This shot is worthy of some further detailing that has gradually emerged over the years culminating in Yoko’s fairly recent acknowledgement of the part Paul had played in the John and Yoko reunion later in 1974.
It is taken, of course, during the famous ‘Lost Weekend’ period in Los Angeles when Lennon is with Yoko-appointed ‘minder’. May Pang while reliving his bachelor life before The Beatles’ success in the company of famous drunks including Ringo, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon and others.
The photo is taken the morning after Paul shows up as a complete surprise at a studio in Los Angeles and jams with John, Stevie Wonder and sundry others (bootlegged on ‘A Toot and A Snore in 74’), the first time Lennon and McCartney have seen each other for several years amid bitter fallings-out which have now faded. Paul has just received his US Visa finally after several years of being denied because of his erstwhile pot-busts in Europe and the UK.
He’s just collected a load of awards for ‘Band on the Run’ on which Lennon has issued a strong approval, (describing it as ‘great Paul music’ and saying that Wings is as conceptual a band as The Plastic Ono Band had been).
It is also just following a visit by Paul and Linda McCartney to New York where they have seen and had a long reunion with Yoko at the Dakota at the end of which Paul has asked her if she still loves John.
Having sensed and received a firm confirmation of ‘Yes’ from Yoko, he has come to deliver the terms to John she has described for taking him back.
lennon, meanwhile, having not spoken directly to Paul in privacy the night before at the studio, has just got up, Paul having been around for a while in the ‘madhouse’ playing piano.
It is clear that Paul wants a private talk, which they have just after the ice-breaking chat pictured.
By McCartney’s account they retire to a side room where he passes on the information about Yoko.
Yoko has stated that John was bowled over by this gesture by Paul and the fact that he had delivered it when he was back on full-power after the critical and commercial success of Band on the Run, which had taken Paul out of the dark tunnel of infamy and hatred following the Beatles’ split.
The meeting itself leads to an idea of John travelling down to a studio where Paul will be recording with the tacit possibility of him becoming involved.
But as Yoko’s later account comfirms, John knew that at the same time as Paul was getting to the point of his own personal wish-fulfilment (a personal and artistic reunion with John), he had also simultaneously sacrificed it selfishly in order to act as an intermediary for the reunion that would prevent it….John and Yoko’s reunion.
‘I’ll never understand why Paul did that’ Yoko reports John as saying.
By all accounts now, it was an act of love for both John and Yoko, made when Paul was in a position of some power which he could have used otherwise.
For the record (pardon the pun)That studio you mention John travelling down to was no doubt in New Orleans for the Venus and Mars sessions with Paul and Linda. Rock on lovers everywhere, because, basically, that’s it.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that Paul’s decision to drop his own wishes of an artistic reunion with John for the sake of John’s marriage to Yoko as acting “selfishly”. Rather, it’s totally selfless. You could argue that Paul had the odds in his favor. With one conversation, he could have convinced John to leave the Yoko situation be and just reunite the boys, or at the very least rekindle the Lennon/McCartney songwriting collaboration. But that wasn’t what Paul did. Instead, he left the idea alone and worked for the benefit of John and Yoko. Rather than put himself and his own desires in the forefront, he did the noble thing and put John’s happiness and desires first. Paul knew that, no matter what he himself felt, John loved Yoko deeply. He wanted to see his friend be happy, so he acted accordingly. That’s pretty commendable.
I think that’s what he’s saying – Paul had the option of working on John to see if he could re-establish his partnership – the selfish option. Instead, he chose to do what was best for John and Yoko.
For all the chatter about Paul being cold and self-serving, I see so much evidence to the contrary, this episode included. He just knew the right thing to do. Yes, he always played his cards closer to his vest than John did, but he still knew when it was appropriate to come to John as a friend rather than a once-and-hopefully-future collaborator. I think his selfless act as peacemaker for John & Yoko was as close as the world came to seeing the “real” Paul McCartney up to that time. But he never really called attention to himself for doing that over all these years, until recently – corroborated by Yoko.
However we should not believe in everything Yoko says. The story is a bit different in the book Many Years From now”. Besides, if we look at the facts we can see Paul can’t be blamed for his return to Yoko. He really took her message to him in March 1974 because she asked him too. He visited him to ask this favour. However John only returned to her in Janeuary or february, I not sure, but it was already 1975. In november 1974 he met her after singing with Elton John in a concert. But you see, he had not idea she was there. It shows he never looked for her after receiving her message. It was Elton John’s idea to ask her for the concert. No, it was not Paul’s blame.
