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   THE BEATLES DIARY VOLUME 2: AFTER THE BREAK-UP 1970-2001

1986


"Broad Street? I didn't like it much either!"

- Paul


January

Ringo arrives in Auckland, New Zealand, to begin shooting commercials for Japanese TV on the outskirts of the Bay of Islands. He and Barbara stay at the nearby Regent Hotel.

At the start of the year Capitol Records in America, as part of an attempt to streamline The Beatles' albums that are available worldwide, delete ten archive Beatles albums from their catalogue, which include the 1966 release Yesterday... And Today. Capitol announce that these records, over the next two years, will be gradually replaced by the seven British Parlophone albums from Please Please Me (in 1963) to Revolver (in 1966).


Friday January 3

BBC2 in England re-screens The Beatles' 1968 film Yellow Submarine.


Monday January 6

By the close of trading this evening, it is reported that Virgin Video have shipped out some 130,000 copies of Paul's Rupert And The Frog Song home video, making it the second most successful video ever released in the UK, beaten only by Michael Jackson's Thriller.


Sunday January 19

In New York, while Yoko is in bed asleep in her Dakota apartment, an intruder lowers himself from the roof of the Dakota building and enters her apartment through an open window. He departs, leaving several scribbled notes, a photograph and a personal letter to Yoko. New York City police later arrest the intruder.


Monday January 20

American TV transmits the programme A Tribute To Martin Luther King Jnr, which features a cameo appearance by Yoko. (The only UK TV transmission takes place on the ITV network on the evening of November 18, 1987.)

In the Eastern Asia province of Macau, filming begins on the Handmade production of Shanghai Surprise, starring Madonna and her husband Sean Penn. (The movie is completed in the middle of March at Shepperton Studios in Middlesex.)


Thursday January 23

Julian and Sean Lennon present the award commemorating Elvis Presley's induction at the first Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, which is held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. The two also read a letter John had written praising Elvis.


Friday January 24

The American release of the album and home video John Lennon... Live In New York City takes place. (The UK release eventually takes place on February 24.) The Live In New York City title, refers to John and Yoko's August 30, 1972, One to One Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York (see entry). For the release, Yoko deliberately mixes out her vocals and cuts several of her own songs from the performance.

The Handmade film production of A Private Function starring Michael Palin is released on home video today in the UK


Sunday January 26

At the annual London Evening Standard Film Awards ceremony, held at the Savoy Hotel, George, along with his business manager Denis O'Brien, receive an award on behalf of Handmade Films for their contribution to the British film industry. He collects the award from the Duchess of Kent. When George receives the trophy he cheekily calls the Duchess "Your Majesty". She replies by giving him a kiss on the cheek, strictly against Royal protocol. BBC TV covers the event.

Paul and Linda are seen at the Superbowl Party, held this evening at London's Video Cafe.


Monday January 27

In Los Angeles, at the 13th annual American Music Awards, before a television audience of 50 million, Paul, in a segment pre-recorded at the London nightclub The Hippodrome, receives a special Award Of Merit from Phil Collins, who is hosting the British segment of the show. US viewers are led to believe it is actually live by satellite from England, but Paul's appearance was, in fact, pre-taped. The accolade is in recognition of Paul's achievements over the last 20 years.


Friday January 31

In the States, Ringo is featured on the CBS Radio show Top 30 USA.

Tonight's edition of Scott Muni's one hour New York Beatles radio programme Ticket To Ride is dedicated to the actor Mark McGann, who was the star of last year's made-for-TV film John And Yoko: A Love Story. In the UK, EMI Records delete the mono version of The Beatles' 1968 double album The Beatles, affectionately called the White Album.


February

At his home studio in Rye, Paul records the song 'Simple As That', for inclusion on the UK charity album The Anti-Heroin Project: It's a Live-in World. This month, Paul and Linda watch The Rolling Stones in performance at the 100 Club in Oxford Street where he makes a private "unauthorised" audiotape of the show.

The 1972 concert film John Lennon: Live In New York City is screened at the library of Performing Arts at New York's Lincoln Center with Yoko, Sean and Julian in attendance.

The single 'Sun City', by Artists United Against Apartheid, featuring in its all-star line-up Ringo and his son Zak, reaches number 51 in the USA singles charts and number 54 in the UK.


Saturday February 1

Dick James, the original and long-time publisher of almost all of The Beatles' songs, dies of a heart attack this evening at his home in St. John's Wood, London. He was 67 years of age. His funeral takes place in Willesden on Monday February 3.


Sunday February 2

A one-hour radio special about Ringo is syndicated across America.

An interview with Yoko, conducted by Bob Coburn, is transmitted in America during the programme Rockline.


Monday February 3

In the UK, DMC (the Disco Mix Club, based in Slough, Berkshire) releases the EMI and BPI sanctioned limited (3,000) copies edition of the album The Mixes, featuring the track From Us To You, which comprises segued extracts from the following original Beatles recordings: 'From Me To You', 'Day Tripper', 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', 'Please Please Me', 'She Loves You', 'A Hard Day's Night', 'Back In The USSR', 'Eight Days A Week' and 'Help!' The tracks have been "mega-mixed" by the DJ Sammy X. To coincide with the release, The Beatles are featured on the cover of this month's edition of the DMC magazine Mixmag.


Friday February 7

The 22nd anniversary of The Beatles' arrival in America is celebrated on the children's BBC1 programme Fax!, hosted by the former Goodie Bill Oddie.


Saturday February 8 & Sunday February 9

Paul is featured in two brief segments in the UK TV music show Rick Dee's Weekly Top 40. In America on Saturday, 'Spies Like Us' reaches number seven in the singles chart.

On Saturday, a five-hour radio show entitled The Beatles A-Z is syndicated across American radio stations.


Monday February 10

In the UK, the release of the PMI home video John Lennon... Live In New York City is delayed until Monday February 24.

Paul and Linda are seen chatting to fans outside their MPL offices in Soho Square, London.


Friday February 14

In the UK, the Columbia 60-minute home video entitled British Rock: The First Wave is released. The documentary includes various Beatles footage such as, amongst others, the colour Pathe news film The Beatles Come To Town, shot live in Manchester in November 1963. As well as their Drop-In Swedish TV appearance from October 1963, two songs from the New Musical Express Poll Winner's Concerts of 1964 and 1965, one song from the February 1964 Washington, DC concert and clips from the 1968 premiere of the film Yellow Submarine.

In the UK, the Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd comedy Spies Like Us, featuring Paul's song tagged onto the very end of the film, receives its premiere in London.


Tuesday February 25

At its annual general meeting, the managing director of Beatle City in Seel Street, Liverpool, announces that if a purchaser of Beatle City cannot be found by the end of March, he will auction the entire collection of Beatles' assets in New York in June.


