No breakup in music has been picked over more than this one. And no stretch of time holds the whole sad, strange story like 1969 rolling into 1970.
The end didn't arrive all at once. It came in pieces.
January 10, 1969: George Harrison quits during the Let It Be sessions. Worn down by the tension in the room. He's back in a few days, but a crack like that doesn't unsee itself.
January 30, 1969: The Beatles climb to the roof of the Apple Corps building on Savile Row in London and play. It's the last time the four of them ever perform live in public. A crowd gathers on the street below. The police show up and pull the plug. Lucky for everyone, the cameras were rolling.
August 20, 1969: The last day all four are in the studio together, finishing Abbey Road overdubs.
September 26, 1969: Abbey Road comes out. It's the last album they recorded together, even though Let It Be lands later.
April 10, 1970: Paul McCartney says he's left. And that's it. The greatest band there ever was is over.
The music didn't end, though. It never does. The British Invasion Years plays it every year on stages all over the country, and the rooms still sing every word.