Monday, October 18, 2021

I Me Mine - the last Beatles recording session


 

The song "I Me Mine" is rehearsed in the "Let it Be" film and it was decided that it should be on the album as well.   Ringo, George, and Paul got together in January 1970 to give a proper recording.   John was in Denmark at the time.   He had said that he had quit the Beatles in September 1969,  but I have to wonder if he was in London at the time if he would have joined them.   

I am having a hard time with this whole "John was the one that quit the band and not me" narrative that Paul is pushing right now.    Yes -- John quit.  He said he wanted a divorce.   And yet he didn't DO anything about it.  John changed his mind as often as he changed his look.   We don't know that in a few years that John wouldn't have been ready to record again with the Beatles.  Paul is the one that took the action to legally end the Beatles.   There is a difference between saying "I want a divorce" and filing the legal paperwork.  We all know that the breakup of the Beatles is a complicated discussion with a lot of variables and not one individual person is to blame.   However, it would be nice for Paul to admit to his part in the breakup and not shove the entire thing onto John.   (Just my opinion -- don't come at me).   

17 comments:

  1. I think John finalized it. Paul just had had enough of keeping quiet about it AND rather tactlissly used the split announcement to help promote his solo album. I think Paul wanted the Beatles to continue on more than any of the others but when he realized that they were not going to reunite he used it to his advantage. But, I still love that Manipulating McCartney. (MarkZapp)

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  2. Where are these amazing photos coming from? Linda is in this picture so she didn't take this one. Photos that we never thought existed! ❤️ (MarkZapp)

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  3. He waited FIVE months for a sign from John that he might have changed his mind. And he freely admits that he sued the other three because he despised Klein - so how is he shoving everything onto John?
    And @MarkZapp, John and Yoko were at least as willing and far more succesfull in manipulating the narrative. John has admitted he plotted with Klein to trick Paul back into the studio for god's sake!

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  4. Many thanks Sara for sharing this highly unique photo. Looks like George is playing John's sandpapered Epiphone. If it is, then this is the closest we got to an all 4 Beatles January 1970 session.

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  5. IMO both had their part; John's obsession w/Yoko and Paul's wife and in-laws pushing him to take legal action. George and Ringo also had enough with them by then.

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  6. To some extent I agree with you Sara, but on the other hand, many fans have had over 50 years of having a hard time dealing with people laying the blame solely at Paul's feet. A case of the boot being on the other foot, perhaps?Whether he was right or not in bringing the lawsuit, Paul should never have been vilified to that extent and his character and music crucified. Mark Zapp - the other Beatles had released their solo albums without Paul's objection. John was still Paul's songwriting collaborator and he disrespected Paul in sending Ringo round to do his dirty work for him. And both John and Yoko were highly manipulative, as was George. The real tragedy is how Paul has been so traumatized by events that he reacts so defensively all these years later.

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    1. I agree with you - it was disgraceful and completely unnecessary for Paul to be vilified.

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  7. I don't think John finalized anything. When asked, he said the problems they were having would probably lead to a rebirth of some kind. Even though John said he was out, Paul actually was the first to say anything about it in print. In the Life mag cover story from 69, he said "the Beatle thing is over." If business negotiations were going on, why declare it? You not only have to take into account who said what, but *when* they said it. Especially with John. What killed the group was when Paul sued them at the end of 70. All discussions of getting back together again (which they were all on record as having said save for Paul) ended then. Paul ended it as he was having none of the Klein business. And time proved him right.

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  8. Whoah, wait. Is this a 1970 photo? It certainly looks like "McCartney" era Paul, not "Let It Be" Paul! That is John's guitar....but it certainly looks like George from the back.....but it could also be John. Yipes!
    As far as the breakup is concerned.....it's a good thing Paul sued them because it saved all their money! I don't think of it as "blame" for the breakup. Time, inevitability and the pressures of fame broke those guys up. MOST bands break up eventually, it's not unheard of.

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  9. Anon 8:22 - George also had an Epiphone with the finish removed. You can tell it from John's by it having a Bigsby on the tailpiece (which you can just barely see in the photo).

    Also, this isn't the "last" session; there was one the next day (Jan. 4th) that involved finishing up "Let It Be" by adding strings & horns, another solo and harmonies. The photo would appear to be Jan. 3rd when guitar & keyboards were added to "I Me Mine".

    As to the breakup, recall John saying that Paul quit after everyone else had already left. Certainly everyone had their own self-interests, but I do think Paul was the last to give up on the group. However, he does have a revisionist method of recounting history that might conflict with reality at times. And he's well-known for being a real SOB when he doesn't get his way. Nobody wants to be chewed out by Paul McCartney. So he can blame John all he wants; who bought more shares in Northern behind everyone's back?

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    1. mcarp555 So how is it well-known that Paul was a SOB when he didn't get his own way? The biased million and one books you've read, right? The biggest revisionists of them all. I think we can be assured that none of these men were squeaky clean angels by 1970. As far as going behind backs - John and Brian Epstein changing the name order from McCartney/Lennon to Lennon/McCartney is a classic. And promising him they would alternate it...

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  10. So is Paul to blame for filing the legal paperwork because he was the only one to see that Allen Klein was a horrible manager choice? Of course not. Imo Paul spent way too much time sitting around, hoping John would come back. John was an adult -- if he wanted to come back, he would've, and that's not on Paul or anyone else. Furthermore, what do you want Paul to say? Paul is right -- John DID quit the group. Of the 4, Paul HAS spent the most time admitting his imperfections in the breakup over the years (being bossy in the studio, maybe pushing too hard for The Eastmans, etc). John was the 3rd band member to quit in a little over the year -- by that point, even Paul must've been tired of chasing the others to come back. Was Paul perfect? Of course not. Paul tends to carry burdens unnecessarily sometimes. The band broke up 52 years ago -- he needs to move on from that, and hold his head up high for keeping that band productive for the 2 years after Brian died.

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  11. Paul has stated for years in interviews that didn't want to sue the other 3 to dissolve their partnership, but he was told that the only way he could extract them all from Allen Klein's grip over their business was to legally dissolve the band... otherwise he would have retained control, and profited from it. So in the end he did them all a huge favor financially by doing that, and they honestly left him no choice.

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  12. Agree unknown 10/20@8:33. That’s what I meant when I wrote that Paul was right. But it isn’t as simple as stating that John broke them up. There’s a whole lot more to it. This was a good discussion and I’m glad it didn’t get ugly.

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  13. It was a great time for us when they were still The Beatles wasn't it. We have our memories of the good times, the music, the films. No one can take that away...nyc64

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  14. think it broke Paul's heart when the lads broke up but it really was over when John wanted a divorce from them; it's unfortunate that after all these years he feels he still has to defend himself

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