John pictured with Mike Malkan in 1968
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Monday, February 16, 2026
Will The Beatles Ever Die (1967)
Will The Beatles Ever Die?
Written By Go Magazine
Go Pop Annual '68
1968
Shortly before Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tootled on its fifes, beat on its drums, marched around the corner, and straight into the hearts of Beatles fans all over the world. The same fans were asking the question, "Is it the end of the road for The Beatles?"
At that time, the question was not nearly so unjustified as it might now appear; little had been heard from the acknowledged monarchs of pop for many weeks. A few stories had filtered out of London about what they were doing, but the very secrecy surrounding the four seemed to suggest all was not well. The first fearful whispers about the future of the Beatles were heard toward the end of 1966. The US tour during the fall of that year had not been the resounding success everyone had anticipated. Attendances at most of the cities they had played were lower than they had forecast, and so after they returned to England, rumors began... "The Beatles are breaking up."
This was quickly denied in London when the boys' management office said: "The boys are not splitting up, although they are working on individual activities at the moment. They'll be writing material for their next movie together. "
One of the forecasts made at that time has so far been proved to been completely accurate. The forecast was that the Beatles had decided to call a halt to all concerts and personal appearance tours. What the forecast did not cover was the exact reason for this decision. Only when Sgt. Pepper arrived was the reason for this thinking made clear: the Beatles, as the world has known them, were gone. The new Beatles had arrived, and in doing so, had proved themselves to be among the number of the world's finest musicians of any era
Sgt. Pepper showed the complexity of the Beatles' thinking, and this very complexity decreed that probably never again would they be able to capture in live performances the material they had put on record, and obviously, having reached such a level of recording perfection, they had no intention of undermining its effect by appearing on stage with three guitars and a drum kit. So Beatles fans breathed again. The kings had not abdicated. They were back, bigger and better than ever before. One could hardly have blamed the foursome had they decided to rest on their newly won laurels. Instead, they plunged into the most challenging commitment of their entire career. They decided to write, film, edit, and produce their own full-length movie suitable for screening as a television spectacular. Thus was Magical Mystery Tour born.
Shortly before its premiere showing on Britain's National Network, The Beatles agreed to answer questions about the Tour and why they had decided to follow this path to further their career, and this is what they said.
Q: How did Magical Mystery Tour come about? And why did you decide to handle your own production and direction?
John: At the beginning of 1967, we realized that we wouldn't be doing any more concert tours because we couldn't reproduce on stage the type of music we started to record. So stage shows were to be out. We wanted something to replace them. Television was the obvious answer.
George: The point is, we can send a television show all over the world to be seen in countries we visited and in countries we've never played. Everyone everywhere can see Magical Mystery Tour while we're getting on with something else--- our next LP album, for instance.
Ringo: It was Paul's idea to make a TV show about a bus tour. He thought it up as long ago as April, when he was having a week's holiday in America. He started to work out the song "Magical Mystery Tour" on the flight back to London. Afterwards, we got down to talking about the things in detail.
Paul: As we came close to the filming time, we realized we all had very specific ideas about the show. The best way to make sure things came out just the way we were picturing them was to direct and edit ourselves, just hiring the essential technicians to do what we wanted them to do. So if we are not satisfied with anything in the finished film, we have only ourselves to blame.
Q: This was your first experience making a film. What were the problems?
Paul: That was the marvelous thing....there weren't any real problems! For the first couple of days, when we set out with this big bus full of people, we took things easy, let the ice break slowly, let everyone get to know what it was all about. Things just came together after that. Of course, we weren't using the right jargon when we talked to the sound men and the camera crew, and they felt a bit strange to begin with. After a while, they got to the stage where they were as enthusiastic as the rest of us. The main thing was to get rid of all the traditional tensions and hang-ups, cut through the red tape, and get everybody interested in the whole effort.
Q: How much of the film is truly spontaneous and unscripted?
John: Well, from our point of view, we knew most of the scenes we wanted to include, but we bent our ideas to fit the people concerned. Once we got to know our cast, if somebody just wanted to do something we hadn't planned, they went ahead. If it worked, we kept it. There was a lovely little five-year-old girl, Nicola, on the bus. Because she was there, and because we realized she was right for it, we put in a bit where I just chatted to her and gave her a balloon.
Q: Did any one Beatle come out as overall director?
George: Not really, although, if you want to be exact about it, I suppose John and Paul did more in that line than Ringo and me. On location, we split the unit once or twice to do two scenes at once. Paul and Ringo went off to do a scene on the bus; John and I stayed behind to work on a separate scene.
Q: Is it a show aimed at children or at your own fans?
Ringo: It's aimed at the widest possible audience. There are different levels of entertainment in it. Magical Mystery Tour is for children, their grandparents, Beatle people, the lot. There are interesting things to look at and interesting things to hear.
