Week 5 of my 2nd Beatles Solo Project

Week 5 of my 2nd Beatles Solo Project has begun!

Vertical Man (1998) is Ringo's first album in six years. His follow-up, Ringo Rama (2003), includes a poignant tribute to George Harrison, called "Never Without You."

George, who had been living with cancer for several years, died on November 29, 2001. Brainwashed is his posthumous final album released in 2002.

Run Devil Run is a rock covers album Paul recorded in 1999. It is the first album he recorded after losing his wife Linda to cancer in 1998. Three originals are included. Driving Rain from 2001 was released after the 9/11 attacks.

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My 3rd nomination for best Beatles solo album released between 1981 and 2020

My 3rd nominee in my 2nd Beatles Solo Project is George’s Cloud Nine album from 1987. It was his first album in five years after the disappointing Gone Troppo. Cloud Nine was a remarkable return to form, and possibly his best solo album since All Things Must Pass (1970). I love all the songs on this one, including his #1 cover of James Ray’s “Got My Mind Set on You,” and “When We Was Fab,” “This is Love” and the title track. It also includes two songs rescued from Shanghai Surprise, the infamously bad movie he co-produced in 1986. (The 2004 reissue includes two other songs from the movie, including the title theme.) Unlike on his previous album, George sounded energetic throughout, jamming with his famous friends. Guest musicians included Ringo, Eric Clapton, Jeff Lynne, Elton John and Gary Wright. Not known to get nostalgic in public, “When We Was Fab” was George’s affectionate nod to his Beatles days, with Ringo on drums. “Got My Mind Set on You” was an obscure R&B number from 1962 that George always loved. Another track that deserves a mention is “Devil’s Radio,” his indictment on gossip and cynical talk radio shows. Cloud Nine was the last solo album released during George’s lifetime. His next two releases were as front man of the Traveling Wilburys supergroup.

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Week 4 of my 2nd Beatles Solo Project

Week 4 of my Beatles Solo Project has begun! Four solo albums to listen to this week, plus George's final Traveling Wilburys effort.

Paul's Flowers in the Dirt, Off the Ground and Flaming Pie dominate this week's playlist. The Flowers album from 1989 includes collaborations with Elvis Costello, resulting in some of Macca's strongest '80s material.

Flaming Pie (1997) was recently reissued, and is one of Paul's most popular solo albums released after the Beatles' Anthology and partial reunion.

Time Takes Time (1992) is Ringo's first album in nearly a decade. He spent most of the 1980s dealing with personal addictions that kept him sidelined. His recovery began with this album and the launch of his first All-Starr band. 

My 2nd nomination for best Beatles solo album released between 1981 and 2020

 

My 2^nd nominee in my 2^nd Beatles Solo Project is Milk and Honey, by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. It is John’s posthumous final album. Released in January 1984, it is a follow-up to their Grammy-winning Double Fantasy album. The album’s title, Milk and Honey, is lifted from several passages found in the Old Testament of The Bible (e.g. “the land of milk and honey”). It also refers to a slang expression made for when a Caucasian marries an Asian. Milk and Honey includes “Nobody Told Me,” a song originally intended for Ringo. This leadoff single peaked at #5 in the US. This song reflected John feeling more at peace and enjoying more of the simple things in life as a resident of New York City. John’s contributions to the album are low-key compared to the answer songs recorded by Yoko. Two songs directly influenced by the poems of Robert and Elizabeth Browning – “Grow Old with Me” and Yoko’s “Let Me Count the Ways” – showed how deep their love continued to be going into the ‘80s. Ironically, and painfully, “Grow Old with Me” is one of the last songs John recorded before he was killed on December 8, 1980.

Trivia: Another song Ringo intended to record by (and with) John was called “Life Begins at 40.” This and “Nobody Told Me” were going to be part of Ringo’s 1981 album, Stop and Smell the Roses. Both songs got shelved following John’s death. (John’s demo recording of “Life Begins at 40” was released on the Lennon Anthology box set in 1998.)

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