MUS 116 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Plastic Ono Band, Linda Mccartney, Twickenham Film Studios
The Beatles Break - Up (5/25/18)
● Last Year (revisited)
○ Jan 1969 - most of Let It Be
album recorded
○ George Harrison brings Billy Preston in for last 9 days of recording
○ Jan 30 - Rooftop concert - their last “public” performance
○ Beatles dislike Let It Be
mixing; shelve project
○ Feb 22 - Aug. 20 → Abbey Road
recorded
○ April - May → John and Paul (alone) record “The Ballad of John and Yoko”
○ May - Allen Klein becomes financial manager and head of Apple Corps
○ July 4 - John Lennon and Plastic Ono Band issue “Give Peace a Chance”
■ First solo single by a Beatle
● “Ballad of John and Yoko”
○ Recorded by John and Paul, April 14, 1969
○ Issued in UK, May 30
○ The story of their wedding and honeymoon, written on honeymoon in Paris
○ Paul agrees to record it as a favor (peace offering? ) to John
○ John on vocals, guitars, some percussion
○ Paul on bass, drums, piano, back up vocals
○ In UK this single was their 17th and last #1
○ Paul troubled by Jesus references
● Fall 1969
○ Aug 20 - Beales last day in studio all together, mixing tracks of “I Want You
(She’s so Heavy)”
○ Aug 22 - last photo shoot
○ Aug 28 - Linda McCartney gives birth
○ Mid Sept - last business meeting with all 4
○ Sept 20 - John tells the others he’s done: “I want a divorce”
○ Sept. 26 - Abbey Road
issued
● Winter 1969 - Spring 1970
○ Late Oct - Dec 1969 → McCartney, depressed, goes to his farm in Scotland
(“High Park”)
○ Rumors of Paul’s death at their peak
○ Jan 3, 1970 - last Beatles recording session (without John) for “I Me Mine”
○ April 1 - “Long and Winding Road” remastered by Phil Spector
○ April 10 - McCartney publicly resigns from The Beatles
○ April 17 - McCartney released 1st solo album, McCartney
■ Paul plays all instruments
○ May 8 - Let It Be
album issued
● Let It Be
○ 12th and last studio album
○ Originally entitled Get Back -
a statement about returning to roots, and to public
performance
○ Recording (and filming) began at Twickenham Film Studios (Jan 1969)
Document Summary
Jan 1969 - most of let it be album recorded. George harrison brings billy preston in for last 9 days of recording. Jan 30 - rooftop concert - their last public performance. Beatles dislike let it be mixing; shelve project. Feb 22 - aug. 20 abbey road recorded. April - may john and paul (alone) record the ballad of john and yoko . May - allen klein becomes financial manager and head of apple corps. July 4 - john lennon and plastic ono band issue give peace a chance . Recorded by john and paul, april 14, 1969. The story of their wedding and honeymoon, written on honeymoon in paris. Paul agrees to record it as a favor (peace offering? ) to john. Paul on bass, drums, piano, back up vocals. In uk this single was their 17th and last #1.
