John Lennon at Tittenhurst Park 1969
Tittenhurst Park Estate
Today we draw again from "The Love You Make," by Beatle insider Peter Brown, Signet Books, 1983.
The summer of 1969 was indeed a weird one, even for the Beatles who had had their share of weirdness over the years. John Lennon was making it clearer and clearer that he was fed up with the band and wanted out. This despite the surprisingly good vibes from their triumphant concert on the Apple Rooftop on January 30, 1969.
There had been Woodstock, the first man walking on the moon, two bed-ins by John and Yoko, the death of Brian Jones-the founding member of the Rolling Stones to say nothing of the escalation of the Vietnam war and Charles Manson and his band of lunatics. Add to that, the slow disolution of the greatest band in history.
John decided to take Yoko, his son Julian and Yoko's daughter Kyoko away to Scotland for a vacation early in the summer of 1969. Being one of the most shortsighted people in existance it was odd that Lennon insisted on driving. Not surprisingly, he ran his car into a ditch and everyone was injured. Yoko was airlifted to a hosptial. The Austin Maxi that John had been driving was crushed into a cube and shipped back to his home in Weybridge and used as a garden ornament. John finally decided that he needed a real home for his new bride and on May 4, 1969 bought the now famous "Tittenhurst Estate" in Ascot for 145,000 British Pounds. It included the gorgeous Georgian home seen above and 72 acres of land. The Lennons moved in on August 11 and began tearing out walls and generally opening up the place. Yoko decorated the entire home in white and the business areas in black carpeting. The grounds featured over 50 varieties of rare trees and a lake. An extensive 8 track recording studio was installed as well as a modern kitchen. Basically, the entire home was overhauled.
The problem was, as far as Peter Brown could see, that after moving in, they became recluses again. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" had already been a #1 hit in the UK in June/early July and was slowly slipping down the charts while at the same time, "Give Peace A Chance" was rising fast in the charts as of August, 1969, peaking at #2 for most of August. So there was no good reason to become recluses, especially with the "Abbey Road" LP drawing to a close. Brown had seen this behavior once before, when John and Yoko became recluses in Ringo's Montegue Square apartment -when they were on heroin.
Yoko confessed to Brown that they were once again hooked on H due to the pain suffered in the car accident. The couple had sequestered themselves into their master bedroom at Tittenhurst park and would not come out. Messages were relayed by their cook. It was Paul McCartney who finally convinced John to come out and help finish what was clear to all: The Beatles' last hurrah- Abbey Road.
That great album was completed as we know on August 20. According to your humble correspondant, as I have said before; John quit the band that very evening. He didn't announce it to the band officially until September 20 but in heart, mind and soul he was finished with them on August 20, However, there was a final photo shoot to be done so John oddly invited the band out to his new Tittenhurst Estate for those pictures. Many of them were used later for the US only LP release called "Hey Jude."
Photo still from the last ever group photo session of the Beatles, taken on August 22, 1969 at Tittenhurst. This picture was used on the cover of the US release only "Hey Jude" album. The "Hey Jude" LP was one of those corporate oddities specifically designed to milk the US public out of even more money. It contained all previously released tracts, most of which had never been on a Beatles album before such as "Hey Jude" and "Revolution." It was conceived and marketed by Allen Klein to cash in on the Beatles' new contract he had just negotiated giving the band substantially higher royalties. The LP managed to go as high as #2 in the US Billboard charts where it remained at #2 for 4 weeks from late March, 1970 through most of April.
It was also decided by John and Yoko to quit the heroin again Cold Turkey before they got too hooked. So they started their own withdrawel program. In a creative burst on the morning of August 24, Lennon composed the song "Cold Turkey" and asked Ringo and German friend Klaus Voorman to help him record it. They agreed to and it was finished that very evening. It was the harrowing cry of a junkie screaming out for help during withdrawal. John offered it to Paul as the next Beatles single and Paul, not surprisingly, was appalled and wouldn't agree. John simply released it as a Plastic Ono Band single.
John was lambasted for this song by fans and critics alike. It eventually peaked at #12 in the UK charts on November 29. With heroin conquered and the Beatles history, John would focus on his happenings and causes for the next few years. He would go on to write his most famous song at Tittenhurst, "Imagine." This song and the album he built around it became his signature solo artistic achievement.
This is the famous picture of John on his white "Imagine" piano in his white recording studio at Tittenhurst, 1971.
John would eventually sell his Tittenhurst Estate to Ringo Starr and move to the US where he began a long struggle to fight imigration and remain in the United States. Tittenhurst will be remembered as the "Imagine" locale and the place John and Yoko lived and worked when he left the Beatles for good.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Today we draw again from "The Love You Make," by Beatle insider Peter Brown, Signet Books, 1983.
