Sunday, October 31, 2021

The Beatles - Imagine Clouds Dripping (UPGRADE)

The Beatles – Imagine Clouds Dripping

(a soniclovenoize re-imagining)

October 2021 UPGRADE

 

 

Side A:

1.  Back Off Boogaloo

2.  What is Life?

3.  Dear Boy

4.  Bangladesh

5.  Jealous Guy

6.  The Back Seat of My Car

 

Side B:

7.  Imagine

8.  Another Day

9.  Gimme Some Truth

10.  Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey

11.  Oh My Love

12.  Isn’t It A Pity

 

 

Happy Halloween!  Here it is, my friends, an album that never was that is unrelated to Halloween!  This is an UPGRADE to the second re-imagined album in a series that posits “What if The Beatles never broke up?”  This collection would have theoretically been released near the end of 1971, and uses Lennon’s Imagine and McCartney’s RAM as it’s basis.  Additional tracks are pulled from Harrison’s All Things Must Pass and his “Bangladesh” single, and of course Ringo’s single “Back Off Boogaloo” as it was recorded in Fall 1971.  Notably, this upgrade uses the new All Things Must Pass remix, which sonically fits much closer to the other tracks.  The tracklist has been slightly revised as well, dropping “Power To The People” for “Gimme Some Truth”, which is admittedly more Beatles-esque and was actually familiar to The Beatles in 1969.  I have also replaced the Version II of “Isn’t It a Pity” with the more Beatle-esque Version I, edited to fit on the album. 

 

To restate once again, the “rules” of these 70s Beatles albums are:
1)  One album is represented per year, culled from tracks each Beatle recorded that year; the only exception is All Things Must Pass is split over 1970 & 1971, and Living In The Material World is split over 1972 & 1973.   
2)  Generally speaking, to include five Lennon songs, five McCartney songs, three Harrison songs and one Ringo song; there might be some deviance to this rule depending on availability per year.
3)  The chosen songs must be Beatle-esque in nature; we will attempt to avoid the idiosyncratic musical tangents each Beatle pursued in the 70s and vie for the solo songs that would have been most likely recorded by The Beatles (i.e. not vetoed by the rest of the band).
4)  The songs must flow together and make a unified album that shares a specific tone. 

 

Note that a suspension of disbelief is required to fully enjoy these 70s Beatles albums, and I encourage listeners to imagine what each Beatles would have contributed to each other’s songs, had they actually made these albums together.  

My original album notes from 2012, slightly revised:

 

This is the second in a series of albums that asks the question we’ve all asked at some time or another:  What if The Beatles never broke up?  This theoretical album attempts to cull the best of The Beatles solo material from 1971 (with some holdovers from All Things Must Pass) to create what could have been the band’s 1971 follow-up to my previous re-imagined Beatles album, Instant Karma!  This album is called Imagine Clouds Dripping, a surreal Yoko Ono quote that John had felt was particularly inspirational and sets the tone for a rather colorful album. 

 

The songs were chosen not only for quality but for what could continue to carry ‘the Beatles torch’.  While the solo members continued to stylistically diverge, there were always songs that could be described, in my opinion, as “Beatlesque” and we have the luxury of choosing those above the other more idiosyncratic numbers.  The best and least brickwalled/clipping remasters were chosen for source material, volume levels adjusted for song-to-song balance and all songs are tightly book-ended to make a continuous two sides of music.  Also, a completely unique edit of “Dear Boy” and “Bangladesh” is created when the two are hard-edited together, making them a medley. 

 

Musically, Imagine Clouds Dripping abandons the bare-bones arrangements on the previous re-imagining for the lush Phil Spector arrangements George had requested for his songs.  “What Is Life” and “Isn’t It A Pity” are all used on this album because they fit better with the RAM/Imagine contributions than with the Plastic Ono Band/McCartney contributions on the previous album.  Additionally, “Back Off Boogaloo” will be used as this album’s Ringo song, as it was recorded in September 1971, fitting in with RAM & Imagine’s timeline.  

