1968

1968: Enter Linda & Yoko

In February 1968, The Beatles travel to India to stay with the Maharshi in India. For George, this is part of a long-term commitment to Eastern mysticism. The other are less impressed. They come home angry and disillusioned.

Tension is rising within the band. Lennon and McCartney are going in different directions musically and personally.

The public blames this division on their new girlfriends. Paul is now with the American photographer and heiress, Linda Eastman. John is leaving his wife and child, Cynthia and Julian, for the Japanese experimental artist, Yoko Ono.

Without direction

They cannot agree on a new manager. Paul wants his future father-in-law. The others prefer an aggressive show-business lawyer named Alan Klein.

The recording sessions for The Beatles (aka The White Album) are tense and unhappy. Lennon insists on Yoko accompanying him. ‘We want to spend every minute together,’ he tells Ringo. For the others, her constant presence is unsettling

When Yoko has a minor illness, a bed with a microphone is provided in the studio.