by Aj Frost

Created on: January 25, 2009   Last Updated: April 02, 2011

Though the Beatles ended their tenure as a cohesive unit in 1970, their legacy lives on today. There has been much speculation concerning what type of songs would have been included on any post -"Let It Be" album. By analyzing what the Beatles released individually during the year 1970, there are various possibilities as to the album.

Let's look at what each Beatle may have released and why:

1.) John Lennon released his pivotal "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" album late in the year. Recorded after long sessions of a psychological technique known as Primal Therapy, Lennon's songs would have been raw and fresh. Songs like "Mother," "I Found Out," "Working Class Hero," and "God" would have been among the types of songs that Lennon would have been keen to record at that time. I believe that Lennon would have been aiming for a stripped down sound, as Bob Dylan had been using the late nineteen sixties on albums such as "John Wesley Harding" along with an influence of nascent harder rock sound a la Steppenwolf.

2.) Paul McCartney on the other hand, would have gone in the total opposite direction with his music. He had released his first solo record "McCartney" and the types of songs on the album represent his musical viewpoint. "Maybe I'm Amazed" a tour de force of his eponymous first record would have been as venerated as "Let It Be" or "Yesterday" as a perfect McCartney Beatle effort. Some of the other songs, such as "Man We Was Lonely" could be on the record as fluff such as "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" was on "Abbey Road." Such kitsch would be included due to McCartney's forceful personality.

3.) George Harrison, who by 1970 had recorded two solo records in the late sixties, released his magnum opus "All Things Must Pass" so the sound he was achieving at the time would be prominent in his musicality. Songs like the title song, "What is Love," and of course "My Sweet Lord" would take precedence in his styling.

4.) Ringo Starr's contributions would resemble songs from his two releases in 1970 "Sentimental Journey," a personal record filled with pop standards, and "Beaucoups of Blues" a country album recorded in Nashville. Ringo by that time in the Beatles' history had written only two songs but each has a unique, folksy flavor to them that would have continued through the next several years. A song like "It Don't Come Easy" would have been hailed as a popular Beatles' song and could possibly be considered as a single.

This is all pure speculation. The closest the Beatles ever came to a reunion was on Ringo's album "Ringo" released in 1971. However, this list is a pretty good what-if.

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