 

So sit back, relax and imagine the following:  After the success of their first album of the 1970s, Instant Karma!, The Beatles regroup and focus diligently on a new album with some of their strongest songs since Abbey Road, often with grandiose arrangements from returning producer Phil Spector; Half-way through recording the album, George learns of the tragedy befallen in Bangla Desh and quickly writes a song in tribute that The Beatles record and release as a single; George organizes the Concert For Bangla Desh, at which The Beatles headline, marking their first live performance in two years; The positive experience of this concert gives The Beatles—particularly George and John—the courage to begin a limited-engagement European Tour in late 1971 in support of Imagine Clouds Dripping; The tour also features old friends Billy Preston on keyboards and Klaus Voormann who played bass when Paul was needed to play guitar or piano. 

 

The critics hail Imagine Clouds Dripping as one of the highest points of The Beatles career, comparing it to a second Sgt. Pepper.  There are a number of hit singles released throughout 1971, including “Imagine” with the non-LP B-side “Monkberry Moon Delight”, “Another Day” with the non-LP B-side “Crippled Inside” and “Jealous Guy” with the non-LP B-side “I Dig Love”.  And as aforementioned, “Bangla Desh” was released as a single to promote their concert, with the b-side “Smile Away.”  The success of The Beatles late 1971 European tour spurred them to plan an American tour in 1972, and a need for new material in the material world… 

 

 

Sources:

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (2021 50th Anniversary remaster)

John Lennon - Imagine (The Ultimate Collection, 2018 remaster) 

Paul McCartney – RAM (2012 remaster)

Ringo Starr – Photographs: The Best of Ringo Starr (2007)

 

 

 flac --> wav --> editing in SONAR Pro and Goldwave --> flac encoding via TLH lv8
*md5, artwork and tracknotes included

 

 

59 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I really like the imgur option. Used it and downloaded it without a problem! I think this will be my brother's Christmas present!

      Delete
    2. I really forgot how to download your productions

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    3. I plugged in a similar question about a post breakup LP into ChatGTP and it gave me this response:

      As an AI language model, I don't have personal preferences, but I can suggest some Beatle solo songs from 1971-1973 that might have been on a hypothetical Beatles album if they had never broken up:

      "Imagine" by John Lennon
      "My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison
      "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" by Paul McCartney
      "It Don't Come Easy" by Ringo Starr (written by George Harrison)
      "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" by George Harrison
      "Jet" by Paul McCartney
      "Bangla Desh" by George Harrison
      "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney
      "Mind Games" by John Lennon
      "Photograph" by Ringo Starr (written by George Harrison)

      These songs were all released during the period you mentioned and were among the most popular and critically acclaimed solo works by the individual Beatles. If they had continued to collaborate as a group, it's possible that they would have incorporated some of these songs into their albums.

      Interesting.

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    4. Isn't it bad enough Sonic has to contend with DMCABots trying to shut him down, now you have Skynet v0.05 trying to usurp his creative endeavors? FOR SHAME, SIR! GOOD DAY! 🤬

      Delete
  2. Getting 'Decryption key needed' for Listless Falk

    ReplyDelete
  3. DtlVkKwb#15vFiqiDXUZnhKy32A1iMZO4IiQPUS8fFtr6x1fU0DM

    Ch0BQCxB#-qsvxcbDm3-C-0IAPVBUB4Tu9L7M0z0NI1z2Y2OQzl4

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for your work Sonic! So, what's next? Any Who upgrades/albums on the horizon?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Big Thanks Sonic... link took a little playing with, but finally got it. Excellent!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hello,
    Many thanks for sharing your work. As always with a complete documentation. One question, how does it work to download the file? Many thanks for your answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You enter the Mega address, followed by the string given, usually in an image file provided by SLN.

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    2. Hello Fredrick, It works. many thanks for your very quick reply. Have a nice day

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  7. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i-lhpSTg8zA4QoI0TXhuXjxIyzsdZR-L/view

    ReplyDelete
  8. Google 'says you need access' which means after upping the file, you need to right click on link, & put public

    ReplyDelete
  9. In Path of Exile, some players have already bought POE Currency to put their energy into the league.

    Attached link: https://www.poecurrency.com/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Many thanks!! Your reimagined post break-up Beatles albums are some of your best work!!