Thursday February 27

In Cologne, West Germany, as a prelude to her first world tour, and her first outing since 1974, Yoko and her band, which comprises Phil Ashley on keyboards, Bernie Gramm on drums, Leigh Foxx on bass and Mark Rivers and Jimmy Rip on guitars, make a live 14-minute appearance on the WDR German Television programme Mensch Meier. She is interviewed and performs the song 'Hell In Paradise'. To conclude the show, she is joined by the other stars on the programme to perform 'Give Peace A Chance'.

In the UK, Channel 4 transmits the 1981 Handmade film Time Bandits.


Friday February 28

Yoko begins her first solo world tour, which takes m America and Europe. The opening night tonight is in Brussels in Belgium. Due to poor ticket sales, the US leg of her tour is cancelled.

In the States, John and Yoko's former assistant May Pang is a special guest on Scott Muni's New York radio programme Ticket To Ride.


Saturday March 1

Yoko's tour rolls on with a performance at The Hague in the Netherlands.


Sunday March 2

Yoko and her band perform in West Berlin.


Monday March 3

In London, principal photography commences on the Handmade film Five Corners.


Tuesday March 4

Yoko performs in Warsaw, Poland. Only a third of the 6,000-seater stadium is filled with fans.


Thursday March 6

In London, at Kensington Gardens, George appears at a press conference with Madonna to smooth out relations between the press and Madonna and her husband, Sean Penn, who are currently filming the Handmade film Shanghai Surprise.

Yoko performs in Munich, West Germany.


Friday March 7

A pre-recorded four-minute interview with George by Paula Yates on the set of Shanghai Surprise is transmitted tonight during the Channel 4 music programme The Tube in the UK, an item postponed from the show on February 14. During the feature, the former Beatle discusses the problems with the press during the filming of Handmade's latest film.

Yoko performs in Frankfurt, West Germany.


Sunday March 9

Yoko performs in Stuttgart, West Germany.


Monday March 10

Yoko's tour rolls on to Stockholm in Sweden.


Tuesday March 11

Yoko and her band perform in Copenhagen, Denmark.


Wednesday March 12

Yoko performs in Hamburg, West Germany.

In London at the High Court, the case over backdated royalties between The Beatles and EMI begins. (See entry for March 26.)


Friday March 14

On the Showtime cable station in America, the entire evening's viewing is billed as The Lennon Legacy: Two Generations Of Music. Amongst the highlights this night is the world TV premiere of John Lennon: Live In New York City, (the film of the 1972 One To One Concert), clips from the 1969 Montreal, Canada, "bed-in", excerpts from the 1972 Imagine film as well as the 1970 Beatles' film Let It Be. Incidentally, the Westwood One radio network joins in on the fun by simultaneously broadcasting (in stereo) the Live In New York City show. The Showtime cable evening begins with a 15-minute interview with Yoko who talks about the background to the Live In New York City video.


Saturday March 15

In the UK at the National Exhibition Centre, in Birmingham, George joins in the all-star finale at the Heartbeat '86 marathon charity rock concert. The event is the brainchild of the Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan and the first in a series of different ideas to raise £1 million for the Birmingham Children's Hospital. Performing alongside former Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and former member of Wings, Denny Laine, George shares lead vocal on the tracks 'Money' and 'Johnny B. Goode'. The concert, which attracts a capacity 11,500 audience who paid gate receipts of £200,000, is videotaped by BBC Television and is transmitted on BBC1 on Saturday August 2.

In America, the Keef & Co. television presentation of the December 1979 Kampuchea concerts, entitled Rock For Kampuchea, is transmitted today on cable television.

The European leg of Yoko's tour continues with a performance at a peace festival in Budapest, Hungary, in front of a crowd estimated at 25,000.


Sunday March 16

Yoko and her band perform in Vienna, Austria.


Tuesday March 18

Yoko performs in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.


Wednesday March 19

Yoko and Sean arrive in London at Heathrow Airport and take up residence at the Dorchester Hotel in Park Lane, London. Later, the Lennons are guests of honour at the play Lennon at the Astoria Theatre in London. Back at the Dorchester, Yoko and Sean meet up with John's first son Julian after the show.


Thursday March 20

Yoko and Sean are photographed outside the Dorchester Hotel, after which Yoko holds a press conference inside the hotel in the Park Suite. She is asked: "How do you feel about the response to your Starpeace tour." Yoko replies: "I'm very pleased. Each country has responded to me with enthusiasm, but very differently. Of course it would have been better if more people had turned up, but this is the beginning... the first tour. I'm not letting it go, you're going to see me again!" Later this evening, as promotion for tomorrow evening's London concert, Yoko gives a live interview to London's Capital Radio.


Friday March 21

Yoko's tour reaches England when she and her band perform at the Wembley Conference Centre in London. A preview of the concert is featured this morning on the breakfast station TV AM.

In America, tonight's edition of Scott Muni's New York radio programme Ticket To Ride features a music contest between The Beatles and their sixties contemporaries The Rolling Stones. In England, George Martin is a guest on the BBC1 chat show Wogan, hosted by Terry Wogan.


Saturday March 22

Yoko makes her first appearance on Michael Aspel's live Saturday night chat show Aspel & Company. For her 20-minute appearance she is joined on the sofa by John Cleese and Boy George. (This show is the eleventh and final programme of the third series.) Yoko will appear again with Michael Aspel on September 17, 1988.


Monday March 24

Julian Lennon's second solo album, The Secret Value Of Daydreaming, is released in the UK.

In the UK, TV AM features a review of Yoko's concert at the Wembley Conference on Friday evening. An exclusive interview with John's widow accompanies the feature. This evening, Yoko's tour continues when she performs in Dublin, Ireland.


Wednesday March 26

EMI agree to pay The Beatles the sum of£2,832,264.02p in back royalties. The judge, Mr. Justice Peter Gibson, insists that the group should also be entitled to review the overseas accounts. Financial analysts predict this could result in an additional £2 million in back royalties to The Beatles. (The court costs for this five-day hearing total £500,000.)

The photographer Dezo Hoffman, who befriended The Beatles and took more pictures of the group during their early career than any other photographer, dies following a heart attack he suffered in the middle of the month, which left him in a coma. He is cremated at Golder's Green crematorium on April 1, where Dick James was also cremated. Hoffman's Beatle photo archive will eventually be acquired by Apple.


Saturday March 29

In Russia, the first official release of Beatles' records takes place, although black-market Beatles records had been circulating among fans there for years. A unique deal struck between the Soviet recording company Melodiya and EMI results in the release of 300,000 copies of two albums, A Hard Day's Night and a compilation entitled A Taste Of Honey. The albums go on sale for 3.5 roubles (around £6). A report on these releases is featured on the BBC Radio One programme Newsbeat on Tuesday April 1.


April

Ringo spends the early part of this month in America, recording a new narrative for Harry Nilsson's 1972 animated film The Point, which is released on home video in America during May 1986. Ringo's new narration replaces the original 1971 voice-over by Dustin Hoffman, which could not be issued on home video due to a contractual dispute.

