TheBeatlesOnline

On August 27 1967, Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, was found dead in his London apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death have never been resolved. He died of an overdose of tranquilizers, but some claim it was suicide. Epstein, a homosexual, was the man who spotted the Beatles at the Cavern Club in 1961 and who secured them record deal with EMI after convincing George Martin they were worth a try.

When Epstein died, the Beatles lost more than a friend; they also lost control of their finances.

Two and a half years later, in February 1969, the Beatles hired American businessman Allen Klein to look after their business. McCartney disliked the appointment of Klein, and would rather see their finances controlled by a law firm which belonged to the family of his future wife, Linda Eastman. The dispute split the group deeply, and it was one of the key factors that eventually lead to their break up.

Considering the time and effort the Beatles had put into making the Sgt. Pepper album, it would have seemed natural for them to rest on the laurels a bit and to take a long break.

But that didn't happen.

Only a few days after Sgt. Pepper had been completed, in late April 1967, the Beatles were back in the recording studio to work on the soundtracks for their next two movie projects: Magical Mystery Tour and Yellow Submarine.

Yellow Submarine was a cartoon film, and the soundtrack featured only four new Beatles songs. The rest of the album was made up by two previously released songs, All You Need Is Love and Yellow Submarine, plus classical instrumentals scored by producer George Martin. It was not released until January 1969 (number 2 in the US, number 4 in the UK).

The movie Magical Mystery Tour was financed, scripted and directed by the Beatles, and they also acted in it. Released in the UK on Boxing Day 1967, it was a critical failure, but the soundtrack featured new and exciting Beatles material, including Lennon's superb I Am The Walrus.

The Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack was released as an album in the US, where it reached number 1 on the charts, and as a double EP in the UK, reaching number 2.

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