E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Paul McCartney performs at the Grammy Awards held at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12.
The Beatles had considered getting back together while all four members were still alive, says Paul McCartney. "There was talk of re-forming the Beatles a couple of times," he tells Rolling Stone, "but it didn't jell, there was not enough passion behind the idea."
According to McCartney, the band was very pleased with having come full circle creatively, and worried about tainting their legacy. "More importantly, it could have spoiled the whole idea of the Beatles, so wrong that they'd be like 'Oh, my God, they weren't any good,'" he says. "The re-formation suggestions were never convincing enough. They were kind of nice when they happened – 'That would be good, yeah' – but then one of us would always not fancy it. And that was enough, because we were the ultimate democracy."
Though the Fab Four never came back together, various combinations of the band's members have played together on various projects and special occasions in the decades since the group disbanded in 1970. Ringo Starr appeared on solo recordings by John Lennon, George Harrison and McCartney, and both Starr and McCartney appeared together on "All These Years Ago," a Harrison song written in memory of Lennon. The three of them also finished a pair of Lennon demos, "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love," for the "Beatles Anthology" series.
Cover story excerpt: Paul McCartney
The individual Beatles also reconnected for one-off live collaborations, including Starr and Harrison's performance together at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971 and the time when McCartney, Harrison and Starr played "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at Eric Clapton's wedding in 1979.
McCartney and Lennon reunited briefly for a studio jam session in 1974 that also featured Stevie Wonder, Harry Nilsson, Linda McCartney and Bobby Keys. "We were stoned," McCartney says of the session, which has been immortalized as the bootleg Toot and a Snore. "I don't think there was anyone in that room who wasn't stoned. For some ungodly reason, I decided to get on drums. It was just a party, you know. To use the word 'disorganized' is completely understating it. I might have made a feeble attempt to restore order – "guys, you know, let's think of a song, that would be a good idea' – but I can't remember if I did or not."
To read Brian Hiatt's cover story on Paul McCartney, pick up the March 1, 2012 issue of Rolling Stone, on stands and in Rolling Stone All Access February 17.
Related content:
Leave a Comment:
I know Paul is always a take charge guy and I like a lot of his music but it would be nice in one of this remembering articles if he would give credit even if not do to someone else and not him being the leader pulling everything together (the Hero).
Half the group died......there is no "fixing" that very important aspect in any attempt to revive the BEATLES!
The ultimate "What if....."
I've always said, the greatest thing about the Beatles (besides them being the Beatles) is that once they broke up, they broke up! That's all there is, and it's absolute gold. Thank god they never got back together for the obligatory money-grubbing reunion album and tour. Come on, when was the last time you listened to Pink Floyd's "A Momentary Lapse of Reason"? How pathetic is it that the Eagles hate each other but get together to record some anemic album and bilk you out of $150 for a lame old man concert? Thank you, Beatles. 1960-1970 is all there is.
There is nothing better than the Beatles!
Don't like that album, but I love "Learning to Fly"!
Dark Side, but you can listen to that anytime!
And "The Division Bell" contains some of Pink Floyd's best music ever.
The few times Floyd reunited after their breakup (Knebworth and Live 8 before Richard Wright's death) I thought they pulled it off well.
And I saw both the Division Bell and Total Lapse... tours. Did not leave disappointed from either.
Okay, you Floyd fans. Compare the Waters-led Floyd (Dark Side; Animals, the Wall) to Gilmore-led Floyd and there is no comparison. The Dogs of War? Learning to Fly? No way. Their reunion at Live8 was excellent and was even more excellent because they didn't turn it into an endless tour and even less inspired album. It was kind of like the Beatles.....one and done.
The Eagles just p*** me off that they admittedly hate each other, but not so much so that they won't let their bank accounts suffer from it. They have been completely musically irrelevant for some time.
Your opinion and you are certainly entitled to it but....
Doesn't mean I didn't enjoy them. Roger made it impossible that there would be reunion and did his own thing with decidedly mixed results ("In the Flesh" rules! "Pro's and Con's..." not so much) ) but that wasn't Floyd either. It didn't help things that several songs on those later Floyd albums featured attacks on him. But I loved that band and that means 90% of the body of work.
If I had to cut something it would be the very early stuff not those last two albums but to each his own!
All bands that have longevity had their glory days and certainly Floyd's would be from "DSOTM" to "The Wall"but that doesn't make the rest of it sh_t! l
Years ago Paul Simon said it best. I have to paraphrase, but to the effect... "If Lennon had not died, The Beatles would have reunited. The temptation would have been overwhelming." I would have like to have seen it happen just to have heard them live with some more modern audio technology. Seeing the Beatles and actually hearing the Beatles... That would have been a treat.
It would all depend on what songs they played, I would not want to go to far back or to many slow songs. I also think you would have had people like Eric maybe Elton could have jointhem but it would have been a one off kind of thing I don't think they could have lasted together much longer then that. There have been some good reunions Zep comes to mind, they did all right not the same with out the Hammer but it was good. What they really need is someone to tell them (ha! Ha!) is no wife's in the studio that is a place only for the Beatles! I think that might have kept them together! You want to do your solo stuff go ahead but the Beatles is only the Beatles you want to invite someone it's only for a recording not for a camp out.
I remember coming home from work the day that Lennon was killed and asking who he was. I hated the Beatles. I couldn't have named one of them at the time.
I can almost bet the groups you like admire, respect and probably will name the Beatles as one of their reasons for playing music. You have to give credit where it is due until the Beatles groups didn't write their own music and did have control over the recording of their own songs.
Overrated. Instrument wise they were all average performers.
Paul is above average! His bass and guitar work can be heard on many an album! Might not compare with the Greats, but he could put out your lights. and if I am correct and no disrespect to Ringo the drum break around the End is Paul's Work not to shabby!
For a group of guys who were basically self-taught, they did all right. The Beatles were greater than the sum of their parts. It's the songs as much (or more) than the instrumental skills that made The Beatles what they were.
They all came together at the right time and made music for that time. You had to be there!
In the mean time, KISS is in their twelfth year of a Farwell Tour on the heals of their five year Reunion Tour.
I saw the Stones in New Orleans in 1975. It was rumored that be their last tour. They played on almost 30 more years.
Would rather have the Beatles legacy.
Yeah, I saw the Stones in 97, thought that was going to be it.
This is just another "double fantasy" of Pauls that comes up every 10 years. In 1985, Paul was doing a late night interview in the United States, and said " the remaining Beatle's were in discussion about launching a world wide tour and expect Big News in a few weeks"!
George Harrison was immediately contacted at home in London for confirmation. He replied, and I quote, " The Beatle's will not re-unite for anything, ever, until Paul finds a way to raise John from the grave" then hung up the phone!
Paul needs to go back to writing his am radio fodder like "ebony & ivory" and "someone's knocking on the door" or work on creating a post Beatle's legacy like John Lennon and George Harrison did.
Tooooooo much ego for it to happen in a good way. Would have been nice if they could have had fun doing it.
The sum was much greater than the parts.
Their music, with its amazing blend of vocals, remains at the top of my list. John was right, they were bigger than Jesus. Stop in anytime, Paul, we'll check the motor.
They had/have a bigger following that's for sure.