“Paul is quitting The Beatles” — UK newspapers break the story

McCartney to quit the Beatles? How the rumours started

ARE THE Beatles dead? Will Paul McCartney ever write a song with John Lennon again? Will he ever play with the Beatles again? Will the Beatles ever make another single? These are just some of the questions that even now, a week after the shock reports in every national newspaper, still remain unanswered. As far as anyone can glean from the sparse information available, Paul McCartney has not said he has left the Beatles. But then nor has he said he has NOT left the Beatles.

The situation is heavily veiled and confusing.

The few facts are these: Paul McCartney this week releases his first-ever solo LP “McCartney,” which Penny Valentine reviews on the following page.

To coincide with this release, McCartney decided it was time to emerge partly from his self-enforced hibernation which has kept him away from the other Beatles, away from the Apple company he formed two years ago, away from the hundreds of fans who wait daily outside his London St. John’s Wood home and away from the world’s Press.

His method was simple. He decided that rather than face the Press and their thousands of pointed questions, he would answer in writing a selection of questions which would then be released to the world to give publicity, albeit unneeded, to the LP.

There the speculation began. The very fact that Paul has been so isolated from the business of being a Beatle since his marriage to Linda Eastman has continually aroused curiosity. He has become the most wanted man in the world, and the news that he was making an official statement to the world could, people thought, mean only one thing.

The demise of Paul McCartney from the Beatles has been a long and gradual process, beginning just over two years ago with the formation of Apple.

Apple is the Beatles’ company, controlling all their interests and formed by the group following the tragic death of their manager Brian Epstein. Apple was Paul’s idea, his baby. Paul, always tagged the most ‘business-like’ of the group, realised the ‘fab four’ needed a protective organisation to preserve their interests, but at the same time did not envisage Apple becoming the high-powered, hard-hearted concern it is today with financial wizard Allen Klein at the helm.

Paul’s idea for Apple was as a meeting place for Beatles and friends, and a breeding ground for new talent sponsored by the group. Grapefruit set the ball rolling, followed by Mary Hopkin and Jackie Lomax.

But things did not go the expected way. The company became beset with financial troubles. John Lennon told Disc in January last year: “We started off with loads of ideas of what we wanted to do — an umbrella for different activities. But like one or two Beatles things it didn’t work because we weren’t quick enough to realise we need a businessman’s brain to run the whole thing. If it carries on like this all of us will be broke in six months.”

Was it this outspoken comment that caused the apparent rift between Lennon and McCartney? Certainly since that date the two have not composed one song together. Certainly Paul has also never appeared over-enamoured with Yoko Lennon and her introduction as the fifth Beatle.

Within weeks of the famous ‘broke’ quote. American businessman Allen Klein, who had already used his ‘Midas Touch’ on the Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits and Donovan, was called in to sort out the mess. Although it’s never been said in so many words, Paul and Klein have never seen eye-to-eye. Paul himself wanted Linda’s attorney father Lee Eastman to do the job, and was apparently outvoted 3-1 at a Beatles’ board meeting.

Two months later—on March 12, 1969, Paul married Linda Eastman See at Marylebone Register Office. The Apple pressman Derek Taylor quoted Dylan in Disc: “Come mothers and fathers throughout the land, and don’t criticise what you can’t understand. Your sons and daughters are beyond your command, ‘for the times they are a-changing.’”

Times did change. From the wedding day onwards an interview with James Paul McCartney became a physical impossibility. Even photographs of him with his wife and step-daughter Heather were like gold dust. Quite simply, and quite apart from any other tensions, Paul was retreating quickly into married life, leaving his public image behind and becoming a good husband and father.

His visits to Apple became fewer and fewer. Apart from a spurt of enthusiasm with Badfinger and their ‘Magic Christian’ hit ‘Come And Get It’ he’s had nothing to do with anyone but himself for nearly a year.

“Abbey Road,” the group’s last LP released to a howl of incredible publicity alleging McCartney to be dead, contained no joint Lennon/McCartney songs. Indeed, many people subscribe to the more plausible theory that the Beatles recorded not one track together, but that each was responsible for his own songs.

And now comes “McCartney,” the solo LP and the accompanying “interview.” Suddenly what most people had known for at least six months has hit the headlines.

Maybe Paul McCartney WILL never write with John Lennon again. Maybe the Beatles WILL never make another record together. If so, it is simply “The Beatles are dead—long live John, Paul, George and Ringo.” We will have lost one musical force and gained four in its place. We will be sad and glad. All good things end one day.

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Is it all a big Beatle joke?

