Beatles at war: The truth of the explosive rivalries

By editorial board on February 2, 2019

Let It Be was supposed to show the geniuses at work but laid bare their rivalries. Ray Connolly, the journalist by The Beatles' side at the time, tells the real story.

This is an excerpt form Daily Mail By RAY CONNOLLY   To read the full article click here

When Paul McCartney announced in April 1970 that he had no plans for working with The Beatles, the world fell in on him. 'PAUL QUITS BEATLES,' ran newspaper headlines around the world.

Although within a few days he would be maintaining to me that he had been misinterpreted, it was too late. The secret of The Beatles' rows and in-fighting was out. There would be no going back.

Paul's mistake had been to let the cat out of the bag about the rancorous atmosphere,  As Paul remembered it this week, the filming of Let It Be wasn't as argumentative as the rumours have since told — but maybe only because a lot of tongues were being bitten when the cameras were rolling.

Because, for sure, by the time the film was scheduled for release, Lennon and McCartney, the most successful song-writing duo in history, weren't even talking to each other — let alone writing or playing together.

Yoko Ono, a feminist, saw things in her  way. Where John went, she went, and, while having had no interest in rock music before she met him, she immediately proceeded to voice opinions about what The Beatles were recording while in the studio.

John loved her making a contribution. The other three didn't, especially Paul. 'It simply became very difficult for me to write with Yoko sitting there,' he would tell me. 'If I had to think of a line, I started getting very nervous. I might want to say something like 'I love you, girl', but with Yoko watching I always felt I had to come up with something clever and avant-garde.'John was no longer in love with The Beatles. He was mesmerised by Yoko.

Released at the same time as The Beatles' White Album, at Christmas 1968, it was called Two Virgins

Paul wasn't amused, seeing the photos as an inexplicable act of sabotage of The Beatles' image. According to John, his co-songwriter gave him a long lecture. 'Is there really any need for this?'

The previous year The Beatles' TV film Magical Mystery Tour had been both an artistic and commercial failure, which after all their success was something new for them. So now they decided to film the making of their next album.

It would eventually be called Let It Be, and would be filmed at Twickenham Studios rather than at their usual musical home of Abbey Road. Things didn't go well from the start.

t was only 12 weeks since they'd finished The White Album, and, while ever-busy Paul had already written Get Back, The Long And Winding Road and Let It Be, John didn't have any new songs to offer. 'Haven't you written anything yet,' Paul can be heard asking in unused out-takes of the film — which inevitably found their way into the hands of some fans.

No,' says John.

'We'll be faced with a crisis,' Paul frets.

'When I'm up against the wall, Paul, you'll find me at my best. I think I've got Sunday off,' says John.

'I hope you can deliver.'

'I hope was a little rock and roller, Sammy with his mammy,' mocks John, falling into word play.

There was nothing more that Paul could say.

'I think we've been very negative since Mr Epstein passed away,' Paul reflected, probably to director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, unaware that he was being recorded. 'We probably do need a central daddy figure to say, 'Come on. It's nine o'clock. Leave the girls at home.' John never left Yoko at home.

By killing The Beatles, freezing them at their peak, as it were, it meant that they could never disappoint us.

To read the full article click here

 

DISCLAIMER: the images used by Videomuzic are for the purpose of criticism and exercise of the right to report news, in low quality, in compliance with the provisions of the law on copyright, used exclusively for the information content.
DISCLAIMER: Videomuzic usa le immagini per finalità di critica ed esercizio del diritto di cronaca in modalità degradata conforme alle prescrizioni della legge sul diritto d'autore utilizzate ad esclusivo corredo dei contenuti informativi.
Copyright © 2022 Videomuzic | Rome. ITA | Pictures, videos remain the property of the copyright owner, Any copyright owner who wants removed should contact us..
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram