1981 - Beatles Reunion | Fab forum

The ramblings of a being in thought. This has probably written here, there and everywhere before what the hey.

Following on from the 1974 John/Paul get together thread it got me thinking.

We know (or are led to believe) that John was looking to return to the UK, tour and revisit some old beatles tunes (she loves you, i want to hold your hand).

We know that Paul phoned John during the Double Fantasy sessions to see if John would be interested in doing some music together since he was back in the studios but Yoko blocked the call getting thru. Plus in interviews a few years later Paul seemed to indicate his enthusiasm for Wings had pretty much died by 1980 and Japan was more out of committment than desire.

We know that Ringo had asked John, Paul and George for material for his next album (George had given him a couple of songs including a very early version of All Those Years Ago (George rewrote the words after the events of Dec 1980) and they had recorded together in the studion).

We know that George was becoming disillusioned with the music industry, and his record label, Warner Brothers, had vetoed some of the songs he gave them believing them to be too downbeat.

So would The Beatles have reformed in 1981? Would there still have been a hinderance(s); George, John being hurt about being hardly mentioned in I Me Mine, Yoko, ego's, business dealings?

The start off point would be to record a track or two together for Ringo's album as that was always some kind of common ground, even in the later days of The Beatles they managed to reduce their egos for Octopus's Garden. And then take it from there.

George played with Paul at Claptons wedding and at Ringo's. Both were probably drunk at the time which may have helped, along with all the other musicians involved and that it was more a fun thing than 'lets make a record'.

I would imagine John didnt get the invite as he was always saying he was invisible. And had John and Eric been in contact in recent times, John seems to have had a close  group of folk he would hang out with.

On the Paul and George playing theme, Paul contributed i think bass and vocals for All Those Years Ago albeit in a different studio. No doubt everything between them was laid aside as it was for John but did Paul play what George wanted or was he free to play what he felt was right and fitting.

(Apologies if you feel that that is inappropriate considering the theme but it got me a-wondering.)

I read the wiki entry for All Those Years Ago and is says that not only did Paul play bass but that Paul, Linda and Denny Laine all went to Friar Park, George's Studios, which is news to me.

I remember reading elsewhere ages ago that Paul overdubbed his contribution to the track in another studio. Plus Paul was annoyed that whilst he was in the Japanese prison in January 1980 Denny was away signing deals for his solo album and enjoying film festivals and there was ill feeling between them in how Wings ended, if later interviews with both of them are right.

Anyone know if Wiki is accurate on this or not,  I'll have a look in some beatles books.

Keith Badman in his book 'The Beatles After the Breakup 1970 – 2000' says it was Friar Park (so whatever the book i read looks to been wrong) but no Denny Laine or bass – not that thats the definitive source.