by John “Buzz” Bezzini
It has often been said that the love & the pursuit of money is the root of all evil. I have also heard the saying that even though money does not buy happiness, it is far better to be miserable and rich than miserable and poor. It is a complicated picture indeed as the Beatles financial problems continued through a large portion of the 1980s. Remember the Beatles introduction to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Well, there were three parties present at the induction, and business matters prevented the fourth party from being there and this was long after the breakup. The wounds from business dealings take a very long time to heal and sometimes they never do!
Today’s post may be perceived as being somewhat controversial to some individuals as so many Beatles fans began to take sides when the band broke up pointing fingers as to who was to blame.
The bottom line was it was not a single reason. There were many. Money and financial issues were only one of the primary reasons. After the Beatles breakup, fans defended their favorite Beatles’ choice for a business manager to handle their former band’s financial affairs as one of the prime reasons for the split. What is not stressed enough it is that the power struggle between the business manager factions itself was probably one of the primary reasons for the breakup.
As the 4 band members were placed in a position to have to choose sides. If the decision to choose one side over another was to be super clear, then why would there have been any conflict at al between the four parties? Perhaps it may have had something to do with the fear of three of the parties fearing that one member might get preferential treatment because one of the member’s spouses was related to one of the representatives.
When you are dealing with millions of dollars, that potential worry could be a persuasive argument. When the respective parties are vying for management of the Beatles multi-million-dollar affairs saw a potential rival possibly cutting into their ability to control those matters, you can see how conflicts could easily arise. There have been many accounts how loud and boisterous some of those business meetings were to be. There have been many books that detail the chaos that Apple was going through once Mr. Brian Epstein had died. Books like You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup by Peter Doggett, Apple to The Core by Peter McCatbe & Robert D. Schonfeld & Richard DiLello’s The Longest Cocktail Party dealt with the insanity of the Apple organization at the time.
Perhaps the business management and financial matter issues could have been diminished by the Beatles agreeing on a unanimous choice for legal and managerial decisions where all decisions had to be unanimous and all 4 Beatles would have to give their consent for any decisions made on their behalf. by the representative. There would also not be any family connections to their representative, and the choice would have an impeccable reputation of being fair, honest and having a superior legal mind! Unfortunately, that may sound like it would be an unattainable idea when discussing and dealing with many of the dark realities of the music business!
My Opinion
An early precautionary message is issued to inform you that many of the comments made by me in this post are highly opinionated on my part and they represent only my personal perceptions and opinions from reading many Beatles books and watching scores of interviews over the years. I am probably going to be making statements that may affect your emotions because of your own set of predispositions on the matter. This post is not intended to convince you of anything! Believe what you want to believe!
Now that we have covered that issue we can proceed to the specific details of this post which deals with four of the men who helped to contribute to the end of the world’s greatest entrainment phenomenon. It is acknowledged that the degree of severity and responsibility among the four individuals may vary significantly, but the perceptions will be stated on the post and the reasons why those opinions exist in my mind
Individual #1
Lee Eastman and his attorney son, the late John Eastman, were often portrayed by John Lennon as being condescending towards John’s choice of business manager which happened to be Allen Klein who was recommended to John by none other than Rolling Stone lead singer, Mick Jagger. This was a decision which Mick apparently regretted later. John recounts several business meetings where the Eastmans would supposedly yell and scream at Klein at the Apple business meetings. Since the Eastmans represented Paul, John perceived this as a control issue, and he was not appearing to relent to those perceived tactics. To relent would be giving in and acknowledging that he may be wrong about the issue. However, the Eastmans probably did not know or care enough about that group or John’s psychological dynamic to make a difference to them which was a big decisive mistake!
I also believe that John, George, and Ringo feared that having Eastman as their full-time business advisor would be potentially a big risk as Lee was a member of Linda’s family and he might be more inclined to be predisposed or prone to Paul’s interests in negotiations! To be frank, I can understand those feelings despite Lee’s strong acumen for good-decision-making regarding music publishing.
One thing I would like to know as a fan, is who advised Paul McCartney to buy additional shares of Northern Songs stock without Paul telling John? Did the Eastmans have anything to do with that advice or decision, or did Paul do that on his own? Allen Klein discovered this is his analysis of the Beatles finances and when John learned of this, he apparently felt betrayed and the large trust bond between J&P had been broken. Yet this is one element of the story that you hardly ever hear any details discussed about in Beatles circles. If this reporting was true, you can see how John’s trust in Paul could have been fractured, possibly causing permanent damage to their relationship!
LEE EASTMAN:1910–1991
Acquired two recent signatures that I have been seeking in collector’s circles for quite some time and through an introduction of the blog administrator David Bedford I was introduced to a collector who has one of the most fabulous Beatles collections I have ever seen. To top things off he is not a first-generation Beatles fan, he is a 2nd generation fan, but you would never know it by his level of expertise! He is a great person, and I was able to trade for two rare signatures in his collection. They were Lee Eastman and Allen Klein! They are two very difficult signatures to find.
The Lee Eastman letter was penned on the day that George Harrison’s mom died and also on Ringo’s Starr’s 30th birthday
The addressee’s name has been blocked out on the envelop and the accompanying letter for privacy purposes!
A photo sent to me in the Lee Eastman trade I made with the fellow Beatles collector featuring a young James, Grandpa Lee and Paul:
The Eastman letter sent to a fan that had done a drawing of Linda and her daughter Mary
The Lee Eastman letter was penned on the day that George Harrison’s mom died and also on Ringo’s Starr’s 30th birthday
In the 1940s songwriter Jack Lawrence wrote a song about the young Linda McCartney to settle a debt he owed to Lee Eastman. Eastman showed his good decision-making skills as the song was a big hit being recorded by both Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra:
The sheet music of the song that I purchased on eBay!