The summer of 1969 was indeed a weird one, even for the Beatles who had had their share of weirdness over the years. John Lennon was making it clearer and clearer that he was fed up with the band and wanted out. This despite the surprisingly good vibes from their triumphant concert on the Apple Rooftop on January 30, 1969.
There had been Woodstock, the first man walking on the moon, two bed-ins by John and Yoko, the death of Brian Jones-the founding member of the Rolling Stones to say nothing of the escalation of the Vietnam war and Charles Manson and his band of lunatics. Add to that, the slow disolution of the greatest band in history.
John decided to take Yoko, his son Julian and Yoko's daughter Kyoko away to Scotland for a vacation early in the summer of 1969. Being one of the most shortsighted people in existance it was odd that Lennon insisted on driving. Not surprisingly, he ran his car into a ditch and everyone was injured. Yoko was airlifted to a hosptial. The Austin Maxi that John had been driving was crushed into a cube and shipped back to his home in Weybridge and used as a garden ornament. John finally decided that he needed a real home for his new bride and on May 4, 1969 bought the now famous "Tittenhurst Estate" in Ascot for 145,000 British Pounds. It included the gorgeous Georgian home seen above and 72 acres of land. The Lennons moved in on August 11 and began tearing out walls and generally opening up the place. Yoko decorated the entire home in white and the business areas in black carpeting. The grounds featured over 50 varieties of rare trees and a lake. An extensive 8 track recording studio was installed as well as a modern kitchen. Basically, the entire home was overhauled.
The problem was, as far as Peter Brown could see, that after moving in, they became recluses again. "The Ballad of John & Yoko" had already been a #1 hit in the UK in June/early July and was slowly slipping down the charts while at the same time, "Give Peace A Chance" was rising fast in the charts as of August, 1969, peaking at #2 for most of August. So there was no good reason to become recluses, especially with the "Abbey Road" LP drawing to a close. Brown had seen this behavior once before, when John and Yoko became recluses in Ringo's Montegue Square apartment -when they were on heroin.
Yoko confessed to Brown that they were once again hooked on H due to the pain suffered in the car accident. The couple had sequestered themselves into their master bedroom at Tittenhurst park and would not come out. Messages were relayed by their cook. It was Paul McCartney who finally convinced John to come out and help finish what was clear to all: The Beatles' last hurrah- Abbey Road.
That great album was completed as we know on August 20. According to your humble correspondant, as I have said before; John quit the band that very evening. He didn't announce it to the band officially until September 20 but in heart, mind and soul he was finished with them on August 20, However, there was a final photo shoot to be done so John oddly invited the band out to his new Tittenhurst Estate for those pictures. Many of them were used later for the US only LP release called "Hey Jude."
Photo still from the last ever group photo session of the Beatles, taken on August 22, 1969 at Tittenhurst. This picture was used on the cover of the US release only "Hey Jude" album. The "Hey Jude" LP was one of those corporate oddities specifically designed to milk the US public out of even more money. It contained all previously released tracts, most of which had never been on a Beatles album before such as "Hey Jude" and "Revolution." It was conceived and marketed by Allen Klein to cash in on the Beatles' new contract he had just negotiated giving the band substantially higher royalties. The LP managed to go as high as #2 in the US Billboard charts where it remained at #2 for 4 weeks from late March, 1970 through most of April.
It was also decided by John and Yoko to quit the heroin again Cold Turkey before they got too hooked. So they started their own withdrawel program. In a creative burst on the morning of August 24, Lennon composed the song "Cold Turkey" and asked Ringo and German friend Klaus Voorman to help him record it. They agreed to and it was finished that very evening. It was the harrowing cry of a junkie screaming out for help during withdrawal. John offered it to Paul as the next Beatles single and Paul, not surprisingly, was appalled and wouldn't agree. John simply released it as a Plastic Ono Band single.
John was lambasted for this song by fans and critics alike. It eventually peaked at #12 in the UK charts on November 29. With heroin conquered and the Beatles history, John would focus on his happenings and causes for the next few years. He would go on to write his most famous song at Tittenhurst, "Imagine." This song and the album he built around it became his signature solo artistic achievement.
This is the famous picture of John on his white "Imagine" piano in his white recording studio at Tittenhurst, 1971. John would eventually sell his Tittenhurst Estate to Ringo Starr and move to the US where he began a long struggle to fight imigration and remain in the United States. Tittenhurst will be remembered as the "Imagine" locale and the place John and Yoko lived and worked when he left the Beatles for good.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
http://tittenhurstlennon.blogspot.com/
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