Q: Does this venture indicate that the Beatles want to move into film production?
Paul: If Magical Mystery Tour is successful, it means we'll use the same techniques to make the Beatles' next cinema film, and more television shows. It doesn't mean we want to direct non-Beatle films.
Q: From the beginning to the end, how much time did the production take?
John: Although we had an outline of ideas months in advance, all the real organization was done during the 10 days before we started the film. Filming took two weeks, apart from one or two odd extra bits we put in at the last minute. Then for the past six weeks, we've been working on the editing, sitting all day in a tiny room in Soho watching strips of film and cutting them about. Recordings were done at the same time.
During that question-and-answer session, the Beatles gave the reasons for filming Magical Mystery Tour. They did not say when, if ever, they intended to go back into the recording studio to make a follow-up album to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Make no mistake: Magical Mystery Tour is not, and was never intended to be, a follow-up to the album of music from the show; it was simply that, and not a complete entertainment package like Sgt. Pepper.
But then, even if the direct question had been put to them, it is a matter of conjecture as to whether they would have supplied a direct answer. As most people know, The Beatles have a very strong sense of humor, and when they do not consider the time is ripe for a straight answer, they will often offer a humorous explanation instead.
Two Different Reports
Beatle Hopes Take Off as Ringo Lands
By Paul Connew
Daily Record
February 16, 1981
The great reunion of the three surviving Beatles took a giant leap, nearer becoming a reality. Last night, drummer Ringo Starr flew into the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat to join Paul McCartney. It added to reports that the three will record together for the first time in more than 10 years to make an album dedicated to murdered John Lennon's memory.
Now only guitarist George Harrison has still to arrive, and it was reported in New York last night that within days, he too will travel to the island, 300 miles east of Puerto Rico. The Beatles reunion, the fulfillment of a dream for millions of fans, is being organized by the group's original record producer George Martin, who owns a lavish, $2 million studio there.
Martin yesterday flew a team of American security guards to Montserrat-- their job to preserve the idols 'privacy.
Paul McCartney has been on Montserrat for several weeks recording an album of his own at Martin's studio. Rock giants Elton John and Stevie Wonder are scheduled to fly in within the next week to guest star on McCartney's album.
Ringo Joins Paul for Island Record
No writer listed
Wolverhampton Express
February 16, 1981
Ringo Starr has joined another ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney, for a recording session on the Caribbean island of Montserrat. Steve Jackson, manager of the recording studio on the island, confirms that Ringo had arrived about noon today, but denied reports that the other surviving member of the group, George Harrison, would travel to the island. Mr. Jackson also denied a report in a London newspaper that the album in question would be a tribute to John Lennon shot dead in December. He said McCartney and Starr were booked into the studio before Lennon's death.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
The Secret Concert of Paul McCartney (1976)
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| Photos by D.J. Cast |
I recently purchased a wonderfully crafted Paul McCartney and Wings scrapbook, made by a Paul fan in the mid-1970s. In it was this story and photos from "Pair Magazine." Sadly, the entire article was not included in the scrapbook, and the story ends just as it starts to get good. I am going to go ahead and post what I have, hoping someone out there can help me finish the story. I have never heard of "Pair Magazine" and could not find any mention of it online.
The Secret Concert of Paul McCartney
By D.J. Cast
Pair Magazine
May 1976
It can be as simple as receiving a phone call. "Paul McCartney is playing Will Rogers Auditorium right now. He's rehearsing there. Word has it he's been there all week."
Damn! I couldn't believe it. Here I was, bending myself backwards, talking to people at the Capitol in Dallas and at Concerts West, trying to find an audience with Paul McCartney, always ending at a dead end. Logic would only dictate that the famous bassist had to be in the area. It was less than a week away from the commencement of his first American tour in 10 years, and the tour was beginning in good old Fort Worth, Texas.
A couple of friends later, I find myself at the stage door of Will Rogers Auditorium. We park the car and proceed to walk in. The hired policeman peeks around the doorway of an inner room as we pass. We just nod our heads as if we belong. He lets us pass without a second thought, and we walk on to the already empty stage. A few Show Co sound people are walking to and fro, turning off various amplifiers and preamps. This is it all right. There's Paul's piano overlooking the neatly stacked amplifiers. Linda's is completely surrounded by mini Moogs, mellotrons, an electric piano, all those nice effects that trip me from Venus and Mars. But where is the band? A Show Co person walks up to us, wondering who the hell we are. We throw around a few names, and he's assured were cool. He tells us they had just left after keeping them till nine o'clock yesterday.
I stand there and look completely around me, and all those empty chairs that were the only listeners to "Maybe, I'm Amazed", "Band on the Run", "Magneto and Titanium Man," and surely yes, "Oh, Darling."
