Sunday, August 13, 2023
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Danger Abbess
Maxed out
Maxed out,
passed over,
done in, and hopefully not
too under the weather,
the cartoon stars
emit a cautious glow.
Rolling Stones lesser '70s: Only Goats Head Rollin'
 |
| cover I hacked together for best of these two LPs |
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| even hackier cover I threw together for rest of the two LPs |
Friday, August 11, 2023
best of the rest of the Stones 2: Cheap Wheels
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| I found the inner sleeve from Primitive Cool, again like the One Hit single illustrated by Francesco Clemente, had a circular motif, so I took this side of it and overlayed the Steel Wheels pattern from 2020 RSD picture disc for some art |
best of the rest of the Stones 1: Dirty Boss
Here I'm saying, hey, Dirty Work might've been better if Mick had not made She's The Boss. Perhaps the world of music would be better off too? Anyhow, trying to compile a single LP from these two not terribly listenable records, I arrived at the following. It's no Emotional Rescue, but…
Dirty Boss
Lonely At The Top She's The Boss 1
Winning Ugly Dirty Work 6
Back to Zero Dirty Work 7
Dirty Work Dirty Work 8
Lucky In Love She's The Boss 7
One Hit (To the Body) Dirty Work 1
Too Rude Dirty Work 5
Just Another Night She's The Boss 6
Had It With You Dirty Work 9
Sleep Tonight Dirty Work 10
Key to the Highway (Ian Stewart Piano Instrumental) Dirty Work 11
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| I like to have cover art for my fake albums, so here I stole the art by Francesco Clemente from the single for Dirty Work's best song and just removed the title |
Tuesday, July 4, 2023
couleur
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Beatlantis: 70} Let's At Sea
Let's At Sea (December, 1970, Timaeus | Apple)
< file under Beatles In Atlantis >
~ an approximation of this album, using latest remasters of solo studio renditions, can be heard here on Apple Music ~
Atlantean delegates negotiating with some Surface corners,
buying time,
knowing their dusty counterparts
were not conferring in good faith
{Upon initiating this series of posts, some of which relies (see note in first entry) on sources which must remain off-the-record, Library Industries fully expected to conclude with the Atlantean release of Abbey Road. As we neared that intended conclusion, however, the astonishing revelations shared in this final entry came to light, provided to us by a source, or sources, we for now can only describe as unimpeachable.}
A small but respected contingent within the Atlantean administration argued for absolute domination of the surface world as the only acceptable response to the land threat. President Rubbqe, the bulk of her cabinet, and the majority will of the people, as determined from intensive referendum caucuses followed by final proposition balloting, pointed instead to a resigned preference toward total disengagement as the only humane, moral approach to dealing with the looming barbarism from above. Atlantis, assured by dint of their vast technological and military superiority absolute "victory" in any showdown with surface powers, did not wish to obliterate innocent Surface Life on Earth in the inevitable existential escalation. A veil of secrecy now enveloped the realm such that no word of internal Atlantean affairs, not even of matters like public opinion and electoral results, made way to the surface. Meanwhile, it was clear from Surface press that land leadership had drummed up growing popular support to deal with Atlantis militarily if deemed (or claimed) necessary. The aforementioned negotiations, a pretense for the surface leaders — a blatant delay as they prepared an all-out assault on Atlantis — provided the Atlantean Chamber of Science time to ready the means of absolute disentanglement via insurmountable distancing from the warring Dry.Tivowr Dorna, privy to the innermost workings of the Atlantan administration, was granted a surface-communication exemption as regarded ironing out licensing of solo Beatles work. Having long ago secured the trust of the artists from a distance, courtesy of his sensitive handling of their defunct band's underwater catalog, he now entered into contract discussions about their individual work whilst keeping an enormous secret from them. Dorna knew the Atlantean Solve to the Surface Conflict had been arrived at and was imminent:
off-world relocation to an oceanic exoplanet.
It was very late fall 1970. A McCartney post-Beatles album and two Starr solo albums had already been issued, Harrison had his first post-Beatles album – a double or triple, depending on how you slice it – on its way, and Lennon was about to follow his striking early solo / Plastic Ono Band single sides with his debut solo LP. Aside from the title track and another tune from Harrison's upcoming triple, issued in a concocted band performance, and as a one-man demo, respectively, on Timaeus Beatles releases over the past year, not a note of this had been heard by Atlanteans other than Dorna himself.