Yoko Ono was an extremely conniving woman. She only wanted John back to save her own career, which was failing miserably, while John was making a come back. What he ever saw in that woman, I will never understand. She had complete control over him, he was at her mercy. Why didn’t she leave him alone? He was so much happier without her, & was happy with May Pang, who got him involved with his son Julian. She also encouraged him to get back in touch with Paul McCartney. If he hadn’t gotten back with her, I definitely think John & Paul, possibly Ringo & George, would have recorded again together. I also believe that John Lennon would still be alive if it wasn’t for Yoko. She was an extremely selfish woman. I don’t think she truly loved him, & in my heart of hearts, I don’t think John really wanted to go back to her. So, why did he? Did she brainwash him, or was it the so called “Mother complex?”. Will we ever learn the truth?
Firstly, I agree with your comment to Suzy, secondly, no-one will ever know if John would have still been alive had he not gone back to NY. He loved Yoko and, in some way, they were soul-mates destined to be together till death took one of them away. It was great that Paul forgot why he wanted to see John and gave John the message from Yoko as that shows how much he loved them both and was a completely selfless act on his part. I never rated Paul as highly as John anyway and, although I have every recorded work from Paul, George and Ringo, it is John and George’s albums I listen to the most. I don’t have everything John issued as some of his recorded output was only on single and my vinyl collection was sold off when I started buying cassettes (easier to store) and later cd’s. Now most of my collection is digital and it is difficult to get hold of the early Plastic Ono Band singles like Give Peace A Chance, Instant Karma, etc unless you are willing to pay a small fortune for them.
Nice to see the pic of the two of them together, post Beatles. It’s the only picture available of John and Paul prior to John’s untimely death. I used to read how they got together but had never had visible proof. May Pang took the picture privately and later published it.
There is second photo of John and Paul together taken on the same day as the photo above (which also includes Nilsson). I believe it is in May Pang’s photo book Instamatic Camera (not one hundred per cent sure on the title).
OK here’s a follow-up. First of all, , there is a site called— feel numb/useful useless info–that shows THREE photos of John and Paul. The second and third photos also include other musicians who worked on Nilsson’s Pussy Cats album. Second of all, May Pang’s book is titled–Instamatic Karma.
7 November 1966 the day John met Yoko, is truly the beginning of the end of The Fabulous Beatles! Like 22 November 1963 the day JFK was shot! What if they never happened?…. The World Will Never Know!…. Heah! Heah! Heah! Heah!….
I think that Paul helped John to make peace with Yoko because he loved him. Paul didn’t want John in the end was left alone. I think Jon’s that person who needs that next to him was someone who “protected” him. Otherwise John would not be able to cope with their passions. And it could lead to what John would simply be lost. And that man at that time was Yoko. I think Paul chose the lesser of two evils (as it seemed to him) This is my personal, may be a naive opinion
sorry for my English, I write through google translator
Paul gets a lot of negative comments but he’s done two truly SELFLESS moves, one being this with John and yoko. The other, way back, when he, likely the best guitarist in the band, moved to bass. THAT was selfless.
Can I just correct you slightly Marlan? Paul wasn’t the best guitarist in the band (that was George) but he was the best on the bass which is why he shifted over to bass when Stu stayed in Hamburg. The bass was purchased by Stu from a prize he won for his art and there is no mention of the Beatles buying it off him. It’s a shame Stu died in Hamburg later on but Paul and George used to cover for his mistakes on bass when they played anyway.
A bit pompous of you to “correct” someone’s opinion, no? Allow me to “correct” you: Paul switched to bass because John and George flat out refused to do it and Paul, always the team player, simply said, “I’ll do it.” He then proceeded to re-write the book on playing electric bass in a pop/rock band. FWIW, I also think Paul was the best guitarist in the band. His work on Blackbird and Taxman are just two examples of his prowess. Good day, Sunshine.
