Comments on: Allen Klein

By: Kalle

Kalle — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 06:12:58 +0000

There were clearly many factors at work that brought about the end of the Beatles and your attitude towards others whose interpretation of events is different to yours is condescending. Your agenda in attempting to blame one individual over another is no different from anybody elses. The ensuing emotional disarray within the band was advantageous to both Klein and the Eastmans. McCartney did have more savvy in business matters – if he had perhaps reluctantly and anxiously agreed to Klein’s management no doubt the others would have got cold feet and pulled out. In the end, all of them put their long and close friendhip behind business differences, royalties and endless legal battles. Was it worth it?

By: Slipper of the Yard

Slipper of the Yard — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 13:29:27 +0000

How did he do this exactly?

By: Lars Arvid Kollstrøm

Lars Arvid Kollstrøm — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 21:21:05 +0000

Someone wrote this further up on this page: ‘When he got a new royalty agreement, he was contracted by John, George & Ringo to receive 20% of the INCREASE in royalties. It was discovered when Paul sued that he was illegaly taking 20% of ALL their royalties.’

When George was losing the My Sweet Lord lawsuit, Allen Klein switched sides, and bought the rights to He’s So Fine[or rather, ABKCO outbit George in the sale of Bright Tunes], in the knowledge that George would have to pay up. In the end he didn’t get away with it, but it appears a bit scumbaggy.

By: Lars Arvid Kollstrøm

Lars Arvid Kollstrøm — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 20:56:56 +0000

On 8th of April 1973 John uttered the words “possibly Paul’s suspicions were right” in an interview on Weekend World(it can be seen on YouTube, perhaps even elsewhere)concerning his firing of Klein(or not renewing his contract).

I would have found Klein’s firing and John’s quote, had I been Paul, as a complete vindication.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 21:57:24 +0000

I few years back I posted on here and asked how exactly Klein was meant to have screwed the band. There has been no answer forthcoming.This confirms my suspicions. He didn’t but it suited some people to portray him as a villan in order to justify certain aspects of the Beatles demise.

By: MikeP

MikeP — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 16:38:38 +0000

Lady Madonna was a stand-alone single. It only much later appeared on compilation albums.

By: claude

claude — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 02:43:23 +0000

and Lady Madonna and many more singles

By: AdamAdam

AdamAdam — Sun, 29 Nov 2015 01:06:06 +0000

The singles from AHDN and Help! were released prior to the albums coming out, and Yellow Submarine was released on the same day as Revolver. However, Something was released after Abbey Road had already been out for a few weeks, which is what they hadn’t done before. It’s a distinction people often fail to make regarding this matter.

By: TW3

TW3 — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 13:13:59 +0000

Any Singles from an album were usually released at the same time as the album, not later as usually happpens when a new album comes out.

By: Steve

Steve — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:04:55 +0000

Yellow Submarine / Eleanor Rigby being another.
On the subject of Klein, how exactly did he screw the band ?

By: John McKee

John McKee — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 15:14:15 +0000

If they never released singles off albums then someone explain Help! and Ticket to Ride – both from the same album
A similar thing occurs on A Hard Day’s Night as well.

By: castironshore

castironshore — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 15:58:29 +0000

Lennon brought klein in to sort out the mess inherited from epsteins shambolic financial management of the group. To a large degree klein was successful and got the group a vastly improved royalty rate and got their revenue streams and spending under stricter control. Even mccartney admitted the deals were good. Unfortunately this meant klein had to be brutal with apple which didn’t help the groups already fractured relationships.

Ultimately though john knew klein would not be acceptable to paul as a business manager (the eastmans were among those that warned him off) and he kind of revelled in how much it wound mccartney up. He absolutely despised lee eastman as a person never mind the idea of him being the groups manager. being Johns attraction to strong,charismatic figures was always an achilles heel and it came home to roost here. Klein had done his homework this time and as someone above said “played lennon like a fiddle”.

Ultimately he was just too brash and fly by night a character to manage a band like the beatles. As the others found out to their cost.

By: DrTomoculus

DrTomoculus — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 19:22:56 +0000

Somebody brought Klein in, and I think that’s McCartney.

In June of 1966, Allen Klein announced his intentions to manage The Beatles. What was going on around the same time was that Epstein seemed to be taking his time renewing The Beatles contract with him. One which he did not sign, which allowed them to walk freely from his management at any time they chose without legal repercussions.

Come November 1966, Epstein seems to be getting a handle on that contract renewal, but what also appears is an article stating two of The Beatles have approached Klein for management. Which two Beatles? Who knows. Epstein, Lennon, Harrison and Starr all deny the claims. McCartney? He’s in Africa and can’t be reached. (Kind of like those missing statements about Epstein’s demise from him, but comment from the other 3 when it happened.) In Christopher Sandford’s “McCartney” he makes mention that McCartney sought out Klein in 1966, which would make sense. He’s the only one not around when Klein says Beatles are abdicating Epstein’s kingdom!

Ironically, The Beatles animated series from season 2 shows McCartney as The Beetle Killer. Now I’d have to work out when that episode premiered on a Saturday morning in 1966, but since most shows in North America begin their seasons in September, I’m sure we could work out when The Beetle Killer made his first appearance, and if that is well timed with Klein’s true arrival, which was in 1966. Not 1969.

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 20 Mar 2014 04:49:08 +0000

Alan Klein was never ‘the Beatles’ manager you should correct that. He was John’s manager and soon after he became John, George and Ringo’s manager but he was never Paul McCartney’s manager and that was the material point. Once different parts of the band were under different management the whole situation became unworkable. That was the beginning of the end, It all unraveled after that unilateral January 28 1969, decision.

By: DrTomoculus

DrTomoculus — Sun, 18 Aug 2013 16:34:03 +0000

I’m starting to think Paul McCartney and Allen Klein knew what they were doing.

By: Douglas

Douglas — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:29:21 +0000

Hogwash. Paul’s attempt to wrest control of the Beatles away from the other three, well planned and well thought out, led to Kein being brought in. Yes, the fox got in the henhouse and John and the others greeted him, but Paul opened the door by his machinations and business acumen, which the others clearly lacked. To hear this dribble about the artistic destruction of the group being wrought by Lennon and the other two is sickening really. But I can see how the simple minded can be seduced by this specious argument.

By: Joseph Brush

Joseph Brush — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:16:04 +0000

John and Paul accepted stock in ATV for their share of Northern Songs in 1969 after Allen Klein failed to obtain majority ownership of Northern Songs for Lennon & McCartney.
After this transaction took place, it was ATV that sold control of Northern Songs to Michael Jackson in the 1980’s.

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 05:51:43 +0000

Klein was a thief and crook. When he got a new royalty agreement, he was contracted by John, George, & Ringo to receive 20% of the INCREASE in royalties. It was discovered when Paul sued that he was illegaly taking 20% of ALL their royalties. He also wanted royalties on Paul’s album McCartney. Paul disputed this & the albums royalties were being held by EMI until the issue was resolved. Yet Klein went and illegaly took his clained share of these royalties from APPLE. He did much more!

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 00:44:13 +0000

I think you’re all being a bit tough on old Kleinster. There was one side that was released but from Kleins perspective he was trying to protect their musical inventory and keep it within the apple family. He did a great job pushing them musically and ran Apple like business (which is something the Beatles were not able to and they admitted this). The Beatles nearly lost everything to do their own mismanagement. Once they got Klein out they lost their catalog to Whacko Jacko.

By: Márcio Ivam.

Márcio Ivam. — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 17:07:19 +0000

A evil in the Beatles story.