WHAT NEXT FOR THE BEATLES?
At that San Francisco gig it seemed that this could possibly be the last time, but I never felt 100 per cent certain till we got back to London.
– Ringo Starr
Despite being one of the most vocal about ending touring, John had a feeling of panic when the reality of their decision kicked in. So, after The Beatles returned to the UK, John flew off again, with Neil Aspinall, to take part in Richard Lester’s latest film project, the satirical black comedy How I Won the War. Starring Michael Crawford, Jack MacGowran and Roy Kinnear, the film follows a fictional regiment during the Second World War. John took a supporting role, playing Private Gripweed, a musketeer known for looting. To complete his departure from Beatlemania, John cut his hair short and wore NHS ‘granny’ spectacles, which he kept after shooting.
On his return from the film shoot, in November 1966, he was invited to a new art exhibition in the Indica Gallery. The work was that of New York conceptual artist Yoko Ono.
Paul was the last to be convinced of the necessity of stopping touring. As John took on the role of Private Gripweed, Paul, also with doubts about the repercussions of their decision, decided to go travelling. In disguise, he drove through France, writing a journal and making short films, experimenting with various techniques in distortion and superimposition. After this time on his own, he hooked up with Mal Evans and the pair travelled to Kenya to go on safari. On his return to London, he funded some countercultural projects he was interested in, and worked with Martin on the film score for the Boulting brothers’ new film, The Family Way, starring John and Hayley Mills. One of their compositions, ‘Love In The Open Air’, received an Ivor Novello Award in 1967 for Best Song in a Film.
John while filming Richard Lester’s How I Won the War. Alamy
George, the most untroubled about the future, headed off to India with Pattie for six weeks to study the sitar under the tuition of Ravi Shankar and Shambhu Das. He was keen to travel and find out more about Indian society, philosophy and culture. He and Pattie arrived in Bombay, and word soon got out that a Beatle was abroad, threatening to disturb his plans for a more immersive travelling experience. To combat this, he held a press conference where he laid out his intentions with candour, and he remained relatively undisturbed for the rest of the trip, heading up to Kashmir to continue his spiritual studies.
Ringo was the happiest of the four to enjoy a more domesticated break from Beatlemania. Always open to the investment advice he received from The Beatles’ accountants, he invested in a (short-lived) company, Brickey Building Co. Ltd, which specialised in property development, building adjustments and interior design. In October, he went out to Spain with Maureen and Cynthia to visit John while he was filming.
Knowing that there was not going to be a traditional Christmas album from The Beatles, EMI put together a greatest hits compilation, A Collection Of Beatles Oldies . . . But Goldies. Comprised of The Beatles singles, plus a few extra tracks that had been included on EPs, the album was released on 9 December 1966. It failed to reach the top spot in the chart, peaking at number seven, but stayed in the Top 40 for thirty-four weeks.