How Kenya trip changed Beatles’ story

“Now and Then” was the Beatles’ last project together, it is believed. Originally composed in the 1970s by John Lennon before his death in 1980, the song was later passed on to the other members by Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono.  But, due to technological issues, where it was difficult to separate Lennon’s vocals from the piano to create a clear mix, the remaining Beatles did not release the song – until 2022. 

In 2021, with advanced technology and artificial intelligence, the vocals and the music were successfully separated and a new mix created, and that’s how the song was officially released a year later. 

Since the video, directed by Peter Jackson, was released in November 2023, it has gained close to 65 million views on YouTube. 

Their eighth Grammy shows how big the Beatles, popularly known as The Fab Four, are worldwide.

Their story begins in Liverpool, a maritime city located in northwest England, where the River Mersey meets the Irish Sea. It is difficult to speak about Liverpool without mentioning The Beatles.

When I visited last weekend, two museums in the heart of the city effortlessly tell The Beatles story. 

The Beatles Story Museum, located at the famous Royal Albert Dock, is one of them. Owned by Mersey Ferries and opened in 1990, the museum recreates the story of this great band. It exhibits recreations of places The Fab Four went to or did, like The Casbah Coffee Club and The Cavern Club, where they frequently played in the 1960s, plus other items such as Lennon’s spectacles, their wax figures and their instruments. The museum gives each and every Beatle’s story.  

About 15 minutes’ walk from this museum is The Liverpool Beatles Museum on Mathew Street. This five-storey building houses the original items, more than 300 of them and a thousand more in storage belonging to, or were used by, The Beatles.

Unlike at the Royal Albert dock, the atmosphere on Mathew Street is quite different. Before you get to the main museum building, several pubs line the street, playing loud live music, with people making merry. 

Even the chilly and drizzly winter weather does not dull the fun-loving people’s fun on a Saturday afternoon.

At the reception of the former warehouse-turned-museum, the young receptionists, probably in their early 20s, welcome you. You must have an online ticket before entering the museum. The tickets cost £16 ($19.8) per head, and this gives you unlimited time in the museum during its operational hours.

You have a choice of picking an audio gadget at the reception, translated into several languages, and you can listen to the stories of this great band while touring the museum.

The first three floors are dedicated to different periods in The Beatles’ history, depending on the years – between 1959 and 1970.

Officially inaugurated in July 2018, the museum was created by Roag Best, son of Mona Best, who was half-brother of Pete Best. Pete Best was a drummer for The Beatles in the early 1960s, and is always referred to as the fifth Beatle.

Among the items on display are John Lennon’s Sergeant Pepper medal, George Harrison’s Futurama guitar, Pete Best’s premier drum, Paul McCartney’s bass speaker, the actual clothes they wore while on tour, whisky flasks, real custom-made stools, and many other things.

They even have boxing shorts given to them by legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, as well as lists of the police officers who guarded them while on tour in the US.

It’s fascinating to see all these items in their original form.

Perhaps the most interesting bit is the attire they wore on stage when they created their alter egos, and its connection to Kenya.

In November 1966 while on holiday in France, Paul McCartney met up with their road manager then, Mal Evans, and decided to drive to Spain to meet Lennon, who was on a movie set.

But, when they were told that Lennon had already wrapped up and gone back to England, they were so disappointed they decided to book a last-minute safari holiday to Kenya.

When they landed in Nairobi, they proceeded to Tsavo and Amboseli national parks, where they watched wild animals and the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro. 

On their bucket list were a couple of nights at the famous Tree Tops Hotel in Nyeri, where Queen Elizabeth ascended to the throne while holidaying with Prince Philip. They then spent a couple of more nights at the YMCA near the State House, Nairobi, before wrapping up their 13-day Kenya holiday. 

It was while on the plane from Nairobi to London that Paul got an idea about disbanding the band and developing alter egos. The Kenyan trip was so refreshing and he looked at life differently then.

The group was tired of the touring life, memoirs say, and had grown from boys to men. They wanted different identities, such that when they went on stage, they would look and sound differently and no longer be The Beatles. 

But they needed a new name too. When Mal asked what the ‘S’ and ‘P’ meant on the small sachets served with food in the plane, Paul said it meant salt and pepper. There and then, he twisted his own words, pun intended and came up with Sergent Pepper. 

But that was not it. He spiced it more and came up with Sergent Pepper and the Lonely Hearts Club. 

Back in London, he shared the idea with the rest of the group, and they all loved it. That’s how they started wearing those fancy clothes while on stage, displaying their alter egos and the new band name, Sgt Pepper and The Lonely Hearts Club. 

A few years later, in 1970, the group disbanded and each member pursued their solo career. Lennon died in 1980 while McCarney died in 2001. Ringo and Harrison are still alive. 

The Beatles remain as the best-selling rock band of all time.