March 14, 2007 — Previously undocumented correspondence between John Lennon and a record executive dispels at least three rumors that circulated about the Beatles after the group broke up in 1970, according to researchers at Christie's auction house.
The London branch of Christie's will sell the letters, along with other Beatles artifacts and iconic rock star items, at a Pop Memorabilia sale on April 26.
Carey Wallace, a consultant in Christie's Popular Entertainment Department, told Discovery News that the correspondence consists of five letters and postcards exchanged between John Lennon and EMI records chairman Len Wood, who was instrumental in first signing the Beatles.
The letters date to 1971, and refer to a series of EP's issued by Capitol Records in Mexico between 1971-1972. Each track was written and sung by an individual Beatle.
Wallace believes the letters prove Lennon remained active with the Beatles long after he claimed to have left the group. They also reveal his closeness to the other band members, along with his business and artistic control over their Beatles-era releases.
"These notes in Lennon's hand reveal his instructions as to how the order of the tracks should run for the George Harrison and Ringo Starr Mexican EP's," Wallace told Discovery News. "The listings therefore prove a long-held rumor amongst Beatles historians that these Mexican EP's were devised by John at a time when, in public, Lennon was very keen to distance himself from the Beatles' back catalogue."
The letters also suggest that "in private, John still felt a close attachment to the group and their legacy," she added. "Again contrary to his public image, he was very keen for George Harrison and Ringo Starr to receive an overdue moment in the spotlight with these releases."
The auction will also include an LP of the 1969 Wedding Album, which Lennon signed and inscribed to the parents of James Hanratty, one of the last individuals to be hung in the U.K., at Bedford Prison on April 4, 1962. According to Christie's, the Hanratty connection proves that Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, helped in the campaign to reopen the legal case.
John Wiener is a professor of history at the University of California at Irvine and one of the world's leading experts on John Lennon's life and legacy.
When Discovery News showed Wiener the auction information, he took particular note of the Hanratty album.
