John Lennon said he felt 'guilty' about giving Paul McCartney song credit
Even before the band went their separate ways, The Beatles had begun working on their own projects. The last years of the 1960s saw relations strain due to many factors, including differences of opinion regarding their artistic output and business arrangements.
The sessions for 1968's 'The White Album' were notoriously tempestuous, causing Ringo Starr to leave the band for a period during the recording of 'Back in the USSR'. The acrimonious mood continued into 1969 as The Beatles worked on the 'Get Back' project, which resulted in their final studio album 'Let it Be'.
This time, George Harrison walked out of the band following an argument with Paul McCartney, though he returned days later. The actual split followed shortly after.
The group's break-up was made public in 1970, but the process was said to have begun the previous year when John Lennon asked for a "divorce" from The Beatles. This led Paul to retreat to his home in Scotland to write his debut solo album, believing the band's time was over.
This was confirmed with the release of Paul's album 'McCartney' in April 1970, a press release for which said he was no longer working with the band. 'Let it Be' was released the following month, bringing The Beatles' time together to an end.
John had begun recording and releasing his own music before the split. Alongside his second wife Yoko Ono, he formed the Plastic Ono Band in 1968 and the couple released two editions of experimental tracks called 'Unfinished Music' in 1968 and 1969 respectively.
The Plastic Ono Band's first single was 'Give Peace a Chance', written by John in opposition to the Vietnam War. Released in July 1969, it became the soundtrack of the American anti-war movement in the 1970s and peaked at two on the British charts.
Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth
