On this day in 1968, The Beatles began recording “Happiness Is a Warm Gun”

The title of the song referred to an article in an issue of American Rifleman, the magazine of the National Rifle Association (NRA) that had been brought to the studio by George Martin. The phrase “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” immediately piqued John Lennon’s interest who later said he “just thought it was a fantastic, insane thing to say”.

The band gathered at EMI Studios in London on the 23rd of September to begin recording the song. Though tensions were high between the band members at this point, they collaborated closely to figure out the complex rhythmic elements. Much of this first session was spent figuring out the individual sections, with over 45 takes recorded. The following day another 25 attempts were recorded, resulting in a usable backing track.

Releasing as part of The Beatles album in November, the song immediately found success amongst critics who frequently called it their favourite song on the album. All four members of the band later agreed, identifying it as their favourite as well.

On this day in 1971, John Lennon released his second solo album, Imagine

In New York, Lennon was having a jam with former bandmate George Harrison and decided to invite him to perform on his next album. Recording began the following week on the 24th of May and continued over the following months. 

Imagine was written during a period of bad blood between Lennon and Paul McCartney following the bands breakup and McCartney’s High Court case to have their partnership dissolved. The song “How Do You Sleep” was written in retaliation to McCartney’s alleged personal attacks on Lennon and Yoko Ono on his recent album, Ram. When Imagine was released, early copies of the record came with a postcard featuring a photograph of Lennon holding a pig in a parody of Ram’s album cover.

Critics early reviews were mixed, with most claiming the album had both high and low points, though the opinions were positive for the most part. Lennon himself later expressed displeasure with the more commercial sound of the album, however Imagine is still remembered as one of his most significant albums.

On this day in 1995, a concert was held to celebrate the opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Over 10 years earlier in 1983, founder and head of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun established the idea of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. He assembled a team including Rolling Stone publisher Jann S. Wenner as well as other record executives and attorneys.

3 years later it was decided that the building would be erected in Cleveland, Ohio after the city made a strong campaign for the building, pledging $65 million in funding and with mentions of renowned rock DJ Alan Freed’s Moondog Coronation Ball, often referred to as the first major rock concert.

The ribbon was cut and the Museum opened on the 1st of September with an ensemble that included Yoko Ono and Little Richard in front of a crowd of around 10,000. The following night the concert took place featuring performances from major artists like Bob Dylan, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Iggy Pop and John Fogerty among others. The Hall of Fame continues to induct new members yearly with ceremonies alternating between New York and Cleveland.

On this day in 1968, the Beatles released their first single on their own Apple Records label

After spending their early years signed with EMI, The Beatles decided to go it alone, increasing their ability to try differing methods of promotion and more experimental works. They began with “Hey Jude”, written by Paul McCartney while driving to visit Cynthia Lennon and her son after her separation from John.

McCartney continued to rehearse and refine the song, before bringing it to the rest of the band for recording during the sessions for their self-titled double album, more commonly known as “The White Album”. The song became the first Beatles composition to be recorded on eight-track recording equipment and it was quickly marked for release as a single, backed with “Revolution”, written by Lennon.

The song was bundled with three other singles from new Apple signees, Mary Hopkins, Jackie Lomax and the Black Dyke Mills Band in a pack named “Our First Four” and sent gift-wrapped boxes of the singles to members of the royal family and the UK Prime Minister, an example of the more unorthodox methods of promotion they were now able to utilise. 

On this day in 1964, The Beatles arrived in California for their first US tour

After the band made their US debut during their two week visit in February to film The Ed Sullivan Show, The Beatles became the most well-known group in America and many fans wanted to see more. In the 6 months following the airing of the tv appearance, the band had achieved seventeen top 40 singles, including six number ones and so it was decided that a US tour would be next. 

Arriving in California, the band was greeted by an estimated 9000 fans before heading to Daly City in the San Francisco area for the first show. The group played 32 shows in 25 cities over the course of 31 days. The majority of the shows sold out quickly, and the band reportedly made $50,000 minimum per show, accumulating over $1 million throughout the tour.

