all edits Library Industries exclusive! songs sourced from In Mono box & hacked together in Audacity as follows–
°fade portion sourced from The Beatles (30th Anniversary Limited Edition) [1998], then folded-down & flown-in
‡speed (nearly-)matched to stereo, referencing The Beatles (30th Anniversary Limited Edition) [1998]
*fade-in/blisters ending folded-down from The Beatles (30th Anniversary Limited Edition) [1998] & added to end
13} The Beatles Again (mid September, 1969)
In late May or early June, The Beatles, as yet unsatisfied with the efforts Glyn Johns had made towards compiling a Get Back album, request Dex try his hand at same. Du Louvre was concurrently working on a separate collection which could be issued while the Get Back documentary was still being prepared. The Beatles Again was formulated as part addendum to the eponymous double, and, by way of inclusion of a handful of demos, and even a couple of recordings from the Get Back sessions, part teaser for the in-progress, behind-the-scenes, sometimes off the cuff structure a Get Back album might take. (At the time he was under impression the associated documentary was to air on television, and therefore not subject to prohibition against Capitol including any peformances unique to a UA theatrical release.)
With this prospective interim release readied, and believing his work with the Get Back material effectively complete (see next entry), Du Louvre decided it was an opportune time for a trip back home to Canada. In the brief time he was gone, Apple's relationship with Capitol deteriorated, and the band itself was nearing its end.
For the first time, The Beatles requested changes to a proposed Capitol LP. They were pleased with the idea, but objected to the demos on specific grounds: Paul & George wanted the attention on the artists they gave their songs too, not on their own demos, and John was actively working on mixing a studio version of What's The New Mary Jane for prospective release. They suggested the release could work wonderfully without the four demos, or with different demos in their stead, but instead of hearing back from Dex as anticipated, they learned thru the press the record was being released exactly as first submitted. Davis Donalds Sr., a brash industry veteran tasked with overseeing matters during du Louvre's short visit home, later claiming to have not been aware of the band's correspondence regarding this collection, rush-released it before any further objections could be raised and before Dexter would return and delay a release with the requested revisions. Donalds thought he'd seize the opportunity to bring in some Beatle cash for Capitol. Unsurprisingly given its contents, the collection was a commercial & critical success. Other than the two leftover soundtrack songs that start the collection, the LP offered fans in UK and elsewhere material never-before issued on LP, and so soon became a popular import.
Apple informed Capitol that issuing this compilation without the band's approval was a clear violation of terms. The band were fully viewing their contract with Capitol to thusly be terminated; furthermore, any potential future releases would not be considered until if and when new terms were agreed upon. Hence, a North American release of their upcoming LP Abbey Road was now postponed indefinitely. Returning after just three weeks away, du Louvre was shocked at what had transpired in his absence.
The superstitious might note this is the Beatles' thirteenth Capitol album.
__side one All Together Now Hey Bulldog Sour Milk Sea [custom edit of demo] * Lady Madonna The Inner Light Hey Jude Revolution | side two__ Come And Get It [demo] † Not Guilty † What's The New Mary Jane [demo]° Goodbye [home demo] ∆ Old Brown Shoe Ï€ Suzy Parker ‡ Taking a Trip to Carolina [impromptu] √ The Ballad Of John And Yoko Ï€ You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) |
*another Library Industries exclusive— removes most of the vocalized interlude from middle of song, taking it down to about three minutes; edited from The Beatles: 50th Anniversary Edition: CD 3: Esher Demos [2018]
†Anthology 3 [1996]
°The Beatles: 50th Anniversary Edition: CD 3: Esher Demos [2018]
∆ sourced from boot that sounds better, altho it's on Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary (Super Deluxe) Edition [2019]
‡ widely bootlegged. I applied a little compression to whatever I started with.
