Episode 60 – Beatles ’72 pt5

It’s June of 1972 and a new double album from John Lennon and Yoko Ono has arrived: Some Time In New York City. After the critical and commercial success of John’s Imagine LP the year before, the table seemed to be set for a smash-hit follow-up in this massive 4-sided package...but that success was not to be. Taking inspiration from the couple’s political activism since their arrival as permanent NYC residents in the summer of ‘71, Some Time In New York City was intended to be listened to as a newspaper of sorts, a snapshot of the times and a reflection of the beliefs that the couple held most dear. To many in the record-buying public, however, Some Time (and its hefty double album price tag) read like a smattering of complaints and hollow rhetoric, further alienating the couple from those outside the radical community. Right or wrong, John and Yoko were taken aback by the failure of the record and plans for a tour seemed to be in jeopardy. Paul McCartney, meanwhile, decided to take the touring plunge with WINGS, launching the the very first major headlining concert tour by any Beatle since the band ceased touring in 1966. WINGS OVER EUROPE saw Paul, Linda, Denny, Henry and Denny in red-hot form after the training grounds of English University gigs, and the band was already knee-deep into the recording of the follow-up to their LP Wild Life...