And in the End by Ken McNab

Author:Ken McNab
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Birlinn

© Trinity Mirror/Mirrorpix/Alamy

As The Beatles worked on Abbey Road, George Harrison became more immersed in the Hare Krishna movement. He oversaw a recording of the Hare Krishna mantra, which eventually reached Number Twelve in the UK single charts.

JULY 1969

The first day of July saw McCartney back at work doing what he had always done in a way, shaping The Beatles’ musical future for good or bad. In his mid-June conversations with Lennon he had notionally mentioned 1 July as a possible date to kickstart the sessions proper for a new album. McCartney, keen to dial back on the bossiness that had fractured the ‘Get Back’ sessions, made it clear that the plan was not laid down in stone. Which was just as well, because Lennon had no intention of pitching up at EMI Studios on that day. He was still enjoying taking time out with Yoko, Kyoko and trying to repair his relationship with Julian on their Highland holiday. Harrison, while cautiously committing to the sessions, wasn’t yet ready to snap to attention when the headmaster clicked his fingers. Starr, flying back from France with Maureen after another vacation in the millionaires’ playground of Cannes, made up the third truant.

The date was, nevertheless, important. Informally or otherwise, it drew a line under the ramshackle ‘Get Back’ project and initiated work on their next album and what McCartney and Martin hoped would be a period of proper focus to achieve their goal of finishing a new album, probably their last.

Some nine tracks, including ‘Something’, ‘Golden Slumbers’, ‘Carry That Weight’, ‘She Came In Through The Bathroom Window’, ‘Mean Mr Mustard’ and ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’, were already good works in progress, though none had yet acquired The Beatle quality kite mark. And then there was that intriguing notion, still being kicked around between McCartney, Lennon and Martin, of stitching together a medley from the patchwork quilt of musical cast-offs they both had lying around.

There was undoubtedly a lot riding on the project. Lennon, his cultural antenna always fixed to the winds of change blowing through music, was fearful that The Beatles were in danger of becoming relics. McCartney, though, was convinced that the band was still musically relevant.

Studio Two had been block-booked for the entire month and into August as well, if they needed it. Six weeks to find out whether to stick or twist. But the plans were thrown into immediate chaos when a call was put through to McCartney from a shaken Derek Taylor. Lennon, Yoko and their two kids were currently laid up in a remote Scottish hospital. Lennon, he reported, had driven his Maxi into a ditch on a road outside the small village of Tongue, almost ninety miles north of Inverness. The accident happened as the couple, having stopped off at a tearoom, were on their way back to Durness, taking in the scenic route round Loch Eriboll. The roads there are notoriously narrow and Lennon had already forgotten the sage advice of Stan Parkes

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