Originally Posted by: john of MTHave you seen the September '20 "Rolling Stone." Its cover story (and what a cool cover it is!): "The End of the Beatles: The Heartbreak, the Brotherhood, and Why the Music Matters 50 Years Later."[/quote]

I have now. Thanks. That's an iconic pic gracing its cover. I'll see if I can find the content somewhere. I trialed promo discounted annual e-zine subs to a four or five of the most popular guitar magazines back in 2017-2018. Superb rarely published Beatles pics from archives and interesting articles on their music would pop up routinely.

Haven't read that article in 9/20 RS, but have listened to and read plenty in the past on the breakup from every available source including themselves. e.g. Alistair Taylor.

Although at the time a just turned 15 year old a few days before me was as devastated by the announcement as everyone else coming so soon after the release of their 'just keep getting better' Abbey Road album, the thing that surprises the older and more worldly me most now knowing that "all things must pass", pun intentional, is how long they actually stayed together even as a studio band as they matured individually under such intense industry pressure. If there was a single seminal event which contributed and heralded the beginning of end, in my view it was Brian Epstein's untimely death in 1967. Complex man though he was, the world became a lesser place for his passing. He really was the fifth Beatle, a crucial cog in the creativity of the sum of all the parts.

[quote=john of MT]As for the Beatles, I have my own sordid history with them, having turned down free tickets to their first-ever U.S. concert. About ten years later I met my much younger SIL who now is a Country DJ. Despite her being born in '66, she grew up as, and remains, a huge Beatles fan. The night I met her and my soon-be-wife's family she brought me an ashtray (for a bad habit long gone). As she handed me the ceramic, she said in low but wonderous child's voice, "Do you know that Paul McCartney was in a band before Wings?"

Turning down tickets to Washington Coliseum, let alone free ones. o.O There's a story there. I possibly would have had to too under parental jurisdiction then aged only 9. And I can't say, preoccupied with other things as one is at phases of life, I haven't done similiarly when opportunity to see live acts having travelled so far prevailed. e.g. Led Zeppelin, Free. Oh the value of 2020 hindsight. [br][br]Although I suspect I've related this before, on a positive note, other than being able to boast attending the event, in the case of The Beatles from what I've seen and read and the first hand reports of a (then 17 year old) guitarist friend of mine who attended their live Australian Tour concert here, if you were a bloke, other than the excitement and a now nostalgic memory that he participated in that historical moment of being there, it was an utter waste of time and in his case, money. Thirty seconds after The Beatles started their set, he couldn't hear a thing for the mass hysteria of girls screaming through the entire concert.

Along with fatigue from all that touring, no wonder they retreated to the studio in '66 following the US 'Bible Belt' hate and death threats from John's misquoted "more popular than Jesus" remark in March followed by their scary moment in Manilla' in July. Twelve months later to the month, the world received their Sgt Peppers album. Incredible productivity and creativity. I'm still in awe.

I liked your story of the revelation -experienced by both of you. = ]

Cheers mate.