Editing Magical Mystery Tour (section)

==Background==

After the Beatles completed ''[[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band]]'' in April 1967, [[Paul McCartney]] wanted to create a film that captured a psychedelic theme similar to that represented by author and [[LSD]] proponent [[Ken Kesey]]'s [[Merry Pranksters]] on the [[US West Coast]].{{sfn|MacDonald|2005|p=254}}{{sfn|Gould|2007|p=439}} Titled ''[[Magical Mystery Tour (film)|Magical Mystery Tour]]'', it would combine Kesey's idea of [[Furthur (bus)|a psychedelic bus ride]] with McCartney's memories of Liverpudlians holidaying on [[coach (vehicle)|coach]] tours.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=218}} The film was to be unscripted: various "ordinary" people were to travel on a coach and have unspecified "magical" adventures.{{sfn|Schaffner|1978|p=90}} The Beatles began recording music for the soundtrack in late April, but the film idea then lay dormant. Instead, the band continued recording songs for the [[United Artists]] animated film ''[[Yellow Submarine (film)|Yellow Submarine]]'' and, in the case of "[[All You Need Is Love]]", for their appearance on the ''[[Our World (TV special)|Our World]]'' satellite broadcast on 25 June,{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=276–77}} before travelling over the summer months and focusing on launching their company [[Apple Corps|Apple]].{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=354}}

In late August, while the Beatles were attending a [[Transcendental Meditation]] seminar held by [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] [[The Beatles in Bangor|in Wales]], their manager [[Brian Epstein]] died of a prescription drug overdose.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=276–77}} During a band meeting on 1 September, McCartney suggested they proceed with ''Magical Mystery Tour'',{{sfn|Brown|Gaines|2002|pp=252–53}} which Epstein had given his approval to earlier in the year.{{sfn|Miles|2001|p=263}} McCartney was keen to ensure the group had a point of focus after the loss of their manager.{{sfn|Hertsgaard|1996|p=230}}{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=439–40}} His view was at odds with his bandmates' wishes, with [[George Harrison]] especially eager to pursue their introduction to meditation.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=217}} According to publicist [[Tony Barrow]], McCartney envisaged ''Magical Mystery Tour'' as "open[ing] doors for him" personally and as a new career phase for the band in which he would be the "executive producer" of their films.{{sfn|Greene|2016|p=38}}{{refn|group=nb|Barrow also said that McCartney was concerned that if the others travelled to India to study with the Maharishi, it would mean the end of the Beatles.{{sfn|Stark|2005|p=217}}}} [[John Lennon]] later complained that the project was typical of McCartney's "tendency" to want to work as soon as he had songs ready to record, yet he himself was unprepared and had to set about writing new material.{{sfn|Miles|2001|pp=263, 285}}