Episode 21 – Beatles ’68 pt5

Once upon a time...or maybe twice...it was the summer of 1968! The so-called "summer of love" was in full swing as the Beatles continued work on their ambitious new double album project. From Paul's raucous "Helter Skelter", to John's vicious "Sexy Sadie", the Lennon-McCartney songwriting duo continued to dominate and the double album was looking to be their most successful release yet. But George's contributions to the new record were no slouch either, with Eric Clapton guesting on what some consider to be his finest Beatles work: "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". George was well on his way to proving his songwriting mettle, but resentment still lingered from the Maharishi experience leading George to also pen the defensive "Not Guilty" - worked on relentlessly though ultimately left off the album. This wasn't the only unrelenting song the group covered - the infamous "Ob La De, Ob La Da" session nearly resulted in a break-up and caused longtime engineer Geoff Emerick to quit the sessions completely. The double album sessions were packed with highs and lows, but outside the studio the Beatles' successes continued to mount - this time in the form of the animated YELLOW SUBMARINE film and its corresponding soundtrack album, which both became instant classics after the movie's premiere in July of '68. As if all that wasn't enough, John's first art exhibit "You Are Here" received it's grand opening, the Apple Boutique closed down, and the band spent a "mad day out" amassing hundreds of new promotional photos for use on the double album and beyond...