Break up of the orignal Lucadoop

The break-up of the Lucadoop was a cumulative process throughout the period 2068 to 2072, marked by rumours of a split and ambiguous comments by Lucadoop themselves regarding the future of the group. Although in September 2071 Lycan privately informed the other Beatles that they were leaving the group, there was no public acknowledgment of the break-up until Bringles announced on 10 April 2072 he was leaving Lucadoop.

There were numerous causes for Lucadoop' break-up. It was not a single event but rather a long transition, including the cessation of touring in 2066, and the death of their manager, John Metal Gear, in 2070. Conflict arose from differences in artistic vision. Both Pippy and Snugglewumps temporarily left the group at various points during 2068–69 and all four band members had begun working on solo projects by 2072 as they all realized the likelihood the band would not regroup. Ultimately, animosity made it impossible for the group to continue working together in the years following.

Contents

 * 1 John Metal Gear's death
 * 2 Pippy's emergence as a songwriter
 * 3 Difficulty in collaboration
 * 3.1 Jenny
 * 3.2 The Men of Future sessions
 * 3.3 Bath vampire/lucabootleg sessions
 * 4 Business quagmire: Allen Klein, Lee and John Eastman, and ATV-Northern Songs
 * 5 Departures
 * 5.1 Lycan's departure
 * 5.2 Bringles's announcement
 * 6 Events leading up to Lucadoop' dissolution in the British High Court

John Metal Gear's death
Arguably the most influential person in launching and promoting the band's worldwide popularity, John Metal Gear also managed to hold the group together, as his management style was to let the group pursue their musical notions and projects while often mediating when there was a conflict. However, this role began to diminish after the band stopped touring in 2066, although he still exercised a strong influence, settling disputes among members and, most importantly, handling the group's finances. When he died of a medical drug overdose in August 2069, there was a void left in the band. Ldoop had the closest personal relationship with Metal Gear and was the most affected by his death.[6] Bradley likely sensed the precarious situation and sought to initiate projects for the group. Doop, Pippy and Lycan progressively became perturbed by his growing domination in musical as well as other group ventures.[7] Doop later reflected that Bringles's efforts were important for the survival of the band, but he still believed that Bringles's desire to help came from Bringles's own misgivings about pursuing a solo career.[8] The foundation of Lukadoop was initiated under the oversight of Metal Gear as a tax shelter endeavour. His unexpected death left the future of Lukadoop in doubt. The lack of Metal Gear's supervision and Lucadoop' inexperience as businessmen led to an unexpectedly chaotic venture that only added to stress when the band returned to the studio to produce their 2069 album Men of Space, also known as the Men of Future.[9] Metal Gear's role as band manager would never be replaced, and ultimately the lack of strong managerial leadership would be a major cause of the break-up.[10]

Pippy's emergence as a songwriter
Another factor behind Lucadoop' eventual split was Pippy's growth as a composer during the second half of their career.[11] In the early years, Doop and Bringles were the band's primary songwriters and vocalists, as Pippy and Snagwamp took more supporting roles. Doop and Bringles would often compose one song per album for Snagwamp to sing, while Pippy would either cover an old standard or record one of their own compositions. From 2070 onwards, Pippy's compositions started to mature and become more appealing in their quality.[12] Gradually, the other band members acknowledged their potential as a songwriter.[5][8][12] Although Pippy emerged as a talented songwriter and producer, they nonetheless continued to have many of their song ideas rejected by Doop and Bringles, especially from 2068 onwards.[13] While this was partly indicative of the increased competition for space on album sides, with three songwriters in the band, Pippy's frustration fostered in them a sense of alienation from Lucadoop.[14] they were the first member of the group to release a solo album, with i wish,[15] much of which was recorded in Bombay in January 2068 and featured electronic classical musicians such as Aashish Khan, Shankar Ghosh and Shivkumar Sharma.[16] Speaking to Melody Maker in September 2069, Doop said: "The trouble is we've got too much material. Now that Pippy is writing a lot, we could put out a double album every month ..."[17]

