451．ポールがいなければ、もはやビートルズではない

　「ビートルズの解散」がいつの時点なのかについては、諸説があり
ます。1969年の秋に、ジョンがビートルズ脱退を表明していましたが
この時点では公になっていませんでした。広くは、1970年 4月10日に
ポールがマスコミに脱退を表明した時点だと言われています。有名な
「ボクがビートルズを去ったのではない。ビートルズがビートルズを
去ったんだ」というコメントを残して・・・。

　衝撃的なポール脱退表明の報道は、あっというまに世界中に広まり
ました。当時の数あるニュースの中から今回は、1970年 4月11日付の
『タイムズ』紙掲載記事をご紹介します。論者のWilliam Mann氏は、
同紙の音楽評論を担当していた人物で、ビートルズの音楽をよく分析
していました。

　その論調がいかに素晴らしく感動的であるか、お読みになってみて
ください。

【引用開始】

　Without Paul, no Beatles

　If The Beatles were just another pop group, there would be
no cause for alarm in Paul McCartney's suggestion, announced
yesterday, that he may never work with them again, the others
would simply find another bass-guitarist and lead-singer, and
go on roughly as before. But The Beatle's image, and influence
on pop culture in the last 10 years, has depended on four dis-
tinctive personalities working well together, they would not
be The Beatles without Paul. From the time of their first L.P.
the special feature of The Beatles, which lofted them above
every pop group in the world, was the composing partnership of
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who wrote songs of real charac-
ter and individuality, and wrote them in great profusion, for
other singers and groups as well as for The Beatles.

　If you play a track from “PLEASE PLEASE ME” and then one
from “ABBEY ROAD”, you can hear at once how far the Lennon-
McCartney partnership has developed in seven years, you have
travelled from the age of innocence to adult sophistication
with full benefit of modern technology.

　Early Beatles originals were very varied in mood and effect,
they seized avidly on all available styles, blues, rock,
country and western, everything, and shaped something new out
of each. But the character was definably Lennon-McCartney.

　From “REVOLVER” onwards one could begin to discern a two-
headed personality. John and Paul could go on insisting that
words and music were joint achivements, both written by both,
and cynics maintained that all the best ideas came from George
Martin, their recording manager.

　But people who listened carefully, analytically and often to
these LPs, and the steadily decreasing number of singers by
The Beatles, found ‘I Am The Walrus’and ‘Strawberry Fields’
evocative of John's known "PERSONA", ‘Fool On The Hill’
‘Yesterday’and ‘Michelle’ more like Paul. The two were
publicaly developing in different directions as they left
teenagerdom behind.

　Gradually George Harrison too, emerged as a real composer －
‘Here Comes The Sun’ is among the best numbers in “ABBEY
ROAD” some of us rememberd the early Beatles record, made in
Germany, which included ‘Cry For A Shadow’ , written by
George, and very beautiful still.

　But it was obvious that their individual developments would
draw them apart. George and Ringo Starr have made solo LPs.
John and his wife, Yoko Ono, have formed the Plastic Ono Band
and made several records of Lennon Songs. Paul's LP with his
wife, Linda, completes the process of separation.

　Composers have to go it alone. Paul says he enjoyed making
his McCartney LP, because when decisions had to be made he
always agreed with hiself. It would be a shame, if the Beatles
did not occasionally ‘Come Together’ to give us something as
sustained inventively as the second side of “ABBEY ROAD”.
Musical necessity being irrepressible, I would not discount
the possibility of more Beatles records. Meanwhile, good luck
to all four of them.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　William Mann

【引用終了】

　当時の論調には、解散の原因を特定の人物の影響だと決め付けよう
とする「犯人探し」的なものが多くありました。しかし、ウィリアム
マン氏の論調は、解散を「４人の成長があるがゆえの必然性」と展開
しています。このような論旨を「当時」展開できること自体、驚異的
なことだと思うのです。なんと的確な言い回しでしょうか。そして、
締めの文の「４人の前途に祝福あれ」・・・。素晴らしいですね。

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