Ï€ Past Masters [2009] (When submitting album for approval, Dexter requested —and received— dedicated mono mixes of both sides from latest single. However, as album was hurried for release in his absence, his originally assembled master with placeholder stereo tracks was used, so the mono edition includes these two in stereo, The requested dedicated mono mixes, prepared by George Martin & sent to Capitol, are long-thought lost.)
√ pulled from Let It Be... Naked | Fly on the Wall [2003]
Knowing Capitol could not name an album after a UA film, and uncertain at that point of just which of two songs would become the film's title track, Dex jokingly dubbed this heavily revised collection "Get It B." a combination of the two titles, with the "B" a little inside joke indicating pretty much everything on the LP was now his "b" or second choice. Of note, the UK/worldwide Let It Be album never became a popular import in North America, with most fans and critics there preferring the back-to-basics result of the Get It B. album, despite its reliance on not-ideal takes for many of the selections. Paul McCartney is said to have preferred this hastily assembled collection despite its shortcomings over the overstuffed, over-reproduced edition featuring a slathering of musical adornment he famously found objectionable. With this collection issued in place, and in advance, of the LP assembled by that other American, the orchestrated single version of Let It Be, and the three heavily orchestrated songs from said album of same name, never saw release in North America.
__side one Two of Us [take 4] † Dig A Pony [1969 Glyn Johns mix] † Across The Universe [take 2] ∞ I Me Mine [rehearsal] °† Can You Dig It? † Let It Be [take 28 w/Jan 04 1970 solo] * Maggie Mae/Fancy My Chances w/You °† | side two__ I’ve Got A Feeling [take 10] † Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues ◊ One After 909 [take 3] † The Long And Winding Road [Jan26] ◊ For You Blue [take 4] † Don't Let Me Down [single version] ‡ Get Back [custom extended single edit] ≈ |
† Let It Be (Super Deluxe Edition) [2021] {note that for many of the selections pulled from this 2021 set, edits have been made: removing studio chatter, etc, so tracks start & end more or less clean}
‡ Let It Be (Super Deluxe Edition) [2021] remix sourced from 2023 "blue album" mastering w/o opening dialogue.
°For first time, Capitol did not issue separate mono/stereo editions of an album; these recordings are mono on an otherwise stereo LP, out of necessity.
*main performance & edited closing ambience/John singing/Ringo drumroll from Let It Be (Super Deluxe Edition) [2021]; stinging 01/04/70 guitar solo from Let It Be [2009]
∞ Anthology 2 [1995]
◊ Anthology 3 [1996]
≈ reconstruction of single edit built from Let It Be … Naked [2003] mix from 1+ {disc2 • DVD, Blu-ray; 2015}, plus [1969 Glyn Johns mix] fade-out / start of coda into full Take 19 coda each sourced from Let It Be (Super Deluxe Edition) [2021]
15} Abbey Roadwork (early May, 1970)
By spring of 1970, worldwide reports of the Beatles' breakup were widespread. In the UK, press copies of Paul's debut solo album arrived with text in the form of an interview intimating the band's demise. In North America, not only were there no press copies of Paul's debut solo LP, there were no copies at all. On account of the legal dispute over The Beatles Again, no Apple material had been issued since the Give Peace A Chance single, not counting the disputed Get It B. This meant the band's final recorded LP, hailed as a studio masterpiece and available for over half a year worldwide, was not even scheduled for release in North America, the band explicitly forbidding it while litigation was underway over the two previous, unauthorized, US LPs. However, Allen Klein, now firmly in charge of Apple, didn't want to lose out on sales in the band's most lucrative market. Thinking it a clever workaround to bypass band's explicit prohibition against Abbey Road being distributed by Capitol, Klein instructed Apple to send over alternate takes and early mixes from which a similar but different album could be assembled. Du Louvre's contract with Capitol required he complete the task at hand, though he found the prospect questionable at best. Much to his shock, among the rough mixes and alt takes, he realized he'd been shipped the multitrack masters! Someone at Apple really erred there; did give him more to work with though. Having assembled the best second-best edition of Abbey Road he could muster from the provided material, Dexter was instructed by Capitol to issue it under the same name and using same cover art as actual album. This was too objectionable; he could not sully the actual album's reputation that way, nor betray the artists and their producer thusly. Dexter had different artwork prepared, sporting a guilefully different title, leaving North Americans under no illusion they were buying Abbey Road; instead, they got the roadwork.
