A new photo of John Lennon and Paul McCartney together in 1974 has been discovered. It is included in the biography of roadie Mal Evans.
Even after the Beatles' breakup in 1970, Mal Evans remained one of the most loyal friends the band ever had — and their biggest fan.
A new biography by Kenneth Womack will delve deeper into the man who became the band’s shadow. "Living the Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans" due out Nov. 14 on HarperCollins’ Dey Street Books imprint, draws extensively from the memoir of the same name that Evans completed and planned to submit for publication. But following his tragic death in January 1976 at the age of 40, the project was shelved. In the decades since, the myth around the manuscript has continued to grow. Womack is also overseeing a second volume of the biography, slated to be published in 2024, showcasing elements of Evans’ vast personal archive.
It’s a testament to the Beatles' love of “Big Mal” that the famously private foursome all granted him permission to pen his memoirs. Their individual approval letters are printed in Womack’s bio, and they’re all uniquely hilarious. “Sure, you can do your book,” writes McCartney, “as long as you tell them how lovely I am.” John Lennon’s note is characteristically more cheeky. “Good luck with the book. And heaven help us all! I’ve been dying to read your diary for the last thousand years! Make a buck, but don’t f--- it [up]...” Lennon had a right to be mildly concerned, as Evans was then — and, arguably, now — the most intimate band insider to share their complete story. He quite literally saw it all because he was there, from Liverpool onward.
He was there for nearly every concert date, setting up the stage and prepping the instruments. He was there for every recording session, standing by in the corner with cups of tea and ciggies.When they paid a visit to Elvis Presley’s house in 1965, Evans was dispatched to the kitchen to break apart plastic spoons for homemade guitar pics. When the band scored their first US No. 1 with “I Want to Hold Your Hand” in January 1964, the Beatles immediately climbed on Evans for a piggyback ride.
No job was too painful, and no task was beneath him.
Living the Beatles Legend features Evans' own insights on the group's final days and ultimate split — an experience that left him traumatized and struggling to find his own identity. Yet he remained close to all the former Fabs prior to his death, and even relocated to Los Angeles with Lennon in 1973.
John was in the midst of his 18-month separation from wife Yoko Ono, forever known as “The Lost Weekend.” The estrangement inadvertently set the stage for a musical reunion with McCartney, who joined him in the studio on March 28, 1974 for their only known post-Beatles recording session. Unfortunately, the results were a dru**ed up shambles, but Evans couldn’t care less. His heroes were together again.
PEOPLE has an excerpt of Living the Beatles Legend detailing Evans’ debauched time with in LA recording Lennon's album Rock 'n' Roll, his memories of the final Lennon-McCartney recording session, and what may be the last photo of Lennon and McCartney together — captured by Evans’ camera.
On March 28 night, none other than Paul and Linda had strolled into the Record Plant. Ever the sentimentalist, Mal was overcome by emotion at the sight of John and Paul together for the first time since Pattie Boyd March 1970 birthday celebration at Friar Park. Unfortunately, the music they made that night was a different matter altogether. The great Lennon and McCartney were on hand along with Nilsson, Davis, Keys and Stevie Wonder, who chipped in on keyboards.
With nary a drummer in sight, Paul strode behind Ringo’s empty drum kit, joining John and a series of ragged lead vocals on such chestnuts as “Lucille” and “Stand by Me.” For their part, Mal and May made half-hearted efforts at percussion. After several sloppy attempts at finding a groove, the musicians mercifully called it quits. What might have been an unexpected Lennon-McCartney triumph had ended in an amateurish, desultory jam.
For Mal, the sunny afternoon of March 29 would bring pure magic in contrast with the previous evening’s lackluster proceedings. The McCartney clan showed up [at the Santa Monica beach house] out of the blue, this time with daughters Heather, Mary, and Stella in tow, and Mal was thrilled at the prospect of seeing John and Paul together again—twice in the span of two days, no less. And he was by no means disappointed, observing the two old friends reclining on the patio together and, later, walking along the beach, with May, Linda, and the McCartney brood trailing along behind them. “Nice to see him and John together,” Mal scribbled in his diary later that month.
At one point that afternoon, Evans reached for his camera and snapped a photo of the two old friends lounging at the beach house — flanked by their partners, Linda and May Pang, and Harry Nilsson. May would also take some Polaroids of the meeting at some point this day, but there's a very real possibility that Evans' picture is the last photo ever taken of the 20th Century's greatest songwriting duo.
A week after taking the historic photo, Evans returned to the Santa Monica beach house on April 6, 1974, to have one of the most difficult conversations of his life. After dedicating himself body and soul to the Beatles for more than a decade, he was about to tender his resignation. It was the only way to forge his own path as a budding producer, songwriter, and talent scout. Thankfully, three of the Fab Four were in residence at the beach house that day, so he could say his farewells in person.
Photos: Malcolm Frederick Evans Archives
People
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