Too sad that now and then reading about the Beatles, we have also to read about John’s second wife, as usual, telling lies. Impossible to believe in anything she says. Let’s remember Paul met John in march 1975. John only returned to her in 1975 after a terrible “therapy” to stop smoking that didn’t let him go to New Orleans for an album with Paul. She arrived just when he was about to leave telling the stars were not in the right position for that trip. Somehow she sequestred him for this therapy, according to May Pang. He was kept isolated for days. Oh no, I won’t put the blame on Paul for this mistake John made. I know Paul gave her message to him because she asked him to. This woman is so mean that even when she tries to be nice she is nasty. Here: “But as Yoko’s later account comfirms, John knew that at the same time as Paul was getting to the point of his own personal wish-fulfilment (a personal and artistic reunion with John), he had also simultaneously sacrificed it selfishly in order to act as an intermediary for the reunion that would prevent it….John and Yoko’s reunion”. She implies here that Paul usually is selfish. And some fans believe… I don’t think he is. Now read what Paul talked about it on his biography. She made him think John had left her! In fact, she was the one who suggested the separation for a time. Anyway, John stayed far from her for a long time after that. Gosh, she waiting till John had bought the tickets to New Orleans to appear. That is how she said thanks to Paul. I do hope some day the truth will prevail. This woman destroyed John.
It’s good seeing these two reunited years later after taking jabs at each other through songs. Even in the heat of the moment, The Beatles will never be broken.
I’m learning a lot of things I hadn’t heard or read before on this site.
Of all this though there is one thing I saw and heard with my own eyes which tells a lot about how John felt about Paul, even at the time they were feuding in songs. In a clip of John’s “How Do You Sleep?” which also showed George playing guitar. John was singing in the mike and he sang, “How Do You Sleep at night, you cunt” and he stopped playing. You can see in John’s face and hear in his voice immediately he was not happy with himself for what he had just said. The clip ended. That showed, even though John was upset over the whole thing, Paul still meant a lot to him.
And the one thing I wished Paul had done. After that stuff had subsided and they started “forgiving”. I wish Paul had the beetles on the back of the “Ram” album, where one Beetle is doing the other from behind, removed. Even now it remains.
Remember when you were young how people were so tall looking down on you, yesterday just a day away seems so far away, your mind so many games it plays to keep you from looking at the present day, now is so far away or hidden by judgement and inpatients be still don’t let this hold or sway
This shot is worthy of some further detailing that has gradually emerged over the years culminating in Yoko’s fairly recent acknowledgement of the part Paul had played in the John and Yoko reunion later in 1974.
It is taken, of course, during the famous ‘Lost Weekend’ period in Los Angeles when Lennon is with Yoko-appointed ‘minder’. May Pang while reliving his bachelor life before The Beatles’ success in the company of famous drunks including Ringo, Harry Nilsson, Keith Moon and others.
The photo is taken the morning after Paul shows up as a complete surprise at a studio in Los Angeles and jams with John, Stevie Wonder and sundry others (bootlegged on ‘A Toot and A Snore in 74’), the first time Lennon and McCartney have seen each other for several years amid bitter fallings-out which have now faded.
Paul has just received his US Visa finally after several years of being denied because of his erstwhile pot-busts in Europe and the UK.
He’s just collected a load of awards for ‘Band on the Run’ on which Lennon has issued a strong approval, (describing it as ‘great Paul music’ and saying that Wings is as conceptual a band as The Plastic Ono Band had been).
It is also just following a visit by Paul and Linda McCartney to New York where they have seen and had a long reunion with Yoko at the Dakota at the end of which Paul has asked her if she still loves John.
Having sensed and received a firm confirmation of ‘Yes’ from Yoko, he has come to deliver the terms to John she has described for taking him back.
lennon, meanwhile, having not spoken directly to Paul in privacy the night before at the studio, has just got up, Paul having been around for a while in the ‘madhouse’ playing piano.
It is clear that Paul wants a private talk, which they have just after the ice-breaking chat pictured.
By McCartney’s account they retire to a side room where he passes on the information about Yoko.
Yoko has stated that John was bowled over by this gesture by Paul and the fact that he had delivered it when he was back on full-power after the critical and commercial success of Band on the Run, which had taken Paul out of the dark tunnel of infamy and hatred following the Beatles’ split.
The meeting itself leads to an idea of John travelling down to a studio where Paul will be recording with the tacit possibility of him becoming involved.
But as Yoko’s later account comfirms, John knew that at the same time as Paul was getting to the point of his own personal wish-fulfilment (a personal and artistic reunion with John), he had also simultaneously sacrificed it selfishly in order to act as an intermediary for the reunion that would prevent it….John and Yoko’s reunion.
‘I’ll never understand why Paul did that’ Yoko reports John as saying.