A complication Tivowr had learned of not long after considering, and being dissuaded from, issuing George's first solo album, Wonderwall Music, in its entirety, now meant he found himself needing to negotiate with the former bandmates in unison, no easy sell to the fractured foursome. Atlantean music publishing standards, going back to a dispute within one of the nation's most popular instrumental big bands of an earlier era, prohibited any release under solo/individual names from members of an existing group until a new agreement was reached across the parties, in joint meetings of all concerned. With the Beatles, finished though they were, still a legally extant entity, this restriction applied.
Thankfully, advanced Atlantean tech meant Dorna did not actually need to get John, Paul, George, and Ringo into a room with him. He secured for the four of them, and his mentor and pal George Martin, handheld Atlantean satellite communicators, by which they all attended, virtually, meetings towards the goal of establishing release of the all-but-legally dissolved band's solo work. Martin, no longer an EMI employee nor currently working with any of the four, was likely invited merely to increase Dorna's level of ease in the meetings, and/or with hope of fostering a certain civility in the proceedings.
Given known tensions and even acrimony among the former bandmates, these talks went smoothly with all ex-members agreeing to Dorna's pitch, grateful towards him for helping the Beatles become by far the most embraced Surface act in Atlantean history. Explaining resources were greatly limited due to what he coyly deemed "defense and manufacturing considerations in light of strained relations with outside world powers" Dorna proposed a double LP compilation representing work from the four incipient solo careers would be the best Timaeus could manage, and noted it would continue in the tradition of unique releases for this special market. Dorna choose songs from across the solo recordings at his disposal, preferring in Harrison's case a couple of early takes and a demo over final produced versions. Only one change was suggested by the erstwhile band: Tivowr had selected the Sentimental Journey cover of Stardust, arranged by Paul, to be Ringo's number; George offered to send the recently mixed It Don't Come Easy, recorded early in the year, which Dorna had yet to hear and which would not see surface release until the following spring, with Ringo wholeheartedly agreeing to this substitution. Though that number would provide his only vocal spotlight, Ringo's drumming would be amply represented on selections from John and George.
Back in the corridors of power, with graver matters in mind, a discovery was greeted with what might be most accurately regarded as a celebratory solemnity. A suitable — and uninhabited — planet had been located within the waters of which to transplant all of Atlantis. Upon this disclosure, Dorna, a de facto cabinet member, was struck with sudden inspiration for one ultimate effort at reaching peace with the Surface World— offering them something much of their younger and restless citizenry would clamor for, while giving the Atlanteans (whether staying on Earth or soon departing) one last and very special connection to their favorite land act. Leadership agreed, cautiously but enthusiastically.
Promptly Dorna convened, somewhat to their surprise, a followup conference with the splintered quartet and their longtime producer. Tivowr asked, simply and boldly… "Howzbouteph [sic] instead of a compilation introducing these solo songs to Atlantis, you four come introduce them, in person, together— in a live set…?!?"
The faintest gasps and a lingering pause followed.
Dorna expounded upon the crisis facing the Atlanteans, through no fault of their own, daringly going beyond his remit from leadership and telling the five in sworn confidence that shy of a peaceful resolution Atlantis would soon vanish, in its entirety, from Earth. Further, he explained the purpose of such an event would be far more momentous than introducing these songs to the Liverpudlians' devoted aquatic audience. A twofold agenda was put forth: providing such earnest fans a chance to finally see these four in person — a tremendous thanks, from you to them, he punned — while raising among Surface populations a sympathetic awareness of Atlanteans' plight, generating goodwill towards them from the countless Beatles fans worldwide who'd dearly appreciate the chance to see a reassembled fabsum and consequently be open to hearing a message of sea-land unity. The event, to be kept secret from the Surface until after its completion and the group's safe return home, would be cast live into Atlantean homes for all who couldn't attend, filmed for later broadcast in the Surface World, and recorded by Martin directing a team of Timaeus' finest engineers for a (likely Atlantean-only) double LP, to be followed by Atlantis issuance of the existing and future solo records. Such a modern benefit concert at this scale would be a first. It also would belatedly realize one of the abandoned aspects of the collapsed Get Back project: introducing a dedicated fanbase to a slew of songs by way of a live performance subsequently fashioned into an album. He suggested if averse to officially reforming for the event, the four assembled could be billed, for instance, as the Fab Former.
No reply
It was as if the satellite connecting them had cut out.
Dorna beseeched the stunned silence; this would, he stressed, be in the interest of peace and the continued presence on Earth of an entire peoples.
Starr, cracking the icy stillness with what would prove the final Ringoism to impact course of the band's history, interjected:
"Let's, at sea!"
