**1968**
February 16
John and George leave for Rishikesh , India and were followed four days later by Paul and Ringo for more meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
March 18
LADY MADONNA / THE INNER LIGHT (single) is released (Capitol Records)
May 15
"The Tonight Show" ( US television program) - Beatles announced the launching of their own new business: "Apple Corps"
May 31
The Beatles begin recording THE BEATLES. Session concludes October 14.
July 17
In England, John, Paul and George attend premier of animated movie "Yellow Submarine" at the London Pavilion, featuring a Beatle soundtrack.
July 29
Recording sessions begin for "Hey Jude" in Trident Studios in Soho . The Beatles would use the 8-track facility for the song up until August 1 when it was finally completed.
July 31
Apple Boutique "blowout" - stock given away, one free item per customer. Shop closes. Paul would be quoted the next day in the Daily Mail: "We always make our mistakes in public."
August 11
THINGUMYBOB (single) is released by the Black Dyke Mills Band (Apple Records)
August 16
THOSE WERE THE DAYS (single) composed by Gene Raskin, is released by Mary Hopkin (Apple Records). The single becomes Apple's first major hit. The hit track is produced by Paul McCartney; it sells 4 million copies world-wide.
August 22
Ringo Starr walks out on the band while recording the "White Album"
To commence on this day, the recording of "Back In the U.S.S.R." However, before the sessions would start, Ringo Starr decides to walk out on the band leaving John, Paul and George to record the track. Said Ringo: "I left because I felt two things: I felt I wasn't playing great, and I also felt the other three were really happy and I was an outsider." Ringo would rejoin the group on September 3rd. As a welcome back gesture from Mal Evans, flowers were decked out all around Ringo's drum kit before he arrived at the studio. Ironically, when he did return, there was nothing scheduled for him to do. On September 4th, Ringo and the other three Beatles are filmed by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg to promote their forthcoming single, "Hey Jude" b/w "Revolution". But Starr's actual studio performance at EMI did not occur until September 5th, adding drums and maracas for George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
August 23
Cynthia Lennon sues John Lennon for divorce
August 26
HEY JUDE / REVOLUTION (single) is released (Apple Records) sells 6 million copies world-wide
Paul McCartney explains the origins of Hey Jude: "I'd known Cynthia for a long time, she was a good friend. When people like that are getting divorced you can't just blank the wife...I'd got this little thing of "Hey Jules". I was thinking of a nickname for Julian. 'Hey Jules, don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better.' You Know, don't be too brought down by this divorce, lad, it'll be all right, kind of style."
Cynthia Lennon: "Paul was devastated by the break-up. He brought me a rose and offered marriage, as a joke. 'We'll show 'em, won't we, Cyn?' It was very touching, and on the way to the house he had written Hey Jude. It always brings tears to my eyes, that song."
August 28
SOUR MILK SEA (single) is released by Jackie Lomax (Apple Records). This George Harrison composition features Paul McCartney on bass, Eric Clapton on lead guitar, Ringo on drums, George and Jackie on rhythm guitars with Nicky Hopkins on piano.
September 8
Beatles perform HEY JUDE on David Frost TV show in England . Frost chidingly dubs them as the "greatest tea-room orchestra in the world."
September 14
New Musical Express reports gross sales for HEY JUDE at $2,000,000
September 20
ATV buys close to 50% of Northern Songs publishing company
October 6 & 13
"Smothers Brothers Show" ( USA ) - re-broadcasts "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" from David Frost Show
October 18
John & Yoko's flat is raided and they are charged with possession of cannabis
November 8
Cynthia Lennon is granted her divorce from John
Cynthia (in a much later reflection on their divorce) had this to say: "...John had at last found his soul mate...Yoko did not take John away from me, because he had never been mine. He had always been his own man and had always done his own thing, as I had learned to do. I had grown to be independent of John. I was shocked, shattered and lost, but not weak."
November 11
UNFINISHED MUSIC NO. 1 - TWO VIRGINS (lp) by John & Yoko, is released (Apple)
November 13
Motion Picture "Yellow Submarine" is released (running time: 87 minutes)
A United Artist Release
An Apple film presentation
Screenplay by Lee Minoff; Al Brodax; Jack Mendelssohn and Erich Sigal
Chief Designer: Heinz Edelman
Animation Directors: Jack Stokes and Robert E. Balser
Special effects: Charles Jenkins
Production Coordinator: Abe Goodman
Filmed in color by Deluxe
The voices of Dick Emery, Lance Percival, Paul Angelus and Sheila Danille
Based on a suggestion from John Lennon in a 3:00 a.m. phone call conversation with Al Brodax: "Wouldn't it be great if Ringo was followed down the street by a yellow submarine?"
November 25
THE BEATLES (double lp, aka "WHITE ALBUM") is released (Apple Records)
Paul McCartney: "The White Album. That was the tension album. We were all in the midst of the psychedelic thing, or just coming out of it. In any case, it was weird. Never before had we recorded with beds in the studio and people writing for hours on end; business meetings and all that. There was a lot of friction during that album...we were about to break up. And that was just tense in itself."
| Some interesting facts about the White Album: |
| • Advance orders of the White Album numbered 1.9 million copies. The album would eventually go on to sell over 6.5 million copies making it the best selling double-album of all time. |
| • The album's cover design was thought up by Richard Hamilton with the name The Beatles embossed on the original releases. Later editions of the White Album saw the groups name appearing in light grey. |
| • Paul McCartney states in The Beatles Anthology book that the idea of having each album individually numbered was Richard Hamilton's idea. "...he had the idea to number each album, which I thought was brilliant for collectors. You'd have 000001, 000002, 000003, and so on. If you got, for example, 000200 then that would be an early copy -- it was a great idea for sales." The Beatles Anthology reports that Ringo Star owns the first copy of the White Album. |
December 2
WONDERWALL MUSIC (lp sound-track for the movie "Wonderwall") is released by George Harrison (Apple)
George Harrison: "Joe Massot, the director, asked me would I do the music for his film...I decided to do it as a mini-anthology of Indian music because I wanted to help turn the public on to Indian music."
December 17
CANDY (movie) featuring Ringo Starr is premiered in New York
December 20
"BEATLES 1968 CHRISTMAS RECORD" is issued to fan club members
