Alternate Universe Albums

Symphony No. 16

1974. The Beatles had just released their 15th studio album, 'Everybody Out' to near-universal acclaim, the world was advancing at speeds never before seen, and the political and economical climate was rapidly tensing up.

Nearly all of the Beatles were affected by the current times in one way or another. John Lennon was having issues gaining citizenship in the United States, and Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney, George Harrison, and Denny Laine were constant subject of drug busts, sometimes real, and sometimes fake (Ringo Starr, as usual, was just kind of there, but he felt for his bandmates nonetheless).

When the six reconvened at Abbey Road, they discovered that they, collectively, were feeling disappointment and fear. Not just towards the world, but for the world. They decided that they would use their standing as one of the biggest musical acts in the world to let their minds be known.

What they came up with was heavy, angry music. Something rather odd for the band that once spread the message of peace and love not just a few years prior. The material (enough for a double LP) was assembled into an album with the title 'Scandal', and was sent over to the higher-ups for approval.

However, the album was refused by the label, stating that it's material was found too controversial. The Beatles fought for the albums release, namely John and George, but this proved to be one of the rare moments in history that The Beatles would not get their way.

The Beatles, rightfully upset, went back into the studio, threw out lyric sheets, erased tapes, and started the whole thing all over from scratch.

The only remnants of this purge would turn up in the released album as sections of the opening medley, the backing tracks to 'Soily' and 'Let It Down'.

New material was written up, as well as the cover and title.

The Beatles, infuriated by the company's refusal to release 'Scandal', decided to move in the complete opposite direction for the cover and take a trademark sarcastic Beatle jab at the executives. The album cover imitates those of classical records, while 'Symphony No. 16' is a reference to this being The Beatles' 16th studio record.

To hammer home the posh-ness of the record's appearance, a brass section and string section were both hired to play on most of the tracks, recordings of sections from George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody In Blue' were scattered around the track listing, and reverb was applied wherever it could be to simulate a concert-hall.

Despite the classical-esque title and cover, the music on the record still is fairly heavy for the Beatles, with even some ghostly remnants of the original album lingering around.

The album, despite it's tremulous development, was widely praised and widely disowned by critics alike, who would usually single out Lennon's 'Nobody Loves You' as the standout track.