An angry 1971 letter from legendary musician John Lennon to his equally legendary former Beatles bandmate Paul McCartney is up for auction via the online auction site Gotta Have Rock And Roll. According to an article from Stereogum, the auction house estimates this piece of music history is worth around $30,000.
For some background, in 1971, McCartney gave an interview to the now defunct Melody Maker magazine, in which he discussed The Beatles’ ongoing business troubles and gave his opinion on some of Lennon’s recent songs, such as the immensely popular “Imagine.” Lennon responded to these statements in the form of a letter, which the writers of Melody Maker included in a later issue at Lennon’s behest.
The contents of this letter offer a unique insight into the complicated relationship between Lennon and McCartney at the time. Several of the passages illustrate the high tensions between the two, as well as the other former members of The Beatles, such as this section in which Lennon states: “If you’re not the aggressor (as you claim), who the hell took us to court and shit all over us in public? Who was buying up Northern Songs shares behind my back? Even before Klein came in! (No excuse) Who’s the guy threatening to ‘finish’ Ringo and Maureen, who was warning me on the phone two weeks ago? Who said he’d ‘get us’ no matter the cost? — As I’ve said before — have you ever thought that you might possibly be wrong about something?”
Though the relationship between Lennon and McCartney eventually got better, this authentic letter illustrates how important these turbulent years were to the overall history of The Beatles.
Photo Credit: Marv Watson
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