Promotional materials announced the upcoming concert to the staggered joy of the public. Isolated from the outside world, but aware of the band's demise for nearly a year now, Atlanteans had long resigned themselves to never seeing a Beatles visit to their nation. Slogans were high on hopeful messaging.
"The Fab Former Convene For One Night Only, in a very special performance… as the Beatles!"
"And Now… For Atlantis… and to the World: Here They Are!"
The vast ancient open water Amphiareionopolis amphitheater, the stage of which was rechristened Octopus's Garden in the performers’ honor, hosted the event. ABC, the Atlantean Broadcasting Consortium, webcast it live into homes via secure Aquanet, for all the Atlanteans not in attendance. An estimated 94% of the population tuned in, eclipsing the relative stateside interest in the band's famed US debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Starr was of course familiar with his own number and the Lennon and Harrison compositions he'd played on in studio. Perhaps all four of them had intimately familiarized themselves with much of each other's solo work before Dorna approached them with this idea; perhaps they found time to rehearse back on land or upon arrival; perhaps it was some irrepressible magic when they all assembled; probably a combination of all factored into what they achieved that night before the enthralled audience. The concert was stellar, overshadowing what until now the surface world has mistakenly believed to be the band's final live performance, nearly two years earlier on Apple's London rooftop. Now, under the waves, they put on the best and last of all Beatles shows. The recording, under George Martin's deft guidance, went flawlessly as did the filming. Realistically, a splendid time had not been guaranteed for all, but one was delivered.
Performing in an enormous amorphous bubble based on same biotech in which the Atlantean delegation had floated over the United Nations Security Council, though tailored to needs of air-breathing surface people, the band took the stage to adoring cheers.
President Rubbqe attended and before the first note delighted the audience and band by rattling her state jewelry.
Lennon, reprising his role as bandleader and keen on promoting the cause at hand, first took the mic. Thanking the fans for years of unsurpassed love and support, apologizing for having never toured there, John declared, as much to the expected subsequent Surface audience as to the Atlanteans experiencing this live, "But even though we no longer exist [laugh], we're here now! It must look like we exist, but we don't— not as a group anyway. And that's all we were, a group. But maybe if we can get together, the surface nations can get it together with this watery world."
The band gestured to lower the stage lights a bit.
John— "Now it's going to sound just like we exist, too."
Paul— "Oh, it's going to really sound like we exist alright!"
Ringo— [drum fill]
George— "'Existence' to the end…"
At that, they launched into Give Peace a Chance, with verses rewritten for the occasion and the chorus alternating with a modified refrain of "give seas a chance."
Interjecting some of their trademark humorous asides, and a further plea or two to Surface fans to demand their political leadership seek peaceful resolution with Atlantis, the Fab Former accompanied by Billy Preston debuted for the Atlanteans every solo song Dorna had proposed, in the sequence he'd crafted, surely transforming them in ways we might only imagine. (The full setlist, which would comprise the four-sided live LP as conceived by Tivowr, can be seen below.)
For one night the dream wasn't over— it was, indeed, dreamier than ever, almost unreal. A total musical triumph, a paramount cultural event, a heartfelt petition for unity through festive euphoria. But to say this call for peace fell on deaf surface ears would be a misstatement; it would fall on no surface ears at all.
As the passionate crowd dispersed, and the Beatles, Preston, Martin, Dorna, and some of the Timaeus team celebrated with an after show toast, a full-scale assault on Atlantis was launched from the surface. The former fabs and their two colleagues were hurried to their yellow submarine for departure back to England. Harrison ruefully remarked this recalled reasons they'd stopped touring. McCartney and Martin implored Dorna for a copy of the recordings to share with the surface networks. But there was no time for that, and Dorna reminded them why: any assault would trigger nearly immediate automatic implementation of Operation New Atlantis. The six surfacemen needed to board that sub and exit the realm posthaste, lest they be transported off-world with all of Atlantis' population, buildings, infrastructure, tech, and secrets. Among these secrets was the one these half dozen visitors had sworn to keep under the circumstances now unfolding: for their own safety, and that of the Surface world at large, they must never tell of the one and only time they reconvened, nor speak of the cause for which they reunited, nor divulge the emergency remedy of total Atlantean departure. The disappearance of Atlantis must remain a mystery, their own involvement unspoken.
Only now does the truth surface, illuminating for outsiders the final manifestation of this global popular music phenomenon at their idealistic gig on the last day of Atlantis on Earth.