Dexter flew to London to personally ensure safe return of the tapes. Upon his return, Capitol fired him for his subterfuge over altering the album title and cover, complaining he was more loyal to "foreign musicians" than to US company he worked for. Being a foreigner himself, he found this a bit amusing. Meanwhile, the American in London had also been shown the door: The Beatles, previously split 3 to 1 over their support, or lack thereof, for Klein's role in their organization, united in their disapproval of his underhanded scheme to issue an alternate Abbey Road behind their backs and dismissed him for breach of contract. With common enemies in both Capitol and Klein, the band's split, which had been growing quite quarrelsome, turns amicable.
American fans embrace what they get in Abbey Roadwork, though the legit Abbey Road becomes a popular import. Conversely, Roadwork ends up being exported for listeners back in England and elsewhere who want to hear, particularly, the alternate takes. The Klein / Capitol alternate LP scheme does end up making even more money than if the real album had simply been released worldwide, ironically assisted by Dex's implementation of different art and title, which helped to differentiate the two editions in the marketplace. Also ironically, it is through the fractured, contentious relationship with Capitol, and Klein's sly shenanigans, that Abbey Road — or, a not-reasonable-facsimile — becomes the band's swan song, if only in North America, as it really should have been everywhere.
__side one Come Together [take 1] ◊ Something [studio demo] ‡ Maxwell's Silver Hammer [take 12] ‡ Oh! Darling [take 4] ‡ Octopus's Garden [takes 2 & 8] ◊ I Want You (She's So Heavy) [Trident recording session & reduction mix] ‡ |
side two__ Here Comes The Sun [take 9] ‡ Because [a cappella mix] ◊ The Long One [trial edit & mix 30-07-69]—» —»The End [remix] ‡/◊* |
◊ Anthology 3 [1996]
‡ Abbey Road: 50th Anniversary (Super Deluxe) Edition [2019]
‡/◊* Library Industries edit of Long One from Abbey Road: 50th ending instead with The End [remix] from Anthology 3
~~~~•~~~~~~ Post-breakup ~~~~~~•~~~~
When the legal wrangling concluded, Capitol was found to have repeatedly violated their contract with The Beatles, starting with the unauthorized release of The Beatles Again, and continuing with Get It B. and Abbey Roadwork. Existing agreements were terminated, and the former bandmates and Apple were free to take their burgeoning solo careers, and future pressings of the Beatles back catalog, to a different US label.
Shortly after being terminated by Capitol, Dexter du Louvre was hired by nearby Warner Bros. Records. Apple still implicitly trusted du Louvre; none of the now-dissolved band's issues with Capitol were Dexter's fault; to the contrary, they'd always been pleased with his work. And so Warner, with du Louvre as point man, was now handling North American manufacture and distribution of Apple Records.
The Fab Former | Let It Down (mid December, 1970)
Somewhat surprisingly, almost inexplicably, Warner issues a double of ex-Beatles solo material as part of their mail order budget Loss Leaders series! Compiled of course by Dexter du Louvre, it is decidedly not a best-of-first-solo-year collection. Across the two LPs, there are almost as many Ringo lead vocals (three, including an outtake) as John solo recordings (only four), with not much more from Paul. It is primarily a showcase for George's songwriting, presumably the label's motive: promoting George as unsung Beatle no more. None of the best songs from All Things Must Pass are presented — excepting the title track, here as performed by Apple label mate & fifth Beatle Billy Preston. Interestingly, most of the George numbers included are alternate takes, demos, or outtakes, accentuating the abundance of his song stockpile at the time. Of particular note two previously unissued Beatles recordings from Get Back sessions are snuck in! Credited slyly on the label to "The Fab Former" at $2 this was a remarkable bargain by any name.
