The Beatles of the late sixties were not the same band of mop-topped musicians that had taken America by storm in 1964. By the time they officially called in quits in 1970 John, Paul, Ringo, and George had all separated themselves from the clean-cut look and crisp sound that defined the band’s early years. Each man had outgrown The Beatles in their own way, and so when they finally decided to end the era of The Fab Four, they were all eager to forge their own paths. The latter years of the band had been marked by psychedelic explorations and a more free-spirited approach to just about everything, which was an attitude that each Beatle seemed to carry on through their solo careers throughout the seventies.

Like partners after a break-up, the decade that followed the demise of The Beatles was a fascinating era for the four former bandmates as each struggled to discover what their life would be now that they were no longer tethered to the group that made them famous. George Harrison, who went full-bore on the psychedelia and become a follower of Hare Krishna, had arguably the most interesting standalone career, while McCartney took a more conservative approach and found great success at the front of Wings. Then there’s John Lennon whose bizarre Yoko years have been covered extensively (and with good reason), and of course there’s Ringo, who seemed to be happy to float along, riding the unflappable reputation of the band he once backed. Each superstar went off in their own direction, but looking back at photos, they all seem to look so alike. There’s a clear (often questionable) style that the post break-up Beatles share, and it could certainly be argued that musically they were all still charting a similar territory, so it’s tough not to wonder about what might’ve happened if they had made it through the seventies together?