'God Save Us', credited to the Elastic Oz Band, was released as a US single on Apple Records on Monday 5 July 1971. Written by John Lennon in support of the defence fund during Oz magazine's obscenity trial, the record featured vocals by Bill Elliott rather than Lennon himself, for contractual reasons.
The Oz obscenity trial
Oz was a British counterculture magazine founded in Sydney in 1963 and relaunched in London in 1967. In 1971 its editors β Richard Neville, Jim Anderson, and Felix Dennis β were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act following the publication of issue 28, the 'Schoolkids Issue', which had been edited by a group of teenagers. The trial, which began in June 1971, became one of the longest obscenity trials in British legal history and a cause cΓ©lΓ¨bre for the counterculture movement.
John Lennon wrote 'God Save Us' in support of the Oz defence fund. The song was recorded by Lennon and the Elastic Oz Band, with its B-side 'Do The Oz' recorded at the same sessions.
Bill Elliott and the recording
For contractual reasons, Lennon was unable to release the record under his own name with his own lead vocal. He needed another singer to replace his guide vocals. The singer eventually chosen was Bill Elliott, who overdubbed his part onto the master on 16 June 1971.
Lennon described the process of finding the right vocalist:
We got one singer in [Magic Michael Ramsden], and he was all right, but he'd never had much experience recording β or singing actually, because he needed some experience singing and holding vaguely around the note. I can't hold a note β all my songs are all sung out of tune, but I can get fairly near it sometimes. This guy was way off, but it didn't work, so then I sang it just to show him how to sing it, how it should go, and we got this guy that Mal had found in a group called Half-Breed or something, and he sounded like Paul. So I thought, 'That's a commercial sound,' β it would have been nice to have Paul's voice singing 'God Save Us' β but the guy imitated more my demo, so he sounds like himself because he doesn't sound like me really, but he doesn't sound like Paul either.
John Lennon
The reference to Mal is to Mal Evans, The Beatles' road manager, who had found Elliott performing with a group called Half-Breed. Elliott appeared on the picture sleeve of the single.
Bill Elliott and Splinter
Bill Elliott later became one half of Splinter, a duo formed with Bob Purvis. Splinter were signed to George Harrison's Dark Horse Records label in the 1970s and released two albums β The Place I Love (1974) and Harder to Live (1975) β both produced by Harrison. The connection between Elliott's appearance on a Lennon record and his subsequent signing to a Harrison label is one of the more unusual threads in the post-Beatles story.
The release
'God Save Us' was issued by Apple Records but failed to chart in either the US or the UK. The single's commercial failure did not diminish its historical significance as a document of Lennon's political engagement in 1971 β the same year he recorded the Imagine album and relocated to New York.
Lennon's own guide vocal performance of 'God Save Us' β recorded before Elliott overdubbed his part β was included on the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology and on the highlights collection Wonsaponatime. On both releases it was titled 'God Save Oz'. Various versions of the song, including the demo and outtakes, were also included in the 2018 box set Imagine: The Ultimate Collection.
Summary
| Release date | Monday 5 July 1971 (US) |
|---|---|
| Artist credit | Elastic Oz Band |
| Label | Apple Records |
| Written by | John Lennon |
| Lead vocalist | Bill Elliott (overdubbed 16 June 1971) |
| B-side | 'Do The Oz' |
| Chart performance | Did not chart (US or UK) |
| Lennon guide vocal released | John Lennon Anthology (1998); Wonsaponatime (1998); Imagine: The Ultimate Collection (2018) |
Frequently asked questions
What is 'God Save Us' by the Elastic Oz Band?
'God Save Us' was a single written by John Lennon in support of the defence fund during the Oz magazine obscenity trial. It was released on Apple Records on 5 July 1971, credited to the Elastic Oz Band, with lead vocals by Bill Elliott rather than Lennon for contractual reasons.
Why didn't John Lennon sing on 'God Save Us'?
For contractual reasons, Lennon was unable to release the record under his own name with his own vocal. He recorded a guide vocal and then had Bill Elliott overdub the lead part onto the master on 16 June 1971.
Who was Bill Elliott?
Bill Elliott was the vocalist who sang lead on 'God Save Us'. He was found by Mal Evans performing with a group called Half-Breed. Elliott later became one half of Splinter, signed to George Harrison's Dark Horse Records label in the 1970s.
What was the Oz obscenity trial?
The Oz obscenity trial was a 1971 prosecution of the editors of Oz magazine β Richard Neville, Jim Anderson, and Felix Dennis β under the Obscene Publications Act, following the publication of the 'Schoolkids Issue'. It became one of the longest obscenity trials in British legal history and a major counterculture cause.
Where can I hear John Lennon's guide vocal of 'God Save Us'?
Lennon's guide vocal, titled 'God Save Oz', was released on the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology and the highlights collection Wonsaponatime. Further versions appeared in the 2018 box set Imagine: The Ultimate Collection.
Did 'God Save Us' chart?
No. 'God Save Us' by the Elastic Oz Band failed to chart in either the US or the UK despite being released on Apple Records.
β John Lennon | Paul McCartney | George Harrison | Ringo Starr
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