April 10, 1970: The end of The Beatles was announced.
Their break-up was a cumulative process attributed to numerous factors, such as the strain of the Beatlemania phenomenon, the death of manager Brian Epstein in 1967, McCartney's domineering role, Lennon's heroin use and his relationship with Yoko Ono, Harrison's prolific songwriting output, the floundering of Apple Corps and the Get Back project (later Let It Be, 1970), and managerial disputes.
During the second half of the Beatles' career, the members began to assert individual artistic agendas. Their disunity became most evident on The Beatles (also known as "the White Album", 1968), and quarrels and disharmony over musical matters soon permeated their business discussions. Starr and Harrison briefly quit the group during the White Album and Get Back sessions, respectively. Starting in 1969, the group split into two camps regarding who should handle their business affairs. McCartney lobbied for entertainment lawyers Lee and John Eastman, but was outvoted by his bandmates in favour of businessman Allen Klein.
The final time that the four members recorded together collectively was the session for Abbey Road's closing track "The End" on 18 August 1969. Lennon privately informed his bandmates that he was leaving the Beatles on 20 September, although it was unclear to the other members whether his departure was permanent. On 10 April 1970, McCartney issued a press release that stated he was no longer working with the group, which sparked a widespread media reaction and worsened the tensions between him and his bandmates. Legal disputes continued long after his announcement, and the dissolution was not formalized until December 29, 1974.
Rumours of a full-fledged reunion persisted throughout the 1970s, as the members occasionally reunited for collaboration, but never with all four simultaneously. Starr's "I'm the Greatest" (1973) and Harrison's "All Those Years Ago" (1981) are the only tracks that feature three ex-Beatles. After Lennon's murder in 1980, the surviving members reunited for the Anthology project in 1994, using the unfinished Lennon demos "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love" as the basis for new songs recorded and released as the Beatles.
No comments:
Post a Comment