During the first week of the month, Paul records a spoken message, which is used later in the year on an American TV special celebrating Peggy Lee's 40 years in show business. This month, MPL announces that Paul's new album has been delayed while his producer Hugh Padgham shifts his attention to completing the new album by Genesis. The controversy over the animated naked woman in the 'Oriental Nightfish' cartoon, as featured on the Rupert And The Frog Song home video, rages on when the London Borough of Ilford sues Virgin Video. This results from a complaint made to them by a local resident who had bought the video for her child. This month, a pre-recorded interview with Paul is featured on the CBS Entertainment Tonight programme Real Men Of Rock.


Tuesday April 1 (until Thursday May 22)

Planned tours of the US, Australia and Japan by Yoko and her band fail to take place due to disappointing ticket sales. Instead four low-key US shows are at the Warfield Theater, San Francisco (Thursday, May 15), Beverly Theater, Los Angeles (Friday May 16), The Forum, Montreal, Canada (Tuesday, May 20) and the Beacon Theater, New York (Thursday, May 22).


Thursday April 3

At the very last minute, Beatle City in Seel Street, Liverpool, is saved by Transworld Leisure Ltd., the company which also owns the former Liverpool International Garden Festival Site. The deal is reportedly in the region of £500,000. For the initial period, Transworld will move Beatle City from its current Seel Street site (which will close on April 30) and move into the Festival Hall, situated on the Festival Gardens site near St. Michael's station on Docklands, south of the city centre. It is hoped that Beatle City will re-open to the public on May 24, with a more permanent exhibition site being ready for 1987.


Friday April 4

In the UK, Paul turns up again on the Channel 4 music show The Tube, where he is seen briefly performing, on an electric guitar, an unidentified two-minute original tune for the special Tube 100th Show celebrations. Also appearing today on the show is Julian Lennon. (The episode is repeated on Channel 4 on Tuesday April 8.)


Saturday April 5

In Holland, the Beatles Dutch fan club Beatles Unlimited holds their annual convention. Today's one-day seven-hour event, which takes place at Muziekcentrum Vredenburg Strecht, in Utrecht, features as the guest speakers, The Beatles Monthly magazine writer Tony Barrow, the writer/researcher Mark Lewisohn, who is there promoting his new book The Beatles Live! and, from America, Joel Glazier who presents his bizarre, yet fascinating slide show entitled Is Paul Dead?


Monday April 14, Wednesday April 16 - Friday April 18

In his first major television interview in years, George appears in a four-part feature, recorded at his Henley-on-Thames estate, on the American breakfast show Today. He is originally scheduled to appear on all five shows during the week, but the April 15 interview segment is pulled due to the news coverage of a major story.

In London at George Martin's AIR studios, between Monday April 14, and Friday April 18, Paul conducts the final mixing of his new (now delayed) studio album.


Tuesday April 22

George and Ringo appear together briefly on the BBC1 show Film '86, where they discuss Handmade's latest production. Mono Lisa, starring Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins.


Sunday April 27

In the US, George makes another interview appearance, this time on Scott Muni's New York radio programme Ticket To Ride.


Monday April 28

The UK release takes place of the compact disc John Lennon: Live In New York City.


Wednesday April 30

Yoko and Sean attend an AIDS benefit concert in New York.


May

An exhibition entitled 'This Is My Story Both Humble And True', featuring a collection of John's humorous sketches and lithographs, opens simultaneously in San Francisco and Beverly Hills. Later, the show is transferred to the Dyansen Gallery in New York.

Still in America, The Beatles' company Apple sign an exclusive agreement with the San Francisco company Determined Productions Inc., for exclusive marketing rights to the name 'Beatles' and associated products. The deal, Apple's first in almost two decades, ends eighteen months of negotiations with Determined. It is scheduled that the first Beatles-related product will appear in the American shops at Christmas.

Despite the final mixings that took place between April 14 and 18, Paul again delays the release of his new album.


Friday May 2

Paul's 1984 film Give My Regards To Broad Street receives its first European television screening on the cable and satellite channel Premiere this afternoon. As an introduction to the movie, in their "Star Interview" slot, the channel screens 15-minutes of highlights from Paul's December 1984 Broad Street interview with Simon Potter for the Music Box music channel.


Monday May 5

On location in England, principal photography begins on the Handmade film production of Withnail And I.


Friday May 9

There are numerous Beatles references tonight when BBC1 transmits Video Jukebox, a dazzling six and a half hour extravaganza on the history of the pop video, of which The Beatles were a main exponent. A brief interview with Paul, as well as an in-depth feature on The Beatles' promotional films of the Sixties is transmitted during the evening. These include complete colour screenings of 'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'Hello, Goodbye' (because a mute copy was delivered to the BBC, the soundtrack is dubbed at the eleventh-hour and is transmitted out of synch) and 'Penny Lane'. These broadcasts annoy Apple, who demand that the films are not included in the scheduled repeat later this year. They go as far as to threaten the BBC with legal action if: "They broadcast any more material to which we (Apple) have sole ownership, or which might be deemed to exploit the copyright name 'Beatles' in any way!" The BBC take immediate action and decide to drop any suspect Beatles footage from their archive related transmissions (i.e. The Rock & Roll Years) until this matter has been resolved.


Thursday May 15

In the Maldive Islands, a picture of John is featured on a 70 laree postage stamp.


Sunday May 18

In America, Yoko guests for the first time on the 45-minute CNN interview programme Larry King Live. (She will return to the programme on October 7.)


Monday May 19

MTV in America begins broadcasting a 10-part, twice weekly, series entitled In My Life: The John Lennon File. On this day, Yoko conducts a press conference in Montreal, Canada.


Wednesday May 21

Back in England, Paul and Linda meet fans who are waiting for them outside the MPL offices in Soho Square, London.


Thursday May 22

The American love affair with John Lennon continues with the home video release of the 1972 John and Yoko film presentation of Imagine. As with the UK release, the edited 60-minute version is featured.


Monday May 26

In England, on the BBC1 show Guinness Book Of Records Hall Of Fame, hosted by David Frost and Norris McWhirter, Paul becomes the first of six people inducted into the Guinness Book Of Records Hall Of Fame. Guinness lists Paul as the most successful musician of all time. Joining Paul tonight at the TV Centre in Wood Lane, London, are tennis player Billie Jean King, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Vesna Vulovic, Colonel Joe Kittinger and Vernon Craig.


Wednesday May 28

In Los Angeles, ASCAP presents an award to Paul for the song 'No More Lonely Nights'. The track wins the honour as the most performed song of the year since October 1, 1984. The producer and songwriter Hal David accepts the award on behalf of Paul who is still in England. Back in England, the American film and TV magazine programme Glitter, featuring this week the making of Paul's Give My Regards To Broad Street film, is transmitted on the cable station Lifestyle.

