# In another Dimension, the Beatles Never Broke Up **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 14, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604 "2009-11-14T23:55:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/21 "2009-11-16T00:05:15Z")
Mark Shipper wrote an “alternate history” back in 1978 with the long-winded title, Paperback Writer: The life and times of the Beatles, the spurious chronicle of their rise to stardom, their triumphs & disasters, plus the amazing story of their ultimate reunion. [Link to review by Allyn Gibson](http://www.allyngibson.net/?p=1896) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/22 "2009-11-16T01:40:14Z")
OK, so in an alternate universe, it’s pretty clear the Beatles would have written the same stuff as they did in our universe, but then done some post-production mashups that focused more on the instrumentation and not on the lyrics. That said, on the track “Saturday Night” there’s a cool lead blues guitar line that’s repeated a lot - I really like that hook - is there a Lennon or McCartney or Harrision solo track in our universe that’s the same as that one? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/23 "2009-11-16T02:08:44Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > I’m predicting that they end up doing some collaboration work with Micheal Jackson Also, Michael Jackson would have gotten gender reassignment surgery and gone with a really unimaginative new name. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/24 "2009-11-16T03:16:11Z")
Well, after that _horrible_ dance-musical they did in 1985—uncharitably described by Vincent Canby as “as if ‘Xanadu’ and ‘Footloose’ had a baby, and left it in a forest to be reared by nymphs, only to be found and raised by wolves instead”—they probably _wished_ they had broken up. Which at least wasn’t as bad as Lennon’s shooting his mouth off with all those defeatist, pro-Soviet spiels back in '91 during Desert Storm. When USSR fell, he probably wished he was _dead_. Well, to his due, he’s certainly mellowed out since. And I can’t give the man credit enough for his work with getting the Apple-Apple Records arrangements pushed through—I don’t think iTunes would ever have gotten off the ground if they hadn’t been able to launch with the Beatles catalog. I really don’t. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/25 "2009-11-16T03:17:52Z")
Early MTV certainly would’ve been different. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/26 "2009-11-16T20:31:26Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > Mark Shipper wrote an “alternate history” back in 1978 with the long-winded title, Paperback Writer: The life and times of the Beatles, the spurious chronicle of their rise to stardom, their triumphs & disasters, plus the amazing story of their ultimate reunion. > > [Link to review by Allyn Gibson](http://www.allyngibson.net/?p=1896) I used to have that book. A friend bought it and called me in a state of excitement telling me it was a great book full of little known facts about the Beatles - like did I know that Paul had recorded a solo album of romantic ballads before the Beatles were famous. When I saw it I realised it was a satirical novel. She gave it to me in embarrassment and disgust. I only remember bits and pieces now but the style definitely spoofed the real Beatles bios like Hunter Davies. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/27 "2009-11-17T00:50:27Z")
They would have embraced metal and changed their name to [Beatallica](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KitVoB8Poes&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/28 "2009-11-17T07:29:51Z")
> [@Quercus\_alba](#): > > Ebony and Ivory? An oldie but a goodie… Almost as good as The Girl is Mine 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604/29 "2009-11-17T08:29:41Z")
Y’know, if the Beatles _had_ broken up, we never would have been treated to all those endless Beatles/Phillip Glass/Gary Newman syntho-pop things in the mid-eighties. I used to _like_ electronic music. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-another-dimension-the-beatles-never-broke-up/517604.md?page=1)