THE SERIOUSNESS of the Paul McCartney split story is perhaps summed up by the teenage youth who pestered the Apple receptionist for an interview on the morning that the world’s Press waited, cameras and notebooks ready, for the full news of what might become the biggest ever Beatles bombshell.

He was slim, dark-haired, and wore a college-type scarf. He was, he claimed, Paul’s cousin. And he wanted to audition as bass-player in the world’s greatest group!

Debbie, Apple’s dolly door-girl, remained cool as she showed him out for the umpteenth time. “You’re wrong! You’ll be sorry!” he shouted. “I’ll sue you over this!”

The situation was of course laughable. The thought of anyone replacing Paul, John, George or Ringo unthinkable. In fact, the whole episode and events of Friday, April 10, 1970 — will stick in my memory as another carefully-thought-out, cleverly-executed publicity trick. A ruse to stir controversy — to ensure that “McCartney,” Paul’s solo album, got maximum publicity.

John Lennon was his usual laconic self about the current situation. “I received a phone call from Paul on Thursday afternoon,” he said. “He said ‘I’m going to leave the Beatles as well.’ I was happy to hear from Paul. It was nice to find that he was still alive!”

There’s your answer. In fact, he later added: “Anyway, Paul hasn’t left. I sacked him.”

Apple last Friday was fraught with the usual scenes which come when the Beatles hit the headlines. The road outside No 3 Savile Row, W1, was jam-packed with pressmen, excited fans, and onlookers. But inside everyone went about their business in the normal way. Only the Press office — with Derek Taylor and Mavis Smith at the helm — seemed in any way to have anticipated the avalanche of calls and callers.

One floor down, Allen Klein, the Beatles’ business boss was undisturbed. The first thing he said when confronted by reporters was that he hadn’t even seen Paul’s statement; and as far as he was concerned the whole situation was the same as it had been for the past six months.

The culprit of the current controversy is in fact Paul McCartney himself, aided and abetted by the efficient Apple machine. Paul has refused to speak to the Press for several months — and to salve public curiosity he prepared a special question-and-answer statement, issued with each album.

There are 41 questions and the most relevant ones concern Paul’s musical future; and his relationship — or non-relationship — with Allen Klein, the Beatles’ American business boss.

Says Paul to a question about Allen: “It isn’t a relationship. I’m not in contact with him, and he doesn’t represent me in ANY way.” His relationship with Apple? “It is the office of a company which I part own with the three other Beatles. I don’t go there because I don’t like offices or businesses — especially when I’m on holiday.”

And Klein’s comment about Paul: “I like Paul. We’ve had many meetings. But it’s never pleasant when someone appears not to like you. I think his reasons are his own personal problems. Unfortunately, he’s obligated into Apple for a considerable number of years.”

Explained Derek Taylor: “Until Klein came on the scene the Beatles had always taken one another’s recommendations. Paul went along with the Maharishi thing, for instance. But when he suggested Lee Eastman, Linda’s lawyer father, for Apple, the others said ‘We’ll stay Klein’.” […]

From Disc And Music Echo – April 18, 1970

Beatles bust-up mystery

WHATEVER THE outcome of the great McCartney controversy, one thing is certain — the National Press has excelled. For despite headlines like ‘Paul McCartney Tells Why He Is Quitting Beatles’ and ‘I’ve Broken With Beatles’, says Paul, nowhere in the now notorious 40-question and answer press release which sparked the whole row off does he actually say he’s leaving the group. Or that he will never record with them again.

The statement, believed to have been written for McCartney by Derek Taylor, and sent out from Apple last week with copies of McCartney’s new solo album is certainly very ambiguous.

But many of his comments on business manager Allen Klein, John Lennon, and his general attitude towards the group are nothing new and are views which have become increasingly apparent over the past 12 months.

It is, for example, generally-known that McCartney was the one Beatle opposed to Klein’s arrival in the Apple organisation. However, his ‘not if I can help it’ reply to the question of whether Klein is to be involved with the distribution and promotion of his LP seems rather pointless, especially when it’s on the Apple label.

‘Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?’ asked the mystery interviewer. ‘No’, replied McCartney. But what he might be planning next week is a different matter altogether…

Admittedly, one clear-cut answer comes to the question ‘Do you foresee a time when Lennon and McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?’ McCartney replies with a very positive ‘No’, but when again as is generally known, Lennon and McCartney have not written a song together for over a year.

What is the Beatle trying to do and why all the mystery? Perhaps he is leaving, perhaps he isn’t. But whatever happens he along with the other three Beatles is contracted to EMI until 1976 both as a member of the group and as an individual. There is no doubt that there is a very deep rift existing between McCartney, the other Beatles and Apple but viewed optimistically, the wording of the statement still leaves the way open for a later reconciliation.

