Music history remembers The Beatles as a united front, churning out chart-topping hits and changing the face of popular culture. However, beneath the surface, disagreements simmered. One such clash erupted after the tragic passing of their long-time manager, Brian Epstein. The band needed a new leader, but their search exposed a deep division.
Paul McCartney, the group’s bassist and songwriting half with John Lennon, found himself at odds with his bandmates. He harbored doubts about Allen Klein, the candidate championed by Lennon and George Harrison.
Despite pushing for a delay, a vote solidified Klein’s position, leaving McCartney feeling betrayed and powerless. This incident, along with a web of accumulating tensions, would ultimately contribute to the band’s heartbreaking split.
Pressure Mounts in the Studio
The tension surrounding Allen Klein reached a boiling point during a Friday night recording session. Klein himself arrived, demanding that The Beatles sign his contract immediately. He pressured them with a supposed board meeting the next morning. McCartney, however, felt blindsided. He argued for a weekend to properly review the complex deal before signing.
Lennon, a strong proponent of Klein, accused McCartney of stalling tactics. McCartney, frustrated, asserted his right to take his time. “This is supposed to be a recording session, after all,” he recalled in the book All You Need Is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words. He stood firm, refusing to sign under pressure.
With tensions rising, the band decided to settle the matter with a vote. Initially, McCartney felt confident. While he knew Lennon and Harrison favored Klein, he believed Ringo Starr would back him up.
A Devastating Vote
McCartney’s confidence crumbled as he saw Ringo Starr’s reaction. “No, you’ll never get Ringo to’,” he recalled, his hope fading. A quick glance at Starr confirmed his fears. Ringo offered a “sick look,” a silent betrayal that spoke volumes. Defeated, McCartney cried out, “Well this is like bloody Julius Caesar, and I’m being stabbed in the back!”
This moment marked a turning point for the band, according to McCartney. It was the first time any decision within The Beatles had been settled through a formal vote, highlighting a significant shift in their dynamic.
“It’s the first time you realize in our whole relationship that whenever we voted, we never actually had come to that point before,” he reflected. The weight of being outvoted three to one sunk in. The power dynamic had irrevocably changed, and McCartney’s pleas were ignored. The contract was signed without his signature, a stark symbol of his growing isolation within the band.
A Broken Friendship
The feeling of betrayal McCartney experienced in the studio wasn’t an isolated incident. Years later, after the Beatles disbanded, the wounds remained raw. When it came time to release solo albums, McCartney faced opposition from his former bandmates. They pushed for a delay of his debut album to allow Let It Be, the band’s final offering, to be released first.
Ringo, perhaps unknowingly, became the bearer of bad news once again. McCartney recounted the incident in the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles. Starr arrived at McCartney’s house with a message: delay your album “for the good of the group.” McCartney saw through this, believing Starr was simply delivering the pre-determined message.
Frustration boiled over, and for the first, and apparently only, time, McCartney kicked a friend out. “I had to do something like that in order to assert myself because I was just sinking,” he explained. The act, while drastic, showcased the depth of his anger and the fractured relationships within the band.
Vindication, But Not Harmony
Despite feeling wronged by his bandmates’ initial support for Klein, McCartney may have found some vindication years later. The honeymoon phase with Klein didn’t last. Harrison’s disillusionment began after alleged financial mismanagement surrounding the Concert for Bangladesh. Lennon and Starr eventually shared similar concerns. By 1973, all three had severed ties with Klein.
Lennon, reflecting on the split in The Beatles Diaries Volume 2: After the Breakup, acknowledged McCartney’s reservations might have held some truth. He stated, “Let’s say possibly Paul’s suspicions were right… and the time was right,” without elaborating on specifics. While this wasn’t a full-fledged apology, it hinted at a recognition of McCartney’s concerns.
While the decision to part ways with Klein might have offered some validation, the legal wrangling continued. Klein sued the former Beatles, and the dispute was ultimately settled out of court in 1977.