Alternate Universe Albums

The Speed Of Sight

Links: PLAYLIST

The year was 1976 when The Beatles had realized something. Over the span of their last few albums or so, they had been having at least some issues during sessions. Drugs were issues to some, relationships to others. People had come, and people had gone. The only thing consistent was that they were The Beatles.

It was decided, then, that they would enter the studio with the number-one priority being that they would have fun and enjoy the process of creating an album, something they hadn't done for as long as they could remember.

Being as this was the goal, The Beatles did just that. The sessions were full of cheer and joy. Enough so that Linda Eastman, usually stuck on keys and backing vocals, managed to compose her own song, 'Seaside Woman'. This makes 'The Speed Of Sight' the only Beatles album to feature compositions from all six members.

The title, 'Speed Of Sight', came about from none other than Ringo. Just as 'A Hard Day's Night' came about from Ringo's signature art of creating humorous phrases on a whim, Starr once again struck gold. As Harrison recalled in a later interview:

"We were all having dinner in the control room at about 3 in the morning, as one does, and the conversation somehow turned to life itself, and all of it's mysteries... and Richie then brought up how fast it all seemed to be going by. He said 'man, this life thing is going by faster than the speed of sight'. I looked at Paul and Linda, who then looked at John, and we all started laughing for about 5 minutes straight. I'm still not sure what we had to drink with dinner that morning".

'Speed Of Sight' was released in April on 1976 to warm reviews from critics and fans alike. The general consensus among all was, that, while many of the songs weren't full-on masterpieces, the energy and vibes the band put off turned the record into a down-to-earth, at-home-with-The-Beatles album.

However, while the sessions and release were full of joy, the issues had not ceased. About a week after the album's release, Lennon was detained by police at his home in New York for possession of marijuana (an incident which later was revealed to be planted by authorities). Lennon was sentenced to a 3-year sentence under house arrest. The news outraged the public, turning Lennon into a martyr of sorts.

However, with Lennon stuck at home, and a son on the way, The Beatles would not be making music together for some time...