WI John Lennon dies in 1967

This comes from a little paragraph I read here: http://www.smh.com.au/news/Music/Come-together-right-now/2005/05/27/1117129889779.html

" In his 1979 memoir All You Need Is Ears, Martin recalls John Lennon freaking out and collapsing one evening in 1967 while making Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Martin helped him to the roof to get some fresh air, then feared Lennon might fall off. Martin stayed with Lennon until the crisis subsided."

So, what if John Lennon became an early drug casualty.. either ODing in the studio, or falling to his death from the roof?

Would the remaining Beatles finish Sgt Pepper.. or would it gain status among music geeks as a great unfinished/unreleased album (as per the Beach Boys' Smile album)?

Would the Beatles continue as a band? Would they start performing live again? Who might replace John?
 
This comes from a little paragraph I read here: http://www.smh.com.au/news/Music/Come-together-right-now/2005/05/27/1117129889779.html

" In his 1979 memoir All You Need Is Ears, Martin recalls John Lennon freaking out and collapsing one evening in 1967 while making Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Martin helped him to the roof to get some fresh air, then feared Lennon might fall off. Martin stayed with Lennon until the crisis subsided."

So, what if John Lennon became an early drug casualty.. either ODing in the studio, or falling to his death from the roof?

Would the remaining Beatles finish Sgt Pepper.. or would it gain status among music geeks as a great unfinished/unreleased album (as per the Beach Boys' Smile album)?

Would the Beatles continue as a band? Would they start performing live again? Who might replace John?
To think that the rumors were about Paul McCartney dying during the making Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Album. I think the Beatles would still finished the album just by simply bringing in Billy Shears to replace Lennon. LOL! What would have happened is that John Lennon is spared from marrying Yoko Ono and his son Sean is never born and the world of music would be deprived of such a great talent.:rolleyes: Fianlly, Mark David Chapman would have to find someone to shoot.
 
To think that the rumors were about Paul McCartney dying during the making Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Album. I think the Beatles would still finished the album just by simply bringing in Billy Shears to replace Lennon. LOL! What would have happened is that John Lennon is spared from marrying Yoko Ono and his son Sean is never born and the world of music would be deprived of such a great talent.:rolleyes: Fianlly, Mark David Chapman would have to find someone to shoot.

Himself maybe?
The nutbar who shot Reagan?
Trudeau?

Seriously, Lennon was shot on my birthday.:( Which sucks because I like his music, and guess what I get to be reminded of on my freaking birthday.
 
I suppose it would depend how far into the recording of the album they were at when John Lennon OD'd or fell to his death. Its possible there would have been enough material record that George Martin and the remaining three Beatles are able to finnish the album. I can't imagine that they would be able to replace Lennon and with the death of their manager Brian Epstein a few months later the remaining Beatles announce their break-up. They all eventually pursue solo careers. Paul McCartney will be the most sucessful of them releasing his solo album in late 1968 appropiately titled "McCartney" it featured hit songs such as "Long and Winding Road" and "Let it Be" as well as some other songs that were never recorded or written in OTL. George Harrison joins up with Eric Clapton right after Cream broke up to forms the super group Blind Faith. The group lasts only one album which Harrison then finished and released his solo album which features the song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and a song inspired by his wife Patty Boyd called "Something in the Air" He also does some guitar work for Eric Clapton's group Derek and the Dominos. Things get a bit a awkward and tense during the recording of hte sang "Layla" when he starts to suspect that Clapton wrote that song about his wife Patty. All-in-all George has a fairly successful career but dies of cancer in December 2001. As in OTL Ringo Starr initially feels the most lost of the Beatles but eventually finds his direction comes out with a solo album perhaps titled Sentimental Journey. And he does alright too. The three members will get together to play on several occassions starting with the Concert For Bangledesh in 1971. Unlike in OTL there will not be much pressure for them by promoters to get back together. However the Beatles still get inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Would Paul McCartney have married Linda Eastman as a result of these circumstances or would he have married Jane Asher instead? My hunch is that Wings is never formed, or at least as we know it. And finally would George Harrison still divorce Patty Boyd and eventually Married Olivia Arias? To paraphrase John Lennon, "You never know."
 
