alternatehistory.com

Prelude

Hello everyone. This is my first alternate timeline, centered around The Beatles.

Unlike a lot of Beatles-centered alternate timelines, which ask "what if The Beatles never broke up?", this one shall ask the question "What if The Beatles broke up during the White Album sessions?".

Without much else to say, let us begin in 1968 with The Beatles' return from India.


1968 - An Off-White Scenario

Pictured above: The Beatles in Rishikesh, early 1968.
After returning from their Transcendental Meditation course in Rishikesh, India, with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi between February and April 1968, The Beatles had a new outlook on life and their careers. John, Paul and George wrote several songs and realized they couldn't fit them all in a single LP. They soon regrouped in May, 1968 at Harrison's home studio Kinfauns to record rough demos of songs and discuss what to do.


Pictured above: George Harrison's studio home Kinfaus in Esher, Surrey, England.
George in particular shared his concern about his ever-extending back catalogue, and how he felt he would never be able to exhaust it with his two or three song quota per album. The Beatles soon came to a conclusion on what they could do: A double LP.


Pictured above: The Beatles in the studio, 1968
Despite producer George Martin's advice on keeping the record to a single LP, The Beatles insisted and started recording on the tentatively named A Doll's House May 30th, 1968 in Abbey Road Studios, London.

Meanwhile, also in London, another Beatles project is being worked on, one that would combine visuals and music of The Beatles unlike any other project before it...
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