The trial for the dissolution of The Beatles’ contractual partnership – Day 6

From Liverpool’s Cavern to London’s High Court – the most spectacular pop story

HIGH COURT, Friday: so this is how it had to end, in the bewigged and cloistered confines of Court No. 16, a stone’s throw from the Strand. Amid the droning of the barristers and the judge’s quizzical raising of eyebrows, the greatest partnership in the history of music is disintegrating.

In the Main Hall Of the High Court, where lawyers and plaintiffs and defendants come and go, and no cameras are allowed, there’s a black white cat dozing on a padding bench. Across the stone floor, beneath the high ceiling, all flying buttresses and stained glass, a large noticeboard bears a small piece of white paper under the legend No. 16: “Mr Justice Stamp: McCartney vs Lennon. Comm. 10.15 am.”

Up the spiral stone staircase, following the signs, a gaggle of office girls giggle and clatter their heels, look-in for the public gallery. They pass the entrances to 12, 13, 14, 15… and then there’s another door, locked, with no markings. Cannily, those in charge have chosen the court with the public gallery which is never open.

Back downstairs and through a door by the barristers’ benches, more girls – only a handful – have found their way in and they stand at the back, craning on tip-toe, whispering.

” Where is he.'”

“Oooh. Look June, there ‘e is…”

“Ummm there’s Linda too.”

There indeed, they were. On the front row, flanked by wigs, Paul in a dark grey suit and white shirt, hair now swept back and full bearded, Linda in brown and yellow. They both look extremely serious, and neither as much as whispers a word for nigh on an hour.

The interesting bits of the hearing come in flashes, briefly, and in between it tends to get bogged down in details of contracts, agreements, and letters between the various parties. One of the most interesting of these is from John and George to Paul, last March or April, stating that they were putting back the release of Paul’s solo album because it would clash with the release of “Let It Be”.

The letter, handwritten, ends with an enigmatic postscript: “Hare Krishna – a mantra a day keeps Mia away”. The barrister pronounced it “Meeya”.

Another letter from which extrcts were read was “From the desk of Phil Spector” to the Beatles, and concerned the remixing of “Let It Be”. It was read out because Paul is apparently alleging that “The Long And Winding Road” was remixed in order to hurt him, and the passage from Spector’s missive concerning this track reads: “This has strings, voices, horns, and Ringo’s drums overdubbed. I like it as a title for the album instead of ‘Let It Be’ but that’s just personal preference”.

It concludes: “If there’s anything you’d like done to the LP, let me know and I’ll be glad to help. Naturally little things are easy to change, big things would be a problem”. A letter from Paul to Klein was then read out, in which McCartney demanded that the strings, horns, and voices be lowered in volume, the harp taken off completely, and the Beatles’ instruments brought back to the forefront. Oh yes… and that it shouldn’t happen again.

But in the main, it was pretty uninteresting, with only the odd flash of dry wit from the judge (in that job, they really need a sense of humour) and every now and then, a gentlemanly disagreement between counsel. Paul wasn’t bored, though; too much depends of it.

From Melody Maker – February 27, 1971