A rare photo of an odd trio. Don Kirshner, John Lennon and Less Eastman in a Billboard photo from the 70s. Would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that conversation:
Individual #2:
ALLEN KLEIN: 1931 – 2009
Widely acknowledged to be one of the primary factors in leading to the Beatles breakup. John wanted his guy and Paul wanted his guy to manage their business affairs! George and Ringo in this matter showed their allegiance to John’s guy though the real reasons have never been thoroughly disclosed what Klein had done for singer/ songwriter Sam Cooke had impressed John. He liked his strong negotiating skills and even the Eastmans were impressed with the increased royalty deal that Klein was able to secure for the Beatles with EMI on their behalf. Paul and the Eastmans both signed off on that agreement. Herein lies what I perceive to be the main difference in chemistry.
Klein was not refined in his interpersonal skills; Like John Lennon he was blunt and agitated people very easily. Paul would see the Eastmans as cultured and refined and much more PR conscious than Klein. That stands to reason as that is the way both John and Paul operated in the Beatles. John was more outspoken and not outwardly afraid of what others may have thought about your perceptions of him and the Beatles image, yet Paul was much concerned with keeping the Beatles image intact and not controversial. You can see the chemistry working in this arena despite not having been there while it was going on. Can you see THOSE wheels turning?
Klein could be ruthless in business, and his interpersonal skill could leave a lot to be desired but he was an intense negotiator a quality which John admired. John, George, and Ringo eventually terminated their business relationship with Allen Klein in the early 70s!
Two photos that came to me in the trade for the Allen Klein signature:
Photo #1:
Photo #2
I have removed the account number and routing number for the signed check possibly written as a sendup to the Apple Scruffs in the sum of $1.00 in the event the account is still open which I doubt since Klein passed away in 2009. The check was auctioned off on eBay and the collector that obtained the signed document along with the JSA was the individual I traded with to acquire it
The JSA for the signed check:
Individual #3:
DICK JAMES 1920 – 1986
Dick James was a professional singer before he became a music publisher. Being at the right place at the right time he was able to secure the Beatles publishing rights early in their career
BUT…
From Wikipedia…
What began as a friendly working relationship between the Beatles and James disintegrated by the late 1960s: the Beatles considered that James had betrayed and taken advantage of them when he sold Northern Songs in 1969 without offering the band an opportunity to buy control of the publishing company. James profited richly from the sale of Northern Songs and the Beatles never again had the rights to their own songs
This signature is from the 1950s when Dick James was still a professional singer. I purchased this one on eBay!
Dick James sang the lead vocal on the UK TV show-Robin Hood:
Robin Hood TV Theme :::: Dick James.
The man who earned more money from The Beatles than John Paul George and Ringo
Dick James recorded an EP of some of the songs he had published of the Beatles with James doing the vocals:
Sing A Song Of Beatles With Dick James sideA
Sing A Song Of Beatles With Dick James sideB
Side B:
Individual #4:
When Dick James sold his shares of Northern Songs, the man to jump in and acquire them next was Lew Grade
LEW GRADE: 1907 –1998
This photograph came with one of the Lew Grade signatures that I purchased on eBay!
Salute to Sir Lew – The Master Showman (1975) – John Lennon, Julie Andrews, Tom Jones, Peter Sellers
Wonder who John was commenting on or about with his band members when he appeared at the Lew Grade benefit in the mid 70s. We all know now, don’t we? Who was being two-faced?
John Lennon-A Salute to Sir Lew Grade
THE LEW GRADE PART OF THE BEATLES NORTHERN SONG STORY:
Lew Grade & ATV Music: The Acquisition of Northern Songs (1969) – BEATLES FABDOM
A signed British Airways menu by Lew Grade of Elstree when he was designated a Baron: I obtsinrd this signature on sBay!
A second Lew Grade signature that I have:
A common thread-possible fears of antisemitism?
it is a sad state of affairs when so many people feared that their real names would cause prejudicial attitudes among the American public. I don’t know for sure if that was the reason for the change but many early immigrant groups in the early 1900s changed or anglicized their surnames to avoid prejudice!
All of the four parties mentioned above with the exception of Allen Klein changed their birth surnames
Lee Eastman was ironically Leopold Vail Epstein
Dick James was Isaac Vapnick;
Lew Grade was Lev Isaakovich Winogradsky
Money was not the only reason for the Beatles breakup:
Despite money problems paying a huge role in the demise of the band, it was not the sole reason. Their evolving personalities and in Geor’s case his music development were other reasons. Marriages and families and conflicting interests also entered the picture. The issue of control and decision-making about what material to record also became a primary factor. At one time ambition was their primary motivating factor. Paul, to his credit never lost that ambition to excel in the recording arena. For that formula to work, all of the parties have to be on the same page. Athis stage of their lives, they were not. However, that led to the rise of George Harrison as an excellent songwriter in his own right now free to work and play with other musicians he may not have felt as intimidated by to play alongside and write with.
In any band EGO plays a large role sometimes positive, but often negative.
The Beatles were in a beautiful story that produced a lot of great music while they were a group and as solo artists as well. We should be grateful for all of the great music they have shared with us over the years. I don’t know if they played this role in your life, but they helped to teach me a few lessons about philosophy.
They were very talented people who gave us a lot, yet they were not perfect. They had the same faults and failings that you may encounter every day in your own lives! They made bad decisions and great ones too!
There are many more actors in this business play that have yet to be discussed, like the late Michael Jackson but that is a topic for the future
In the meantime, be healthy and be happy!
Buzz
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