Allen Klein who was in London last week has described the statement as a “permanent maybe” and takes the view that nothing has changed from the statement of six months ago.

From Record Retailer – April 18, 1970

“YOUR FRIENDLY PRESS AGENT KNEW THAT THE DAY WOULD NOT BE EASY”

DEREK TAYLOR, THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE McCARTNEY AFFAIR (AND WHAT BETTER PLACE TO BE?) TELLS THE INSIDE STORY

AND IN the end … what did happen? What was it all about? On Tuesday last week, Eastman and Eastman, Paul’s representatives (Linda’s father and brother), New York based lawyers with a good name in the music business, announced that Paul had his own company now, McCartney Productions with two primary projects: (1) an album, McCartney, out on Apple through Capitol the work solely of Paul and Linda, and (2) a full length feature film based on Rupert the lovely bear who has been part of everyone’s growing up.

Next, on Wednesday, Don Short of the Daily Mirror got wind of the statement planned for Friday in the form of questions and answers, the hard-news substance of which said that Paul was working without the Beatles at the moment and was happy to be that way.

That was merely, Paul was to say, because he had a better time at home with his family.

The questionnaire said that Paul did not know whether the break with the Beatles was temporary or permanent, he could not however, see a time when he would be writing with John, and there were no Beatles’ plans for recording or performing.

Don Short, taking roughly a 9-4 gamble on getting away with it, wrote a story for Friday’s Mirror: “Paul is Quitting the Beatles”.

The bet was a good one and in news terms, the story too — rogue Don maybe, fool never — for neither Apple nor Paul were disposed to disown the word “Quit” because it was as good as any, if an over-simplification.

Paul has quit the Beatles in a sense, though for how long no-one knows, time will tell; that is all time has to do — tell.

It is no use asking a mere Press agent, even one like myself with pretensions to a cosmic view of events, to tell the absolute truth because the absolute truth is not mine to tell.

The Mirror story, splashed with headlines no smaller than those that would announce an earthquake in Belgium (though maybe not as large as those that would announce an earthquake in Bognor) looked really splendid, I though, in media terms. The possibility of Paul ceasing to be a Beatle with the wave of his hand is so remote, that “Paul is quitting the Beatles” stood on its own, a great headline of our time.

The Mirror’s front page was flashed on television during the post-midnight election coverage and announced as “probably the most important news this morning”.

The BBC led off with it in the morning news and by 11 am the area outside Apple in Savile Row looked like a disaster zone. There were fans all over the place and all of Fleet Street seemed to have turned out.

Your friendly Press agent knew that the day would not be easy. In the event, it was o.k.

We worked very hard, like very hard, man, very. Disbelieve any stories that it was chaotic. Chaotic it may have looked, but our normality is confusion. So is everyone else’s by the way. So don’t be fooled by the apparent calm of the men in grey.

The Press were very nice on Friday, the reporters I mean and the cameramen. There was a warmth and sympathy I hadn’t noticed in the last two years. Like we were the relations of someone who was gravely ill, and they were waiting for bulletins: could the daring Beatles survive another crisis with massive complications the world was wondering.

In this kindly atmosphere it was very easy for us to tell what we knew and if — in the face of someone particularly importunate our vocabulary became over-subtle we could always turn to the questionnaire which was a model of clarity.

Somewhere in the middle of all this dialogue of quitting and splitting and breaking up, Rupert got lost and I got bloody uptight at an ITN suggestion that all of this was a stunt to publicise the McCartney album and Rupert … what’s a publicity stunt for Christ’s sake?

So … where does all of this leave us? I don’t know.

How can one of the Beatles be one of the Beatles when there isn’t a Beatles to be one of?

And yet, if there isn’t the Beatles then what are John, Paul, George and Ringo when they’re at home?

And how do you leave the Beatles? How do you leave anything?

O.K. Porthos, so you’re not a musketeer. I can dig it, man.

If that wasn’t Ringo Starr of the Beatles in ‘Laugh In’ on Sunday, who was it?

And if Ringo is one of the Beatles, how come he flies 7,000 miles on his own to appear in ‘Laugh In’?

You see? When is a Beatle not a Beatle? When he feels like he isn’t. Maybe.

The Beatles die a little every day and so do we, but we live a little every day and so do they.

Somewhere between the living and the dying if we have any sense, we pause and look at ourselves.

This is all Paul is doing. It is good he allows us to share in his evolution. So read no more but play his album and share in his growing up.

He is a good man and getting better, getting better all the time.

From Record Mirror – April 18, 1970