Surface leadership was baffled, finally realizing how completely outclassed they had been all along by Atlantis. Imperialist in outlook, they could not fathom why Atlantis would abdicate their oceanic realm rather than subjugate the surface and impose rule over Earth as they themselves would surely do given similar advantages. Mendaciously, in the aftermath of the vanishment of Atlantis, surface leaders returned to their earlier pose of outright denial, claiming the underwater nation never existed, and accusing their surface enemies of propagating the myth. Not so surprisingly, huge swaths of the surface population took this on faith, relegating Atlantis to status of fable.
We can dream that one day Atlanteans reach out to Earth, disabusing our world of our disbelief, reestablishing relations. Then may we Surface People eventually see and hear the storied final Beatles performance — or first and only performance by the ex-Beatles, the fab former — showcasing their near-wizardry when assembled as a creative force.
Shortly after arrival and resettlement on New Atlantis, before the year was out and in time to commemorate the traditional winter solstice Timaeus presumably issued the live recording double LP Let's At Sea as The Beatles' final entry in their unique Atlantis discography.
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| Re-creation of Dorna's planned cover for Let's At Sea; the back cover was to show the band, including Preston, onstage as seen from recording control booth with Martin and Dorna in foreground at the console |
1. Give Peace a Chance †
2. I'd Have You Any Time (early take) °3. The Lovely Linda *4. Well Well Well ‡5. Oo You *6. Awaiting on You All (early take) °7. My Sweet Lord §
1. Mother ‡2. Hold On ‡3. Run of the Mill (demo) °4. That Would Be Something *5. Apple Scruffs 🜃6. Look at Me ‡7. Man We Was Lonely *
8. Isolation ‡
1. Cold Turkey †2. It Don't Come Easy ∞3. Every Night *4. I Dig Love 🜃5. Momma Miss America *
6. God ‡
1. What Is Life 🜃2. Junk *3. Working Class Hero ‡4. Wah-Wah 🜃5. Maybe I'm Amazed *6. Instant Karma! (We All Shine On) †
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Beatlantis: 16} Abbey Road (1970)
Abbey Road (May, 1970, Timaeus | Apple)
< file under Beatles In Atlantis >
~ a surround mix — not Dorna's original Atlantean six channel release but rather the 2019 Giles Martin and Sam Okell remix — can be heard here in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music ~
Following the Atlantean delegation's forceful plea for peace before the UN, the surface world's major powers approach to the very existence of Atlantis descended into Mutually Asinine Deliriously Deceptive Denial, or MADDD as it came to be known in Submerged Political Discourse. Both East and West insisted that not only was Atlantis a mere myth, an utter fiction, but that it (including the stunning display of power witnessed before the UN) was the fabrication of each opposing surface superpower. That is, the allied Western nations claimed the whole of Atlantis – all that was known of it, and the delegation seen before the eyes of the world – was fakery perpetrated by the Eastern Bloc, while the East countered with the identical claim against the Western Bloc.
Atlantis knew just how dangerous this was, for their nation and more so for those on dry land. Not only did this charade run the risk of ratcheting up real tensions between the increasingly antagonistic Surface Powers, it also meant that as long as a significant percentage of their populations believed this, either Surface coalition — or both, working covertly in tandem against what they perceived as a shared threat — could attempt a genocidal assault on the underseas peoples of Atlantis and face among the surface nations little or no effective opposition.
There was much dark irony in how they approached this: Despite the powers both viewing Atlantis as a threat, and possibly contemplating joint aggression against it, they could only arrive at this unstable consensus by amplifying the very dangerous tensions between them, potentially leading to their own destruction in a global conflagration; Atlantis in truth did not, nor ever had, presented a threat— rather it was Surface greed for Atlantean resources that spurred on this land-sea conflict in ages past, renewed again now with greater, potentially world-ending consequences; and, finally, shockingly deluded as Surface leadership may have been about their capabilities compared to the advances of the aquatic civilization they increasingly targeted, neither alone nor even in some temporary alliance did the Surface Powers have the strength to defeat, let alone annihilate, Atlantis. Atlantis knew with complete confidence that it had the means to defend itself; all the Surface Powers could really do was destroy themselves and wipe the Earth free of all non-Atlantean life. The peaceful leadership of Atlantis, stewards of the seas and by extension the globe that hosts them, though in no way responsible for this threat, felt obliged to do whatever they could to nullify the danger. Serious, and seriously divergent, options were weighed as the tenuous calm, or absence of assault, held for the time being.
Meanwhile, Tivowr Dorna had one last Beatles album to release.
