Rating: * (1 star)
Title: Lifting Material from the World
Company: Apple
Catalog: SAPCOR 43
Year: 1988
Grade (cover/record): VG/VG
Comments: double album; bootleg
Available: 1
Price: $45.00
Apparently pressed in New Zealand (the LP labels were misapplied), in spite of the Beatles billing, 1988's "Lifting Material from the World" wasn't even a Beatles effort, rather the double album 32 track collection pulled together material from the four principles post-Beatles solo careers - one side per artist. Musically the set was all over the spectrum.
The eight McCartney numbers were actually mid-'70s Wings tracks pulled from radio concerts ("Big Barn Bed" - nice Henry McCulloch guitar solo, though Linda's harmony vocals were kinda rough), a selection lifted from a television special ("Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance") and studio outtakes ("Bluebird/Momma's Little Girl/Michelle/Heart of the Country"). For the most part the sound quality was miserable, distant and hissy. With the exception of "Momma's Little Girl" (a track we'd never heard before) there simply wasn't anything here to set your heart a flutter ...
1.) Big Barn Bed
2.) Little Woman Love/C'Moon
3.) Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance
4.) Blackbird/Blackbird/Michelle/Heart of the Country
5.) Mary Had a Little Lamb
6.) The Mess
7.) Hi Hi Hi/C'Moon (promo)
8.) Bluebird/Momma's Little Girl/Michelle/Heart of the Country (outtakes)
The Lennon side was probably the most diverse, pulling together a hodge podge of mid-'70s material, including a couple of live tracks (a nice, if stark acoustic "Imagine" and a less appealing "Attica State" - Yoko's backing vocals were to say the least interesting ...), an obscure "A" side ("John Sinclair"), a couple of interviews dumb interviews (Howard Cosell asking what Lennon thought about American football) and a pair of radio ads.
1.) Imagine
2.) Attica State
3.) Luck of the Irish
4.) John SInclair
5.) Give Peace a Chance
6.) Money Money/Howard Cosell
7.) Chuck Berry/Macca
8.) Radio ads (Walls and Bridges" and "Goodnight Vienna")
9.) Johnny D.J. (on W.N.E.W.)
The eight Harrison sides reflected a mix of soundtrack work ("Shanghai Surprise"), very raw demos ("I Don't Want To Do It" and "Sue Me Sue You Blues"), a pair of weird and out of tune live in the studio numbers crediting Dylan ("Everytime Someone Comes To Town" and "I'd Have You Any Time"), a previously unreleased effort ("Abandoned Love") and a couple of brief interviews with Harrison at Grand Prix races (his comments were limited to his interest in racing). Nothing of must-own quality ...
1.) Shanghai Surprise (with Vicki Brown) -
2.) Some Place Else
3.) Breath Away from Heaven
4.) I Don't Want To Do It
5.) Abandoned Love
6.) Sue Me Sue You Blues
7.) Everytime Someone Comes To Town (with Bob Dylan)
8.) I'd Have You Any Time (with Bob Dylan)
Given one didn't have high expectations for Ringo, the eight tracks didn't disappoint. Sounding like it was pulled from some kid's film, "Living In a Pet Shop" was cute, while the rest of the material was merely drab.
1.) Living In a Pet Shop
2.) Scouse's Dream
3.) Running Free
4.) Boat Ride
5.) Scouse the Mouse
6.) I Know a Place
7.) S.O.S.
8.) A Mouse Like Me