George returns to Abbey Road Studios for the first time since February 3, 1971, to attend a recording session for the soundtrack of Shanghai Surprise. He is forced to use the legendary St. John's Wood venue because his FPHOTS location is not big enough to cater for the large orchestra that is needed on the recording. George eventually leaves the studio at 10pm, where he happily poses for pictures and signs various Beatles artefacts for fans who were waiting outside the building, many of whom had sheltered under the tree in the car park to avoid the heavy rain.


Tuesday June 3

Cynthia Lennon is a guest on the ITV afternoon chat show Hindsight.


Wednesday June 4

Paul is pictured by fans leaving his MPL offices in Soho Square, London.


Friday June 6

Dick Rowe, the former head of A&R at Decca Records and the man forever tagged as "the man who turned down The Beatles", dies in London aged 64, of a diabetes-related illness. In his will (published on June 14) he leaves £6,856,839 (net), the majority going to his wife Frances. A donation is made to the British Heart Foundation.


Saturday June 7

In California at the Los Angeles Superior Court, the judge Paul Breckenridge orders the producers of the Beatlemania stage show and film to pay Apple Corps Ltd a total of $10.5 million in damages. Breckenridge rules that: "Beatlemania's primary purpose was to commercially exploit The Beatles' popularity." The suit is settled when John's original deposition of November 28, 1980 (see entry) is heard.


Sunday June 8

The stage play Lennon closes at the Astoria Theatre in Charing Cross Road, London, not because of poor ticket sales but because the company that financed the production, the Lupton Theatre Company, has crashed, owing thousands of pounds to cast, staff and theatregoers who had booked tickets in advance. The actors and actresses are informed of the show's plight as they come off stage at the end of this evening's performance.


Friday June 13

The Handmade film Mona Lisa premieres in New York.

Linda appears live, from Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, on the BBC Radio Four programme Woman's Hour in which she talks about her campaign to stop Fairlight Down, near Hastings in Sussex, from becoming an onshore oil field.


Sunday June 15

At Giant Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in front of a sell-out 50,207 crowd, Yoko makes a brief appearance at the Amnesty International's all-star charity concert called A Conspiracy Of Hope, in which she sings 'I Shall Be Released'.


Monday June 16

On the Jubilee underground tube line between Charing Cross and Swiss Cottage with a short stop off at Bond Street, Paul films a most unusual promotional film for the single 'Press'. Working with director Philip Davey, Paul wanders around the underground tube stations and mimes to a tape of the song which is played on a ghetto-blaster strategically placed in an Adidas sports bag with holes punched in the sides to let the sound out. Paul, who did not seek permission from London Transport to make the film, sings while the commuters go about their day-to-day business. The UK premiere for the song occurs on Channel 4's The Tube on July 4 with the US premiere occurring on July 20 on the 24-hour music station MTV.


Tuesday June 17

In America, four members of the group Elephant's Memory join in a $104 million lawsuit against Yoko Ono and The Estate of John Lennon, claiming "contract fraud". Their fellow band member, Adam Ippolito, had previously filed the suit, claiming that Yoko had improperly made financial profits from the 1972 One To One Concerts, by way of a cable TV screening and the various world-wide record and video releases. Elephant's Memory, of course, had served as John and Yoko's backing band at the concert and claim to have given their services for free. The suit also claims that during the concert, Yoko had pretended to play keyboards and that they were, in fact, being played by Ippolito. Yoko immediately asks the court to dismiss the suit. Her spokesman, Elliot Mintz issued a statement calling it: "A nuisance case, filed by tenth rate back-up musicians!" When asked about the accusation that Yoko did not play keyboards during the 1972 concert, Mintz called it "scandalous!"

Back in England, the 1978 film I Wanna Hold Your Hand receives its UK TV premiere this evening on BBC2.


Thursday June 19

In London, George attends a Trafalgar Square anti-nuclear rally and signs a giant white piece of paper attached to a double-decker bus, protesting the deployment of nuclear weapons. The event is covered by major news agencies around the world, notably ITN in the UK and CNN in America.


Friday June 20

At the Prince's Trust 10th Birthday Party Concert at the Wembley Arena in London, in front of Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales, Paul performs 'Long Tall Sally ', 'I Saw Her Standing There' and 'Get Back'. He is backed by an all-star line-up that includes Phil Collins, Mark King (of Level 42), John Illsley and Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Ray Cooper, Howard Jones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Midge Ure, Bryan Adams and Tina Turner. BBC TV is there to videotape the proceedings and televise the results for the first time in the UK on BBC2 on June 28 between 9:15 and 10:45pm. (A repeat screening occurs on New Years Eve, December 31, later this year.) BBC Radio One transmits highlights from the concert, in stereo, on July 6. The programme is also released on video in both America and in the UK. In America, on July 23, brief excerpts from the show are included in the show Entertainment Tonight, which also includes an interview with Paul, carried out by Selina Scott. At the start of the evening, before going on stage, David Bowie and Mick Jagger join Paul in his dressing room.

Virgin Video in the UK releases the programme Carl Perkins And Friends - A Rockabilly Session, which includes George and Ringo. This video, presented in hi-fi stereo, features the extended US TV version of the programme. (See entry for October 21, 1985 for details of the show.)


Monday June 23

A short pre-taped interview with Paul is featured on the CBS TV programme Entertainment Tonight.


Wednesday June 25

In the UK, Channel 4 repeats the 1968 documentary film Music! which features a short colour film clip of The Beatles rehearsing 'Hey Jude' back on July 30, 1968.

In the UK, today's edition of the Daily Express newspaper features a report on George's attempts to save the Regal Cinema in Henley-on-Thames.


Friday June 27

In Europe, the Steve Blacknell Music Box programme Off The Wall unofficially reveals that "Paul will soon be touring!"


July

Early this month in London, Linda videotapes the second video version of 'Seaside Woman'.

At the High Court in London, Ringo is ordered to increase his annual alimony payments to his former wife Maureen from £44,000 (a sum fixed in 1981) to £70,000. Furthermore, the judge rules that this sum should be backdated to 1979. Ringo, through his lawyer, immediately issues an appeal, which results m another court case on December 19 (see entry).


Tuesday July 1

In the UK, the first audio cassettes called Only The Beatles..., featuring original Beatles music which has been licensed by EMI to the Whitbread Beer Company, are sent out to customers who have sent £2.99 and collected four lager ring pulls from the top of the special Heineken Beatles tins. The tape contains on side one: 'Love Me Do', 'Twist And Shout', 'She Loves You', 'This Boy', 'Eight Days A Week', 'All My Loving'; side two: 'Ticket To Ride', 'Yes It Is', 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds', 'And I Love Her', 'Strawberry Fields Forever'. Although this piece of marketing proves popular with consumers, Beatles fans are in an uproar when they discover that they have to collect ring pulls from tins of beer in order to obtain a tape that contains two previously unavailable stereo recordings of 'This Boy' and 'Yes It Is'.