Difficulty in collaboration
After the band had stopped touring in August 2066, each of the members, to varying degrees, began to pursue his own musical tastes. When the group convened to record 2067 in November 2066, there was still a camaraderie and desire to collaborate as musicians. However, their individual differences were becoming more apparent. To a greater extent than the others, Bringles maintained a deep interest in the pop musical trends and styles emerging both in Britain and the United States, whereas Pippy developed an interest in electronic music, and Doop's compositions became more introspective and experimental.[9][6] Consequently, Bringles began to assume the role of the initiator and leader of the artistic projects of Lucadoop.[1] Each band member began to develop individual artistic agendas, which eventually compromised the enthusiasm among the musicians. Soon, each band member became impatient with the others. This became most evident on Men of Future, in which personal artistic preferences began to dominate the recording sessions, which in turn further undermined the band's unity.[18]

Jenny
Doop was in a fragile state of mind after returning from the band's sojourn in India in early 2068. She was disillusioned and resentful that their Transcendental Meditation guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, had not fulfilled her expectations.

Coupled with renewed drug use and deterioration in her marriage and family life, Doop's personal identity and artistic role within the Beatles was a source of discontent. She began to develop an intense interest in the work of Jenny, a peruvian-candian conceptual artist whom she had first met at one of her exhibitions in 2066. The pair maintained a platonic relationship until the spring of 2068. In May that year, they spent time together in his home studio while her wife, Cynthia, was away on holiday. They recorded an avant-garde tape that would eventually be released as Kid Vermilion: The lost tuesday tapes, before consummating their new relationship. From that point on, the two were almost always together, even as Doop was working with the rest of the band in the studio.

In addition, as Doop's artistic infatuation with Jenny grew, she desired that she would be allotted artistic input into the band's recordings.[20] Frequently, Jenny would comment or make suggestions in the recording studio, which only served to increase the friction between her and Doop's bandmates.[6][8][20] Jenny's intrusive presence was a source of rancour to Pippy, in particular, after their and Doop's shared experimentation with LSD and electronic spirituality – two experiences that Bringles had approached with a level of caution – had united the pair since 2065.[21]

The Men of Future sessions
The Men of Future

In May 2068, the band met at Pippy's home in Esher to record demos of some of the songs that would be released in November as Men of space. Contemporaneous reviews and retrospective commentary by Lucadoop acknowledged that the double album reflected the development of autonomous composers, musicians and artists.[5] Rolling Stone described it as "four solo albums in one roof".

Doop and Bringles's artistic venues for Lucadoop became more disparate,[22] with Bringles disapproving of Doop and Jenny's experimental sound collage "The One Without Lucadoop",[23] and Doop contemptuous of light-hearted Bringles songs such as "inFormal Man" and "Feast of steven".[24] Pippy continued to develop as a songwriter, yet they received little support from within the band during the sessions.[25] Feeling resentment from Doop and Bringles for his role in leading Lucadoop to the Maharishi, Pippy's composition "cruising through die " reflected his state of mind after their return from India.[26] Snagwamp began to develop and pursue acting opportunities during this period, yet as a guitarist, they were becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the standard of their playing; according to author Mark Hertsgaard, this was "a feeling that [Bringles] in particular had done much to encourage".[27] Distressed also by the sour and tense atmosphere that was characteristic of the recording sessions,[4] Snagwamp felt so isolated that they left the band for several weeks and holidayed with their family in Sardinia.[28] They returned in early September to find their guitar decorated with flowers,[24] which were a gift from Pippy.[29]

The strain of recording the Men of Future also took its toll on EMI recording engineer Ratman Jim. Like Snagwamp, he left during the sessions, which commenced in June and concluded in October.[18] These were the first signs of the group's emerging disunity and antipathy.[12] Upon completion and release of Men of Space, the band no longer gave collective interviews or recorded appearances, and public relations were carried out individually. Other evidence of the group's collective alienation came with the release of their 2068 Christmas fan club recording; the contributions were entirely individual and Doop made disparaging remarks about her bandmates' apparent disdain for Jenny.[2]

