The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

Long lost Beatles album out today

I notice these two interesting articles on the net, one in Rolling Scone and the other in MNE.
 
 
LOST BEATLES ALBUM
By April Foles
01.04.14 01:04 AM ET

A long-lost Beatles album will see the light of day today, some 47 years after it was first recorded. The Beatles own Apple Corps will be releasing Four sides of the circle, an album they recorded in 1965 that was never released and has never been heard before, The Associated Preps reports.

The Beatles recorded  Four sides of the circle  between February and September 1965 at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. The producer was George Martin. Parlophone never released the recordings and Apple never tried to acquire them. It was George Martin's son, Giles, who discovered the forgotten tapes in a cupboard deep in the vaults of the Abbey Road studios, having been tipped off about their existence by surviving band member Ringo Starr..

The Beatles were under some pressure after the release of Beatles for sale at the end of 1964 left some fans disappointed. Several months were spent in the studio when time would allow working on a projected new album that, it was hoped, would strike in new directions. Half the album had been completed when Help was released in August 1965 as a stop gap. The project was finally abandoned at the end of September 1965 when work began in earnest on the acclaimed Rubber soul.

"We were looking for a new sound," Ringo Starr told the AP. "We really wanted to extend the boundaries but we finally felt it was a step too far and that our fans would not be ready for such a radical departure”. The group were also under pressure from EMI to be more commercial and when initial recordings were leaked to the suits doubts were expressed.

Although Parlophone never saw fit to release the recordings, Giles Martin claims there is something special about the 12 tracks, which include George Harrison playing koto (in his little known Japanese phase), a guest appearance by Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) and a fully orchestrated number with Paul and Ringo sharing the vocals. Martin says that the album is not the Beatles at their best but it is full of interesting material that fans will want to hear.

Four sides of the circle is due out today.

These 12 "forgotten" recordings are not demos or outtakes, according to a press release. They were unearthed by the Giles Martin, son of Beatles producer George Martin, at the end of last hear after a tip off from Ringo Starr. The album includes George Harrison playing koto with Japanese musicians, a guest appearance by Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart) and a fully orchestrated number with Paul and Ringo sharing the vocal (Train back to Liverpool). The track Resolution #19 is highly experimental and anticipates later experiments. Two tracks are credited as being written by Starkey (Ringo Starr) "Baby take it easy" and "Train back to Liverpool".

Produced by Giles Martin, the material was recorded at Abbey Road in London over several months in 1965. The restoration of the album was handled by Giles Martin with the full co-operation of the surviving Beatles and of Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, as well as his father George.

Four sides of the circle:

01 Four sides of the circle (Lennon McCartney)

02 Baby take it easy (Starkey)

03 She used to love me more (Lennon McCartney)

04 Haiku for one (Harrison)

05 Sunrise sunset (Bock)

06 Freight train (Cotten)*

07 The man with the passive fist (Lennon McCartney)

08 Train back to Liverpool (Starkey)

10 Rock and Roll Shoes (Willis)

11 I found a girl (Sloan, Barri)

12 Resolution #19 (Lennon McCartney)

* With Captain Beefheart

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