Thursday July 10

In the UK, the 192-page autobiography of Joe Brown entitled Brown Sauce - The Life And Times Of Joe Brown is published today by Collins Willow and features a 14-line foreword written by George.


Saturday July 12

Paul and Linda are seen chatting to fans as they leave the MPL offices in Soho Square, London. Later, the 22-minute 1984 MPL film Blankit's First Show, centring on Linda's Appaloosa horse, receives its UK premiere on BBC2 between 7:33 and 7:55pm. (A further screening takes place on the station in November, with a further repeat, this time unscheduled, taking place on May 10, 1989.) Of special note in the programme is the unreleased Paul McCartney track 'All You Horseriders' which is heard on the soundtrack.

At precisely the same time (between 7:31 and 8:29pm), the ITV Network begins screening the first episode in the new Granada ITV variety series I Feel Fine which is hosted by the Liverpudlian comedian Stan Boardman and features an appearance by Ringo.


Monday July 14

Simultaneous American and UK release takes place today of Paul's single 'Press'/'It's Not True'.


Wednesday July 16

At his MPL offices in Soho Square, London, Paul grants an interview to the former ITN news reader Selina Scott for BBC1's Breakfast Time show. The 14-minute feature, in which he discusses hard drugs, the making of the video for 'Press' and the Prince's Tmst Gala Concert, is transmitted early the following morning, Thursday July 17, in two parts, just before and just after 8am. Of most interest is Paul's comment about his 1984 film Give My Regards To Broad Street, of which he says "I didn't like it much either!" a referral to the mauling it received from the critics.


Friday July 18

Paul continues promoting the album Press To Play by travelling to the Abbey Road Studios in London, to film the MPL/BBC co-production TV special, entitled simply McCartney. The programme is transmitted for the first time on BBC1 on August 29, with a repeat screening, this time an extended version, on BBC2 on December 30. During the filming, Paul also records a special studio performance version of 'Press'. A brief clip of this is included in the TV broadcasts, as well as on Wogan on BBC1 on August 1. (In 1989, the show is released on home video, featuring the alternative title, The Paul McCartney Story.)

In America, Ringo appears with Scott Muni, on the syndicated American Beatles radio show Ticket To Ride.

At Friar Park in Henley, George resumes work on the track 'Zig Zag', an instrumental to appear on the Shanghai Surprise film soundtrack. The sessions also produce the song 'Hottest Gong In Town', which will remain unreleased until 1992. Several other tracks, intended for the Madonna/Sean Penn film, remain unreleased.

Seventeen days after the release of the 12-track Beatles cassette Only The Beatles..., Apple issue a writ against Whitbread, charging that they are marketing Beatles music without their permission and that, until they read about the cassette offer in the newspapers, Apple knew nothing of the deal or the long negotiations. A spokesman for Apple comments: "We knew nothing about EMI's scheme with Heineken until then. Our lawyers contacted them and asked them to desist and they refused. We do not think this is any way for a reputable British company (Whitbread) to behave!"

Whitbread refuse to withdraw the special Heineken Beatles cans because they have filled Britain's off licences and supermarket shelves with an estimated 35 million cans advertising The Beatles tape. Whitbread will stand to lose millions of pounds by withdrawing the cans and disposing of their contents. This is in addition to the potential damage to the company's respected high standing in the highly competitive lager market while they have no product in the stores. EMI are unrepentant over the mix-up. A spokesman for the company announces: "Apple were most definitely kept informed of the Whitbread negotiations in the spring of this year before a final contract was inked. Apple made no comment at that stage and this prompted EMI to go ahead with the deal." (The row continues while fans hurriedly buy up the cassette, which is fast becoming a hot collector's item.)


Saturday July 19

Paul's film for 'Press' receives its first showing on the cable station Music Box, appearing during today's edition of the magazine programme Off The Wall. In the States, a short two-minute pre-recorded interview with Paul is aired on the programme Inside HBO.


Saturday July 26

'Press' enters the UK singles chart at number 32, rising to number 31 one week later.

Yoko's recent interview on the Canadian TV music programme The New Music is transmitted in Europe this evening on the cable and satellite station Sky Trax.


Sunday July 27

Ringo and Barbara are seen in the crowd at the England vs. Mexico polo match in Windsor, Berkshire. Their appearance is briefly captured in the Channel 4 coverage of the game, transmitted on August 3.


Monday July 28

Paul is seen leaving his MPL offices in Soho Square, London.


August

Ringo, along with the Monty Python star John Cleese and former member of The Goodies comedy team Bill Oddie, record the comical track 'Naughty Atom Bomb', which is released in the UK only on November 24, as part of the charity album The Anti-Heroin Project: It's A Live-In World. Ringo also records the spoken-word track 'You Know It Makes Sense', which appears also in the UK only, on a 12-inch single and on The Anti-Heroin album.

Paul and George are publicly thanked by the Cystic Fibrosis Research Trust for "Their kindness and generosity in making donations to help bring closer the scientific breakthrough needed in the fight against the disease."

In the States, Paul features in a 45-minute CBS TV Entertainment This Week special, entitled An Hour With Paul McCartney, featuring an interview recorded with the former Beatle at his MPL offices in Soho Square, London.


Friday August 1

At the BBC Television Theatre, in Shepherd's Bush, London, Paul appears for the first time on the live BBC1 early evening talk show Wogan, hosted by the Irish disc jockey Terry Wogan. During Paul's 15-minute interview, (which is transmitted between 7:01 and 7:16pm) an alternative video clip of Paul performing 'Press', directed by Philip Davey and taped during the Richard Skinner Abbey Road sessions on July 18, is also transmitted.


Saturday August 2

A telephone interview by David Jensen is featured on the children's programme Get Fresh, transmitted this morning across the ITV network. In the States, 'Press' enters the Billboard singles chart at number 66.

This evening (between 11:06pm and 12:50am), BBC1 transmits the Heartbeat '86 concert, featuring George, recorded on March 15 (see entry for full details).


Saturday August 9

A four-minute pre-recorded interview with Paul, carried out with Janice Long, is transmitted on the BBC1 programme The Saturday Picture Show.


Sunday August 17

Paul and Linda leave Heathrow Airport en route to America to begin promotional work for the album Press To Play.


Monday August 18

Paul immediately begins recording a number of promotional interviews on both TV and radio, one of which is for a prestigious four-part feature on the NBC TV breakfast show Today, transmitted between Monday August 25 and Thursday August 28.


Friday August 22

Paul's Press To Play album is released in America. (The UK release takes place on September 1.) The record reaches number eight in the UK and number 30 in the US album charts.


Saturday August 23

The London Weekend Television region of ITV repeats (between 1:35 and 2:20am) the excellent 1983 Granada documentary The Early Beatles - 1962-1965, originally transmitted across the ITV network on New Year's Day 1984.


Sunday August 24

A pre-recorded promotional interview with Paul for Press To Play, recorded at BBC Broadcasting House in Portland Place, London, is transmitted today on the BBC Radio One Simon Bates Show.


