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Wednesday, April 30, 1969

“The Ballad of John and Yoko” photo session

Last updated on November 1, 2024


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Some days after the recording of “The Ballad Of John And Yoko”, The Beatles met up for a photo session to get a photo to use as the single cover for markets outside the UK (In the UK, it was still the norm to use factory sleeves for singles).

Linda McCartney was the principal photographer.

[…] The only time I did an official Beatles photo was when Paul called me up at the last minute from the studio, and said that EMI needed a cover for the sleeve of The Ballad of Beatles and Yoko. I took a color portrait of the group with Yoko. I had really wanted The Beatles on their own, but Yoko just sat there, and being a timid newcomer I simply didn’t have the heart to tell her it was group members only.

Linda McCartney – from “Linda McCartney’s Sixties“, 1992
Photo by Linda McCartney
Photo by Linda McCartney
Photo by Linda McCartney
Photo by Linda McCartney
From The Ballad of John and Yoko photo session – The Daily Beatle (webgrafikk.com) – photography by Mal Evans
Photo by Mal Evans

Going further

The Beatles Diary Volume 1: The Beatles Years

"With greatly expanded text, this is the most revealing and frank personal 30-year chronicle of the group ever written. Insider Barry Miles covers the Beatles story from childhood to the break-up of the group."

We owe a lot to Barry Miles for the creation of those pages, but you really have to buy this book to get all the details - a day to day chronology of what happened to the four Beatles during the Beatles years!

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Paul McCartney writing

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Raul Macias • 3 years ago

On what date were The Beatles photographed with that talentless home wrecker and talentless pariah Yoko Ono?

Please post!

I just can't believe George Harrison partook in this humiliating photo session!

I can't believe George allowed himself to be photographed with Yoko Ono!

George looks absolutely miserable!


Mariusz • 1 month ago

If I may add something, the author of beatlesbible.com - based on Linda McCartney's Instagram account - recently established the exact date of this photo session: April 30, 1969. Source: https://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/04/30/ballad-of-john-and-yoko-photo-session/


The PaulMcCartney Project • 4 days ago

Thanks Mariusz - will update the date, even if Linda McCartney's Instagram account is not always right about the dates.


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