50 år siden bruddet ble kjent

10. april regnes som dagen Beatles brøt opp. Grunnen til denne datofestingen er at dette er dagen etter at Paul McCartney sendte ut presseeksemplarene av sin første solo-LP, og nyheten ble offentliggjort i avisene. Med LPen fulgte det med et skriv i form av et intervju med Paul der han i klare ordelag fortalte at han ikke trodde han kom til å samarbeide med de andre i Beatles igjen.
Mange gikk ut fra at det var McCartney selv som hadde både stilt spørsmålene og svart, men Paul har forklart at han hadde snakket med Peter Brown fra Apple om hva han skulle sende ut som pressemateriale.

Brown svarte at han kunne sende Paul noen spørsmål som Paul da kunne besvare skriftlig og sende tilbake til Brown. Dette var da noe Brown satte sammen og sendte ut sammen med LPen til britiske plateanmeldere en uke før platen ble sluppet på markedet 17. april.

Lennon skal ha blitt rasende av at Paul avslørte at Beatles var over i forbindelse med å utgi sin egen solo-LP.

Det som hadde gått hus forbi hos både Lennon, pressen og folk flest var at Paul egentlig hadde latt bomben smelle under et intervju med det amerikanske bladet “Life” da de oppsøkte ham på gården i Skottland for å dementere ryktene om sin død. Bladet var i handelen allerede 7. november 1969. Der sa han: “I would rather do what I began by doing, which is making music. We make good music and we want to go on making good music. But the Beatle thing is over.”

Eller på norsk: “Jeg vil heller gjøre det jeg begynte med å gjøre, som er å lage musikk. Vi lager god musikk og vil fortsette å lage god musikk. Men Beatle-greia er over”. Videre la han til: “Vi er enkeltpersoner – alle forskjellige. John giftet seg med Yoko, jeg giftet meg med Linda. Vi giftet oss ikke med den samme jenta.”

Dette ga altså ingen krigsoverskrifter om “Beatles bryter opp”, det var først 10. april, etter at musikkanmelderen i Daily Mirror hadde fått tilsendt presseeksemplaret av “McCartney” at avisen var først ute med nyheten “Paul is quitting the Beatles” og i senere utgaver utover dagen “Paul quits the Beatles”.

Don Short, som skrev artikkelen har i sin nye bok “The Beatles and Beyond” en annen historie, han mener det kom et tips fra en av hans Beatles-kontakter den 9. april. Han ringte da Apple og fikk bekreftet at Paul hadde forlatt Beatles.

I en ny artikkel om 50-år siden Beatles-bruddet mener Audun Molde, norsk musikkviter og pophistoriebokforfatter at kvartetten fra Liverpool står sterkere enn noensinne i vår tid. Renessansen kom fra slutten av 1980-tallet, da historien var kommet litt på avstand. Audun er også gjest i et langt innslag om Beatles-bruddet på radio andre påskedag kl ca 1730 i Studio 2, NRK P2.

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Her er intervjuet som medfulgte presseeksemplarene av “McCartney”:

Q: “Why did you decide to make a solo album?”
PAUL: “Because I got a Studer four-track recording machine at home – practiced on it (playing all instruments) – liked the results, and decided to make it into an album.”

Q: “Were you influenced by John’s adventures with the Plastic Ono Band, and Ringo’s solo LP?”

PAUL: “Sort of, but not really.”

Q: “Are all songs by Paul McCartney alone?”

PAUL: “Yes sir.”

Q: “Will they be so credited: McCartney?”

PAUL: “It’s a bit daft for them to be Lennon/McCartney credited, so ‘McCartney’ it is.”

Q: “Did you enjoy working as a solo?”

PAUL: “Very much. I only had me to ask for a decision, and I agreed with me. Remember Linda’s on it too, so it’s really a double act.”

Q: “What is Linda’s contribution?”

PAUL: “Strictly speaking she harmonizes, but of course it’s more than that because she’s a shoulder to lean on, a second opinion, and a photographer of renown. More than all this, she believes in me – constantly.”

Q: “Where was the album recorded?”

PAUL: “At home, at EMI (no. 2 studio) and at Morgan Studios (WILLESDEN!)”

Q: “What is your home equipment (in some detail)?”

PAUL: “Studer four-track machine. I only had, however, one mike, and as Mr. Pender, Mr. Sweatenham and others only managed to take 6 months or so (slight delay) I worked without VU meters or a mixer, which meant that everything had to be listened to first (for distortion etc…) then recorded. So the answer – Studer, one mike, and nerve.”

