On picking a hypothetical fifth member for The Beatles.

Assuming it doesn't matter wheter they're from the same music era or not and that McCartney and Lennon would have permitted them to compose and include one or two songs per album.

I'll pick Elliot Smith, he had a heavy affinity for their music and had he been born British his music would certainly fit well with the band. Also there weren't any sad sacks on the beatles (perhaps Harrison was slightly melancholic at times) and I think he would have made some very interesting contributions on their more conceptual albums (sgt peppers, the white album).

Also I think having the 5th member be a woman would be very interesting but I cant think of any female musician at the moment that would blend with their style.

Yoko?

god no, she has no sense of pop melody.

Jim O'Rourke

Hongro

george best

Grandmaster Flash.

Jerome Green

dean ween

brian cant

Worst thread.

suggest a 5th member or gtfo.

Hongro

― Peter "One Dart" Manley (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics),

But what kind of valuable contribution could he possibly give them besides handjobs?

Yoko

Caetano Veloso

Caetano Veloso

― gabbneb

Yes!

brian wilson

who?

Rick Astley.

if only

I think it would have to be Kid Rock who knows the most abotu rock music to be a member of The Beatles as the fifth member. He has many classic rock influences like Lynard Skynyrd and is a skill musician plays that kinda rock music that just get u going.

OH, I AGREE.

ODB

duh, Prince.

http://www.celebully.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/rawws.jpg

Bez

http://www.thewurzels.com/adge.gif

FALLEN SOLDIER

Todd Rundgren. They would have needed a keyboardist and he would have fitted in perfectly.

(probably better than me, that is ;) )

A keyboard player as permanent fifth member is a good idea. How about Ray Manzarek? But maybe he'd clash with Lennon. 70's Elton too flamboyant, but he did get on well with JL, so maybe late 60's Elton?

Still would prefer Rundgren to Elton John. Todd Rundgren is a bit more musically adventurous. Plus an anglophile American would fit into The Beatles better than an Americaphile Brit.

Oh yeah, the Beatles have nothing to do with Americaphile Brits whatsoever.

No Americanophile Brits in that band.

No sir, you wouldn't catch the Beatles covering Chuck Berry songs...

Todd Rundgren. They would have needed a keyboardist and he would have fitted in perfectly.

― Geir Hongro, Sunday, December 7, 2008 11:57 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this pretty much sums up geir's bad taste in music

If The Beatles had gone on releasing the White Album forever, I guess Elton John would have fit in. Typical Beatles album like "Revolver" or "Sgt. Pepper" would have worked better with somebody like Rundgren though.

RAWS is the best suggestion so far

Wanda

crazy frog

Actually I am changing my mind here. The one who would be perfect to have taken The Beatles into the modern age, but still keeping the typically English sound, harmonies and songwriting style, would be Nick Rhodes!

surfjam stevens

Beatles-fan Glen Matlock (freeing Paul to play keyboards)

obama

Gotta be Paul Carrack. He could take keyboard duties _and_ vocal duties as well.

http://i36.tinypic.com/2eydzth.jpg

gabbneb

It would have to be a succession of fifth/sixth members, much like the Dead.

Early to mid 70s means the Beatles would've gone beach funk/AOR, thus hiring the equivalent of Ricky Fataar/Blondie Chaplin -- maybe some of the African percussionists down with Ginger Baker's Air Force. After that they would've returned to their rock roots by snagging somebody from the pub rock scene, like Dave Edmunds. In the 80s the Beatles would return to a quartet, biding their time and occasionally working with the likes of Paul Simon, Crissie Hynde and Tom Petty until Harrison's ties to the Wilburys eventually brings in Jeff Lynne. Of course, Lynne gradually drives them into Starbucks-label mediocrity.

whoever said Nate Dogg was otmfm

90s one offs with Tricky and Moby should be included as well.

Jeff Lynne has worked with all members except John Lennon, who was an outspoken ELO fan. So Jeff Lynne may have been a good call except they already had a bass player and a singer sounding like John Lennon.

So Jeff Lynne would lend them Richard Tandy instead.

Actually I have always seen ELO as an indicator of what The Beatles might have become in the 70s. Not so revolutionary anymore, but with a retained ability to write great melodic arche-English pop songs. And with Richard Tandy's synths adding the sense of the modern times to come.

Jeff Lynne would be a free wheelin' fifth member who would play the role asked of his heroes: production, bass, a little keys, some guitar, backing vox, a song or two.

During their beach/canyon AOR phase, say around '73, they would've made an album with Robbie Robertson producing. Of course, the album would've started off with Rundgren behind the board but Lennon got drunk one night and knocked the bitch out.

Also, another possibility is the Beatles going totally over the top and expanding to a septet. In addition to the Ricky Fataar/Blindie Chaplin world groove dudes, Nilsson comes on board, until Macca pulls the plug in '77 because of drunken shenanigans. That's when Edmunds comes in for triple guitar/piano pub rock and the band tour the world twice over with hand picked openers like Cheap Trick, Petty, the Records, etc. They even play the Pyramids with the Dead.

Then again, instead of Lynne, they could go the Lanois route in the early 90s.

ELO is too Beatles for the the Beatles. They wouldn't have gone that route. They're love for roots rock would've prevent some kind of prog/disco/glam hybrid.

Sorry for all the typos!

Syd Barrett!

Their love for rock roots actually implies that this late 70s Rockpile/Costello/Squeeze direction may have been a possible direction.

they probably would have just released pretty much the same songs that were on mccartney and lennon and harrison's solo albums. it's not like (outside of maybe a few lennon things like plastic ono band or the live stuff) most of that stuff was really inconsistent with updated beatles-style songwriting.

like weren't a lot of the songs on all things must pass originally intended to be beatles stuff that got cock blocked by fate?

Roy Wood

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/wvferrell/cwalker.jpg

I changed my mind too. They definitely need some Steve Vai to peel off some hot leads and keep up with Zeppelin in the 70s. Sorry Slowhand, your services are no longer needed.

Steve Vai was 10 years old in 1970. That would've been a bold move.

moka i was going to say syd...i read an interview with bob pollard where he said he wished that syd had been in the beatles instead of macca...go figure...

jimi would prolley be a pretty good addition as well...

RAWS is the best suggestion so far

― Peter "One Dart" Manley (The stickman from the hilarious 'xkcd' comics), Sunday, December 7, 2008 12:47 PM (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

officer ross would lock em up for posession

or billy preston (is he the guy on 'get back'?)

I cast vote 2 for Prince. That woulda been interesting and probably wouldnta sucked.

Unlike Jeff Lynne, who woulda been boring. And woulda sucked. And who has sucked, actually, from that day to this, come to think.

danny devito

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k139/moteldemoka/sgt_pepper1.jpg