The tour was characterised by the hordes of screaming fans at every location, necessitating increased security and decoy limousines, plus discreet vehicles for the band to actually travel in, like delivery vans or ambulances. One of the more significant moments of the tour was the opportunity to meet Bob Dylan, who all members of the group were fans of. Dylan later said of the band “Everybody else thought they were for the teenyboppers, that they were gonna pass right away. But it was obvious to me that they had staying power.”

On this day in 1968, the band that would come to be known as Led Zeppelin played together for the first time

The members had known each other for a while, but it was the dissolving of the Yardbirds that freed up Jimmy Page to assemble a new band. The Yardbirds were still booked for several shows and so former guitarist Jeff Beck authorised Page and the band to play as “The New Yardbirds”.

Assembling in a small rehearsal room below a record store on Gerrard Street in London, the band barely fit in the room filled wall-to-wall with amplifiers. The group debated what to play before deciding on an old Yardbirds song called “Train Kept  A Rollin’”. The chemistry was reportedly felt instantly and they blasted through the song. All of the members recall being excited by the rehearsal and the new bands prowess.

After more rehearsals, the band performed together for the first time on September 7th in Denmark. Soon after they began work on their first album, based on their live material. The album was finished within 9 days, and the band were forced to change their name to Led Zeppelin due to a lawsuit. The name change would prove to be no obstacle as their first album quickly shot into the top 10 in both the US and the UK.

On this day in 1973, Led Zeppelin were robbed of $200,000 in New York

 In the midst of a highly successful US Tour, the band performed three nights at New York’s famous Madison Square Garden stadium. The band’s road manager, Richard Cole checked the group’s safety deposit box in their room at the Drake Hotel at 1:20am and saw nothing out of the usual. But, when he checked again at 7:30pm he discovered only 5 passports remained in the box, with between $203,800 and $220,000 missing.

Detectives attended the hotel immediately and questioned Cole and the rest of the band. They were informed that the band kept these large amounts of cash for expenses. The detectives discovered no indication that the box had been forced open and that two keys were needed to remove the box from the safe, one kept by the desk clerk and another by Cole himself. 

Zeppelin manager Peter Grant held a press conference about the robbery the following day, while the band remained secluded in their suites. Though the $200,000 would have put a dent in the bands earnings, the group still accumulate over $4 million from the rest of the tour. Despite the thorough police investigation, the crime remains unsolved.

On this day in 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent their second day filming the “Imagine” promotional film

After the massive success of the album and song, Lennon was inspired to create an accompanying documentary film. 

The film originally ran for 70 minutes, but was trimmed to 55 minutes to fit on a VHS tape. The full 70 minute cut was eventually released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2002. “Imagine” featured mostly promo style material for the selected songs, interspersed with clips of Lennon and Ono’s life together, as well as some fantasy and gag sequences. In one of these clips, a succession of men (ranging from assistants to celebrities including Fred Astaire and George Harrison) lead Ono through a doorway repeatedly. Other celebrities like Andy Warhol and Dick Cavett also appeared in the film.

“Imagine” was shown at multiple film festivals and even won the “Silver Lion” award for Best Clip at Cannes and the Festival Award at the Rio International Film Festival. The film performed well and was well-liked by critics for the most part, though some called it “the longest home movie ever made”. The movie was later re-released in theatres in 2018.

On this day in 1968, The Beatles moved into their new headquarters in London

After purchasing the Georgian townhouse at 3 Savile Row, London for £500,000 on the 22nd of June, the group quickly renovated and readied themselves to move in. Apple Corps had previously been based at 94 Baker Street and 95 Wigmore Street, though this would be the first time they had a whole building to themselves.

The building featured an office for each of The Beatles and a recording studio in the basement. Most of the Let It Be album was recorded in this studio, and the famed rooftop performance that would be their last as a band was held on the buildings roof. Beatles fans used to congregate outside and were immortalised in a George Harrison song called “Apple Scruffs”. John Lennon and Yoko Ono also ran their early peace campaigns from the building under the name of Bag Productions.

The Beatles stayed at 3 Savile Row for around 18 months in the lead-up to the rooftop concert. The building was later closed for a time before it was purchased by British clothing company Abercrombie and Fitch who used the building first for a children’s line before transforming it to a regular store. Many Beatles fans visit the building even today, and it is a common stop on Beatles tours around London.