Alternate Universe Albums

Everybody Out

After the critical and commercial success of 'Raymond', The Beatles' 13th studio record, the individual members of the band took a much-needed break throughout the year of 1973.

McCartney, his wife, and Laine formed Wings, who, despite their short tenure, found moderate success in the U.S. as a live act.

Harrison embarked on a journey across the Eastern world on foot, taking in many sights and emotions as he travelled.

Starkey simply spent time with his family in France.

It was this year that The Beatles broke their album-a-year streak, however, and the public were certain that any hope for a future Beatles release was in vain. But as 1973 came and went, nobody could have guessed what happened next.

It was around this time that fate must have been in a rather good mood. For, on the 28th of March in 1974, a chance encounter/jam session between John Lennon and Paul McCartney occurred at Burbank Studios, in Los Angeles. Lennon was in the middle of his 'Lost Weekend', in which he had split from his wife, Yoko Ono. This helped the tensions between the two ease a little, and for the first time in years, the legendary duo performed once again.

At the time, the session didn't seem to be anything promising. However, Lennon and McCartney each separately came to realize how much they had truly missed playing music together. After a few back and forth phone calls, meetings with the other Beatles, and what seemed like ages,

John Lennon officially rejoined The Beatles in May, 1974.

The warmth and joy surrounding the subsequent sessions could not be overstated. For the first time in years, all four Beatles were back together, along with Laine and Linda, effectively creating a six peice band.

The sessions for the album proved to be so fruitful, however, and the project soon grew from a single LP into two. Lennon provided songs written from his 'Lost Weekend', McCartney submitted his unfinished works from 'Wings', Harrison, still with an impressive back catalogue of material, provided songs dating all the way back to 1969, and Starkey had even come up with a new composition, 'Blindman'.

The album, 'Everybody Out', was released in October of 1974, and quickly rose to the number one position on the charts, where it would remain for the next nine weeks. It would remain in the top 100 for over four years.

'Everybody Out' received widespread critical acclaim upon it's release. Many pointed out the shift from experimental sounds to more straightforward rock and jam oriented music, achieved by the guitar works of Lennon, Harrison, McCartney, and Laine. The thicker harmonies on a few tracks were also achieved by utilizing the six members' vocal abilities.

Once again, as always, The Beatles had subverted all public expectation with their trademark creation, evolution, and talent.