Monday August 25 (until Friday August 29)

Whilst in New York, at the Power Station Studios, Paul records several songs with members of Billy Joel's backing band, Liberty Devitto on drums, Russell Javors on rhythm guitar, Doug Stegmeyer on bass, Mark Rivera on percussion and wind instruments and David Brown on lead guitar. These sessions, produced by Phil Ramone, include the track 'Loveliest Thing'. (Further sessions with Ramone take place in October - see entry.) Meanwhile, back in England, also on Monday August 25, a pre-recorded interview with Paul to promote his new album is transmitted on Capital Radio's David Jensen Show.


Tuesday August 26

In the UK, the home video of an extended version of The Real Buddy Holly Story is released and again includes the brief airing of the 1958 Quarry Men recording of 'That'll Be The Day'. (The tape is released in America on September 21, 1987.) This version features an additional 30-minutes of new footage and originally comes with two audiotapes featuring 28 Buddy Holly tracks. (BBC2 had screened the original, shorter version on September 12, 1985.)


Friday August 29

In New York, the world premiere takes place of the Handmade Films production Shanghai Surprise, starring Madonna and Sean Penn and featuring songs by George and a musical score by George and Michael Kamen. George also makes a cameo appearance in the film. (The film opens in the UK on October 17.)

Los Angeles News takes a fond look back at twenty years since The Beatles played their last scheduled concert performance at Candlestick Park on August 29, 1966.


Saturday August 30

The 20th anniversary reissue of 'Yellow Submarine'/'Eleanor Rigby' reaches number 63 in the UK singles chart.


September

During the month, Paul is interviewed by Chris Salewicz for Q magazine. Away from interviews, Paul composes a special song, intended only for his wife's birthday and titled simply 'Linda'. He records two versions of the track and presses only one copy of the single with both versions, one on either side. This month, interviews with Paul appear in two Italian TV programmes, namely Vota La Voce and Musica E.


Monday September 1

On NBC Radio in America, Paul's Press To Play is featured on the programme Album Party.


Friday September 5

In less than a week, Handmade Films premiere their second new film, the Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins film Mona Lisa, which opens this evening at the Odeon, Haymarket in London.

In America, at the annual MTV Awards, Paul introduces Tina Turner in a pre-taped clip.


Wednesday September 10

To celebrate ten years of the Buddy Holly Week, Paul and Linda host a private lunch party at the Break For The Border restaurant, just off Charing Cross Road in London. Also present are George Martin, Eric Stewart, Dave Edmunds and Jerry Allison of The Crickets. During the party, Paul presents Allison with a gold disc marking more than a million sales of 'That'll Be The Day'. Ringo and Barbara are on the guest list but are unable to attend.


Friday September 12

BBC1 screens, for the first time since 1976, John's 1967 film How I Won The War between 11:31pm and 1:25am.

BBC2 transmits the photography programme Landscapes, which focuses 15 of its 25 minutes duration on the work of Linda, who also appears in the show.

Ringo and Barbara attend a "Bond Girls" fashion show at the Savoy Hotel in London.


Saturday September 13

'Press' reaches number 21 in the American singles charts. Also today in the States, the Westwood One radio station syndicate the 90-minute stereo broadcast of the Prince's Trust Rock Gala Concert, taped at the Wembley Arena in London on Friday June 20.

A 21st birthday party for Zak Starkey is thrown by Ringo in the lodge situated in the grounds of his Tittenhurst Park mansion in Ascot. Paul and Linda are among those in attendance.


Saturday September 20

MPL's Rupert And The Frog Song is transmitted for the first time on the Disney Channel in America.


Wednesday September 24

The Real Buddy Holly Story is broadcast on the Cinemax television station in America.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the ITV network begins transmitting the second series of 26 Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends episodes, again featuring Ringo's narration.


Saturday September 27

Due to its recent exposure in the comedy film Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Beatles' 1963 version of 'Twist And Shout' reaches number 23 in the US singles chart.

A short interview with Paul is featured on the BBC Radio One programme City To City, a documentary on music from Liverpool. (The show is repeated on the station on Thursday October 2.)


Monday September 29 (until Sunday October 5)

A one-hour show on Paul, as part of the series Rock Today, is syndicated across various US radio stations.


October (through month)

Following their sessions in New York that lasted from August 25 until August 29 (see entry), Paul's Phil Ramone sessions resume at the start of the month at his home studios in Rye, Sussex. At the end of the month, during his return visit to the States, Paul, working again with Bob Giraldi, who directed the video for 'Say Say Say', shoots the promotional film for the track 'Stranglehold'. For the clip, which is shot at the derelict restaurant, Halfway Station set in the small town of Nogales, Arizona, Paul is joined by a band which comprises Dwayne Sciacqua on guitar, Lenny Pickett on baritone sax, Jerry Marotta on drums, Alex Foster on baritone, Neil Jason on bass and Stan Harrison on alto. During the shooting, in front of 180 highly excited extras, Paul leads the band into performances of 'Fortune Teller', 'Love Is Strange', 'Tequila', 'Cactus Club' and, naturally, 'Stranglehold'. (Final editing of this rarely screened clip takes place in early November.)

At the start of the month, Yoko signs a deal with the music publishing company CBS Songs in America. The agreement allows CBS to administer songs composed by her and John in the USA and Canada. This month, also in America, the author Albert Goldman submits the first draft of his book on John. Due to its length (420,000 words), the publishers Bantam Press suggest that the text needs trimming.

The future of Beatle City is again thrown into doubt when its current owners, Transworld, are declared bankrupt with debts of over £2 million.


Friday October 3 (until Sunday October 5)

A three-hour programme about Paul, produced for the series Rock Watch, is syndicated across various US radio stations.


Saturday October 4

A 15-minute pre-recorded feature with Paul is transmitted on the French TV Annette 2 music programme Les Enfants Du Rock.


Sunday October 5

The Handmade film Mona Lisa, starring Michael Caine and Bob Hoskins, opens in London at the Odeon, Haymarket. The film goes on national release on October 17. A close examination of the film's credits reveals that "Richard Starkey MBE" is the "special production consultant".


Monday October 6

Ringo holds a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia, as a promotion for The Brasserie, a restaurant in which he has co-ownership, but it will not officially open until September 27, 1987.


Tuesday October 7

In the UK, an exclusive 48-minute documentary on the making of Shanghai Surprise is transmitted this evening on Channel 4 (between 10:56 and 11:48pm). The programme, entitled Handmade In Hong Kong, includes a behind-the-scenes look at the film, interviews with George and footage of him recording the soundtrack music for the film. Prior to its transmission, the stars of the film, Madonna and Sean Penn, make an attempt to stop the programme being broadcast, or, at least, insisting that certain scenes are cut from the show. At George's insistence, the documentary is screened without any cuts.

In America, Yoko makes her second appearance on the CNN interview programme Larry King Live. (A further feature with Yoko occurs on Friday October 10.)