The man informs us that they will return tomorrow. We thank him as he walks away, and before we leave, I put our magazine on Paul's amp, covering his song list, which reads like cuts from a McCartney greatest-hits album with Beatles hit. Yes, many! Paul has always been a good PR man. He knows what the crowd wants. He's not going to be like poor George.
The next morning, I'm in my own car, camera and tape recorder ready as I'm about to turn into the street leading to the rear of the Will Rogers, I see a limo drive casually away, empty, except for the disinterested chauffeur. "They're already here," I thought as I parked the car. The stage door was slightly ajar. My pulse was racing as I decided to leave my camera in the car. They may not want photos. I opened the door and walked in, thinking I would be seeing the face I'd seen many times on Beatles albums, magazines, and movies in the next few seconds, but there wasn't anyone here. It was 10 o'clock Friday morning, and the entire Will Rogers Auditorium was empty, except for the Wings equipment and myself.
I quickly put my recorder down and went out for my camera. I figured I might as well wait, just sit in the corner somewhere until they start playing. On my return trip, the policeman they hired met me on stage. I told him I was there for a possible interview. He said I was pretty early. The Show. Co people wouldn't be here until 11, and the band wouldn't be here until three this afternoon. I agreed it was pretty early to be out there, so I feigned surprise, and maybe I'd better call the office to see what the boss wants me to do. He redirects me to a phone.
I call my wife and tell her my plans in the strictest tones to fake the officer. He is faked, and I strike up some lively conversation with him. After I hang up, he tells me the band has been at Will Rogers since Sunday. I point out to him there were probably 4000 people in Fort Worth alone that would love to be in his shoes, to get to listen to live McCartney music five hours a day for the last five days. He sort of laughed it off as I took a picture of the empty stage. I tell him, I'll be back later and I'm about to walk out of the door, he throws a wait a minute at me and tells me he would personally tell the man that seems to be in charge of things, Trevor Jones, that I was by. He was the same one that would say yea or nay. I thank him and drive cursing myself on the way for forgetting my sunglasses on one of the amps.
When I returned that afternoon, there are a few older people standing outside the stage door. There are four limousines parked, one wine red limo, and suddenly I realized they are here. This time, I walk up to the people and ask if anyone could find Trevor Jones for me, and one of them runs inside. I could hear McCartney playing a jam as he opens the door, and he returns with Trevor. He tells me, in his thick English accent, he's not the one that could decide on the interview. It would be the publicist by the name of Marsha Hightower, and if I were real cool, he'd tell me where she's staying. I said I would, and he tells me. I talked to him a while, and he informs me what it's like to work for McCartney. "Every time I asked for a raise, he tells me he could get two people to do the job for free," but he added that McCartney would always give credit where it's due and he's a good man to work for. He lays some more facts on me, like McCartney would be videotaping both the Fort Worth and Houston concerts for his own viewing to go over the problems that might arise with sound and stage presentation. Trevor bids me farewell, but before I leave it, I decided to ask if it's possible to just step in and see them do one number. He says it isn't possible. And I drive home, cursing myself for forgetting my shades again.
Marsha Hightower informs me on the phone that no interviews are being granted, that Life, London Daily, and Time all want interviews, and Paul is just not giving them at this time, but she said, " We give out a press kit." I hungrily accept and make plans the following day to go to Dallas and pick up the press kit.
Driving back to Will Rogers for the third time, I decide to stay until Wings leaves, so I can catch a glimpse of 1/4 of the Beatles when I arrive this time. Most of the parking places are filled. There's a small crowd of about 10 girls and a few guys just standing around in an Apple-Scruffian way and the sounds of a live Paul McCartney concert are contained inside.
I walk to the stage door, and the band is doing acoustic "Maumonia". The policeman greets me and gives me my sunglasses. I tell him they wouldn't let me talk to him, and in a pitiful sort of way, he lets me look into the stage, pointing out McCartney, which I couldn't see for my failing eyesight. I thank him and ask him where the nearest bathroom is. He directs me down the hall, and I stand at the urinal, thankful that I cleverly bought more time.
(hopefully to be continued....)
In Loving Memory of Marie
It is with a lot of sadness that I want to inform you who haven't already heard that a friend of this site and a wonderful Beatles fan, Marie Lacey, has passed away.
Marie lived a wonderful life full of fun and friends. She was lucky enough to travel to the UK and see Paul with Wings in 1973 and 1975. She was a member of John's "Welcoming Committee." And was the group that gave him the famed t-shirt. She met Paul and Linda numerous times, and she took some of the most beautiful photographs of Paul's children that I have ever seen.
I only met Marie in person a few times at the Fest for Beatle Fans on the east coast. We had been Facebook friends for many years and I always enjoyed seeing her photographs frmo Paul and Ringo concerts and her many trips to London and Liverpool through the years.
She was a Paul girl and showed her love for the Beatles until the very end. She was known for her deep faith and her smile.
She will be missed by everyone who met her.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
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