Beatles FAQ

The 'Paul is Dead' rumour began in early 1967. The Abbey Road cover photo provided new 'clues.' 

  The most famous photo in the history of pop music was what artists call a 'happy accident'. 

"Nobody wanted to play bass in those days."

  We were first introduced in about 1974 by Elizabeth Taylor. 

Wedding photo

  "one of the Beatles most dispensable items". [8] Run for Your Life’ I always hated ... John Lennon Lennon Remembers (1971

  Ringo has always been a pragmatic musician. His first instrument was  a toy drum - given to him by a visiting nurse while he was in hospital during a childhood illness.

  “We’ve just come across... the most weird song.  I’ve no recollection of ever recording it.” George Harrison Anthology

In 1962 Brian Epstein was the best man hastily arranged wedding of John Lennon and Cynthia Powell in Liverpool. 

Legally, The Beatles were formally dissolved on 29 December 1974. This was the date on which their 'divorce' became final.

None of The Beatles were keen linguists. Though they did learn some very basic, functional German while in Hamburg, they were resolutely English in their approach to pronunciation, intonation and attempting to mimic accent.  

Four years after his recording debut, David Bowie had still made little progress. Despite a name change and several changes of musical style he remained a fringe figure. Convinced that Deram (Decca) was mismanaging his career, Bowie was looking for a new label. In the spring of  1968 The Beatles returned from India and and announced the formation of Apple Records, a new label for ‘creatives’. Bowie immediately instructed his then manager, Kenneth Pitt, to submit an audition tape. As a signed artist with a major label, he might have expected his offering to advance to the top of the pile. Unfortunately, however Apple's offer had backfired. The new label was besieged by aspiring musicians, managers, agents, artists, and hucksters. All were clamouring for an audition.    A further complication was that the new label would only recruit new talent with the agreement of all four (endlessly squabbling) Beatles. The office filled with a  mountain of demo tapes. From an early stage

  A special Christmas present

I wrote that in my front parlour in Forthlin Road. I was about 16. 

  In Glass Onion John Lennon writes 'Here's another clue for you all/The Walrus was Paul'. What did he mean?

By the late summer of 1964, the Lennon & McCartney song factory was running low on stock for the new album due before Christmas. Trapped in an exhausting touring and recording schedule, they lacked the time and the energy to create high quality new material.

Designer Robin Cruikshank was doing work for Apple in 1969 at a time when the Starkeys were abandoning the suburbs for north London. Ringo was impressed by Cruikshank's steel and glass work and invited him to designing some pieces for hiss new Hampstead/Highgate home.  The two men got on so well that they formed a company ROH — with Starr/Starkey owning 51% to Cruickshank’s 49%. Admittedly, Ringo’s investment was in relative terms small change dropped down his soon to be discarded old school sofa but it was another indication of the depth of his new interest. Blue Peter Ringo’s design contribution is unclear — he had no formal training but seems to have provided conceptual ideas — one being inspired by a visit to his local car showroom. Why not set the grille of a Rolls Royce into a stainless steel table? In addition to his investment and ideas, Ringo was an enthusiastic front man for the company in its early years. In 1971 he made a famous appearance on Blue Peter, in an unlikely

Paul & Mary McCartney Paul McCartney has recently suggested a ‘subconscious’ inspiration for the line I said something wrong/Now I long for yesterday  was his regret at once chiding his mother for ‘talking posh’:

George Harrison and Paul McCartney first met while at secondary school.

First Ed Sullivan appearance - public domain The Beatles fly from London Heathrow to New York on 7 February, 1964 More than 10,000 girls are waiting - a major news event.