Firmly ensconced within president Zith̴ Rubbqe's inner circle both on account of his cultural insights & impact and for his ever-developing engineering & scientific prowess Рa pelagic polymath, if you will РDorna was only ever a call away from an emergency security meeting or other national matter of gravest consequence. As he consulted on how best to deal with the MADDD threat, he devotedly set about belatedly issuing the Fabs' true farewell, Abbey Road, in both the original George Martin stereo mix, and, working from digital transfers of the multitrack masters provided by Martin again by way of Timaeus' technological marvel the Pod Click Train, a fully immersive surround mix. The holdup had been a new means of delivery to the Atlantean listener, as the three-needle surround turntable playback system that brought the 5.1 Sgt. Pepper's mix into Atlantean homes turned out over time to be a rare Atlantean, and even rarer Timaeus, tech fail. The styli proved in need of unique and arduous calibration for each individual release; every home system was good to keep playing Pepper's as many times as anyone could want, but beyond that the turntable's use was strikingly impractical!
It occurred to Dorna, though, that the rest of the system — the associated multichannel speaker setup — was perfectly usable. All that was needed was a connection to another Atlantean consumer electronics first — the personal computer already in use for educational and communication purposes in nearly all Atlantean homes.
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| The sole extant photo of Tivowr Dorna, & only one known to ever have been sent to the surface, from the EMI archives were it sat unpublished for decades; note, behind him, Dorna's depiction of early Surface World air military, perhaps a subtle dig against surface weaponry as antiquated and a hint at Atlantean knowledge of land & sky wars |
A joint development of Timaeus engineers and AtEdD, the Atlantis Educatin' Department, the AtEdD Alcove was a schooling staple of Atlantean homes going back years, utilizing a typewriter-like keyboard, a three-button pointer input device akin to a mouse, and a fully featured Graphical User Interface — the first such GUI to utilize a desktop metaphor. A photo (above) of Dorna seen with an Alcove was sent to EMI's London headquarters to be used in a promotional piece about Atlantis' special relationship to the Beatles, while highlighting Timaeus' pioneering technology and Dorna's surround mix of the band's swan song, and perhaps to suggest cooperation between land and sea people could lead to a sharing of this and other tech. But with first a Surface Worldwide embargo against Atlantis, and now amid the MADDD claims that Atlanteans were merely a fraudulent Cold War scheme, EMI did not dare undertake such a promotion. While EMI never circulated this photo in publicity materials, it seems someone(s) at the fabled Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) must have seen it, as PARC's own groundbreaking Alto computer would bear a remarkable resemblance to the Alcove— not just the hardware, and not just the name, but right down to the UI's little folders seen on-screen. (Appropriately enough, these advancements would later be emulated, and finally popularized in the Surface World, by that other Apple — the one started in 1970s Cupertino, not 1960s London — with their Macintosh line of computers.)
Though meant to showcase the advanced development of the undersea nation and Dorna's pivotal role in it, the photo was sent out not in full color but rather in a sepia tint; presumably this was to avoid anticipated surface reader alarm at Dorna's naturally blue skin. Another Atlantean physical characteristic, the webbing between Tivowr's fingers, was retouched out of the photo. Interestingly, the edict for these changes, likely coming from AIA, the Atlantean Intelligence Agency, and carried out with a mere command using AAI, Atlantis Artifice Intelligence, apparently exempted one telltale detail of Atlantean physiognomy: whether somehow missed, or in all probability left in as a point of pride, Dorna's pointy ear is clearly unaltered.
With the music education software already installed in the nation's Alcoves now upgraded for multichannel use, and repurposed for a bit of entertainment, Timaeus was ready to disseminate Dorna's 5.1 channel mix of Abbey Road which he'd so exactingly prepared, on and off, over the last few months. Distribution was easy, utilizing Atlantis' existing information network connecting all the Alcoves, a seabed precursor to our own internet known as the Aqua Net. And so, with vinyl production back in full swing, stereo pressings (no dedicated mono mix had ever been made) of George Martin's Abbey Road production came packaged with another first— a code for a free digital download of the surround mix was printed on a card provided with every LP.
With the band finished, there was little need for Dorna to relay much of this to them, either directly or via their common intermediary Martin who no longer functioned as producer for any of the former members, having wrapped up his work on Ringo's solo debut Sentimental Journey. Still, Dorna almost certainly provided Martin a transfer for approval; records of any communication between EMI Atlantis and EMI London are practically nil for this late period between Timaeus sending the unused promo photo of Dorna and the subsequent Atlantean issue of Abbey Road.
