Paul McCartney

When, on New Years Eve 1970, Paul McCartney filed suit in the High Court in London to end the partnership trading as The Beatles & Co, and appointed a receiver to wind up its affairs as well as to finish its association with New York rockbiz accountant Allen Klein, it was little more than a formal conclusion to a process of disintegration that had been going on for years.

Paul's debut solo album, McCartney, had some excellent moments, but largely suffered from its unsophisticated recording process - it was made in Paul's home studio - while Ram, a huge hit on both sides of the Atlantic, demonstrated his consummate skill with a melody. The formation of Wings came as no real surprise, as Paul had always enjoyed being part of a group. What was a shock though, was Wings' debut album Wildlife.

Unadventurous to the point of being twee, it was critically trashed and didn't sell nearly as well as Macca's previous solo offerings. Opinion was that, with three LPs in 18 months, McCartney had stretched himself too thin.

On January 16 1980, while touring Japan for the first time since The Beatles played there in 1966, McCartney was arrested when he landed with nearly half a pound of marijuana in his suitcase. Prisoner number 22, as he was suddenly known, faced up to seven years behind bars.

When his father-in-law and lawyer Lee Eastman flew to Tokyo, the Japanese authorities elected to send Macca away rather than send him down. McCartney was deported and the tour was cancelled.