“ But three decades before, the Beatles had tried to get a “Lord of the Rings” film off the ground. After playing themselves in “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” the Fab Four was ready to play fictional characters. Apple Films executive Denis O’Dell spearheaded the hunt for material, and Lennon reportedly loved the idea of “Rings.” Lennon would play Gollum, Paul McCartney would play Frodo, George Harrison would be Gandalf and Ringo Starr would play Sam.
Stanley Kubrick, fresh off “Dr. Strangelove,” was approached to direct, while the Beatles would provide the music. Kubrick said no — he considered it “unfilmable” and, more importantly, Tolkien turned them down. Other directors who were considered included Michelangelo Antonioni, David Lean and Richard Lester. Kubrick went on to make “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and the Beatles turned to animation with “Yellow Submarine.””
The debut album Only Lovers Left Alive was released, the title taken from the novel by Dave Wallis. The concept album tells the story of far-right conspiracy theorist Peter Beter (who allegedly provided secret information on tapes) from the perspective of a teenager who wants to fight “the system” only to ultimately succumb to it.