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Free of imprisoned? The solo Beatles in the Seventies


Behind the scenes of the new books “The Beatles after the Beatles” with Luca Perasi.


 

Q. Good morning, Luca, here we are again with more news from you! You surprised us with the two volumes of The Beatles after The Beatles (Part One: The Narrative and Part Two: The Discography). Could you tell us a little more about this project?


A. It's a pleasure. It's always exciting to be back with something new! I'm very proud of the series. It goes back quite a long way. At the end of 2014 I started planning a book about the solo careers of the four ex-Beatles, and the Italian version was published in September 2016. In 2017 we started translating and putting together the English version, but then things stopped because of other commitments I had. At the beginning of this year I returned to the project and worked on it, adding a lot of information, updating it and creating a structure that was as clear as possible.


Q. That’s a good point. Why two volumes? What’s the difference?


A. I wanted a miniseries that could give a very comprehensive view of the solo Beatles in the period 1967-1980. Firstly, 710 pages in one volume would have been difficult, and I wanted to reflect the original structure of the Italian volume, which had two sections. Secondly, the information has expanded a lot and at that point the two volumes were an inevitable choice.



The Narrative has a biographical approach: it talks about the music, but also about a lot of other things that happened in the lives of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr between 1967 and 1980.


The battles for Apple play a big part in the book, of course, but I took the time to dig into the sources and try to fill the volumes with as many quotes as possible, and also present some rare information.


I'd say it's a real page-turner, very readable.








The Discography is exactly what it says on the title. It takes a critical and historical look at all the records the four produced as solo artists – plus some side projects, such as *McGear, Thrillington by Paul or Ringo’s Scouse the Mouse – including standalone singles, a very popular format in the Seventies, that The Beatles mastered as few others.

Think about bestsellers like “Instant Karma!”, “It Don’t Come Easy”, “Live and Let Die” or “Mull of Kintyre”. Not counting the singles taken from their albums, which allowed them to remain relevant in the context of the Seventies at least until the middle of the decade.

Each album and single is discussed in detail.



Q. Why the solo Beatles? What’s left to say or to discover? Why do people need these books?


A. I was born in 1969, so when I was growing up, the solo production was closer in time to the Beatles. When I started discovering Paul McCartney – in 1983, just a few years after John's death - there was a resurgence of books about the solo years up to 1980. Moreover, it's such a huge output (around 40 albums) and such a complex story that I thought a real compendium was needed after so many years. In 2000, the volume Eight Arms to Hold You did an incredible job of collecting tons of information about the solo albums. More recently, we have seen the archives of John, Paul and George's careers open up, and books like Lennonology and The McCartney Legacy have opened the door to a level of detail that was previously unexplored. It's a fresh look that allows us to rediscover the artistic journeys of John, Paul, George and Ringo as solo artists in the seventies. Four human and professional adventures that still retain their fascination and historical importance.


Q. Are you re-assessing their careers? If so, in what direction? Positive or negative?


A. Um... reassessment is not a word or a concept that I particularly like. I mean, tastes change and historical perspective changes over time. There's certainly my take on what happened and the quality of the records, but the main approach is again – as with my books – historical. Doing more research in order to know better is the key. That means trying to understand the events and the reception of the Beatles' solo music in the context of the Seventies. There are a lot of reviews of the time, there's a look at the commercial success.


The critics took aim at the Beatles and were instrumental in shaping the way we looked at their solo careers for decades. Sometimes they missed the point, mainly because they (like the fans) were angry that The Beatles were no more, but we also have to admit that in many cases they were right.


At least they had the courage to express themselves and their views regardless of the importance of these figures. I find this an interesting aspect, whereas today it seems to me that, with a few exceptions, negative criticism is basically forbidden. I'm not necessarily talking about the Beatles or other representatives of so-called “classic rock”, but also about contemporary artists. I think this “politically correct” approach does no favours to artists, fans or music in general. Paste Magazine published a negative review of Taylor Swift's latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, and they had to do it without naming the reviewer in order to protect him or her, after they were flooded with insults when they reviewed Swift's previous album negatively. How does this fit in with the concept of "inclusion"? Inclusion is about welcoming disagreement. We can easily accept what we agree with. Easy, isn't it? I don't think Taylor or anyone else needs to be caught in the trap of total consensus. After a while it threatens your personality.

 

Q. And how did The Beatles manage to survive through the Seventies?


A. It was not an easy road. They are not always at ease in the music scene of the time, which nevertheless often sees them as important figures. In some ways, the Eighties were more difficult for them, but we will look at that in the next part of the series (from 1981 to these days).


Q. An important aspect of the Narrative section is the relationship between the four and the myth or legend of the Beatles, whose shadow is always projected onto them.


A. That's probably the most important aspect, and that's why I called the book The Beatles after The Beatles. All the ex-Beatles have a specific relationship with the legend: Lennon has an iconoclastic approach, Harrison also seems to be disgusted by the legend, but he channels his rejection through devices such as sarcasm and irony, as well as nobler sentiments. On the other side, albeit in different terms, are Ringo and Paul. After the break-up, both express their fear for the future and spend months feeling useless. But their condition is very different. If Ringo was just a drummer without a band, Paul is an idol without an audience. If Ringo missed his friends, McCartney misses the fans who adore him. In other words, Ringo is afraid of what he would do after success, Paul is afraid of what he would do without success.


Q. Can you tell us something interesting about the books without giving away any information and spoiling the pleasure for the readers?


A. Ok, let's whet your appetite. It's interesting to discover, for example, that Ringo spent some time trying to improve his guitar skills... with a dedicated "teacher"; or to dig into the reviews for RAM. Are we sure the reception was that bad? George thought of Andy Fairweather-Low to play slide guitar on one of his albums! And John tells us something very special about the 1974 studio “quasi-reunion” in Los Angeles. Let's go eat, hem, read, folks!


Q. You can't avoid the last question. What about Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. Vol. 2?


A. Ah, I was waiting for it, Francesca, I knew it! It's coming, yes, it's coming. Very soon.

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