Long-lost Beatles break-up notes found in drawer
Long-lost notes relating to the acrimonious break-up of The Beatles will go under the hammer next week.
More than 300 pages of typed documents, compiled by the Fab Four's various advisors and legal representatives, were found in a cupboard where they had lain untouched since the 1970s.
Denise Kelly, from auctioneers Dawsons, said the "fascinating" papers were used by lawyers during an acrimonious High Court legal battle which resulted in the band's official split in 1974.
The papers will be auctioned on 12 December in Maidenhead and are expected to fetch between £5,000 and £8,000. Online bidders will be able to participate. Dawsons did not reveal where the notes had been found, only that they had been discovered within the last year.
"I just couldn’t put them down until I had read every page," said Ms Kelly. "As I read the minutes of meetings - notes which included discussions between the legal teams and accountants - I wondered how on earth they were going to sort everything out, and at times I could sense panic in the room as more and more complexities came to light.
"One of the lawyers even suggested during one meeting when they had gone round and round and round in circles: ‘Would it be easier if The Beatles just retired?’" She added: "It has crossed my mind that if I were a script writer, these documents would be all I'd need to tell the real story of what led to one of the best-selling bands in history splitting up and going their separate ways."
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Despite stepping away from The Beatles in early 1970, the band's final legal separation was not confirmed until December 1974.
McCartney said confusion over the break-up had festered because the band's new manager Allen Klein - with whom he refused to align - said he had needed time to tie up some financial loose ends.
Source: Paul Burnell/bbc.com
