Just when you thought that everything that could be said that was new, fresh, or unusual about The Beatles' later history was already out there, along comes 'The Beatles: Unplugged', a bootleg CD so good that the folks at Apple and EMI ought to be kicking themselves for not thinking of it first. This disc (which is sort-of subtitled "The Kinfaun-Session," referring to George Harrison's Esher home) pulls together the 23 songs that Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney recorded as works-in-progress at Harrison's home in May of 1968. Most of the songs from the session were eventually heard either on The Beatles [White Album surfacing with new lyrics as "A Jealous Guy," etc.) or B-sides ("What's the New Mary Jane"), and on various bootlegs.
uploader GeoBeatles
Despite the groups internal bickering throughout the album ending with them virtually recording their own tracks in isolation like a series of solo recordings, there's no sign of the temperamental behavior during this embryonic session. It's a fascinating insight into part of the process that made one of the 20th Century's iconic albums and of the songwriter.
Here's Lennon's 'Yer Blues' stripped back to it's vocal and acoustic guitars (with Harrison) sounding less aggressive than it's final cut for the album with it's caustic lead guitar later added along with the rest of the groups parts.
The complete 'White Album; Unplugged' can be heard > here