By all accounts now, it was an act of love for both John and Yoko, made when Paul was in a position of some power which he could have used otherwise.
That’s an excellent account and interpretation of events. Many thanks for sharing it with us.
Beautifully said Michael K!!
For the record (pardon the pun)That studio you mention John travelling down to was no doubt in New Orleans for the Venus and Mars sessions with Paul and Linda. Rock on lovers everywhere, because, basically, that’s it.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that Paul’s decision to drop his own wishes of an artistic reunion with John for the sake of John’s marriage to Yoko as acting “selfishly”. Rather, it’s totally selfless. You could argue that Paul had the odds in his favor. With one conversation, he could have convinced John to leave the Yoko situation be and just reunite the boys, or at the very least rekindle the Lennon/McCartney songwriting collaboration. But that wasn’t what Paul did. Instead, he left the idea alone and worked for the benefit of John and Yoko. Rather than put himself and his own desires in the forefront, he did the noble thing and put John’s happiness and desires first. Paul knew that, no matter what he himself felt, John loved Yoko deeply. He wanted to see his friend be happy, so he acted accordingly. That’s pretty commendable.
I think that’s what he’s saying – Paul had the option of working on John to see if he could re-establish his partnership – the selfish option. Instead, he chose to do what was best for John and Yoko.
For all the chatter about Paul being cold and self-serving, I see so much evidence to the contrary, this episode included. He just knew the right thing to do. Yes, he always played his cards closer to his vest than John did, but he still knew when it was appropriate to come to John as a friend rather than a once-and-hopefully-future collaborator. I think his selfless act as peacemaker for John & Yoko was as close as the world came to seeing the “real” Paul McCartney up to that time. But he never really called attention to himself for doing that over all these years, until recently – corroborated by Yoko.
However we should not believe in everything Yoko says. The story is a bit different in the book Many Years From now”. Besides, if we look at the facts we can see Paul can’t be blamed for his return to Yoko. He really took her message to him in March 1974 because she asked him too. He visited him to ask this favour. However John only returned to her in Janeuary or february, I not sure, but it was already 1975. In november 1974 he met her after singing with Elton John in a concert. But you see, he had not idea she was there. It shows he never looked for her after receiving her message. It was Elton John’s idea to ask her for the concert. No, it was not Paul’s blame.
Yoko Ono was an extremely conniving woman. She only wanted John back to save her own career, which was failing miserably, while John was making a come back. What he ever saw in that woman, I will never understand. She had complete control over him, he was at her mercy.
Why didn’t she leave him alone? He was so much happier without her, & was happy with May Pang, who got him involved with his son Julian. She also encouraged him to get back in touch with Paul McCartney. If he hadn’t gotten back with her, I definitely think John & Paul, possibly Ringo & George, would have recorded again together. I also believe that John Lennon would still be alive if it wasn’t for Yoko. She was an extremely selfish woman. I don’t think she truly loved him, & in my heart of hearts, I don’t think John really wanted to go back to her. So, why did he? Did she brainwash him, or was it the so called “Mother complex?”. Will we ever learn the truth?
Oh Suzy Q…Ohhhh Suzy Q,
Your response to Michael K was so typical. In your heart of hearts, does it really matter what YOU think JL wanted?
Answer~No.
Firstly, I agree with your comment to Suzy, secondly, no-one will ever know if John would have still been alive had he not gone back to NY. He loved Yoko and, in some way, they were soul-mates destined to be together till death took one of them away.
It was great that Paul forgot why he wanted to see John and gave John the message from Yoko as that shows how much he loved them both and was a completely selfless act on his part. I never rated Paul as highly as John anyway and, although I have every recorded work from Paul, George and Ringo, it is John and George’s albums I listen to the most. I don’t have everything John issued as some of his recorded output was only on single and my vinyl collection was sold off when I started buying cassettes (easier to store) and later cd’s. Now most of my collection is digital and it is difficult to get hold of the early Plastic Ono Band singles like Give Peace A Chance, Instant Karma, etc unless you are willing to pay a small fortune for them.
Nice to see the pic of the two of them together, post Beatles. It’s the only picture available of John and Paul prior to John’s untimely death. I used to read how they got together but had never had visible proof. May Pang took the picture privately and later published it.
There is second photo of John and Paul together taken on the same day as the photo above (which also includes Nilsson).
