Beatles ’74 pt5

As the summer of '74 winds to a close, work on John Lennon's new album is in the final stages of completion. One last magic touch would make its way to this new record in the form of Lennon's friend Elton John, who lent his talents to several tracks including the song Elton felt was destined to be a hit: the boogie-woogie pop gem Whatever Gets You Through The Night. So convinced was Elton, that the pianist superstar bet John the song would be a #1 record, and if it achieved that milestone, the former Beatle must join Elton and the band on stage to perform it. The unconvinced Lennon took the bet, and turned his attention to another collaborative project: the release of the long-awaited Pussycats album by pal Harry Nilsson, which John produced during the pair's notorious "lost weekend". Such a burst of musical productivity wasn't limited to John -- Paul McCartney and his band Wings were back from their extended stay in Nashville and shooting a new documentary called One Hand Clapping. The film (and planned "live" studio album of the same name) were meant to chronicle the new Wings lineup as the group tightened-up for what would assuredly be a new long stint of touring. Sadly, both the film and the planned album would be shelved as the band entered yet another transformative phase...