On October 22 1969 Paul McCartney tried to end a month of fevered press speculation started by a story published in a tiny Des Moines student magazine on September 17.
From his remote Scottish farm Paul quoted Mark Twain: 'Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.'
But not everyone was - or is - convinced.
No much news to report.
The Wedding Album was released by Apple today. the third long player of experimental recordings by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
The couple's first collaboration, Two Virgins, marked the beginning of their relationship and artistic partnership. The follow-up, Life With The Lions, mostly documented their 1968 stay in London's Queen Charlotte Hospital, where Ono suffered a miscarriage.
The Wedding Album commemorated their wedding in Gibraltar on March 20, 1969. Although it was the final installment in their trilogy of avant garde and experimental recordings, the couple continued to document their lives on tape until Lennon's death in 1980.
Not much happening today.
Since the Beatles decided to call it quits, there's not a lot going on.
The Beatles are ready to sell their Northern Songs Ltd. shares.
Lennon performed Give Peace A Chance with the Plastic Ono Band at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival Festival on 13 September 1969. He introduced the song with the words "This is what we came for, really". Lennon confessed he couldn't remember the words, so largely ad-libbed during the verses. The version was released in December that year on the album Live Peace In Toronto 1969.
Give Peace A Chance quickly became a peace anthem. 50 years ago, October 15, 1969 it was sung by half a million demonstrators in Washington, DC at the Vietnam Moratorium Day, in a rendition led by folk singer Pete Seeger.
That's what it was for. I think I heard... I don't know, I just remember hearing them all singing. I don't know whether it was on the radio or TV, but that was a very big moment for me. That's what the song was about, because I'm shy and aggressive. So I have great hopes for what I do, my work. And I also have great despair that it's all pointless and shit – how can you top Beethoven or Shakespeare or whatever. And in me secret heart I wanted to write something that would take over We Shall Overcome. I don't know why, that's the one they always sang. I thought, 'Why isn't somebody writing one for the people now?' That's what my job is. Our job is to write for the people now. So the songs that they go and sing on their buses are not just love songs. I have the same kind of hope for Working Class Hero, but I know it's a different concept. I think it's a revolutionary song – it's really just revolutionary. I just think its concept is revolutionary. I hope it's for workers and not for tarts and fags. I hope it's about what Give Peace A Chance was about.
A concert version of Give Peace A Chance was included on Lennon's Live In New York City album, recorded at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1972 and released in 1986. Two concerts, matinée and evening, took place on 30 August 1972, billed as the One To One concerts with funds raised for mentally handicapped children. Give Peace A Chance was the final song performed at the second concert.
It was an uneventful day.
On this day disc jockey Russ Gibb of WKNR-FM in Detroit, MI takes a call from a listener who tells him that in “Revolution 9,” a voice says, “Turn me on, dead man.” And it’s a sign that Paul McCartney is dead. He plays the song as instructed and his listener phone line lights up with more callers offering clues that indicate that Macca “blew his mind out in a car” accident a few years earlier and was replaced by a lookalike to spare Beatles fans the grief of losing their hero.
The rumors had started with an article about three weeks earlier in the college paper at Drake University in Iowa that explored whether McCartney is dead and mentioned the backwards masked voice on “Strawberry Fields…” and other clues. Two days after Gibbs’ broadcast a University of Michigan student publishes a satirical review of Abbey Road that details the clues to McCartney’s demise on the album, a number of which he simply made up. Soon after, they are being picked up by wire services and printed in newspapers across America. On October 19th, WKNR devotes a two-hour show to the mystery.
Eventually hundreds of “clues” are “discovered” by fans. The armband Paul wears on the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s supposedly reads “OPD” for “officially pronounced dead” (though it actually reads “OPP” for Ottawa Provincial Police and was given to McCartney while on tour in Canada) – just one of the many hints of Paul’s death people read into that cover. Similarly, the four Beatles striding across the street on Abbey Road represent an undertaker (Ringo in black), gravedigger (George in denim), minister (John in white) and corpse (Paul barefoot and out of step with the others). The license plate of the Volkswagen in the background reads “28 IF,” meaning McCartney would have been age 28 if he lived (though he was only 27 at the time).
If you have the time, you can spend hours on the Internet examining the plethora of clues. The fact that McCartney was in seclusion on his Scottish farm as the rumors swirled didn’t help matters. Eventually he allowed a Life magazine reporter and photographer to visit for a cover story to prove he was alive. The supreme irony is that while millions were wondering if Paul was dead, The Beatles were on their last legs as a band.
No news to report today.
Not much news happening today,
Even though today was John Lennon's 29th birthday, Yoko Ono, who was pregnant was rushed to King's College Hospital, London, for an emergency blood transfusion.