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  11. Okay, some thoughts after listening through the album:
    - I think Back Off Boogaloo is an ill fit as an opener to this album. The vibe and mood it gives doesn’t really represent the album at all and the expectations it sets are wrong. I think it worked very well as an opener to your original Living in the Material World album (though I prefer Give Me Love), but not here.
    - Also, personally I just vastly prefer Power to the People, both as a song and as an opener, but I do buy the argument that Boogaloo is more Beatlesque.
    - I like the addition of Gimme Some Truth, although I could live without it.
    - I think I prefer the earlier sequence of Oh My Love -> Uncle Albert -> Isn’t it a Pity. I guess the change was made to avoid having 2 John songs coming one after the other, but personally I don’t mind. It has precedent on other Beatles albums too.
    - This new ending sequence bears on an odd resemblance with your Instant Karma album, that I cannot shake. Both have as their penultimate song a quiet John ballad about love (Love / Oh My Love) and then finishing strong with an epic George song (Hear Me Lord / Isn’t It a Pity). Both are also preceded by a Paul song (Maybe I’m Amazed / Uncle Albert), though they don’t share that many similarities with each other.
    - I do prefer this version of Isn’t It a Pity and your edit is seamless. Good job!
    - Overall for me it’s perhaps a mixed bag compared to the earlier version. But what I really wanted was new ATMP mixes on the album, and that’s what I got. So, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for the links, they work perfectly. No need to grant permission to the GDrive. Many thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Google Drive: For me I don't have permission...I cannot see the type to type every letter, on mega..I'm out of luck for this project

    ReplyDelete
  14. Is What Is Life in its original mix?

    ReplyDelete
  15. Am I an idiot? I don't see any links to the albums on the post or comments. Please help

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  16. Hi I`m not able to down load with the links mentioned ? It seems that other people have been able to. I live i Sweden

    ReplyDelete
  17. Whomever put the Google link, did not Fix it so we all can access this project...On Google drive, after you upload, you right click on where it says links, & right click to allow anyone to download it..The way it stands..No one can grab it...The mega links do not work for me, I tried every combination...A lot os us are Not in the US..I'm in Canada

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Empty three: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ysD9-dzjQkAEz5lm0XCNGPrjcuIvJEnU?usp=sharing

      Listless Falk: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Mjrhk4ajkOZ5fgq0EEN73apgzta8DNYr?usp=sharing

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    2. Let me know if these work for you, I made sure to make them publicly available.

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    3. This November 3 drive google link worked very easily for me... thanks a lot!

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    4. Thanks for the Google Drive link!

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  18. I think the White Album violates rules #3 and 4.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think those rules are only applicable to these constructed albums, not the actual releases.

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  19. You're welcome :) When there are difficulties on certain posts, I choose to put them on my GD in hopes it helps those who can't access Mega or whatever storage SLN chooses to use. Hopefully, I can continue to do this for a while, though I am slowly running out of space (I also host other copyright struck media of interest to some), but I should be good for at least another year.

    ReplyDelete
  20. thankyou Fred adding sharing makes the links work.... also not sure about Ringo opening...

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  21. Hi there, Sonic. Apparently, your Mega account got shut down (and with it, all the albums you had uploaded iirc), think you could do something about it and re-upload them somewhere? I really wanna give a listen to these Beatles "what if" albums, but they're down and there's no current way to get them.

    That's all, I'll be looking forward to your response, peace!

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    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. Omega, I keep trying to post my GD links, but for some reason the reply vanishes...if you like, send me an email at punx5570[at]gmail.com and I will send you the links.

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  22. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  23. Hello, I don´t remember how to listen to your compilation work. Can you please help me? Regards

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello, I am a great Beatles fan and I like to see your work, but I didn't get to open a download file.That is sad.
    Is it please possible to get free MEGA links for this and the older Beatles Albums??That would be great and a big help.I am 64 years old and not very good to use a PC.Thanks for helping!!Greetings Tom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. DtlVkKwb#15vFiqiDXUZnhKy32A1iMZO4IiQPUS8fFtr6x1fU0DM

      Ch0BQCxB#-qsvxcbDm3-C-0IAPVBUB4Tu9L7M0z0NI1z2Y2OQzl4

      Delete
  25. Hello Soniclovenoize, many thanks for your answer.Perhaps I don't understand it, but using your links with google search I come again on your side.Links only using it is not possible.So I try again to ask for a help with MEGA,Zippyshare or Mediafire.That would be a big help,GREETINGS Tom

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Type this address: https[colon]//mega[dot]nz/file/

      after the last /, copy and paste the strings Sonic has provided for each version, empty three or listless Columbo, the first string should be the empty three and the second should be listless Columbo.

