Taxman: A few words from the Beatles' accountant

The Daily Telegraph has a great interview with Harry Pinkster, the Beatles accountant throughout the Sixties.

Here are a few tidbits:

“Early on, the press called them millionaires. I had to clarify to them that their millions were earnings, not assets, and they needed to set aside a lot of those earnings for tax.

“They were never happy with that – that’s why George wrote Taxman. They’d been poor boys, who’d worked hard and made money, and now someone was trying to take it away.”

...  In November 1968, Lennon released on Apple his first solo album Two Virgins, whose cover featured a nude photograph of him and Yoko Ono. “Our solicitors said if John didn’t withdraw the album, Apple would be sued for indecency, and as a director I would be liable.

"I phoned John and asked him to withdraw the record. He said no, with some colourful language, so I resigned. I continued to do some work on their other companies but within a few months The Beatles had broken up.”

But the band paid one final affectionate tribute to Harry.

As they rehearsed in Abbey Road studios in 1969 for their final album Let It Be, they started singing “Hare Krishna” – and changed the words to “Harry Pinsker”. “I didn’t know until years later they’d even done it,” says Pinsker, “but it’s now on YouTube. I’m very honoured.”