The Beatles Plus 50 It was fifty years ago today…

Up to this point 1970 has avoided having two songs in a row by the same Beatle. But sides 6 and 7 are mostly George, for the simple reason that everyone else had run out of good songs. George was en fuego during this period. I don’t think it’s just that he had a lot of songs stored up from years past; he also had an exceptionally clear and direct line to his muse for awhile, and he made the most of it. Unfortunately he may have fried his circuits in the process; he never made another great album. But it was probably worth it.

Track Listing:

Isolation (John)
“The middle section… was adapted from Barrett Strong’s song Oh I Apologize, the original b-side of Money (That’s What I Want).” —The Beatles Bible

I don’t expect you to take me back
After I’ve caused you so much pain
But if you do I promise you
I will never, never make that same mistake again

Behind That Locked Door (George)
“‘Behind That Locked Door’ is a rare Harrison composition in the country music genre and the second song dealing with the friendship between himself and Dylan, after their 1968 collaboration ‘I’d Have You Anytime.’ Its lyrics address Dylan’s elusive nature, and reflect the high regard in which Harrison held the American singer’s work…. Harrison recorded “Behind That Locked Door” in London early in the summer of 1970, shortly after taking part in a session for Dylan’s New Morning album in New York. Co-produced by Phil Spector, the recording features a prominent contribution from Nashville pedal steel virtuoso Pete Drake, and twin keyboard parts from Gary Wright and Billy Preston in the tradition of the Band, whose sound influenced Harrison’s arrangement. With its understated performance, the track is a comparatively rare departure from the big production commonly associated with All Things Must Pass. On release, Alan Smith of the NME described the song as ‘a tremendous piece of country-meets-Hawaii’ and recommended that it be sent to country singer Slim Whitman ‘without further delay.’” —Wikipedia

Run of the Mill (George)
There are many interpretations of this song in light of internal Beatle politics of the time, and while there may be some truth to them, I prefer to take it own its own terms. It’s a work of luminous beauty, sweet and sad and gently powerful; at this point in time, George was making it look easy.

Let It Down (George)
When George wrote a love song, there was always the question of to whom it was addressed. Many of his “love songs” were coded hymns, but the repeated references to hair here indicate that “Let It Down” is probably about an actual human woman. George wrote a lot of songs for Pattie, but that didn’t stop her from leaving him for Eric Clapton. Nowadays she is married to a property developer named Rod Weston; he probably does not play guitar as well as her previous husbands, but he must have something going for him.

Look at Me (John)
“‘Look at Me’ was written around The Beatles’ double album time,” said John, and it uses a similar finger-picking style to “Dear Prudence” or “Julia.” But in 1970 it fit perfectly with the Ono Lennons’ mania for self-analysis, and it’s a lovely little tune in any context.

Singalong Junk (Paul)
Why Paul chose to add the word “Singalong” to the title of the instrumental version of this song is beyond me, but I guess it’s none of my business. What really disturbs me is the mental image that the title has burdened me with, thanks to the connotation that the word “junk” now has. I shan’t go into any more detail; instead I think I’ll go for a walk in the rain.