclectic Beatles album, perhaps similar to The White Album.

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There's a disconnected you're missing. (at least to me)

The fab4, The boys from Liverpool, to Sgt. Pepper's, and so on... were a progression. The skiffle gave way to pop to progressive and that propelled them. So to me they would have matured and not regressed had they been allowed to keep bouncing ideas off each other.

Because that Wings was the other direction for a lot of people. Wrong thread to say this perhaps; however I don't see them doing pop when they could be widening their legacy. As for George taking the high road in a question, that's no surprise, it's a trait that many stars possess.

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There's a disconnected you're missing. (at least to me)

The fab4, The boys from Liverpool, to Sgt. Pepper's, and so on... were a progression. The skiffle gave way to pop to progressive and that propelled them. So to me they would have matured and not regressed had they been allowed to keep bouncing ideas off each other.

Because that Wings was the other direction for a lot of people. Wrong thread to say this perhaps; however I don't see them doing pop when they could be widening their legacy. As for George taking the high road in a question, that's no surprise, it's a trait that many stars possess.

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I understand your theory that "The Progression" of the style of music would have continued. But, I'm not convinced that it would have completely worked out that way.

What I think that the next couple of Beatles albums would have been like is more along the lines of what The White Album was - some Paul songs, some George songs, some John songs and a few songs for Ringo.

Once the early 1970s got rolling, Progressive Rock was gathering steam. Bands like Yes and Genesis were considered to be the most "sophisticated" rock groups in the 1973 - 1974 time frame.

I wonder what The Beatles might have come up with had they made a determined effort to do another Progressive Rock album, this time in the 1970s style instead of the 1960s style of The Beatles albums of the late 1960s.

And they COULD HAVE really shined, I think. We'd get an album or two of unrelated songs by the various Beatles. Then they at some point during or before 1975 release their Progressive Rock album - which would be a true collaboration of all four Beatles - a really challenging album for both The Beatles to make AND for the audience to grow to love.

I wish we had those Beatles albums that were never made because they broke up.

I don't think they would have tried to make a Punk Rock album, though - maybe John might have released a solo album.

There was no need for them to break up. Lots of groups stay together while the members each release solo albums during the existence of the band. The Beatles could certainly have done that - fans would have bought the solo albums AND The Beatles albums.

Yes indeed. Makes me angry, too.

Getting back to John and heroin, James Taylor himself said that he introduced John to opiate drug use when Taylor visited Britian.

I blame James Taylor for breaking up The Beatles!

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The Beatles could have kept making brilliant music. Imagine if the creators of All Things Must Pass (Harrison '70), Plastic Ono Band (Lennon '70), and McCartney (McCartney '70), along w/ Ringo got together for another album. The best songs from those three albums alone rival any Beatles album.

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If Paul especially had dealt with George as an equal and potential writing partner maybe they wouldn't have broken up. He was so sick of his songs getting short shrift and being treated like a little brother he had to release a triple album.

By the end of The Beatles Harrison was clearly in their class as a songwriter. And the slide guitar sound he developed post-Bealtes is unique and instantly recognizable.

A few years back I saw one of the better known Beatles tribute bands in concert. They were very good as Beatles but their final set was called “What If”. They performed a few solo songs from each Beatle as the Beatles. If I remember I was most impressed with My Sweet Lord. The background vocals with ‘John’ and ‘Paul’ were really good and made you think “what if?”

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A rumor started that the band Klaatu was The Beatles regrouped, and I can see why some people bought it:

Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft

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I've been listening to some Badfinger - which was the first Apple label signing - and they had some Beatles feel to them also.

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The Beatles could have kept making brilliant music. Imagine if the creators of All Things Must Pass (Harrison '70), Plastic Ono Band (Lennon '70), and McCartney (McCartney '70), along w/ Ringo got together for another album. The best songs from those three albums alone rival any Beatles album.

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It seems to be unpopular around here, but I like the later Lennon stuff. Mind Games is way better, IMO. And I might like Double Fantasy best of all.

I like this one:

carry on til tomorrow

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I think she was a symptom rather than a cause.

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I thought I read somewhere that Yoko encouraged John to use heroin. I could be wrong.

Doesn't matter, though. That was John's decision. Nobody forced him to inject heroin.

Yes

He was also hanging around a lot with Keith Richards and Spanish Tony Sanchez in the late 60s. ...that wasn't a healthy choice at that time.

Interestingly Spanish Tony also had ties to Yoko and Robert Frazer.