The Year 1974 Was a Great One for the Solo Beatles, Thanks to These 4 Hits

It wasn’t all that often that all four Beatles were active at the same time as solo artists. Whether or not they consciously steered away from releasing music on top of each other isn’t clear. But you’ll note there aren’t too many years when all four put music out to battle for the public’s attention.

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The year 1974, however, was a different animal. In fact, the US pop charts featured all four with at least one big hit single at some point during that calendar year. Here’s a look back.

“Whatever Gets You Thru The Night” by John Lennon and Elton John

We think about the mid-70s as a bit of a wayward period for John Lennon, what with the whole “Lost Weekend” and all. But he pulled focus quite well for his Walls And Bridges album in 1974. He cleaned up while making the album and insisted that all around him do the same. And he produced it himself, steering clear of any Phil Spector chaos in the process. Lennon also received some help from a friend to score what was his first No. 1 hit as a solo artist. Elton John came aboard to perform a rollicking duet with Lennon on “Whatever Gets You Thru The Night”. The song’s success famously led to Lennon appearing with Elton live at Madison Square Garden.

“Band On The Run” by Paul McCartney & Wings

He lost 40 percent of his band right before the sessions. The recording location was dogged by power issues and primitive equipment. And his working tapes were stolen from him in a knifepoint mugging. Instead of dissuading Paul McCartney from pursuing the Band On The Run album, these obstacles only fired him up to do something special with it. Recording with his wife Linda and Denny Laine, Macca delivered Wings’ undisputed masterpiece. The title track somehow encapsulated all the surrounding turmoil and the trio’s ability to triumph over it. And it restored McCartney’s critical reputation at a time when he needed it the most. A No. 1 spot on the US pop charts was icing on the cake.

“Dark Horse” by George Harrison

We always think of George Harrison as the most reclusive of The Beatles. Well, he did go for broke in 1974 in terms of public attention, and it nearly cost him his sanity. The Dark Horse album was troubled. Harrison released it late in the year. This finally came after it was delayed several times, thanks to Harrison overextending himself with other projects. Drink and drugs combined with his nonstop schedule rendered his voice a ravaged shell of its former self. But through it all, Harrison delivered a respectable album amidst the chaos. The title track, featuring a jaunty rhythm and some of Harrison’s typically atypical chord changes, gave him a Top 20 hit in the US.

“Only You (And You Alone)” by Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr took a while to start his solo career in earnest, at least when it came to rock-oriented material. He finally went for the gusto with the star-studded Ringo album in 1973 and scored a huge success with it. Diminishing returns crept in when he returned with Goodnight Vienna just a year later. But it didn’t slow down his commercial roll much. Once again, his Beatle buddies chipped in where they could on the record. John Lennon wrote the title track, and he also produced a demo of “Only You (And You Alone)”, one that required Starr to simply sing on top of it. The cover of The Platters’ classic went all the way to No. 6 in 1974.

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