Paul McCartney is pictured here towards the end of recording sessions for The Beatles (aka ‘The White Album’), which concluded with the recording of Lennon composition Julia on 13 October, 1968. The album’s protracted production was riven with tensions – Yoko Ono’s presence disrupted the unity implied by the album’s title, studio mainstay Geoff Emerick left, as did Ringo Starr, to spend time on Peter Sellers’ yacht, and disillusioned producer George Martin’s authority was sidelined to the extent he went on holiday for two weeks. Some songs (such as Julia and Blackbird) featured their composer as lone Beatle; some (Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da) required alienating levels of perfectionism to complete; others (Happiness Is A Warm Gun) briefly rekindled their love of playing together as a unit. Given all of this, it’s a wonder it was made at all – and a miracle that, all things considered, it was perhaps their creative peak.