Beatles history - 1969 December
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Date Event
1
Monday
Royal Albert Hall, London. Concert of Delaney & Bonney & Friends, with guest Eric Clapton. George, Ringo, Pattie and Maureen attend.
1
Monday
POB single `You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'/`What's The New Mary Jane' is on hold.
2
Tuesday
Studio 2 (control room only). 2.30-5.30pm. Stereo mixing: `Lady Madonna' (remix 1, from take 5); `Rain' (remix 1, from take 7); `Octopus's Garden' (remixes 1, 2, from take 32). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick/Phil McDonald; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush. Remixes of `Lady Madonna' and `Rain' for LP `Hey Jude'. Remix of `Octopus's Garden' without bass, piano, lead guitar, for use as playback on Ringo's appearance on Martin's show `With A Little Help From My Friends'.
2
Tuesday
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends concert in Bristol. George joins them as guitarist, on tour. First tour of a Beatle since 1966.
2
Tuesday
John Lennon was selected as one of only three people to be featured and interviewed as `Man of the Decade'. The interview was filmed by ATV on December 2nd as John and Yoko walked the grounds of their Tittenhurst estate in Ascot, Berkshire. The footage was broadcast in Britain on December 30th 1969.
Read the interview on this day
5
Friday
Date announced for the POB single release `You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'/`What's The New Mary Jane'.
5
Friday
Abbey Road, Room 4. 2.30-5.15pm. Stereo mixing: `Hey Jude' (remixes 20, 21, from take 1); `Revolution' (remix 1, from take 16). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Geoff Emerick/Phil McDonald; 2nd Engineer: Neil Richmond. Remixes for LP `Hey Jude'. Last Emerick's session as Beatles' balance engineer.
5
Friday
Ringo and family move from `Brookfields', Elstead, Surrey, to `Roundhill', London.
6
Saturday
Ringo's appearance on the `David Frost Show'.
6
Saturday
`Cold Turkey', 6th and last week in the Top 28 (Billboard). [?]
7
Sunday
Studio E. BBC Lime Grove Studios. John and Yoko appear on BBC-TV's `The Question Why'. Broadcast live.
8
Monday
Studio 2. 10.00am-12.15pm. Tape copying with simultaneous recording: `Octopus's Garden' (takes 1-10). Producer: George Martin; Engineer: Martin Benge; 2nd Engineer: Richard Lush. Re-recording of Ringo vocal for `Octopus's Garden', bass, lead guitar and piano with outside musicians, for his appearance on the show `With A Little Help From My Friends'.
10
Wednesday
Ringo appears on the TV programme `Late Night Line up'.

Read the interview on this day
10
Wednesday
John and Yoko announce a plan of producing a film called `A6' about a murder, revealing their intention to make public the case of James Hanratty.
10
Wednesday
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends concert at the Falkoner Theatre, Copenhagen, Denmark.
11
Thursday
Odeon Theatre, Kensington, London. Royal charity world premiere of `The Magic Christian', with attendance of the royal family, Princess Margaret, John and Yoko, Ringo, Peter Sellers, George and Pattie. Before the screening, John and Yoko parade outside the cinema carrying placards declaring `Britain Murdered Hanratty'.
11
Thursday
American promoter Mike Belkin offers $ 2 400 000 at least, for a Beatles 12-day US tour, plus 65 % of profits, up to a limit of $ 8 800 000. The Beatles reject it.
12
Friday
UK LP release: `Live Peace In Toronto 1969'. US LP release: `Live Peace In Toronto 1969'.
12
Friday
UK LP release: `No One's Gonna Change Our World'. Debut of `Across The Universe'.
12
Friday
London premiere: `The Magic Christian'.
13
Saturday
`The Wedding Album' number 182, 1st week in the ranking (Billboard).
14
Sunday
John and Yoko arrive in a white bag inside a white Rolls Royce, at Hyde Park (at Cumberland Gate), to protest for James Hanratty, while Hanratty's father addresses the crowd. Later, Hanratty and the Lennons drive to 10 Downing Street, to present a petition at the Prime Minister's residence.
15
Monday
Launch of `War Is Over' campaign organized by John and Yoko. Posters and billboards are displayed in 12 important cities around the world.
15
Monday
The Lyceum, London. `Peace For Christmas' gig in aid of UNICEF, by the Plastic Ono Supergroup (John, Yoko, George, Billy Preston, Eric Clapton, Keith Moon, Delaney & Bonnie, and others). 25 minutes. Last John's performance in Britain. Recorded, included in `Some Time In New York City'. Other acts: the Rascals, Desmond Dekker and the Aces, Blue Mink and Black Velvet.
15
Monday
BBC broadcasts a 1-hour documentary about John in the programme `Twenty-Four Hours'.
16
Tuesday
Lennon and Yoko go to Toronto to play in the Peace Festival. For 5 days they stay at Ronnie Hawkins's farm near Toronto.
16
Tuesday
`War Is Over! If You Want It' billboards go up in eleven cities around the world.
17
Wednesday
John announces a plan for a peace festival in Toronto, to take place from 3 to 5 July 1970.
18
Thursday
John signs 3000 lythographies from his collection `Bag One' at Ronnie Hawkins's farm.
19
Friday
The 7th Christmas Record is sent to the members of the Fan Club.
19
Friday
John and Yoko meet Marshall McLuhan at the University of Toronto, speaking with him for 45 minutes.
Read the interview on this day
20
Saturday
`The Wedding Album', 2nd week in the ranking (Billboard).
20
Saturday
End of John and Yoko's stay at Ronnie Hawkins's farm.
21
Sunday
John and Yoko take a train from Montreal to Ottawa. Press conference in Chateau Champlain, Ottawa.
23
Tuesday
10.30am. The Ottawa press is surprised by the announcement of an imminent meeting of Lennon and Canada Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau. 10.55am. A limousine takes John and Yoko into Canadian Parliament's building, for a 55-minute meeting with Pierre Trudeau. After the meeting, John and Yoko are interviewed by the press. John declares to the Canadian press about his pro-active peace movement: "Peace is no violence, no frustration, no fear," John Lennon said in a C.B.C. interview, "If I smile at you, you're liable to smile back. We're smiling at the world." From the ministerial office the Lennons are driven to the Ministery of Public Health, to meet the Minister of Public Health, John Munro, and members of his department.
23
Tuesday
John and Yoko return to London. [24 December?]
24
Wednesday
6.00-7.00pm. Broadcast of Martin's `With A Little Help From My Friends' show, produced by Yorkshire Television, transmitted by IBA, with Ringo, Lulu, the Hollies, Spike Milligan, Dudley Moore, Blue Mink, Pan's People. Ringo sings `With A Little Help From My Friends'.
24
Wednesday
John and Yoko return to England. [23 December?]
27
Saturday
`The Wedding Album' number 178, 3rd and last week in the ranking (Billboard). Its highest position.
29
Monday
John and Yoko are visited by Hammrick and Leonard, Canadian hypnotizers who intend to help them to stop smoking. John and Yoko fly to Aalborg, Denmark, to visit Kyoko. Paul prepares Heather's birthday party.
30
Tuesday
John interview with Desmond Morris for ATV's `Man Of The Decade'. Interview was recorded on December 2nd, 1969.
31
Wednesday
BBC's TV programme `The Man Of The Decade', dedicated to John, is broadcast. `Rolling Stone' nominates John the Man Of The Year 1969. John declares to New Musical Express he is considering to leave the group.
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