About

For those of you just joining us, the multiverse is a concept suggested by quantum physics, in which:

1. The reality we currently inhabit (our universe) is not the only one. 
2. That the other realities exist concurrently with ours, and 
3. That those realities feature slightly to very different narratives and outcomes for the same players when consequential events are altered in any way. 

The emergence of the multiverse into our popular culture (and in a way I could almost understand) by Marvel Comics, made me realize that an examination of alternative realities for our superheroes, villains and legends can be a new lens to look at material we have already acclimated to.  Marvel’s main competitor DC Comics (and snarky people) have taken to calling our current universe “Earth one,” so that in any confusing conversation on the topic, we can at least always reference where we currently are, and what we hold to be our current reality.    

I’m sure this is not the first suggestion of The Fab Four in the multiverse (or ‘metaverse’), but I did not find any reference prior to mine. To be clear, I do believe there are three ‘alternate universes’ featuring the Beatles. (I am not including “Yellow Submarine,” because that itself is canon, and you have to draw the line somewhere).    

“Paul is Dead.”  In 1968, a rumor began that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash at the height of Beatlemania and that the band had replaced him with a doppelganger named Billy Shears, fearing the end of their careers and mass hysteria. 

Emerging during a time of war, generational change and worldwide conflict, it is not surprising that following cover-up stories about the Kennedy assisination and the US moon landing that there would be a Beatles cover-up story too.  

Since Paul McCartney, on Earth One, has insisted then (and as recently as this year), that he is very much alive, I have taken him at his word. But the idea has never gone away, and while there are too many articles and books to suggest, there are two very good, very different and very funny films which describe the rumor in great detail. One, in a documentary style is “Paul McCartney is Really Dead (The Last Testament of George Harrison)”  The other is a look at what might have happened, when Paul died and Billy Shears, a doppelganger, takes his place is the content of a short film called “Paul is Dead.”

Paperback Writer— Mark Shipper describes a Beatles story which hews to the basic outline (boys from Liverpool, Brian Epstein, Sgt. Pepper, etc.) but changes nearly every detail of those things that did happen. Written in 1978, it features a future coda where the four Beatles, having failed to thrive in their post-breakup careers, agree to a reunion tour with disastrous consequences. The book was written while John Lennon was alive and since his death has lost much of its charm and goodwill and its comedy. Out of print and for diehards only. 

“Yesterday”.  In this universe, the Beatles (as four moptops from Liverpool) never happened, but their songs exist for at least one man (Jack Malik) who brings them to the world and drives a response of insane popularity very much like the Beatles had with the same material on Earth One (see?).

Since the Beatles never happened, the movie suggests that bands inspired by the Beatles (like Oasis) never existed, and that the four members of the Beatles did not have careers resembling those of the Beatles. In a surprisingly touching scene, Jack seeks out a 79-year old John Lennon who is grey-haired, peaceful and happy.  Because Jack knows our world, with both the Beatles catalogue and the assassination of John Lennon, he blurts out “You’re Alive!” when he sees him.  At the end of the movie, he uploads all the songs where fans can get them for free and gives credit for their creation to the four Beatles (who no one has ever heard of).

And in our Universe, or on Earth One:

The Beatles broke up in 1970 leaving only their ‘cardboard epitaph,’  Let it Be.  For about five years they continued releasing solo work whose quality appeared to have an inverse quality relationship to distance from being together as a band.  When their 7-year contract (signed in 1968) expired in 1975, John stopped recording, Paul moved to Capitol (from Apple), George moved to Warner Brothers and Ringo struggled to stay relevant.  

Any doubts about the Beatles’ sale-ability were erased when twin double-record sets released in 1973 (1962-1966 or the ‘red album and 1967-1970, the ‘blue album) were the biggest selling LPs Capitol records had that year (outselling the solo LPs). 

This led Capitol to shamelessly repackage the existing Beatles catalog for the next decade.  

In 1980, John Lennon was assassinated to the shock and dismay of the entire world.

Posthumously, his catalog sold very well and naturally this led to the pillaging of his unreleased archives , which peppered the landscape for the next two years.  The followup to “Double Fantasy,”  was called “Milk and Honey” and contained the hit “Nobody Told Me.”  Further releases were less successful and eventually, they stopped.   (Until the 90s when CD repackaging … and in the second decade of 2000 when everything was remastered over and over again).

Apparently, there were a number of tracks recorded by Lennon that for various reasons were not in shape to release, and it is those tracks Yoko gave to Paul in the early 90s when the Beatles (Co.) started to get serious about getting back to “The Long and Winding Road,” a comprehensive telling of the Beatles story, ostensibly for television broadcast.    

Though there were various disagreements about, one thing holding it up was the narrative.   This was solved, rather awkwardly most viewers felt, by ELIMINATING any narrative except that told by the Beatles themselves.     With that (and other issues, like pending lawsuits, rights management, etc.) behind them, they were free to proceed.   A key highlight would be “new” Beatle records.   

As the very thriving subculture had essentially unearthed every single recording  committed to wax, they turned to John Lennon’s widow and she complied.  “Free as a Bird,” and “Real Love” were given significant makeovers by the Threetles (Paul, George and Ringo) and added to the first two Anthology collections.  A third, “Grow Old with Me,” was slated to be on the third record, but was not completed.  Conflicting reports blame George Harrison’s health, his unwillingness, or the poor quality of the original.  The last point seems easily dispatched with, since it had been previously released on “Milk and Honey” and 5-disk “Lennon” compilation.