      If this is still a problem, email me at punx5570[at]gmail[dot]com.

      Delete
  26. My thoughts:
    Man, I do NOT like most of the track order changes you made. Back Off Boogaloo just doesn't do it as the lead-off track for me, and I've always had an issue with Bangla Desh being here: it just doesn't feel very Beatle-y. I think Harrison would release it as a solo project. I woul change the tracklist to:
    1. Imagine (a good lead-off track)
    2. What is Life
    3. Dear Boy
    4. Art of Dying
    5. Jealous Guy
    6. The Back Seat Of My Car

    7. Back Off Boogaloo
    8. Another Day
    9. Gimme Some Truth
    10. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
    11. Oh My Love
    12. Isn't It A Pity
    Love the edit of Isn't It A Pity. Good to see you realized which version is the better one.
    I really hope you update the other four 70s Beatles albums!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also: I also have my own 70s Beatles albums (including solo projects), and they look like this:

      1970 - All Things Must Pass

      1. Instant Karma (We All Shine On)
      2. My Sweet Lord
      3. Every Night
      4. I Found Out
      5. Junk
      6. Isn't It A Pity
      --------------------
      7. What Is Life
      8. That Would Be Something
      9. Working Class Hero
      10. All Things Must Pass
      11. Coochy Coochy
      12. Love
      13. Maybe I'm Amazed

      1971 - Everest

      1. Imagine
      2. Too Many People
      3. Wah-Wah
      4. It Don't Come Easy
      5. Jealous Guy
      6. If Not For You
      7. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
      -------------------------
      8. Beware of Darkness
      9. Another Day
      10. Gimme Some Truth
      11. Monkberry Moon Delight
      12. Ballad of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll)
      13. Oh My Love
      14. The Back Seat Of My Car

      1972 - Falling Rain
      Admittedly, this is probably the worst one. ('72 was a tough year for the Beatles.)
      1. New York City
      2. Dear Boy
      3. I'd Have You Anytime
      4. Crippled Inside
      5. Smile Away
      6. Run of the Mill
      7. Woman is the N***** of the World
      ----------------------------------
      8. Back Off Boogaloo
      9. Apple Scruffs
      10. Heart of the Country
      11. John Sinclair
      12. Tomorrow
      13. Art of Dying
      14. How?

      1973 - Mind Games

      1. Mind Games
      2. Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)
      3. Big Barn Bed
      4. Tight A$
      5. When The Night
      6. Living in the Material World
      --------------------------------
      7. I Know (I Know)
      8. Photograph
      9. My Love
      10. Don't Let Me Wait Too Long
      11. Out the Blue
      12. Little Lamb Dragonfly

      1974 - Band on the Run
      This one is probably the best one.
      1. Band on the Run
      2. Whatever Gets You Through The Night
      3. Sue Me, Sue You Blues
      4. Bless You
      5. Dark Horse
      6. Let Me Roll It
      ----------------------------
      7. #9 Dream
      8. Six O'Clock
      9. Jet
      10. Be Here Now
      11. Steel and Glass
      12. Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five

      1975 - Goodnight Vienna

      1. Venus and Mars
      2. Rock Show
      3. You
      4. What You Got
      5. Magneto and Titanium Man
      6. Snookeroo
      7. This Guitar (Can't Keep From Cryin')
      8. Stand By Me
      -----------------------------------
      9. Ding Dong, Ding Dong
      10. Scared
      11. Junior's Farm
      12. No No Song
      13. Listen To What The Man Said
      14. Nobody Loves You (When You're Down and Out)
      15. Venus and Mars (Reprise)

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  27. Are any lossless reups possible. I left the internet for some years. Not in the entire know

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Start with the newest post, then go from there...

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