Unlike the worldwide release, with Her Majesty a so-called hidden track, the Atlantean issue simply named the entire side two medley as "The Long One" leaving all its component compositions unlisted and untitled.
Greeted enthusiastically with a celebratory warmth and hailed as a tremendous achievement — Dorna's surround mix receiving even greater accolades than the stereo edition — the album was also received with a bittersweet finality; not only were the Beatles' finished, odds were distressingly high that Atlantis' coexistence with the Surface World would also soon come to an end. With the Beatles no more, and both their worlds on the existential brink, there was yet still one last chapter to be written in the tale of Atlanteans' exceptional connection to the four lads from Liverpool.
| Instead of usual land level cover, listeners in the sea were presented this aerial view |
01. Come Together †
02. Something †03. Maxwell's Silver Hammer †04. Oh! Darling †05. Octopus's Garden †06. I Want You (She's So Heavy) †
01. Here Comes the Sun †02. Because †03. ∞You Never Give Me Your Money †04. ∞Sun King †05. ∞Mean Mr. Mustard †06. ∞Polythene Pam †07. ∞She Came In Through the Bathroom Window †08. ∞Golden Slumbers †09. ∞Carry That Weight †10. ∞The End †11. ∞Her Majesty †
Monday, April 10, 2023
Beatlantis: 15} Let Back (1970)
Let Back (April, 1970, Timaeus | Apple)
< file under Beatles In Atlantis >
~ a distant approximation of this album, using nearest available mixes and missing much of the dialogue, can be heard here on Apple Music ~
Early 1970: Tivowr Dorna had been in possession of The Beatles’ January 1969 Twickenham Film Studios and Apple Studio Get Back sessions for over a year, as well as having received Glyn Johns’ 1969 Get Back compilation(s). During the peaceful pause — or, rather, absence of surface world aggression — in recent months, he became immersed in the seemingly endless hours of tape. He liked what he’d heard from some of Johns’ selections, had been surprised at some what he considered inferior takes chosen, and was creatively invigorated by Glyn’s use of dialogue, funny asides, and live ambience to imbue both the studio and rooftop tracks with a shared identity, providing the album a warm framework, and casting the band in the familial light audiences had always found so inviting.
While working on a new consumer level solution by which to provide his intended surround mix of Abbey Road, Dornas turned his attention to compiling an album reflecting the best of the material featured in those Get Back sessions.
At this point, Dorna had received a few more materials. Among those, and amounting to the final recordings of the band’s career, were the scant early January 1970 follow-up sessions, following Lennon’s departure, that McCartney, Harrison, and Starr undertook with George Martin, to get a studio take of a Harrison number to be featured in the upcoming Let It Be film, and to add some overdubs to the title track of the same documentary motion picture. Furthermore, Dorna now had Glyn Johns’ final proposed Get Back album —rejected, as the earlier attempts, by the band— and an acetate of the upcoming worldwide album, now retitled to match the movie, as “reproduced for disc” by a baroque American record producer who’d never worked with the band.
Dorna concurred with Johns’ changes to his latest Get Back, particularly the addition of Lennon’s ethereal Across The Universe (revisited during the band's early 1969 sessions but sourced from an early 1968 recording previously exclusive to a charity LP), and the inclusion of the aforementioned Harrison number. The American’s Let It Be had a couple of maneuvers which Dorna himself had already employed — that is, extending the duration, and tension, of I Me Mine by a bit of repetition, a change Tivowr applied shortly after receiving the original three-piece January 1970 recording, and closing the album in the inevitable way which Glyn Johns had missed: with Lennon’s comedic remark concluding the soon-to-be legendary rooftop performance. Beyond these similarities, Tivowr found the Let It Be album otherwise negligible, as he already had the source materials at his disposal, or downright regrettable, such as regards much of the overdubbing unique to the American producer's Let It Be creation or in the omission of clear standout Don’t Let Me Down, leaving the collection low on Lennon compositions.
Another omission Dorna wished to remedy was that of Harrison’s classic All Things Must Pass. While the song would soon lend its name to George’s third solo album, in that context it would not be available for release in Atlantis until licensing issues regarding the solo work of all four fabs were addressed, as to be detailed in an upcoming installment. Between his wish for the song to be heard by the Atlantean public, his slight concern that at this juncture releasing an unadulterated Harrison demo might run afoul of the licensing restriction against the issue of solo recordings, and above all his belief that All Things Must Pass should stand as one of the great Beatles songs, Tivowr set upon creating a unique composite, presenting a complete, or near complete, endearing Beatles rendition that never actually occurred. Privy to the mood of the sessions, having received occasional correspondence from the band, mostly John and George, since late 1965, Dorna also knew of Harrison’s idyllic outlook on his visit to Bob Dylan and The Band prior to the sometimes fractious Twickenham sessions. Aware of the impact Dylan and The Band had made on the writing of All Things Must Pass, for his assemblage Dorna set about accentuating the similarities already inherent in the demo and in the Beatles' inconclusive attempts at capturing the song during the Get Back sessions.