Fearing that she may lose her baby, and indeed she did suffer a miscarriage four days later. Lennon remained by her side throughout her stay in hospital.
George Harrison was interviewed at Apple Offices in London on October 8th 1969 by David Wigg. Their conversation would air later that month in two parts on the BBC Radio-One program ‘Scene and Heard.' At the time of this interview, the Abbey Road LP was number one on the album charts, having been released just 12 days earlier.
Wigg would later remember of his meeting with Harrison: "We met at the Apple offices in London... It was an important time for George as he was emerging as a strong songwriting influence. He explained how 'Here Comes The Sun' had come to him while sitting in Eric Clapton's garden, and that 'Something' was for Patti (George's then-wife). He also described what meditation and Hare Krishna meant to him, the Beatles financial problems, and how he came to terms with being a Beatle."
In addition to being a BBC radio personality, David Wigg was also famous for being a columnist for the Daily Express, as well as the London Evening News. In 1976, Wigg would release a double album featuring his interviews with each of the four Beatles, entitled 'The Beatles Tapes.'
- Jay Spangler,
Nothing happening today.
The Beatles single Something/Come Together was released in the U.S. This was the first time a George Harrison song received top billing on a Beatles single.
Today John Lennon added all the last touches on the stereo mixes of Cold Turkey (on September 29th). Alos, John created further mixes today. The whole session lasted a full 12 hours, from 10am to 10pm, and also saw the completion of the single's b-side Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking For Her Hand In The Snow), which had been recorded two days previously.
Lennon then added a series of overdubs to the September 28th recording of Cold Turkey made at Trident Studios. He taped two new lead vocals and added more lead guitar, including the backwards flourish at the song's close.
The Beatles were not recording anything today.
October 3, 1969: Beatles ‘Abbey Road’ U.S. Release
Although it was not the last new album released by the Fab Four – that was Let It Be – it was their last recording together. It’s marked by a number of contradictions and compromises.
One is the critical reception given to Abbey Road, best described as mixed on its release. Yet over time it has come to be considered by many to be the best Beatles LP (a subject that can be debated ad infinitum). A number of its merits were a result of final genuine collaborations by a band that was already splintered if not for all intents and purposes broken up. Other high points were bones of contention, most notably the medley on side two.
After the uncomfortable Get Back sessions (which became Let It Be) failed to renew the esprit de corps The Beatles once had, Paul McCartney asked George Martin to produce them again, and he insisted the four Beatles get together to record as they used to – a quick tight series of sessions as a band. It didn’t exactly work out that way, though Harrison does recall that “we did actually perform like musicians again.” Recording started on February 2, 1969, with later sessions in April and May. Finally they reconvened on June 2 and worked on the album through August.
McCartney and Lennon had reconnected creatively when they worked together on “The Ballad of John and Yoko” in April of that year. But they were heading in very different directions (as their later solo work would amplify). John dismissed Paul’s writing as music “for the grannies to dig.” The presence of Yoko Ono at the sessions didn’t help matters, especially after John and Yoko were in a car accident. A doctor prescribed bed rest for her, so a bed was brought into the studio so she could still be present.
Lennon wanted it to be an album of discrete songs, and suggested that one side be his material and the other Paul’s. He felt the medley on side two was “junk… just bits of songs thrown together.” Yet Ringo Starr recalls it as “for me one of the finest pieces we put together.” It was Harrison who maybe shone strongest with “Something,” inspired by then-Apple Records artist James Taylor’s song “Something in the Way She Moves.”
It was a double-sided #1 single with “Come Together”
Across The Universe was be included on the World Wildlife Fund's album No One's Gonna Change My World. Today, the song was given two stereo mixes.
Since the song had been recorded back in February 1968, it had remained unreleased. At this stage, prior to Phil Spector's remixing in early 1970, it still featured backing vocals by two Apple Scruffs.
During this 9.30-11am session, George Martin and balance engineer Jeff Jarratt mixed the song. The wildlife effects had already been added, most likely back on February 8, 1968.
No One's Gonna Change My World was issued in the United Kingdom on December 12. 1969 as Regal Starline SRS 5013. Across The Universe was the first track on the album, which also featured The Bee Gees, Cilla Black, Bruce Forsyth, Rolf Harris, The Hollies, Lulu, Spike Milligan, Cliff Richard, Harry Secombe and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky Mick and Tich.
This mix of Across The Universe was also included on the Past Masters collection. Remember the movie back in 2007?
Five days after its UK release, The Beatles' last-recorded LP, Abbey Road, was issued in the United States today - five days after its UK release. The catalog number was Apple SO 383.
The album made its Billboard 200 debut at number 178, before climbing to number 4 the following week. In its third week on sale it reached the top of the charts, where it remained for 11 consecutive weeks, although it was not the highest-selling album in the 1969 Christmas week.
