On September 20, 1969 John Lennon had told Ringo, George, and Paul that he was leaving the Beatles. The news was not for public knowledge, but on April 10, 1970 Paul did go public with a newspaper interview. It happened to be just 10 days before the release of his first solo album and an angry John Lennon felt it was more a publicity stunt than an official announcement. When asked if Paul had quit, John replied, “He didn’t quit. I sacked him.”
Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey
Ram
On 17 May 1971, Paul (and Linda) released a second album: Ram.
Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey
Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey
Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey came from the Ram album. Apple released it only in the United States and it became the first US solo #1 for McCartney.
The Uncle Albert of the title was an actual uncle of Paul’s. Albert Kendall married Paul’s father’s sister Milly. Admiral Halsey simply refers to the actual American Admiral William “Bull” Halsey.
Like the end of the Beatle album Abbey Road with its several songs woven into a medley, “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” does the same thing with 12 distinct parts, some of which repeat during the course of the song.
McCartney recorded the song in New York City with the following personnel:
Paul — lead, harmony & backing vocals, piano, bass
Linda — harmony and backing vocals
David Spinozza — guitar
Hugh McCracken — guitar
Denny Seiwell — drums
Marvin Stamm — flugelhorn
New York Philharmonic
Paul Linda Uncle Albert Admiral Halsey
George Martin
George Martin arranged the Philharmonic, but the album did not credit his contribution. In fact it was unknown by the general public for nearly 30 years. His score sheets for the orchestral arrangement mistakenly bore the title Uncle Arthur.
Their Candlestick Park, San Francisco concert on August 29, 1966 was the last Beatles concert. Yes they would play unannounced on the roof of the Apple building in 1969, but in 1966 they had decided that they preferred the studio to the road.
Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
Busy nonetheless
The Beatles remained busy over the next twelve months:
John Lennon starred in the movie How I Won The War
Paul McCartney wrote a soundtrack fro the movie The Family Way
John Lennon met Yoko Ono
They recorded and released the Sgt Peppers album. Their masterpiece.
The idea of the Magical Mystery Tour movie hatched.
“Penny Lane” became a #1 song
Paul announced that the Beatles had used acid.
Paul helped get Jimi Hendrix into the Monterey Pop Festival
The Beatles participated in the Our World worldwide show.
The Beatles included their names in a list of people stating that “the law against marijuana is immoral in principal and unworkable in practice.”
“All You Need Is Love” became a #1 song
they went to Bangor, UK to study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
two days after they left for Bangor, Brian Epstein died
Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
September 1, 1967
Following Epstein’s death on August 27, Paul McCartney and the others realized how huge a loss Epstein’s absence would be. On this date, Paul strongly recommended that the four pick up the pace on recording the music for and filming the movie Magical Mystery Tour.
Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
Tony Barrow
Paul did this at a meeting with the other three, but beforehand he met with Tony Barrow, their press officer and the person credited with the moniker “the Fab Four.”
Barrow wrote in his John, Paul, George, Ringo, and Me book, “Paul made it clear to me that his aim was to make a feature-length film for full-scale theatrical release and he felt that a successful screen ‘tour’ would go a long way towards plugging the gaping hole left by the axing of the Fab Four’s concert trips. Indeed, if Paul had managed to produce one successful theatrically released feature film with The Beatles each year, a far bigger potential audience would have seen the group than did in the touring years, and the profit margin for the boys would have been enormous.”
Beatles Magical Mystery Tour
Project accepted
According to Barrow McCartney did a good job of laying out the concept and emphasizing its importance to them as a group.
They finished filming on November 3, 1967. On November 7 they finished recording and mixing the music.
The Smile Orchestra playing ukulele, melodika (pianica), piano and e-bass.
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
Iconic notes
Some song’s first notes are so embedded in our lives that hearing them immediately transport us to a place, a time, a person, an era.
For me, the Beatles “Hey Jude” is one of those songs. It is late August 1968, just before going away to college for the first time and leaving behind the tanned friendship-ringed beautiful girlfriend whose September letters will only made me make more homesick. “Don’t make it bad.”
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
John and Cynthia on the verge
Just a year before in August 1967 the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had enchanted the Beatles. On their group trip to see him, John had left behind Cynthia struggling with luggage to keep up at the station. She missed the train and had to get a car ride to the site.
John Lennon had met Yoko Ono in November 1966 and they began a friendship that blossomed into a close relationship when the two recorded Two Virgins on May 19, 1968 while Cynthia was away on a vacation.
Cynthia Lennon had discovered the two of them together after coming home early from that vacation. They separated that month and John sued for divorce accusing Cynthia of adultery, an accusation she denied.
On August 22, 1968, Cynthia counter-sued. Lennon did not contest the divorce. It became official on November 8, 1968.
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
Hey Jules
In June Paul McCartney visited Cynthia and Julian Lennon. Though she was now separated, Paul and she had been friends since 1957 when Paul joined the Quarrymen and she was already John’s girlfriend. Paul thought of Julian and in the car on his way out wrote the lines, “Hey Jules [Julian], don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better.”
Paul would later change the name to Jude.
A month later, on July 26, Paul played it for the first time to John. John loved it from the beginning.
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
Hey Jude
The Beatles recorded the song over four days: July 29 – 31 July and 1 August.
Apple released “Hey Jude” August 26 in the US [Aug 20 in the UK]. “Revolution” was the B-side.
It reached number one on September 28 and stayed there for nine weeks, the longest time a Beatles single was at number one. It was also the longest-playing single to reach number one.
“Hey Jude” was the 16th number-one hit for Beatles in America, They would eventually have 20, the most of any group.
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
4 September 1968
The Beatles asked Michael Lindsay-Hogg to film a promotion for the song. He had done the same for “Paperback Writer” in 1966. The idea was to film it in front of a live audience, albeit, a selected one.
David Frost played the part of an MC and introduced the band as ““the greatest tea-room orchestra in the world”.” The audience is not seen at first and the two-tiered orchestra, seen during the playful introductions during which the Beatles also briefly play Elvis’s “It’s Now or Never.” Frost plays it straight and doesn’t crack a smile.
After the last chorus, the cameras pan back and suddenly the Beatles are surrounded by that unheard audience. Now, though, they clap along and sing the famous “Naa naa naa na na na naaa….”
They settled on the idea of filming with a live, albeit controlled audience. In the film, the Beatles are first seen by themselves, performing the initial chorus and verses, and then are joined by the audience who appear as the last chorus concludes and coda begins; the audience sings and claps along with the Beatles through the song’s conclusion. Hogg shot the film at Twickenham Film Studios on 4 September 1968,
Paul McCartney Hey Jude
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