Paul and Linda McCartney and Ringo Starr visited John Lennon in Santa Monica on 6 April 1974.
Lennon and May Pang were renting a house at 625 Palisades Beach Road, Santa Monica, for $5,000 a month. It had been built by Louis B Mayer, and was leased to Lennon by its then-owner, actor Peter Lawford.
The McCartneys had visited the property on 29 March, which was more of a social call. On this day they discussed various matters related to The Beatles and Apple Corps. George Harrison had been notified about the meeting, which was initiated by Paul McCartney, but was unable to visit the US due to visa issues.
The meeting was productive, and saw an agreement in principle over how to sort out their various business and legal issues.
We all agreed how to do it, now it’s up to the lawyers to sort it out and tell us whether what we agreed is practical. That’s all. We just want to make sure we all get paid. What a f*****g mess.
Melody Maker, 14 September 1974
Also visiting the house on this day was Mal Evans, The Beatles’ former roadie and assistant, who wished to leave Apple’s employment and pursue his dreams of becoming a songwriter. He went to the house to speak to Lennon, and unexpectedly found McCartney and Starr also there.
Girding his courage, Mal sought out John first. To his relief, the Beatle was sitting alone by a table in the living room. ‘I told him that I felt it was time for me to become my own person and do my own thing,’ Mal later recalled. He had to admit that ‘doing his own thing’ wasn’t entirely clear in that moment. ‘For too long, I had been resting on my laurels,’ he told John, ‘not doing anything constructive for them nor myself except on a personal level, and I would never stop doing that, no matter what.’ And with that, Mal braced himself for John’s reaction.Without missing a beat, John piped up, saying, ‘It’s about time, Mal. I was wondering when you would come to it. You’re certainly capable of standing on your own two feet now, and I wish you all the luck in the world. If you ever need me, I’ll be there,’ he continued, ‘and I know your songwriting will develop into a career for you.’
As it happened, Ringo’s reaction was more difficult to gauge. In Mal’s memory, the two old friends ‘sat together at the bottom of the garden, just lying back in the sunshine.’ When Mal informed the drummer of his decision, Ringo went quiet. By contrast, Paul proved to be eminently more receptive, taking Mal in a warm embrace and saying, ‘Good on you, lad. I know you’ll be very successfu – you deserve to be.’ For Mal, Paul’s words were a welcome relief. After all, he had elevated Paul to a kind of hero status over the years. Later that night, as Mal shared Paul’s reaction with Fran, he couldn’t help but think about the time, four years earlier, when, after announcing the Beatles’ disbandment, Paul told him, ‘I don’t need you anymore.’ To Mal’s mind, he had just accomplished the same thing, telling the former bandmates, one by one, ‘I don’t need you anymore.’
Evans called George Harrison the next day, but received a much terser response. “So what?” Harrison told him brusquely before cutting the call.