That's ok ... we'll persevere using the actual dates printed on the WCFL Surveys back in 1970 ...
So here's the one dated March 23rd ...
It only took them three weeks to do it, but The Beatles now sit on top of this week's WCFL Survey with "Let It Be," their latest release on their own Apple Records label.
As we've since learned, the sessions for what was originally supposed to be the "Get Back" album took place in early 1969, culminating with The Beatles' rooftop concert on top of the Apple Studios on January 30th of that year.
There was so much dissension between the band members at this time that nobody could be bothered to sort out the hundreds of hours of recordings and filming that had been done ... so they let it sit for nearly a year before John Lennon turned the material over to Phil Spector and told him to have at it. (Paul in particular was never happy with the results.)
Fortunately, in the meantime The Fab Four were able to regroup and make nice long enough to record what many consider to be their crowing achievement ... the "Abbey Road" album. It almost looks like a mark against them that they weren't allowed to go out on a high note with this swan song masterpiece ... but instead whatever could be salvaged from the "Get Back" / "Let It Be" wreckage was assembled and released in May. (Beatles fanatics like myself were already familiar with a good number of these "new" tracks due to the ample number of bootlegs making the rounds during this era. I'll bet I had at least half a dozen alone from these "Get Back" sessions.)
To get a single out in a timely fashion, "Get Back" was released in May of 1969 ... and footage of that rooftop concert was shown on The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour as a music video to help promote the single. Incredible to think that we all then had to wait a year before the "official" release!
Still, Paul's track "Let It Be" ranks among the best the band ever created ... and recently finished as high as #48 in our Reader Poll to determine The Top 3333 Most Essential Classic Rock Song Of All Time.
Odd to see The Beatles just two places ahead of John Lennon on this week's chart ... but this will become a more-often occurrence now that all four solo careers are in bloom. (We'll even see one Beatle knock another Beatle out of the #1 spot in the years to come!)
The Ides of March have one of the bigger movers this week ... "Vehicle" races from #32 to #17, a jump of 15 places.
Meanwhile, "Shilo" (which fell off the chart for a couple of weeks) climbs 18 spots from #39 to #21.
And The Guess Who are back ... with a two-sided hit this time ... after topping the chart with "No Time" just a few weeks ago. Does "American Woman" / "No Sugar Tonight" have what it takes to turn in a repeat performance.
That George Baker Selection track we told you about a few weeks ago finally shows up for the first time on this week's chart as "Little Green Bag" makes the Hit Bound list. (Also singled out as a future hit is "Which Way You Goin', Billy" by The Poppy Family. Watch for both of these records to make WCFL's Top Ten in the weeks to come.)
