In his 'On The Merseybeat' programme BBC Radio Merseyside's Spencer Leigh put together the best album that The Beatles never made, largely basing it on solo tracks they had recorded during the year after they split.

He called it "Finishing School". Their first album, "Please Please Me", showed them looking over the balcony at EMI House, the cover of this one would show them eight years later in the same pose.

FINISHING SCHOOL

Side One

(1) COME AND GET IT (Paul McCartney) (2.30)
Paul recorded this demo for Badfinger in July 1969 while the Beatles were recording "Abbey Road". It sounds like a Beatles song and it was included on "Anthology 3" in 1996.

(2) INSTANT KARMA (John Lennon) (3.20)
In 1970 John Lennon wrote, recorded and released this Top 10 single within a week for the Plastic Ono Band.

(3) NOT GUILTY (George Harrison) (3.20)
By 1969 George Harrison was facing criticism for persuading the other Beatles to follow the Maharishi and he wrote a spirited defence, "Not Guilty". The Beatles took 102 takes to get the song right and even then it didn’t appear until "Anthology 3" in 1996.

(4) ANOTHER DAY (Paul McCartney) (3.40)
A delightful picture of suburban life, typical McCartney and his first solo Top 10 single in February 1971.

(5) MY SWEET LORD (George Harrison) (4.30)
At a guess this would have been the single from my fictitious album. George was the first Beatle to have a solo No.l and it prevented "Another Day" from making the top. George is at his most mystical on this track and Eric Clapton plays the stinging lead guitar.

(6) GOD (John Lennon) (4.10)
John Lennon would not have been too happy with the sentiments of "My Sweet Lord" as this track from his first solo album, "John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band", indicates.

Side Two

(1) POWER TO THE PEOPLE (John Lennon) (3.20)
The Beatles sometimes started the sides of their albums with John Lennon’s agit prop, eg. "Revolution" on "The White Album" and "Come Together" on "Abbey Road". Here’s another example.

(2) MAYBE I’M AMAZED (Paul McCartney) (3.40)
A great ballad from Paul’s first solo album, "McCartney". A worthy successor to "The Long And Winding Road" and "Let It Be".

(3) IT DON’T COME EASY (Ringo Starr) (3.00)
Ringo’s first solo single and a Top 10 hit in April 1971. It shows how he had developed as a songwriter and George Harrison is featured on guitar.

(4) I LIVE FOR YOU (George Harrison) (3.35)
A stunning George Harrison song that he discarded from his "All Things Must Pass" sessions. It was eventually issued as a bonus track on the CD version of "All Things Must Pass" in 2001.

(5) BABY PLEASE DON’T GO (John Lennon) (4.30)
John Lennon screamed his way through "I Want You (She’s So Heavy)" on "Abbey Road" and he did a similar thing with this rock’n’roll number from the Olympics during the sessions for the "Imagine" LP in 1971. A good song to end "Finishing School", but then…

…after a 20 second gap…

(6) THE LOVELY LINDA (Paul McCartney) (0.45)
Just like "Her Majesty" on "Abbey Road", "Finishing School" concludes with this fragment of a song from the "McCartney" album.

So that's what the BBC's Spencer Leigh thinks would have been a possible result. What do you think? Send us your selections for The Greatest Beatles Album Never Made to onabbeyroad@look.ca, and we'll post your ideas at a later date here.

 

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