Would the Beatles have reunited if John had lived??

[catlover79]

Of course, we know a REAL Beatles reunion will never happen, and those hopes were forever dashed as John was cruelly taken from us in 1980. But it seems like he and Paul had mended fences somewhat by that time (I read that John had really liked Paul's current single, Coming Up). Both men had stayed in touch with George and Ringo, and sometimes two or three Beatles would play on each other's albums. Ringo had been a surprise guest at a Wings concert in the mid-1970s. I was just a baby in 1980 (and I don't know how true this is), but from things I've read and heard, rumors were spreading that the Beatles were going to reunite for a new album and maybe a tour.

Whether or not those rumors are true, it's my opinion that anything the Beatles could've done together then wouldn't even come close to topping their output from the 1960s. The Beatles didn't merely define the musical landscape, they BECAME the musical landscape. Their music defined a culture, a generation. That music still holds up well today.

One thing I've always enjoyed about the Beatles' music is that they weren't afraid to get weird and goofy. Yes, I realize some of it has to be influenced by drugs. Still - you can't help but smile and laugh at songs like Maxwell's Silver Hammer and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. The Beatles and their music will rock forever!

[Mikado]

In my opinion, not so long as Linda and Yoko were still alive....both men pretty much let their wives rule over them so I dont think it would ever have happened. ( Both wives would have insisted on being made a part of any recording sessions, and i think Paul would have vetoed Yoko and John would have vetoed Linda. )< Pretty much what broke up the Beatles in the first place

[tv star collector]

This is a question that has popped up in the media time and time again. The
Beatles themselves answered it best in the 2000 book, THE BEATLES
ANTHOLOGY. John said, "The Beatles is over, but John, Paul, George and
Ringo ... God knows what relationship they'll have in the future. I don't know.
I still love those guys! Because they'll always be those people who were that
part of my life." Paul stated, "The Beatles felt like it was forever, but
actually it was only ten years. It felt like twenty, the amount we packed
into those ten years--all the music, all the different looks, even: the beards,
the moustaches, the clean shavens, the little Cardin jackets, all that. It
seemed like a long, long time. But I loved it." George added, "There was a
close bond between us through all those years. The Beatles can't ever really
split up, because as we said at the time time we did split up, it doesn't
really make any difference. The music is there, the films are all there. Whatever we did is still there and always will be. ... The bottom line is, as
John said, it was only a little rock 'n' roll band. It did a lot and it meant a lot
to a lot of people but, you know, it didn't really matter that much." And
Ringo summed it up: "I think that's too simple. For me it was a really great
rock 'n' roll band and made a lot of good music which is still here today. But I
know what John and George mean--we were just a little band from Liverpool.
.. I feel now, on reflection, that we could have used our a power a lot more
for good. Not for politics, but just to be more helpful. We could have been
some bigger force. It's an observation, not a regret--regrets are useless. We
could have been stronger for a lot more causes if we'd pulled it together."

GEORGE: "The Beatles had started out being something that gave us a vehicle to be able to do so much when we were younger, but it had now got
to a point where it was stifling us. There was too much restriction. It had to
self-destruct, and I wasn't feeling bad about anybody wanting to leave,
because I wanted out myself. I could see a much better time ahead being by
myself, away from the band. It had ceased to be fun and it was time to get
out of it. It was like a straitjacket."

JOHN: "I started the band. I disbanded it. It's a simple as that. My life with
The Beatles had become a trap. A tape loop. I had made previous short
excursions on my own, writing books, helping covert them into a play. I'd
even made a movie without the others ..."

PAUL: "I didn't leave the Beatles. The Beatles have left The Beatles, but no
one wants to be the one to say the party's over. ... John was a bit annoyed
with me because I think he wanted to be the one to tell anyone--or not tell
them."

RINGO: "There was always the possiblility that we could have carried on.
We weren't sitting in the studio making ABBEY ROAD saying, 'OK, this is it;
last record, last track, last take.' But Paul put his solo record out and made
the statement that said that The Beatles were finished."

JOHN: "People keep talking about it as if it's the end of the earth. It's only a
rock group that split up. It's nothing important. You have all the old records
there if you want to reminisce. You have all this great music."

There were ten years between the breakup and John's death. I think that
they MIGHT have gotten back together for a reunion show or something. But
I seriously doubt it--not due to any animosity among the group but simply
because (in Paul's words), "We had already done it." They did all they set
out to do, said what they had to say, and managed to change the world.
Forever.

[AKA]

I think they would have done a few one-off performances; maybe even something along the lines of MTV Unplugged, but probably not a full-fledged reunion tour/album.

Originally Posted by catlover79

I was just a baby in 1980 (and I don't know how true this is), but from things I've read and heard, rumors were spreading that the Beatles were going to reunite for a new album and maybe a tour.

By December of 1980, all four parties were on board for a documentary film, which eventually evolved into The Beatles Anthology fifteen years later. It's unclear whether or not it would have included new musical performances.

[Zebra 3]

In 1969-70 John Lennon was planning a massive three day peace festival for early July 1970 in Ontario, Canada which would have included The Beatles and Elvis Presley.

The event never took place, but I imagine the possibility of him revisiting the idea later on and convincing the other three band members to reunite for this worthy cause.

[Number 9 Dream]

Originally Posted by AKA

I think they would have done a few one-off performances; maybe even something along the lines of MTV Unplugged, but probably not a full-fledged reunion tour/album.

I agree.

[mrs.gingerhinkley]

It would have been nice to see them reunite and perform, maybe like a farewell.
But, it wouldn't have been the same.