Commentary: As I turn 64, I can say the Beatles sure got it right. But, in the end, all you do really need is love
Brian Epstein had served as the Beatles’ manager for longer than the band had even been popular in the public eye. The band had initially caught Epstein’s attention in 1961, as they had begun to garner more attention in Liverpool’s local markets. After catching a local show, Epstein, who was new to the music management business, drew up a contract and signed on as the Beatles’ manager. Epstein was responsible for a number of different decisions regarding the band’s direction in their early years, including the shaping of their overall image, and he (reluctantly) played a key part in the dismissal of the Beatles’ original drummer, Pete Best in 1962, when he was replaced by Starr.
Throughout the life of the band, Epstein often served as the North Star for business decisions, and was a key mediator in managing conflicts and egos within the band. Most notably, Epstein was responsible for the Apple Corps venture that put all four band members in a legal partnership as a tax shelter. However, in 1967, Epstein died unexpectedly of a drug overdose, leaving the Beatles, who were not very business-minded, at a loss for what to do next.
Less than a year after Epstein’s death, The Fab Four got to work on their ninth studio album, The Beatles (commonly referred to as the White Album), the first album to be produced through their recently minted Apple Records. Though the band would go on to create three more albums after The White Album, this notably marked a shift in the band, as both McCartney and Lennon would go on to say that tensions were high during its creation, and it reflected in the end product.
Source: collider.com/Lex Williams
