Music: Hello, Goodbye, Hello

England might have been less shocked to find Buckingham Palace transformed into the Royal Arms Motel. A great British institution—and perhaps the Empire's most far-flung export since the Thin Red Line—seemed in peril. From Liverpool to Piccadilly, the cries of anguish rent the air: "The Beatles are dead!"

The cause of all the gloom was Paul McCartney, the group's supremely gifted songwriter, singer and guitarist, who was just bringing out a solo LP all his own. Entitled McCartney, logically enough, the record package was decorated with color pictures—of Paul McCartney. It also contained...