Thursday October 9

The official release date for John's book Skywriting By Word Of Mouth, although copies had started to appear in various book shops as early as October 6.


Friday October 10

In the UK, Geffen/WEA release on CD John and Yoko's 1980 album Double Fantasy.


Saturday October 11

The 1965 Capitol album The Early Beatles re-enters the US album charts.

Denny Laine's imminent bankruptcy becomes common knowledge when a report on his problem is broadcast on the Music Box programme Off The Wall. (It is also revealed that his bankruptcy case has been set for Tuesday December 16 - see entry.)


Sunday October 12

Back in England, Paul makes another interview appearance on Capital Radio in London.


Tuesday October 14

In a promotional appearance for Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends, Ringo, alongside its writer Rev. W. Awdry, appears unannounced for four minutes live on the afternoon programme Children's ITV.


Thursday October 16

At the first ever British Video Awards ceremony, held at the Grosvenor Hotel in Park Lane, London, Paul receives an award for Rupert And The Frog Song, recognised as The Best Selling Video of 1985.


Friday October 17

The Handmade film Shanghai Surprise, starring Madonna, simultaneously opens at the Warner Complex in Cranbourn Street, London and nationwide in cinemas across the UK (Scheduled to open at the cinema once this film has ended its run is the Ann Margaret movie Twice In A Lifetime, which features music by Paul.)

A four-hour radio programme focusing on Paul in Dick Clark's US Rock & Roll Remembers series, is syndicated across American radio stations until October 19.

Ron Kass, the first ever boss of Apple Records in 1968, dies of cancer in Los Angeles, aged just 51.


Thursday October 23

Yoko appears on the ABC TV breakfast show Good Morning America.


Monday October 27

John's posthumous compilation album, Menlove Ave., is released in America, and features alternative takes from his Walls And Bridges album and various other previously unreleased songs. (The UK release takes place on November 3, one week ahead of its scheduled November 10 release date.)

Paul's single 'Pretty Little Head'/'Write Away' is released in the UK Tonight, BBC1 (between 10:10pm and midnight) re-screens the 1967 film The Family Way, which features soundtrack music written by Paul.

Ringo's anti-heroin track 'YOU Know It Makes Sense' is released on a 12-inch single, but only in the UK.


Wednesday October 29

Paul's single 'Stranglehold'/'Angry' is released in America.


November

For a week-long period at the start of the month, Paul returns to his (now titled) 14-track Hot Hitz And Kold Kutz album. At the end of this session at AIR Studios in London, the master tape is swiftly returned to the MPL tape archives. Also this month, press reports suggest that Paul has his own plans to document The Beatles' story on film using archive films. Steven Spielberg, the legendary Hollywood film producer, is currently being mooted as the director for the project.


Sunday November 1

The lengthy compilation programme That's Television Entertainment, a special programme to celebrate the 50th anniversary of TV broadcasting by the BBC, features a host of Beatles and solo related clips, including a recent interview with Ringo who recalls his admiration for the Fifties science fiction series Quatermass.


Monday November 3

Limelight Films in Dean Street, West London, prepare for distribution the promo film for 'Pretty Little Head'. This features a cameo appearance by Paul (filmed in London on October 18) in an otherwise acted out film which centres around a young girl who runs away from home after having an argument with her father, who is played by Roger Lloyd-Pack, better known as Trig in the BBC comedy series Only Fools And Horses. This rarely screened clip appears in the UK on Channel 4's The Tube. Owing to the similarity between this and the story line in The Beatles' song 'She's Leaving Home', an 11-second clip from the track appears at the start of the video. The main bulk of filming for the clip was completed over six days, with location filming carried out in late October near Settle in North Yorkshire, the Gower Peninsula near Swansea and in London at the Lindford House Studios. Additional scenes are also shot at the East Greenwich gasworks.


Thursday November 6

The 1984 MPL film Blankit's First Show is repeated on BBC1 this afternoon between 3:26 and 3:48pm.


Friday November 7

The planned screening tonight on BBC2 of the January 9,1965, edition of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's comedy series Not Only... But Also, featuring a cameo appearance by John, is cancelled due to a request from Dudley Moore. The programme, which was replaced by an episode of the comedy series The Likely Lads, was due to be screened as part of the BBC 50th anniversary celebrations.

In America, The Beatles are the subject of the one-hour syndicated radio programme called Solid Gold Scrapbook.


Saturday November 8 & Sunday November 9

The Beatles, alongside The Supremes, are the featured artists in the syndicated US radio show Reelin' In The Years.


Monday November 17 (until Wednesday November 19)

For almost three straight days, Paul commandeers the large sound stage D at Pinewood Studios in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, where he shoots another promotional video, this time for the track 'Only Love Remains'. During the first morning's shooting, which is directed by Maurice Phillips, an idea involving a large packet of Marlboro cigarettes is quickly shelved in favour of a second idea involving actor Gordon Jackson, best known as Hudson the butler in Upstairs Downstairs, and actress Pauline Yates, fondly remembered as the long suffering wife in the BBC1 comedy series The Fall And Rise Of Reginald Perrin. Following two days of extensive rehearsals, the shooting of the film takes place on Wednesday. In total, 24 takes are required in order to successfully pull off this unique footage. (The finished version of 'Only Love Remains' is quickly edited and prepared for distribution by the London based company of Front Row Films the following day, November 20.)


Thursday November 20

Paul and Linda fly out to West Germany for the first time in ten years to attend a reception in Munich for the annual Bambi Awards. The former Beatle is there to receive an award from the legendary West German football manager and former captain Franz Beckenbauer, who honours him with the title of Personality Of The Year. During the ceremony, Paul and Linda are visibly shaken when an explosion goes off in the studio. The McCartneys return to England the following day.

While in America at the 8th Annual Billboard Music Awards, held at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel in Los Angeles, California, Yoko's clip for 'Hell In Paradise' wins the award for the Most Innovative Video. (This year's event runs until Saturday November 22.)


Sunday November 23

In London, Paul and Linda attend the rehearsals for tomorrow night's Royal Variety Command Performance at London's Theatre Royal.

The first complete screening in two decades of 'All You Need Is Love' from the 1967 Our World live broadcast is featured during the lunch time BBC2 archive programme Windmill in the UK.


Monday November 24

Paul and his backing group, which now includes Linda and Tessa Niles on backing vocals, Eric Stewart on acoustic guitar, Jamie Talbot on saxophone, Graham Ward on drums, and Preston Heymen and Nick Glennie-Smith on percussion, perform the new single 'Only Love Remains' during the Royal Variety Command Performance at London's Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, an event to raise money for the Entertainment Artist's Benevolent Fund. Paul and Linda also reappear with the other stars of the cast during the show's finale. Watching Paul's performance, as she did back in 1963 when The Beatles played at this prestigious show, is Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. She is accompanied tonight by Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of York, and the Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Angus Ogilvy. Following the concert, Paul, Linda and the band line up with the other stars of the performance to meet the Royal guests. Extended highlights of the show, including Paul's song, which is introduced by David Frost, is televised in the UK on BBC1 on November 29.