Abbey Road spent 129 weeks on the chart. It was the fourth best-selling album of 1970 in the US, and was eventually certified 12x platinum by the RIAA. It also won a Grammy for Best Engineered Non-Classical Recording.
In its first six weeks on sale, Abbey Road sold four million copies worldwide. By the time the group had officially disbanded in 1970, it had sold more than 7 million copies.
Today a session took place and Stereo mixes of Cold Turkey which was the second single by the Plastic Ono Band were worked on at EMI Studios. The Plastic Ono Band had first recorded the song a couple of days before.
This session took place from 8pm-midnight and the final mix was similar to the single version, although missing some vocal and guitar overdubs were added on October 5th. Some electric piano, possibly played by Yoko Ono, is also audible near the end.
At the close of the session Lennon had an acetate made of the best mix. It was eventually broadcast in 1988 on The Lost Lennon Tapes radio series, although the ending was marred by a narration by the presenter. Bootleg copies later fixed this by editing in the ending of the released stereo mix.
Nothing was recorded today as far as we know.
John Lennon after 26 takes of Cold Turkey at EMI Studios didn't think the recording was good enough to be the Plastic Ono Band's second single so a second session took place today at Trident Studios.
John was on guitar and vocals, joined by Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Yoko Ono of course, was also present, and may have played some electric piano.
Not much happening today.
Abbey Road is the 11th studio album released by the English rock band The Beatles. It is their last recorded album, although Let It Be was the last album released before the band’s dissolution in 1970. Work on Abbey Road began in April 1969, and the album was released on 26 September 1969 in the United Kingdom, and 1 October 1969 in the United States.
Abbey Road is widely regarded as one of The Beatles’ most tightly constructed albums, although the band was barely operating as a functioning unit at the time. Despite the tensions within the band, Abbey Road was released to near universal acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2012, Abbey Road was voted 14th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2009, readers of the magazine also named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album.
After the near-disastrous sessions for the proposed Get Back album (later released as Let It Be), Paul McCartney suggested to music producer George Martin that the group get together and make an album “the way we used to”, free of the conflict that began after the death of Brian Epstein and carrying over to the sessions for the “White Album”. Martin agreed, stipulating that he must be allowed to do the album his way. This would be the last time the band would record with Martin.
In their interviews for The Beatles Anthology, the surviving band members stated that, although none of them ever made the distinction of calling it the “last album”, they all felt when this would very likely be the last Beatles product and therefore agreed to set aside their differences and “go out on a high note”.
With the Let It Be album partly finished, the sessions for Abbey Road began in April, as the single “The Ballad of John and Yoko” / “Old Brown Shoe” was completed. In fact, recording sessions of John Lennon’s “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” had already started in February 1969 in Trident studios, with Billy Preston on the organ—only three weeks after the Get Back sessions. Photos from these sessions are included in the book Get Back, which came along with the Let It Be album but not in the Let It Be film. McCartney is clean-shaven and Lennon has started to let his beard grow.
Most of the album was recorded between 2 July and 1 August 1969. After the album was finished and released, the Get Back / Let It Be project was re-examined. More work was done on the album, including the recording of more music (see Let It Be). Thus, though the bulk of Let It Be was recorded before Abbey Road, the latter was released first, and Abbey Road was the last album properly started by The Beatles before they disbanded. Lennon was on hiatus from the group and working with the Plastic Ono Band during the September 1969 lead-up to Abbey Road’s release, which was effectively the first official sign of The Beatles’ impending dissolution.
The two album sides are quite different in character. Side one is a collection of unconnected tracks, while most of side two consists of a long suite of compositions, many of them being relatively short and segued together.
Paul and Linda McCartney attended the premier on this date of the film Midnight Cowboy in the UK which took place at the London Pavilion on Piccadilly Circus. A camera crew from BBC News captured footage of the McCartneys arriving, alongside stars including Marty Feldman and Richard Harris.
Also, on this date, two sessions involving the Plastic Ono Band took place. John Lennon worked with engineer Geoff Emerick on the mixes and eight songs from the September 13, 1969 concert at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival were included, as was announcer Kim Fowley's introduction at the beginning.
The mix tapes were later taken by Emerick to the Apple Corps building at 3 Savile Row, London. A different mix of Don't Worry Kyoko was made on 20 October 1969 to replace this day's version. Eventually, this album was released on December 12th.
In the evening the first studio session by the Plastic Ono Band took place, again in Studio Three. The group recorded Cold Turkey between 7pm and 1.30am, although the song was later remade at London's Trident Studios.
Today Linda McCartney is 28 years old.
Nothing happened today as far as we know.