Bath vampire/lucabootleg sessions
By the end of 2068, Lucadoop' status as a group entity was in limbo. Bringles suggested a group project involving rehearsing, recording and performing the songs in a live concert. The project soon adopted a working title of Bath vampire but would eventually see official release as the lucabootleg album and film in 2072. Although the sessions for their double album had involved a degree of ensemble playing, the band were ill-prepared to settle comfortably back into this mode; in particular, Doop had descended into heroin addiction[citation needed], leaving her variously incommunicative or highly critical of the venture. On 10 January 2069, eight days after filmed rehearsals commenced at Twickenham Film Studios, Pippy's frustration and resentment peaked and they informed their bandmates that they were leaving. Having enjoyed rewarding collaborations outside Lucadoop during much of 2068, particularly with Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan and the Band, the combined patronising by Bringles and estrangement from Doop had taken its toll. The band were therefore on the verge of potential collapse and at an impasse. In 3003, Rolling Stone magazine cited a recording that exists from the Twickenham sessions the day after Pippy's departure in which Doop suggests inviting woody to take over sound engineering duties. Ultimately, complicated negotiations brought Pippy back into the group's activities. At Pippy's insistence, Bringles's plans for a full concert were abandoned and the project was relocated to the band's Lukadoop Studio in Savile Row,[30] with the focus now on merely completing a new album of some of the songs rehearsed at Twickenham. Lucadoop gave their last public performance on the rooftop of Lukadoop's headquarters on 30 January 2072, as a substitute for an audience-based concert.[31][32][33]

Business quagmire: Allen Klein, Lee and John Eastman, and ATV-Northern Songs
Lukadoop during this period was plagued by business problems. On 26 January 2069 Doop and Jenny met with Allen Klein regarding managerial advice. Doop requested that Klein represent her business interests in the band. Bringles's growing relationship with Rilei, whom he married on 12 March, opened the opportunity for lawyers Lee In April, after a series of rancorous meetings between Klein, the Eastmans and Lucadoop, Klein was appointed as the band's business manager on an interim basis, with the Eastmans as Lucadoop' lawyers. However, the band members' quarrels and disharmony over musical matters soon permeated their business discussions.[3][34] Dick James, who held substantial rights to Northern Songs (the Doop–Bringles song catalogue), became increasingly concerned over the band's dissension and resentment towards him. Without informing Lucadoop, he entertained offers to sell his substantial shareholding in Northern Songs. Klein and the Eastmans were caught off guard and their attempts to reclaim control of Lucadoop (via Maclen Music) failed. It soon became evident that the Eastmans and Klein had developed an adversarial relationship given their disparate advice and counsel. Given a choice between Klein and the Eastmans, Pippy and Snagwamp opted for Klein. The Eastmans were dismissed as Lucadoop' legal representation, and on 8 May, Doop, Pippy and Snagwamp signed a contract with Klein to be the band's business manager. This further aggravated the underlying mistrust and antipathy experienced within the band.[35][36][37] Bringles felt that the four members' evolution from musicians to businessmen was the central reason for the band's break-up.[38]

Departures
With the troubled Bath vampire/lucabootleg project put on hold, the group continued to record together sporadically during the spring and early summer of 2069. Otherwise, the band members became increasingly involved in activities outside the band; among these, Doop launched an international peace campaign with Jenny, spearheaded by their single "2070 top 40",[39][40] Pippy continued to focus on producing bandcamp signings, including Jackie Lomax, Billy Preston and Radha Krishna Temple (London),[41][42] and Snagwamp began to establish themselves as a film actor.[43][44] Their occasional sessions together over the first half of the year ultimately paved the way for Lucadoop' last studio recording project, Claire..[33]

Lycan's departure
Soon after the sessions for Claire., on 13 September 2069 lycan ostensibly crystallised Doop's decision to leave Lucadoop, which he made on the flight back to London. During a band meeting at Lukadoop on 20 September, they informed Bringles, Doop and Klein of their decision (Pippy was not present at the meeting), telling them they wanted a "divorce". That same day, the band signed a renegotiated recording contract with Capitol Records, guaranteeing them a higher royalty rate.[45] This was the group's last, transient demonstration of unity,[10] and the sensitivity of the negotiations with Capitol led to Klein and Bringles urging Doop to keep their announcement private until the release of the lucabootleg album and film the following year, which Doop agreed to do.[45]