The last Beatles-related material Dorna had received, from an unnamed Apple staffer, was a copy of McCartney’s missive seething at the overproduction visited upon The Long and Winding Road as altered by the American "reproducer" for inclusion on the Let It Be album. Dorna promptly sent Paul a copy of his own mix, mostly hewing to the performance that would soon be seen in the film, which he’d had prepared for months already. Paul later wrote back thanking Dorna for his tasteful handling of the ballad and wishing this had been the version released worldwide.
It’s possible The Long and Winding Road wasn’t the only Dorna mix of Get Back material made known to the surface world. There’s been speculation that perhaps the reason so many of the remixes and composites on Apple’s eventual attempted solve to the Get Back / Let It Be album dilemma — 2003’s Let It Be… Naked — were evocative of Dorna’s was because the producers preparing that 21st century release may have had access to a copy of Tivowr’s extensive notes which he’d likely sent to George Martin as was his practice, but which wouldn’t have resulted in an ongoing conversation because by spring 1970, Martin was done working with The Beatles; indeed, The Beatles were done as a working unit altogether. Dorna knew the dissolution was coming, from his inside track, while finalizing his penultimate collection of Beatles music. The album — which Dorna named Let Back as it was neither a recreation of Glyn Johns’ efforts, to which Dorna acknowledged it owed much, nor was it the worldwide Let It Be album, to which it owed nothing — was released in late April of the first year of the new, post-Beatles decade. By then, fans both on land and undersea had read the news that their beloved band were no more.
What follows is a summation, from Dorna’s detailed notes, of the Atlantean Let Back album. Sadly never heard outside of Atlantis, and by the looks of it — and the sounds of what's available — likely the best iteration of an album based on this material. AI will soon make recreating something like this perhaps simple— indeed, advanced technology of just that sort was available to Dorna and likely used in at least one of his composites below — but without the guiding hand of someone like Dorna, so emotionally invested in the work of the band he’d helped grow into the surface world’s greatest cultural ambassadors to the peoples of Atlantis — the results won’t engender the heartfelt reception with which Let Back was warmly greeted by Atlanteans in a time of tremendous turmoil and endearing hope. That is to say, it was surely another hit record, and yet again so much more, for the Beatles underwater.
 |
| As the Beatles' first Atlantis album did not use the UK debut Please Please Me artwork, some Atlantean fans were unlikely to catch the connection this photo calls back to |
Side one
[opening piano & live sounds ("all cameras four" etc) from roof, as on 2nd Get Back configuration]
01 > One After 909 —•— rooftop 30 January 1969 —•—
[J "Oh Danny boy, the '|…| ⟨…⟩ '|…| ⟨…⟩ calling"]
[R "Hold it!” \ false start]
02 > Dig A Pony —•— rooftop 30 January 1969 {complete with "All I want…" intro & outro; Preston prominent in mix} —•—
[J "Thank you, brothers. Me hand’s getting uh too cold to play a chord now."]
03 > I've Got A Feeling —•— rooftop 30 January 1969 {composite take} —•—
[J "Ohhhhh, my soul. So hard"]
[P "…Dexter has scored another…"]
[G "Alright… "]
[J "We've had a request from Martin and Luther…"]
[G "Are you ready Ringo… "]
[R "Ready George"]
[G "1 2”] [P “hello” ?] [G “3”] [P “hello” ?] [G "4 —"]
04 > I Me Mine —•— studio 3 January 1970 —•— {extended via repeated portion} —•—
[P <yelping>]
[G "Paul, stop"]
05 > Two of Us —•— studio 31 January 1969 —•— {with whistling outro} —•—
[P "And so we leave the little town of London, England"]
[guitar, tuning]
[G "Okay”]
[J "Quiet please!"]
06 > All Things Must Pass —•— {composite of studio demo 25 February 1969, with band backing flown in from rehearsals and even some Preston pulled in, possibly keys from some demo or early mix Dorna may’ve received of Preston’s own rendition which would land on 1970’s Encouraging Words. Perfection was not the goal — rather, approximating a nearly faltering Music From Big Pink feel, in keeping with Harrison’s stated inspiration and intent, was Dorna’s aim which apparently he quite successfully achieved} —•—
[J "Are we supposed to giggle in the solo?"
