Pick a Day

The Beatles begin work on what becomes their Let It Be album and accompanying film. The project is filled with tension as the band quarrels over the songs and the direction of the band. Both the film and the album are eventually released after the band breaks up.

In response to the other Beatles hiring Allen Klein as manager the day before, Paul McCartney hires his father-in-law's firm, Eastman & Eastman, as general legal counsel for Apple Corps.

Beatles John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr hire Allen Klein as the group's new manager, against the express wishes of Paul McCartney, who preferred his father-in-law Lee Eastman. The dissension is a deciding factor in the group's breakup a year later.

Two days after their wedding in Gibraltar, John Lennon and Yoko Ono begin their "Bed-in," inviting members of the media into their Amsterdam hotel room where they are promoting peace with songs, signs and dialogue. These events are outlined in the song "The Ballad of John and Yoko."

John Lennon marries Yoko Ono at the Rock of Gibraltar in Spain, which is still owned by Britain. The Beatles song "The Ballad of John and Yoko" describes their ordeal finding a location for the nuptials.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono get caught "standing in the dock at Southampton, trying to get to Holland or France" as passport problems stall their wedding. They get married five days later in Gibraltar, and use their adventure in the lyrics to "The Ballad Of John And Yoko."

Paul McCartney marries Linda Eastman at the register office in Marylebone, London, and again at the Anglican church in St. John's Wood. None of his Beatles bandmates attend.

The Beatles' "Get Back," featuring piano from Billy Preston, hits #1 in America.

The Beatles pose for the photo that becomes the cover of their The Beatles 1967-1970 compilation, re-creating the cover of their first album, Please Please Me, now with far more hair on their heads and faces.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono record "Give Peace A Chance" to close out their "bed-in" in Montreal.More

The Beatles, producer George Martin, and the Abbey Road engineers assemble the first rough cut of the proposed Abbey Road medley. Paul McCartney, feeling that the song "Her Majesty" distracts from the flow of the medley, has it removed and orders it erased. Second engineer John Kurlander, not wanting to destroy a Beatles song, instead appends it to the end of the medley tape, adding 15 seconds of leader to make sure it's kept separate. When he finds out, Paul likes the effect so much that he leaves the ending of the album just that way.

The Beatles work on a slew of songs for their Abbey Road album: "Sun King," "Mean Mr. Mustard," "Come Together," "Polythene Pam" and "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window."

The Beatles record John Lennon's song "Come Together" at Abbey Road Studios.

The Beatles participate in their final photo shoot, which is held on the lawn of John Lennon's home at Tittenhurst Park in Sunninghill, England. Photos from the session are used on the front and back covers of their Hey Jude compilation album.More

The Beatles shoot the photo for their Abbey Road album cover at the crosswalk outside Abbey Road studios, where they are recording. Fans find many nested clues in the shot of the four band members walking in stride across the street, fuelling rumors that Paul McCartney is dead.More

The Beatles release Abbey Road in England.

John Lennon leaves The Beatles but agrees to not make an official announcement. The recording of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" marks the last time all four Beatles were together in the same studio.

Russ Gibb, a DJ at WKNR in Detroit, takes a call from a listener who tells him that if you play The Beatles song "Revolution 9" backwards, a voice says, "Turn me on, dead man." Gibb plays the record in reverse on the air, and the phone lines light up with astonished listeners offering more clues as to why Paul McCartney might be dead. For about a week, Gibb entertains a stream of rumors on the show, as ratings explode and the story goes national. Other clues include a voice at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever" that says "I Buried Paul" (actually John Lennon saying "Cranberry Sauce") and the cover of the Sgt. Pepper album, where Paul is wearing an armband that says "OPD" - "Officially Pronounced Dead."

The Beatles release Abbey Road in the US.

The Beatles' "Come Together" hits #1 on the Hot 100.

John Lennon works on a Beatles song for the last time when he mixes "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)" at Abbey Road Studios. The song is used as the B-side of their "Let It Be" single.

A BBC TV special declares John Lennon Man Of The Decade on the same day that Rolling Stone names him Man Of The Year and New Musical Express quotes him as saying he's thinking of leaving The Beatles.

Badfinger release "Come And Get It," a song written by Paul McCartney, in the UK on the Beatles' label, Apple Records.

In Bristol, England, George Harrison joins the Delaney & Bonnie and Friends tour as a guitarist, making this the first tour of a Beatle since 1966.

Four days after learning that their movie Let It Be will be released in theaters, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr meet at Abbey Road Studios and record "I Me Mine" for the film and soundtrack.

The Beatles make their last appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show when music videos for their songs "Let It Be" and "Two Of Us" are aired.

The New York Times reports on "submarine churches" inspired by the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." Their logos are variations of a submarine with the periscope forming a peace sign.More

Paul McCartney releases his first solo album, McCartney. Unlike the grand Beatles' productions, this one is stripped-down, with Paul playing all the instruments himself.

The Beatles' "Let It Be" hits #1 US for the first of two weeks.

In publicity materials released to promote his first solo album, Paul McCartney indicates that he's done with The Beatles.More