 |
In a sign of perhaps mirror synchronicity with the Atlantis timeline, no selections from that
world's similarly titled Let's At Sea reunion setlist / resultant live double are featured here. |
__side one__ I Live For You [outtake] * • Beaucoups Of Blues § Valentine Day ^ • Beware Of Darkness [take 8] † Remember ∆ • Dream ¬ __side two__ Teddy Boy ª • Mother Divine [day 2 demo] † Gimme Some Truth [rehearsal] ◊ Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) [day 1 demo] † Let It Down ∂ • All Things (Must) Pass ∫ | __side three__ Coochy Coochy §§ • Hot As Sun - Glasses ^ Beautiful Girl [day 2 demo] † • Kreen - Akrore ^ Cosmic Empire [day 2 demo] † • Love ∆ __side four__ I Found Out ∆ • Singalong Junk ^ Behind That Locked Door [demo] ≈ Hear Me Lord [day 2 demo] † Art Of Dying ∂ • My Mummy's Dead ∆ |
* All Things Must Pass (2001 bonus) ; § Beaucoups Of Blues ; ^ McCartney ; §§ Beaucoups Of Blues (1995 bonus)
† All Things Must Pass [2021 Super Deluxe bonus] ; ∆ Plastic Ono Band ; ¬ Sentimental Journey ; ª Anthology 3
∫ Encouraging Words ; ◊ Let It Be [2021 Super Deluxe bonus] ; ∂ All Things Must Pass ; ≈ Early Takes Volume 1
Various Apple Artists | Listen The Snow (late April, 1972)
A second and final solo years Loss Leader, again assembled by Dexter, was planned just in time for the 1971 holiday season. Originally set to feature a dozen tracks, its release was delayed at request of Apple who were concerned it might detract from sales of then still recent singles. This postponement allowed Dexter to include both sides of Ringo's April 1972 hit single, which, perplexingly given their earlier concerns, Apple did not object to. With Paul's as-yet unreleased Little Woman Love slated for inclusion, Dex then acquired John's unreleased guide vocal mix of God Save Oz, which supplanted the actual God Save Us a-side sung by Bill Elliot. The LP, at the traditionally fab count of 14 tracks, collected the complete non-album a- or b-sides from singles released or recorded in 1971 (the back cover stating "recorded late 1970 thru '71").
Named after Yoko's b-side to the John & Yoko Xmas single, this LP was seen as a belated holiday gift to Beatles fan; not a gift, exactly— it was one dollar by mail order. Unlike any other entry in the Loss Leaders series, this one garnered coverage in the mainstream press, and reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
"An ersatz single LP white album for 1971, issued a few months late, with Ringo unexpectedly bringing the odd experimental sounding number and Yoko providing the most purely beautiful closer to any, dare I say, Beatles album ever" — The Guardian
"With the hindsight / sound of last year of solo releases, which increasingly make the fab four seem like a dissipating dream never to be glimpsed again, I feel I've just listened to the first accidental, and last ever, (de facto) Beatles album. Maybe no accident: Quebecker-turned-Angeleno Dexter du Louvre made a name for himself assembling the North American releases for the band when they did exist, and now that they don't exist he sure seems to have conjured up one last go around. The whole thing hangs together, right down to the majestic closer by the oft-maligned Ms. Ono. This would have been one of my favorite albums of last year, and it's no less an unexpected treasure this." — Rolling Stone
Predating the UK release of the Happy Xmas single by the better part of a year, demand for an import was high; in the States, it was sold out via mail order well in advance of Christmastime. So in time for holiday season '72, a budget, retail, non-promotional worldwide release followed.