I believe it is in May Pang’s photo book Instamatic Camera (not one hundred per cent sure on the title).
OK here’s a follow-up.
First of all, , there is a site called— feel numb/useful useless info–that shows THREE photos of John and Paul. The second and third photos also include other musicians who worked on Nilsson’s Pussy Cats album.
Second of all, May Pang’s book is titled–Instamatic Karma.
7 November 1966 the day John met Yoko, is truly the beginning of the end of The Fabulous Beatles! Like 22 November 1963 the day JFK was shot! What if they never happened?…. The World Will Never Know!…. Heah! Heah! Heah! Heah!….
I think that Paul helped John to make peace with Yoko because he loved him. Paul didn’t want John in the end was left alone. I think Jon’s that person who needs that next to him was someone who “protected” him. Otherwise John would not be able to cope with their passions. And it could lead to what John would simply be lost. And that man at that time was Yoko. I think Paul chose the lesser of two evils (as it seemed to him)
This is my personal, may be a naive opinion
sorry for my English, I write through google translator
Paul gets a lot of negative comments but he’s done two truly SELFLESS moves, one being this with John and yoko. The other, way back, when he, likely the best guitarist in the band, moved to bass. THAT was selfless.
Can I just correct you slightly Marlan? Paul wasn’t the best guitarist in the band (that was George) but he was the best on the bass which is why he shifted over to bass when Stu stayed in Hamburg. The bass was purchased by Stu from a prize he won for his art and there is no mention of the Beatles buying it off him. It’s a shame Stu died in Hamburg later on but Paul and George used to cover for his mistakes on bass when they played anyway.
A bit pompous of you to “correct” someone’s opinion, no? Allow me to “correct” you: Paul switched to bass because John and George flat out refused to do it and Paul, always the team player, simply said, “I’ll do it.” He then proceeded to re-write the book on playing electric bass in a pop/rock band. FWIW, I also think Paul was the best guitarist in the band. His work on Blackbird and Taxman are just two examples of his prowess. Good day, Sunshine.
Too sad that now and then reading about the Beatles, we have also to read about John’s second wife, as usual, telling lies. Impossible to believe in anything she says. Let’s remember Paul met John in march 1975. John only returned to her in 1975 after a terrible “therapy” to stop smoking that didn’t let him go to New Orleans for an album with Paul. She arrived just when he was about to leave telling the stars were not in the right position for that trip. Somehow she sequestred him for this therapy, according to May Pang. He was kept isolated for days. Oh no, I won’t put the blame on Paul for this mistake John made. I know Paul gave her message to him because she asked him to. This woman is so mean that even when she tries to be nice she is nasty. Here: “But as Yoko’s later account comfirms, John knew that at the same time as Paul was getting to the point of his own personal wish-fulfilment (a personal and artistic reunion with John), he had also simultaneously sacrificed it selfishly in order to act as an intermediary for the reunion that would prevent it….John and Yoko’s reunion”. She implies here that Paul usually is selfish. And some fans believe… I don’t think he is. Now read what Paul talked about it on his biography. She made him think John had left her! In fact, she was the one who suggested the separation for a time. Anyway, John stayed far from her for a long time after that. Gosh, she waiting till John had bought the tickets to New Orleans to appear. That is how she said thanks to Paul. I do hope some day the truth will prevail. This woman destroyed John.
It’s good seeing these two reunited years later after taking jabs at each other through songs. Even in the heat of the moment, The Beatles will never be broken.
I’m learning a lot of things I hadn’t heard or read before on this site.
Of all this though there is one thing I saw and heard with my own eyes which tells a lot about how John felt about Paul, even at the time they were feuding in songs. In a clip of John’s “How Do You Sleep?” which also showed George playing guitar. John was singing in the mike and he sang, “How Do You Sleep at night, you cunt” and he stopped playing. You can see in John’s face and hear in his voice immediately he was not happy with himself for what he had just said. The clip ended. That showed, even though John was upset over the whole thing, Paul still meant a lot to him.
And the one thing I wished Paul had done. After that stuff had subsided and they started “forgiving”.
I wish Paul had the beetles on the back of the “Ram” album, where one Beetle is doing the other from behind, removed. Even now it remains.
Remember when you were young how people were so tall looking down on you, yesterday just a day away seems so far away, your mind so many games it plays to keep you from looking at the present day, now is so far away or hidden by judgement and inpatients be still don’t let this hold or sway