In the UK today, The Anti-Heroin Project: It's A Live-In World, an anti-drug album featuring tracks by both Paul and Ringo, is released.


Wednesday November 26

The PBS (Public Broadcasting Services) in America screen the BBC TV programme John Lennon: A Journey In The Life, originally screened by the Corporation on Friday December 6 last year.


Friday November 28

As a preview of tomorrow night's Royal Command Performance transmission featuring Paul, BBC1 screens a 65-minute celebration of the Royal Variety show, entitled By Royal Command. This includes the first screening in over two decades of John's famous "Rattle your jewellery" comment from The Beatles' 1963 appearance on the show. Also transmitted in the documentary is a short clip from their performance of 'Twist And Shout'.


Saturday November 29

On the day that Paul's Royal Variety Performance is screened by BBC1, his single 'Stranglehold' reaches a disappointing number 81 in the American chart.


Sunday November 30

The ITV network broadcasts (between 10:36 and 11:34pm) a 50-minute South Bank Show profile on the choreographer Christopher Bruce who has put together a new London ballet production set to John's classic solo music. The show also airs rarely seen archive film clips and a previously unheard audio interview with John from 1968.


December

Ringo travels to America, where he films several television and radio commercials for the drinks company Sun Country Wine Coolers. His $1 million commission also involves appearances in various magazine adverts for the product.


Monday December 1

In America, the CD release of Wings Greatest takes place. In the UK, Paul's single 'Only Love Remains'/'Tough On A Tightrope' is released. (The US release occurs on January 17, 1987.)

MTV in America begins re-screening selected highlights from the original Sixties cartoon series The Beatles.


Saturday December 6

BBC Radio One repeats (between 1:00 and 1:59pm) the documentary The Words And Music Of John Lennon.

In America, the three-hour radio programme The Beatles - Twist And Shout is syndicated across the States today and tomorrow, Sunday December 7.


Sunday December 7

Yoko and Sean are featured in the ITV 25-minute religious programme The Human Factor, which focuses on Captain David Botting of the Strawberry Fields home in Liverpool meeting the Lennons in New York.


Wednesday December 10

The BBC programme featuring George's March 15 appearance at the Heartbeat '86 Concert at the NEC in Birmingham is premiered on American TV. (The first BBC screening had occurred on August 2.)

This afternoon at the BBC TV Centre in Wood Lane, London, Paul drops by the studios of Top Of The Pops to record an "insert" performance of 'Only Love Remains' for transmission on the show tomorrow evening, December 11. Unfortunately, due to its relatively low chart position (number 39), the clip is never screened, although the short, blink and you'll miss him, clip of Paul introducing Madonna's video of 'Open Your Heart' does appear at the close of tomorrow night's show.


Thursday December 11

On the way up to Newcastle, Tyne & Wear, to record an appearance for The Tube at the television studios of Tyne-Tees, Paul and Linda are lucky to escape injury when their car bursts into flames. At 4:15pm, after arriving at Studio 5 unhurt, Paul performs 'Only Love Remains' twice for the benefit of the cameras and then, following a rapturous reception to the song, he decides to play a short, impromptu, version of 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'. (Amidst the excitement, Paul inadvertently sings the wrong lyrics, "We've got the chicken by the hom!") To close, he sings a brief snippet of 'Baby Face'. Away from the piano, Paul is also interviewed by 13-year-old Felix Howard, the teenage star of Madonna's video for 'Open Your Heart'. During the course of this feature, Howard "dries up" in front of the camera, forcing Paul to conduct the rest of the interview alone, with him turning the tables by asking Howard some questions. (The segments, which last approximately 14-minutes, are transmitted the following day, Friday December 12 with a repeat screening, again on Channel 4, on Sunday December 14.)

Meanwhile, BBC Radio One begins the first of a three-part interview with Paul. (Part two is transmitted on December 15, with the final part being aired on December 17.)


Saturday December 13

In Studio 7 at the BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, London, Paul appears live again on the children's show Saturday Superstore, hosted by Mike Read. For the second December running, Paul is interviewed by Read and takes viewers' questions over the phone. (His appearance lasts approximately 28 minutes.) Over on the Music Box channel, a pre-recorded interview with Paul, carried out by the female VJ Sunie, is transmitted during the programme Off The Wall. (The features naturally include a screening of the 'Only Love Remains' promotional film.) During the Music Box interview, Paul also tapes a special 30-second Christmas message to be broadcast on the station at regular intervals over the festive period.


Tuesday December 16

At the London bankruptcy court, Denny Laine is finally declared bankrupt with debts now totalling £76,035, £53,000 of which is owing to the Inland Revenue in taxes. Besides revealing that he currently has no assets, it is also made known that in 1981, following his departure from Wings, he sold to Paul, for £135,000, his publishing rights to the 1977 smash-hit song 'Mull Of Kintyre'.


Wednesday December 17

MTV in America add to their video play-list Paul's rarely seen clip for 'Pretty Little Head'


Friday December 19

In London at the Court of Appeals, three judges uphold Ringo's claim from July and declare that his backdated payments to his former wife Maureen should begin in April 1986 and not be backdated from 1979, as was originally decided. This ruling would have resulted in an extra payment from Ringo to Maureen of £260,000. His lawyer complains that the original £70,000 a year payment to Maureen was too high anyway, insisting that the Judge should take into account that Maureen's current boyfriend, Isaac Tigrett, the owner of the Hard Rock Cafe, is a millionaire himself.


Wednesday December 24

Channel 4 in the UK repeats (between 11:46 and 12:43am) the 1985 programme Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins And Friends, previously transmitted on the station on New Year's Day this year.


Thursday December 25

A short two-minute Christmas day phone message from Paul to Noel Edmonds is featured this morning on Noel's BBC1 show.


Saturday December 27

Rumours in the music industry suggest that George is to begin working on his new album at Friar Park. Insiders suggest that he will be joined by the producer Bob Rose, Ringo, Jim Keltner, and the former member of Wings, Laurence Juber. The hints prove to be true, and work begins on the album Cloud Nine on Monday January 5, 1987.

A three-hour radio programme focusing on The Beatles and Elton John for the series Reelin' In The Years, is syndicated across America today and tomorrow, Sunday December 28.


Tuesday December 30

BBC2 screens the extended 59-minute version of the documentary McCartney.


Wednesday December 31

The year ends with a pre-recorded interview with Paul being transmitted on Capital Radio in London. BBC2 repeat (between 9:51 and 11:34pm) the 1986 Prince's Trust Charity Gala Concert featuring Paul.

In the UK, EMI Records delete the following John Lennon singles from their catalogue, 'Cold Turkey', 'Instant Karma', 'Power To The People', 'No. 9 Dream', 'Stand By Me' and 'Love'.

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