Q: “Why did you choose to work in the studios you chose?”

PAUL: “They were available. EMI is technically very good and Morgan is cozy.”

Q: “The album was not known about until it was nearly completed. Was this deliberate?”

PAUL: “Yes, because normally an album is old before it even comes out. (A side) Witness ‘Get Back.'”

Q: “Why?”

PAUL: “I’ve always wanted to buy a Beatles album like people do and be as surprised as they must be. So this was the next best thing. Linda and I are the only two who will be sick of it by the release date. We love it really.”

Q: “Are you able to describe the texture or the feel of the album in a few words?”

PAUL: “Home, family, love.”

Q: “How long did it take to complete?”

PAUL: “From just before (I think) Xmas, until now. ‘The Lovely Linda’ was the first thing I recorded at home, and was originally to test the equipment. That was around Xmas.”

Q: “Assuming all the songs are new to the public, how new are they to you? Are they recent”

PAUL: “One was from 1959 (Hot As Sun). Two are from India – ‘Junk’ and ‘Teddy Boy,’ and the rest are pretty recent. ‘Valentine Day,’ ‘Momma Miss America’ and ‘Oo You’ were ad-libbed on the spot.”

Q: “Which instruments have you played on the album?”

PAUL: “Bass, drums, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, piano and organ-mellotron, toy xylophone, bow and arrow.”

Q: “Have you played all these instruments on earlier recordings?”

PAUL: “Yes, drums being the one that I normally wouldn’t do.”

Q: “Why did you do all the instruments yourself?”

PAUL: “I think I’m pretty good.”

Q: “Will Linda be heard on all future records?”

PAUL: “Could be. We love singing together and have plenty of opportunity for practice.”

Q: “Will Paul and Linda become a John and Yoko?”

PAUL: “No, they will become Paul and Linda.”

Q: “What has recording alone taught you?”

PAUL: “That to make your own decisions about what you do is easy, and playing with yourself is very difficult, but satisfying.”

Q: “Who has done the artwork?”

PAUL: “Linda has taken all the photos, and she and I designed the package.”

Q: “Is it true that neither Allen Klein nor ABKCO have been nor will be in any way involved with the production, manufacturing, distribution or promotion of this new album?”

PAUL: “Not if I can help it.”

Q: “Did you miss the other Beatles and George Martin? Was there a moment when you thought, ‘I wish Ringo were here for this break?'”

PAUL: “No.”

Q: “Assuming this is a very big hit album, will you do another?”

PAUL: “Even if it isn’t, I will continue to do what I want, when I want to.”

Q: “Are you planning a new album or single with the Beatles?”

PAUL: “No.”

Q: “Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?”

PAUL: “Time will tell. Being a solo album means it’s ‘the start of a solo career…’ and not being done with the Beatles means it’s just a rest. So it’s both.”

Q: “Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?”

PAUL: “Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don’t really know.”

(Her ser vi altså at Paul stadig vekk holder døra på gløtt for en fortsettelse av Beatles. Dette skulle vare hele syttitallet, der alle fire stilte seg positive til en gjenforening, dessverre var aldri alle fire enige om dette samtidig. Red.)

Q: “Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?”

PAUL: “No.”

Q: “What do you feel about John’s peace effort? The Plastic Ono Band? Giving back the MBE? Yoko’s influence? Yoko?”

PAUL: “I love John, and respect what he does – it doesn’t really give me any pleasure.”

Q: “Were any of the songs on the album originally written with the Beatles in mind?”

PAUL: “The older ones were. ‘Junk’ was intended for ‘Abbey Road,’ but something happened. ‘Teddy Boy’ was for ‘Get Back,’ but something happened.”

Q: “Were you pleased with ‘Abbey Road’? Was it musically restricting?”

PAUL: “It was a good album. (number one for a long time.)”

Q: “What is your relationship with Klein?”

PAUL: “It isn’t. I am not in contact with him, and he does not represent me in ANY way.”

Q: “What is your relationship with Apple?”

PAUL: “It is the office of a company which I part own with the other three Beatles. I don’t go there because I don’t like offices or business, especially when I am on holiday.”

Q: “Have you any plans to set up an independent production company?”

PAUL: “McCartney Productions.”

Q: “What sort of music has influenced you on this album?”

PAUL: “Light and loose.”

Q: “Are you writing more prolifically now? Or less so?”

PAUL: “About the same. I have a queue waiting to be recorded.”

Q: “What are your plans now? A holiday? A musical? A movie? Retirement?”

PAUL: “My only plan is to grow up!”