What if The Beatles broke up in 1968?

 

What if The Beatles broke up in 1968?

Now during 1968 White Album recording sessions, tension was at an all time high. Now some have wondered what it would be like if the band had broken up in '68. Most of the recordings from the White Albums are really just glorified solo recordings with one or two other members on the track. So from 1968 and onwards, I split up The Beatles' tracks into various solo albums. 

Paul McCartney - Lady Madonna/Blue Moon (1968)

John Lennon - Hey Bulldog/What's The New Mary Jane (1968)

Paul McCartney - Hey Jude/Los Paranoias (1968)

The first Beatle to release a solo album was obviously Paul. He had the wonderful idea to cash in on the Beatles break up story as soon as possible. With songs like Wild Honey Pie and Why Don't We Do It In The Road, this album does seem unfinished at parts.

Paul McCartney - McCartney (1968)

1. Back In The USSR
2. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
3. Wild Honey Pie
4. Martha My Dear
5. Why Don't We Do It In The Road?
6. Mother Nature's Son
7. I Will

1. Birthday
2. Honey Pie
3. Step Inside Love
4. Rocky Racoon
5. Helter Skelter
6. Can You Take Me Back?
7. Blackbird

John not wanting to lose to McCartney, made his first solo album in 1968 as well. This album has a more acoustic feel to it. Even though it has less unfinished sounding tracks than McCartney, it does include the infamous Revolution 9.

John Lennon - Revolution (1968)

1. Revolution
2. Glass Onion
3. Dear Prudence
4. The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill
5. Happiness Is A Warm Gun
6. I'm So Tired
7. Yer Blues

1. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
2. Julia
3. Sexy Sadie
4. Child Of Nature
5. Cry Baby Cry
6. Revolution 9

George around this time had a lot of material. And with The Beatles now gone, he could release all his songs to the world.

George Harrison - Not Guilty (1968)

1. I'd Have You Anytime
2. Not Guilty
3. Isn't It A Pity
4. Art Of Dying
5. Long, Long, Long
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

1. Let It Down
2. Piggies
3. Sour Milk Sea
4. Savoy Truffle
5. The Inner Light
6. Circles

John Lennon - Don't Let Me Down/The Ballad Of John And Yoko (1969)

Paul being Paul, he always had musical material and this year was no exception. These tracks obviously feels less like solo recordings than the previous record. You can't really recreate these albums as it would have to be solo recordings but the tracklist provides a rough estimate on what this album would feel like.

Paul McCartney - Get Back (1969)

1. Get Back
2. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
3. Oh! Darling
4. Two Of Us
5. Let It Be
6. I've Got A Feeling

1. One After 909
2. The Long And Winding Road
3. You Never Give Me Your Money
4. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
5. Golden Slumbers
6. Carry That Weight
7. Her Majesty

John not wanting to fall back, he quickly released this album after McCartney's Get Back.

John Lennon - Everybody Had A Hard Year (1969)

1. Come Together
2. Dig A Pony
3. Across The Universe
4. Dig It
5. Don't Let Me Down
6. Everybody Had A Hard Year
7. I Want You (She's So Heavy)

1. Oh My Love
2. Look At Me
3. Because
4. Sun King
5. Mean Mr Mustard
6. Polythene Pam
7. Gimme Some Truth

Ringo released his first record in 1970. Although this had a lot of covers, This was the first instance of song written by Ringo appearing on a record with his songs Don't Pass Me By, Octopus's Garden, Taking A Trip To Carolina and Coochy Coochy.

Ringo Starr - Don't Pass Me By (1970)

1. A Beginning
2. Don't Pass Me By
3. Octopus's Garden
4. Loser's Lounge
5. Bye Bye Blackbird
6. Beaucoups Of Blues

1. Taking A Trip To Carolina
2. Coochy Coochy
3. You Always Hurt The One You Love
4. $15 Draw
5. Stardust
6. Good Night

And George finally comes out with the ultimate 2 disc box set. Now regarded as one of the best solo albums out there. Although not as huge as our timeline's All Things Must Pass, it does include hits such as Something and Here Comes The Sun.

George Harrison - All Things Must Pass (1970)

1. Something
2. My Sweet Lord
3. Wah-Wah
4. I Me Mine
5. Old Brown Shoe

1. Here Comes The Sun
2. For You Blue
3. What Is Life
4. If Not For You
5. Behind The Locked Door
6. Run Of The Mill

1. Beware Of The Darkness
2. Apple Scruffs
3. Let It Roll
4. Awaiting On You All
5. All Things Must Pass

1. I Dig Love
2. Hear Me Lord
3. Thanks For The Pepperoni
4. I Remember Jeep
5. It's Johnny's Birthday

This album is exactly the same as OTL except for the album title as it was used for the '68 album.

Paul McCartney - Falling Rain (1970)

John Lennon - Imagine (1971)

1. Mother
2. Hold On
3. Cripple Inside
4. Working Class Hero
5. Isolation
6. It's So Hard
7. I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die

1. Remember
2. Love
3. Oh Yoko!
4. How?
5. God
6. Imagine
7. My Mummy's Dead (Hidden Track)

...And the rest is same as our timeline.

"Y'know I'm glad we broke up in '68. I don't think I could've handled much more of The Beatles."

-John Lennon 1976