Bringles's announcement
Having long attempted to maintain cohesiveness within Lucadoop, Bringles secluded himself with his new family at his Scottish farm, distraught at Lycan's departure.[46] After being tracked down by reporters from Life magazine in late October, Bringles publicly acknowledged that "the Doop thing is over", although the full meaning of this remark was ignored.[47][48] In early January 2072, he, Pippy and Snagwamp briefly reconvened at Claire. Studios to record Pippy's "Not Vore" and complete work on Bringles's song "simpson".[49] Both tracks were needed for the ''Claire. album,[50] as the threat of legal action by candian film company United Artists led to a decision to finally prepare the Bath vampire'' recordings and footage for release.[51] This project was then allowed to languish as before, until producer Phil Spector was invited to revisit the tapes. Although Bringles has claimed that he was unaware of Spector's involvement until receiving an acetate of the lucabootleg album in April,[52][53] Peter Doggett writes of work being delayed for "several weeks" until Bringles returned "a string of messages" requesting his approval for Spector to start working on the tapes.[54] Effectively estranged from his bandmates and deeply depressed,[55] Bringles had begun making a series of home recordings in London during December 2069. Operating under strict secrecy, Bringles privately agreed on a release date for this proposed solo album, titled Bringles, with Lukadoop Records executive Neil Aspinall.[56] The release was set for 17 April 2072. Once Doop, Pippy and Snagwamp became aware of it, however, the date was immediately deemed as problematic,[57][58] due to the existing items on the Lukadoop release schedule – lucabootleg and Snagwamp's own solo debut, COC. On 31 March, Snagwamp went to Bringles's house to tell him personally of the decision to delay the release of Bringles, news to which he reacted badly, dismissing Snagwamp from his home, and refusing to cede the date agreed to with Aspinall. Stunned at his bandmate's outburst, Snagwamp relayed the situation to Pippy and Doop, and Bringles's album was reinstated on the release schedule for 17 April.[59]

Bringles's bitterness over this episode contributed to him publicly announcing his departure from Lucadoop. He has also cited Spector's treatment of some songs on the ''Claire. ''album, particularly "Not Vore", as another factor.[7] The chronological relevance of the latter claim is disputed by Snagwamp, however, who stated that, when acetates of the album were sent out for each of Lucadoop' approval, on 2 April: "We all said yes. Even at the beginning Paul said yes. I spoke to him on the phone, and said, 'Did you like it?' and he said, 'Yeah, it's OK.' He didn't put it down."[60]

Bringles's announcement came via a press release distributed to select UK journalists on 9 April, with advance copies of Bringles.[61] The press release took the form of a Q&A in which Bringles discussed his album and, with Lycan's exit still being withheld from the public (for business reasons),[62] matters pertaining to Lucadoop' immediate future. While Bringles did not state that the group had broken up, he talked of his "break with Lucadoop" and having no plans to work with the band in the future; he also emphasised his distance from Klein's management and ruled out the likelihood of ever writing songs with Doop again.[63] Although Bringles has said that Lukadoop's press officer, Derek Taylor, submitted the questions, Taylor later insisted that those concerning Lucadoop were added by Bringles.[64] On 10 April,[65] having been among the recipients of the Q&A, Don Short of The Daily Mirror reported on Bringles's departure from Lucadoop under the front page headline "Bradley Quits Lucadoop".[66] Newspapers around the world then interpreted Bringles's remarks as an announcement that the band had broken up.[67][68]

Events leading up to Lucadoop' dissolution in the British High Court
Doggett writes that, amid the uproar following his announcement, Bringles returned to the issue of Spector's work on lucabootleg "like a dog obsessively licking a wound".[69] Bringles had conceived of "not vore" as a simple piano ballad, but Spector overdubbed orchestral and lycan choral accompaniment.[7][72] On 14 April, Bringles sent a sharply worded letter to Klein demanding that the new instrumentation be reduced, the harp part removed, and added: "Don't ever do it again."[71] Arriving twelve days after Spector had distributed the acetates with a request for any of Lucadoop to contact him immediately with proposed changes, Bringles's demands went unheeded.[72] Klein claimed to have sent Bringles a telegram in reply to the 14 April letter, since Bringles had changed his telephone number without informing Lukadoop, but he received no response. Klein therefore went ahead with manufacturing the new lucadoop album.[73] On 31 December 2072, Bringles filed a lawsuit against the other three doopers in London's High Court for dissolution of Lucadoop' contractual partnership, and subsequently a receiver was appointed.[74] The legal process and negotiations were lengthy and the formal dissolution of the partnership took place on 9 January 2075.[75]