The Beatles by Kevin Howlett

Author:Kevin Howlett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

THE BEATLES GAVE their farewell concert on the stage of Candlestick Park, San Francisco on 29 August 1966. Their decision to withdraw from performing was not made public, but it soon became apparent the group had made an escape from a relentless cycle of recording, touring and media appearances. Since the release of Revolver in August, no single or album with new material had arrived in the shops by the end of 1966. The year proved to be their least productive – just sixteen new songs were released compared to thirty-three in 1965.

Viewed from a 21st-century perspective, the songs on Revolver and the single ‘Paperback Writer’/‘Rain’ would sustain a modern-day band for several years before releasing their next project. However, as several months went by without anything new, there was much speculation about what The Beatles might be doing. Although keeping a low profile, they were, for three months, busy not being Beatles. Within a week of the last concert, John was acting in the film How I Won The War. He recalled during his BBC interview with Andy Peebles in December 1980 that: ‘After The Beatles’ last tour where the Ku Klux Klan were burning Beatle records, we decided no more touring. That’s enough of that. I’m not going to put up with it. And I was dead nervous, so I said “Yes” to Dick Lester, that I would make this movie with him. I went to Almeria, Spain for six weeks. . . because I didn’t know what to do. What the hell do you do all day?’ Paul was soon immersed in composing a score for the film The Family Way. George flew to India to study sitar with Ravi Shankar.

The long wait for the next Beatles record ended when the double A-side ‘Penny Lane’/‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ was released in February 1967. The promotional films for the songs supplied to Top of the Pops gave clear indications of the group’s new interests. Both had imagery that was unexpected. For example, much of the action in the clip for ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ revolves around a dismantled piano attached to a tree. The Beatles had entered uncharted territory for pop musicians – far from the kind of family-friendly films made to broaden the appeal of British singers such as Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard.

After a seven-month absence from BBC radio, John and Paul were heard on 27 March 1967 during The Ivor Novello Awards for 1966. The awards were named after a British singer and actor who composed the First World War favourite ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’ and parlour songs such as ‘We’ll Gather Lilacs’. An ‘Ivor’ remains to this day a prestigious honour to recognize the achievements of composers. A week before the broadcast, Brian Matthew had interviewed Lennon and McCartney about their latest awards during a recording made at EMI Studios in Abbey Road. First, John and Paul responded to ‘Yellow Submarine’ winning in the category of ‘the UK’s best selling A-side of a single during 1966’.

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