Paul McCartney Quits The Beatles - Sort Of

1970

In publicity materials released to promote his first solo album, Paul McCartney indicates that he's done with The Beatles.

To promote the album McCartney, which was released a week later, Paul doesn't do any press, but instead releases a Q&A where he answers many questions about the album, but more importantly, discusses the future of The Beatles. The key passages: Q: "Is this album a rest away from the Beatles or the start of a solo career?" McCartney: "Time will tell. Being a solo album means it's 'the start of a solo career... and not being done with the Beatles means it's just a rest. So it's both." Q: "Is your break with the Beatles temporary or permanent, due to personal differences or musical ones?" McCartney: "Personal differences, business differences, musical differences, but most of all because I have a better time with my family. Temporary or permanent? I don't really know." Q: "Do you foresee a time when Lennon-McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?" McCartney: "No." The Beatles haven't been active in months, with all four members of the group working on solo projects. Still, there has been no official announcement of their demise, so when McCartney makes these statements, it's seen as the first admission that the end has come. The press distills the statements into headlines like "Paul quits the Beatles," and word spreads fast, driving the wedge between McCartney and the other Beatles even deeper. The Beatles never regroup, and later in the year their business partnership is legally dissolved.