I know that people often posts WIs that lead to genocide, horrible warfare, unending dystopias, etc, but this is seriously one of the saddest WIs I've ever seen. I love John Lennon's music, and many of my favorite songs of his were written either after Sgt. Pepper's or after the Beatles broke up.

AND I like Yoko Ono, so there.
 
I know that people often posts WIs that lead to genocide, horrible warfare, unending dystopias, etc, but this is seriously one of the saddest WIs I've ever seen. I love John Lennon's music, and many of my favorite songs of his were written either after Sgt. Pepper's or after the Beatles broke up.

AND I like Yoko Ono, so there.
To each their own. Being that this did not contain WWIII, genocide or dystopia it can't be all bad? Yoko Ono barely knew John Lennon up to that point(1967) but one of her famous artpieces is a memorial or monument to John Lennon. She gains some international recognition as an artist in her own right but the world never gets to know(or is spared) her distinct singing style. Many of my favorite Beatles songs were on the White Album and Abbey Road, and Lennon had some very good songs of own in his solo career. Its highly conceivable that the other three Beatles would continue to work with George Martin on-and-off over the years because he was that good and he one of the few producers they really trusted. Well I have to admit it's getting better...it's getting better all the time. ;)
 
I suppose it would depend how far into the recording of the album they were at when John Lennon OD'd or fell to his death.

Its possible there would have been enough material record that George Martin and the remaining three Beatles are able to finnish the album.

I can't imagine that they would be able to replace Lennon and with the death of their manager Brian Epstein a few months later the remaining Beatles announce their break-up.

They all eventually pursue solo careers.

Paul McCartney will be the most sucessful of them releasing his solo album in late 1968 appropiately titled "McCartney" it featured hit songs such as "Long and Winding Road" and "Let it Be" as well as some other songs that were never recorded or written in OTL.

George Harrison joins up with Eric Clapton right after Cream broke up to forms the super group Blind Faith. The group lasts only one album which Harrison then finished and released his solo album which features the song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and a song inspired by his wife Patty Boyd called "Something in the Air" He also does some guitar work for Eric Clapton's group Derek and the Dominos.

Things get a bit a awkward and tense during the recording of the song "Layla" when he starts to suspect that Clapton wrote that song about his wife Patty. All-in-all George has a fairly successful career but dies of cancer in December 2001.

As in OTL Ringo Starr initially feels the most lost of the Beatles but eventually finds his direction comes out with a solo album perhaps titled Sentimental Journey. And he does alright too. The three members will get together to play on several occassions starting with the Concert For Bangledesh in 1971.

Unlike in OTL there will not be much pressure for them by promoters to get back together. However the Beatles still get inducted into the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

Would Paul McCartney have married Linda Eastman as a result of these circumstances or would he have married Jane Asher instead?

My hunch is that Wings is never formed, or at least as we know it. And finally would George Harrison still divorce Patty Boyd and eventually Married Olivia Arias? To paraphrase John Lennon, "You never know."

I was going for the middle of the sessions.. parhaps just a day or 2 before the orchestra session for "A Day in the Life"... that would have had about half of the songs recorded (well basic tracks anyway).. leaving a scarily incomplete album... the sort of thing that probably would've been shelved by the Beatles. Perfect fodder for a "collector cult" like the Beach Boys original Smile sessions. :)

I'm thinking that the loss of John Lennon would've brought forward Epstein's death.. from what what I've read, he already felt a bit directionless once the Beatles retired from touring - Lennon's passing might be the last straw?

I think a solo mcCartney album would be pretty strong.. drawing from the Magical Mystery Tour & White album songs you can get a pretty good collection of songs - around 1969 it gets a bit iffy.. because most of the Abbey Road tunes are part of the medley.

George in Blind Faith is a tricky one.
I'm not sure how he would've fit in with the 'virtuoso'/jamming stuff that was part of Blind Faith.. but Clapton was starting to move away from jamming and "endless meaningless solos" and more into songwriting.. having a songwriter like George in the band would've strengthened his arguement against Steve Winwood & Ginger Baker (who were more into jam sessions).

Maybe a Blind Faith DOUBLE album with longer tracks & jams on one disc, and songs such as 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' on the other disc?
 
Top