[P "Yeah."
[J "OK."
[P "This'll – this is gonna knock you out, boy."]
07 > The Long and Winding Road —•— studio 31 January 1969 —•— {minus McCartney’s vocalizations over Preston’s solo} —•—
Side two
[J "⟨…⟩ '|…| Richie"
[J <breath-laugh>
[opening stringed and percussive sounds
— as on final Get Back configuration]
08 > Across The Universe —•— studio 4 & 8 February 1969 —•— {at original tempo & pitch, with the backup vocal overdubs, including the Apple Scruffs mixed fairly prominently as on originally released World Wildlife Fund version, and sans the nature/bird effects, with bit of tape delay at end; likely closest to the never-released 8 February 1968 mono mix, at original speed, or the January ’69 mono remix / October ’69 stereo mix except not featuring the addition of the bird sounds nor the speeding up of the recording} —•—
09 > Dig It —•— studio 26 January 1969 —•— {1969 Glyn Johns ~4:10 Get Back, edited to end ~3:47 at drum/piano finish, before "Ohhhh…"} —•—
[J "That was 'Can You Dig It' by Georgie Wood. And now we'd like to do 'Hark, The Angels Come'."]
10 > Let It Be —•— studio 31 January 1969 {composite of take 27 & take 27B (a.k.a. take 28); starting with take 27 intro (beginning with original mix: John on bass / John & George on backing vocals; after 27B solo, switching to single mix with Paul bass overdub, etc); using solo from 27B; adding bits of 4 January 1970 guitar solo, stinging guitar licks in the outro; no "there will be no sorrow" ending variation kept in from 27B; keeping Paul's take 27 debatable "mistake" on piano in last verse —•—
11 > Maggie Mae —•— studio 24 January 1969 —•—
[rattling ice]
[J "Queen Says 'No' …"]
12 > For You Blue —•— studio 25 January 1969, 8 January 1970 (overdubs) —•—
[P "Do your thing, man.”
[J "I’m doing it all the time, I can’t keep off it!" <giggle>]
13 > Don't Let Me Down —•— rooftop 30 January 1969 {composite take} —•—
14 > Get Back —•— rooftop 30 January 1969 {composite, takes 1 & 3} —•—
[cheers]
[P "Thanks, Mo."]
[J "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we've passed the audition.”]
[laughter, clapping]
All tracks stereo.
01, 02> Get Back: The Rooftop Performance {2022}
04 , 05, 12, 13> Let It Be… Naked {2003}
03> Let It Be {Martin/Okell Remix; 2021} (Though Dorna’s composite edit is possibly a close match to that found on Let It Be… Naked, the sound, particularly on the opening, of this song from that 2003 release is so lifeless as to render it sadly useless)
06> Anthology 3 has the main demo Harrison performance; snippets from rehearsals found on the Let It Be… Naked {2003} Fly on the Wall bonus disc & the third disc of Let It Be (Super Deluxe; 2021) could be used as sources to attempt to recreate Dorna’s achievement. A fan assemblage purportedly pulling the other three Beatles from Fly on the Wall and some Preston from The Beatles: Rock Band stems was recently circulating online and possibly the closest extant effort.
07> 1+ {DVD, Blu-ray; 2015} or, if not available, Let It Be… Naked {2003}
08> Past Masters, Volume Two {The Beatles Box Set; 1988} or, if not available, Past Masters {The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings) stereo box set; 2009} — but, remove the opening nature sounds, and slow recording (perhaps by about -3.562%) back down to original speed as on 1970 Glyn Johns mix now readily found on Let It Be EP {Let It Be (Super Deluxe); 2021} or to Let It Be… Naked {2003}; then fading out the Past Masters ending into birdless ending from Let It Be… Naked
09> Get Back LP – 1969 Glyn Johns Mix {Let It Be (Super Deluxe; 2021}
10> Let It Be… Naked {2003} will have to suffice as closest, as the 4 January 1970 solo has only ever seen release on the 1970 Let It Be album or its 2021 remix
11> Let It Be {Martin/Okell Remix; 2021}
14> Get Back: The Rooftop Performance {2022} take 3 is bulk of it, but Dorna’s composite could be recreated with selected parts of take 1
next: 16} Abbey Road (1970)
previous: 14} The Beatles Again <'(Look Up the Numbers)'> (1968)