Kiwi Lennon and the Aborted Beatles

Up Against It

I'd never heard of that film! I'll have to think about it.

The Moondogs and Sgt. Pepper are going to pursue quite different paths from 1966 on then the Beatles did. In OTL 1967 to 1970 was a process of the Beatles splitting up, the songwriting becoming less and less collaborative and the studio work turning the band into basically side men for whoever's song was being performed.

But the Rivals are at that point already in 1965. The end of the 60s could be just the opposite ITTL from OTL, but not exactly. I mean Paul and John don't need to go solo, do they? But then there is another songwriter coming into his own in those years.
 
We Can Work It Out

In late 1965 the Rivals were working things out and yet they weren't.

As the two bands recorded albums for release before Christmas of 1965 the growing collaboration between Lennon and McCartney grew. Lennon tended to sit in on the Sgt. Pepper's sessions that ended up being Looking Through You and McCartney did the same for the Moondogs's sessions that became Nowhere Man. A mutual respect had totally replaced the once upon a time antagonism. Even though they weren't doing the full collaboration that had created several tunes for "Help Me," after all these were songs for the independent bands, they kept finding themselves going to each other for advice.

Of course there was one man who stood between them, the man who'd worked for years to convince them at first to not hate each other and then had operated as a bridge between them. George Harrison at first took pride in bringing the two together, often suggesting to either one that the other one might have some ideas. What both Lennon and McCartney weren't realizing was that they had gone to Harrison in the first place to get some ideas.

It wasn't until, however, that something totally new happened that Harrison felt slighted. On December 3, 1965 two albums were released and one single. The albums were for each band. The single was released by neither band but by "The Rivals." All the songs on Looking Through You were credited to McCartney. All the songs on Nowhere Man were credited to Lennon. The double single with both sides being "We Can Work It Out" was credited to Lennon and McCartney. Harrison said, "I'm guess I'm the nowhere man that everyone keeps looking through," in a letter he wrote to Bob Dylan. What really upset Harrison was that neither band would include the songs he'd written on their albums and Lennon and McCartney ignored that Harrison had collaborated with them on "We Can Work It Out."

Starkey enjoyed the double work on tour and in the studio. But Harrison grew to hate it. By the end of 1965 after going from the 1964 tours doing double duty to working on the film "Help Me" to more double duty touring and then to double duty studio work he was exhausted, stressed and feeling totally unappreciated.

Things didn't get any better in 1966. "It felt like everyone wanted me and everyone needed me," Harrison explained in his notorious interview with Maureen Cleave for the London Evening Standard, which appeared in an article in March 1966. He said, "But it felt like nobody valued me at the same time. Outside the circle of the Rivals I got the love. Clapton, Dylan, Orbison, Taylor. Inside Richie and Klaus were supportive, but they still followed the cues of Kiwi and Babyface. Denny, he almost always ignored me. I don't think I would have survived at all without my spirituality. The Rivals may think they're bigger than God, but they're not to me. I've basically had enough. It's all ego. It's all 'I, Me, Mine, I, Me, Mine, I, Me, Mine," all the time."

When the Rivals went on a joint Tour in 1966 they went without Harrison. Plus half the time it wasn't Sgt. Pepper and the Moondogs taking turns playing on stage like before. It was the Rivals playing together, a five man electrical band.

Harrison was in the studio with Clapton, Dylan, Preston and Orbison. Oh, and Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan.

He hadn't quit Sgt. Pepper or the Moondogs. But he would never tour with the Rivals again.

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George's 1966 Solo Album

Here's the cover of George Harrison's first solo album, released in 1966. It went gold it's first week and topped the album charts for more weeks than any previous rock album. It was critically acclaimed and from then on Harrison was considered an equal to Lennon and McCartney.

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All songs were composed and sung by George Harrison.

Track Listing:

Side A-

1. Taxman

2. Don't Bother Me

3. Think For Yourself.

4. You Like Me Too Much

5. If I Needed Someone

6. You Know What To Do

Side B-

1. Love You Too

2. I Need You

3. I Want To Tell You

4. Isn't It A Pity

5. Art of Dying

(ITTL all these songs are very 1966 in arrangement and recording tech. "You Know What To Do" is full length. I have a playlist of these songs in this order, of course they are the OTL versions in the style and recording tech from 1964 to 1970. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDA82693522B55835 )
 
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Writer's Block

I have had writer's block for a year and a month on this timeline. But I haven't given up on it.

I've already indicated the following:

1) The Moondogs record an album in 1970 very similar to Plastic Ono with the same line up as in OTL: Lennon, Starkey & Voorman. So I've got to pull Harrison out of the band studio wise by then.

2) Laine stays with McCartney, and that would appear to be Sgt. Pepper, well until the 80s.

3) Harrison becomes a big star in 1966 not in 1970 and no longer tours with the Rivals, quitting touring a half a year earlier than in OTL. Like in OTL it is Harrison who hates touring the most, but for quite different reasons.

4) Lennon is alive into the 21st Century.

5) By 1966 The Rivals are playing as one band: Lennon, McCartney, Starkey, Laine and Voorman. Yet they also remain two bands.

My thinking, suggested by EAF602Whizz is that in the 70s there is a studio band with six members called the Rivals. The question is what happens from mid-1966 on to get there?

I do think about all this once in a while and maybe someday I'll be able to write about it.
 
I never really liked The Beatles but I acknowledge their popularity and influence on music and pop culture. This timeline is interesting because it allowed them mature before they start to really play together. What would be The name of this supposed supergroup? The Rivals? O maybe The Wetas as John is "Kiwi" here?
 
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