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Left gathering dust in a cupboard for nearly 50 years, court documents have been discovered revealing the legal woes of The Beatles and their role in the band's demise. While creative differences, the influence of John Lennon’s girlfriend (and later wife) Yoko Ono, and the strain of stardom are well-documented, this newly uncovered information has received far less attention—until now.

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Over 300 pages of long-lost Beatles documents from the '70s were discovered in an undisclosed cupboard. These pages include a variety of legal papers and documents compiled by several of the band's advisors and legal representatives.

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The documents will be up for auction at Dawson's upcoming entertainment and memorabilia event on December 12, 2024. They are expected to sell for more than £5,000 (US$6,353).

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According to Dawsons Auctioneers‘ Denise Kelly, the documents were papers used in the legal battle that officially split the band up in 1974. Speaking to the BBC, she said, "I just couldn’t put them down until I had read every page."

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She added: "It has crossed my mind that if I were a scriptwriter, these documents would be all I'd need to tell the real story of what led to one of the best-selling bands in history splitting up and going their separate ways."

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The belief that Paul McCartney caused the Beatles’ split stems from his public announcement in April 1970, declaring his departure from the band—a move many saw as the final blow to the already fractured group.

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However, the true catalyst was John Lennon, who privately informed the band of his decision to leave months earlier, in September 1969. Lennon’s growing interest in solo projects, particularly with Yoko Ono, and his frustration with the band’s direction contributed significantly to the tensions.

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McCartney said "I am not the person who instigated the split. Oh no, no, no. John walked into a room one day and said I am leaving the Beatles."

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McCartney went on to tell BBC Radio interviewer John Wilson that Lennon described his decision to leave as "quite thrilling" and "rather like a divorce." The other members, he added, were "left to pick up the pieces."

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Confusion about who caused the break-up arose because the group’s new manager, Allen Klein, told them to keep quiet about the split while he concluded some business deals. "So for a few months we had to pretend," McCartney reflected.

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"It was weird because we all knew it was the end of The Beatles, but we couldn’t just walk away." Eventually, McCartney became too unhappy with the pretense and came clean, saying, "I was fed up of hiding it."

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McCartney’s announcement, coupled with the legal battles that followed, cemented him in the public eye as the one who ended the Beatles. In reality, the breakup was much more complex.

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The Beatles faced a tumultuous financial period following the tragic death of their manager, Brian Epstein, on August 27, 1967. Epstein had been the band's manager and guiding force, but his unexpected passing left them vulnerable to financial discrepancies and mounting pressure from tax authorities.

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Musing on this challenging time, John Lennon later admitted, "After Brian died, we collapsed. Paul took over and supposedly led us. But what is leading us when we went round in circles? We broke up then. That was the disintegration."

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While Paul McCartney officially left The Beatles in early 1970, the band’s legal dissolution wasn’t finalized until December 1974. The situation was aggravated and dragged out by Allen Klein—whom Paul vehemently opposed.

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Despite McCartney's refusal to sign a management contract with Klein, the majority vote from John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr ensured Klein's appointment.

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"The whole story, in a nutshell" McCartney said to the BBC, "is we were having a meeting in 1969, and John showed up and said he'd met this guy Allen Klein, who promised Yoko an exhibition in Syracuse, and then the matter of fact, John told us he was leaving the band."

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"It was three to one because the other two went with John, so it was looking like Allen Klein was gonna own our entire Beatle empire. I was not too keen on that idea."

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McCartney ended up suing his bandmates in the high court because he wanted to keep their music out of the hands of a controversial industry figure like Allen Klein. "I had to fight and the only way I could fight was by suing the other Beatles, because they were going with Klein," he explained.

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In the end, Paul was correct in thinking that Klein was a shady businessman. History would go on to expose how Klein would secure artists extra money in the short run, but exploit them in the long run.

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The Beatles later each individually admitted Paul was right about Klein and they each spent a lot of time and money trying to extricate themselves from him. Klein was eventually fired but he sued Lennon, Harrison, and Starr for US$19 million. In 1977 he settled for $4.2 million.

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Many fans of the band believe the worst thing Allen Klein did was knowingly drive a wedge between John and Paul. McCartney said, "A lot of hurt went down during that period in the early 1970s. Them feeling hurt, me feeling hurt, but John being John, he was the one that would write a hurtful song. That was his bag."

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The extensive collection of copied documents up for auction also includes minutes detailing behind-the-scenes negotiations between the lawyers representing each member of the Fab Four.

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Denise Kelly, from Dawsons Auctioneers, said: "As I read the minutes of meetings - notes which included discussions between the legal teams and accountants - I wondered how on earth they were going to sort everything out, and at times I could sense panic in the room as more and more complexities came to light."

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"It would be almost impossible to exaggerate the actual complexity of the various legal arrangements which have been entered into by Messrs. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starkey (Ringo Starr)," one lawyer remarked.

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Another comment noted in the documents was made by a frustrated lawyer, after yet another meeting had gone around in circles, suggesting "Would it be easier if The Beatles just retired?"

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On a different paper a lawyer expressed "Even if the four Beatles were not again to perform as a group, it is not accurate to state that the whole purpose of the partnership has disappeared. The question is where is the money?"

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The discovered court documents, which cover the 1967-70 period, show that money was unaccounted for and the band’s taxes had not been paid for years. The band decided to form their own company called Apple Corps, which they hoped would ensure their business interests were protected. But they could never come to an agreement on Klein.

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Other legal difficulties afflicting the band included deciding when Pete Best left the group and Ringo Starr joined (no written agreement was recorded or filed,) royalties for film and music rights, and Klein's inability to produce accounts for the tax authorities.

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A 1971 letter from John Lennon to fellow British music icon Eric Clapton is also set to be auctioned alongside the legal documents. It reveals Lennon's wish to chart a new path post-Beatles. In the letter, he invites Clapton to join a "nucleus group" with renowned producer Phil Spector.

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The Beatles' last commercial gig took place at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. They then performed live for the last time on the roof of their Apple Corps headquarters in London on January 30, 1969.

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The intrigue surrounding the forgotten documents is heightened by the seller wishing to remain anonymous. They are being sold via Dawsons Auctioneers on Thursday, December 12, 2024.

Sources: (BBC) (The Journal) (Daily Mail) (Barrons) (American Songwriter)