Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Richard and Robert discuss the events leading up to Paul’s April 1970 bombshell, reported as the Beatles’ breaking up.
Songs include “Instant Karma” and “Early 1970.”
Check out the Something About The Beatles 2016 calendar here and here.
Enjoyable! Really listened to “Early 1970” lyrics for once. Sending Ringo in as an emissary didn’t work out too well.
Great discussion! Thanks for clarifying the timeline in a confusing period of the saga. I bought “It Don’t Come Easy/Early 1970” when it came out – I was in 6th grade. I remember being glad Ringo still wanted to “see all three.”
It’s a shame the creative and personal alliance of the Beatles, which put out so much good feeling, had to end in so much nastiness and pain. If John had lived, I’d like to think they would have patched it up – not necessarily to go on being the same act for our sake; but to manage, profit from, and enjoy their legacy together as they deserve. What a body of work.
Great show, I do believe John was feeling as early as 66 threatened for album/single space from Paul & now George and its around 67 that Lennon decides to not contribute much of anything with George’s material. He could accept Paul but I think he felt there wasn’t enough space for an emerging Harrison. Paranoia, Yoko and heroin and his loosing grip in the band was the real reason John left the Beatles. Just a note John is my favorite and I think there was two more great albums left in them and it’s a shame they never materialized. But we can thank The Ed Sullivan show, Brian Epstien and the Hard day’s night movie for giving each Beatle a personality and with that an ego that would make a long term Beatles an impossibility.
Another top show my friends, but then what else did we expect?
You ask why couldn’t John and Paul just have acted like grown-ups over the Allen Klien/John Eastman rift? The answer is simple – they weren’t grown-ups. John was 29 and Paul was 28. They were too young with too much power and too much money. This is why Epstein – as bad a manager as he may have been – kept the “boys” together. They didn’t become men until they hit their 30’s – like all boys.
I wonder about the possibility of Paul, George and Ringo continuing without John. Paul mentions it briefly in the Anthology interview and we have examples of the three working well together: The finishing off of I Me Mine and working extensively on Abbey Road while John and Yoko were recovering from a car accident. George’s new songs would have more than made up for a lack of Lennon and with George Martin producing a new album would have sounded and had the same quality of other Beatles offerings.
Hi Robert.
What a show!
Whilst your introduction absolutely nailed the quality of delivery that John Leckie exhibited, I was still unprepared for just how great the following 2hrs 22 mins would be.
I would place today’s show right at the top of the 200 you have delivered over the years. There were so many great moments and anecdotes that you and Luther manager to extract from John that made me laugh, reflect and most importantly, learn.
You have managed to interview so many excellent guests over the year however I can not think of another who has been quite so engaging, so believable and yet totally self effacing in their delivery and achievements.
Whilst I am well into my seventh decade, I look forward to your show like an expectant teenager. Thank you for all the effort and thought that you put into ‘Something About The Beatles’. Like all great professionals, you make it look easy whilst the reality must be hours and hours of hardwork and research.
No other Beatles podcast in my view comes close to the quality of work and presentation which you consistently deliver.
From across the pond I can only thank you again. I just couldn’t let this show pass without acknowledgement. At times such as these it was exacty the antidote we require.
Cheers
Paul
Enjoyed the interview and program. Thank you so much.
I loved this episode, another illuminating show! However boy did Mr. Leckie get PRICKLY when you discussed changing any of the production! Like a lot of engineers he is incredibly OPINIONATED and borderline arrogant when you get into their area of expertise. But I mean Picasso….come on! Spectors reverb use hardly qualifies…
also I don’t agree at all LET IT BE NAKED. is awful….not at all I prefer Long And Winding Road stripped down for instance. I do agree on Get Back and the coda but the real problem with the Original Let It Be for me is the paucity of great Lennon material on it and Harrison giving only his C SONGS to the project. The NAKED VERSION helped by putting DON’t Let Me Down on it. Also…I think Paul’s piano material can keep up with Joni Mitchell anyday! He’s done alright for himself! THANKS.
[…] was a previous guest discussing the making of John and Yoko’s respective Plastic Ono Band albums, as well […]