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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Aaron Curran

John Lennon and George Harrison had 'fist fight' amid Beatles split

The Beatles' break-up is among the biggest stories in music with a mixture of pressures and problems causing the lads from Liverpool to part ways.

Towards the end of the 1960s, personalities within the Fab Four began to clash, with live shows coming to an end. The pressures of fame, John Lennon's marriage to Yoko Ono and stories of members becoming irritated by Paul McCartney's perfectionism were just some of the reasons for increasing tension.

According to their producer, the late George Martin, tempers came to a head during the recording of The Beatles final album Let It Be.

READ MORE: Paul McCartney at 80: Look back at Macca's life and career

During one argument between Harrison and Paul McCartney, things got so heated that George quit the band on the spot. And things would become even more tense between George and John.

It has been well documented that during the late 1960s, Harrison and Lennon became very close, both exploring spirituality and the use of the drug LSD. However, when John and Yoko wed, there was a suggestion that their dynamic created a rift with other band members, including George, the Express reports.

Martin said Harrison and Lennon had a fistfight in the recording studio. However, the fight was just out of shot of the various cameras filming the band for their documentary Let it Be.

Producer George Martin later said the physical fight between Lennon and Harrison was "completely hushed up at the time". This meant the press didn't find out for years, and the fans never knew their favourite band had been crumbling from the inside.

The tension hit everyone involved with the band hard, with drummer Ringo even quitting the band at one point. It would eventually culminate in the band splitting for good in 1970.

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