Beatles ’81 pt4
from Yesterday and Today
As Summer 1981 turned to fall, the music landscape, too, underwent a major shift. In August, MTV debuted on cable television - a moment which marked a seismic shift in both television and the music industry. While the Beatles themselves helped to invent the genre through their motion picture and pre-taped performance projects in the 60s, Paul, George and Ringo would not be immune to this change in the musical landscape. Ringo Starr especially was struggling to find his footing after several unsuccessful album projects - culminating in a strong new LP titled Stop and Smell the Roses, released on October 27th. Featuring contributions from an all-star cast of musicians and friends (including his fellow former Beatles), this record was a return to form for Starr - yet despite the lead-off single Wrack My Brain cracking the top 40, the album itself stumbled. While 1981 was, in many ways, a reaction to the events of the prior December, it was also a demarcation point for the careers of the now-three former Beatles...and an early clue to the new direction in the world of Beatles...
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