The Beatles Nearly Had The Spirit Of '76

In an interview with Radio Times, Paul McCartney says The Beatles considered getting back together in 1976. "There were phenomenal amounts of money being offered...millions by Sid Bernstein, this New York promoter (who brought the band to America in 1964). But it just went round and round... Let's put it this way, there was never a time when all four of us wanted to do it." And in retrospect he says it was the right decision because "the Beatles' work is a body of work. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. In the end we decided we should leave well enough alone."

When asked if he could imagine what the Beatles would be like today, he was initially reluctant to answer, but said, "We could imagine that John would be this fantastic elder statesman, very much in command of his lifestyle. I'd be alongside him singing magnificently. George would be playing like an angel on his guitar. We'd be gelling, sounding like nothing anyone's ever heard before with all the power of modern amplification. And, behind us, would be the world's greatest drummer [Ringo]... Unfortunately, this is just pure imagination. But then what's wrong with that?"

In other McCartney news...Paul has taken the high road, or the silent road, in his divorce proceedings from Heather Mills. He has said it is "painful," but he has not said any disparaging remarks about her. She, on the other hand has made remarks, and he is trying to prevent her from doing so in the future. So as he fights for a settlement in which she cannot talk, he is also reportedly trying to stop Heather from taking legal action against Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Daily Mail, and News Group Newspapers, publishers of The Sun for libel and breach of privacy for leaking details of their divorce papers last year. If the case goes to court, he could be called as a possible witness and private details could be made public, including his alleged violent towards her.

The Daily Mirror reported yesterday that Macca has now offered Heather 50-million dollars (25-million pounds). A source close to McCartney tells the paper, "His legal team knows a judge is unlikely to award Heather a package of much more than about 25-million pounds so he has offered that and now all he has to do is sit and wait. It's now in Heather's hands. Paul has always been prepared to go all the way, but if it can be sorted out before then, he's not going to stand in the way."