__side one__ Power To The People Another Day Back Off Boogaloo Little Woman Love Do The Oz Blindman Bangla Desh | __side two__ It Don't Come Easy Deep Blue Early 1970 God Save Oz [Lennon guide vocal mix] Oh Woman Oh Why Happy Xmas (War Is Over) Listen, the Snow Is Falling |
late 1970s — early '80s
• In the late '70s, Dexter leaves Warner Bros. Records and starts his own label, DDL. When John & Yoko return to recording after a half decade absence, they sign with DDL for release of their Double Fantasy LP
• Early December 1980: John, returning home with Yoko after an exceptionally productive day, is confronted by a gunman. A jogger (an off-duty nurse) who happens by tackles the would-be assailant. John's left shoulder is grazed by a single bullet. A crowd of passerby restrain the shooter — who is thereafter jailed — while the nurse tends to the minor wound.
• Walking on Thin Ice is Yoko's first international hit, as she and John embark upon a hugely successful world tour.
• Following the success of Say Say Say, George records a hit duet with Prince, released w/ a b-side, also a hit, credited to "Ringo and the Revolution."
1984: Give My Regards to Broad Street
John and George have a brief joint cameo in Paul's feature film, appearing as a pair of unrelenting hecklers. This is broadly referred to as "the only good part of the movie, except maybe the music" with most reviews using that exact phrase.
1984–'85 | the Super Bowl of Lawsuits: Apple v. Apple
Following the 1984 unveiling of the Macintosh personal computer, by way of acclaimed commercial from director of Blade Runner, Apple Corps took legal action against Apple Computer, Inc. for infringing use of the name and logo— and prevailed. In addition to a large settlement, Apple Corps was awarded a small percentage of all sales for as long as the Cupertino computer company continued under the Apple name and continued using logo and such. This influx of funds helped allow Lennon and McCartney to acquire Northern Songs, Ltd, at long last gaining control of the catalog of their own compositions which had for years evaded their grasp.
mid 1980s: the counterfeit boom
In the run-up to the recorded works of the Beatles being readied for release on the new digital optical compact disc (CD) format, it was reported that their catalog would finally be standardized worldwide, with speculation this would mean deletion of the unique Capitol collections. Additionally, following a new agreement between Apple, EMI, and Capitol, the Beatles catalog would revert to Capitol, though Warner Bros. retained North American rights to all the solo material they'd released (including, technically, the two Get Back outtakes on their first fab Loss Leader). Between when this changeover took effect and the completion of the digitally remastered reissues, there was a brief yet relatively substantial gap when Beatles records were out of print and unavailable throughout North America. This led to a spate of impressive counterfeits of the band's US/Canada/Mexico catalog —many convincing enough that retailers couldn't tell, or could convincingly claim athat they couldn't tell, that these were not legitimate products. One counterfeit though was deliberately easy to spot: presumably pressed by vegan counterfeiters (the label said as much), it humorously adopted the title of the recent Smiths album and its title track / vegetarian musical manifesto, Meat Is Murder, for an otherwise faithful reproduction of 1966's beloved What Goes On.
__side oneThat'll Be The Day [Quarrymen]
In Spite Of All The Danger [Quarrymen]
You'll Be Mine [home demo]
Ain't She Sweet [original, no drum overdubs]
Cry For A Shadow
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Cry (Over You) [BBC]
One After 909 [1963 takes 4 & 5]
Bad to Me [demo]
You Know What To Do [demo]
Memphis, Tennessee [BBC]
Shout [Around the Beatles; full-length]
__side two
That Means A Lot [take 1]
Christmas Time (Is Here Again) [edit as on Sessions]
Circles [Kinfauns demo]
Step Inside Love/Los Paranoias [jam]
The Palace of the King of the Birds [Twickenham | edit ~2min]
Isn't It a Pity [Savile Row demo]
Watching Rainbows [edit ~2min]
Can You Dig It? [Savile Row]
Rip It Up/Shake, Rattle And Roll/Blue Suede Shoes [Savile Row sessions]
Mama You Been On My Mind [Twickenham sessions]
Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues [Savile Row]
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| back cover showing alternate title |
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