Allen Klein,Yoko and John

Allen Klein, one of the most ruthless managers in the history of the music biz, succumbed to Alzheimer’s at age 77, on the 4th of July.
Klein was in the music biz for fifty years and gained many enemies due to his not too kind business ethics. Back n the 1960’s, he managed the Rolling Stone for five years and bought the copyrights for two of the Stone’s biggest hits, (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and Jumpin’ Jack Flash from a former manager. This purchase was instrumental in ending the relationship between Klein and the Stones, and the Stones more or less said they learned a valuable lesson. An very expensive lesson at that.

Klein was then hired by John Lennon in 1969 to manage the Beatles, against the protests of fellow Beatle, Paul McCartney (too bad Sir Paul’s intuition was not working when he married gold digger Heather Mills years later.) Klein was known for being a “shark” in the music biz and striking huge deals with record labels that padded his pockets to the brim and caused many of his clients to despise him. Some did admire his ability to kibitz with record labels and the talent he had of getting the most bang for his buck, however, he was considered cold blooded by most and Klein went to court numerous times fighting the very people he managed. Many blame him for trying to rob the Beatles of their artistic legacy and even more damaging, many feel he was the reason behind the Beatles split — Yoko Ono was also blamed for the same.

A snippet from Wikipedia about his ruthlessness with the Beatles:

By 1969, Apple Corps was in a financial mess, and it was becoming obvious that a business brain was needed to sort things out. Several names were considered, including Lord Beeching. Paul McCartney favoured Lee Eastman (father of McCartney’s wife, Linda) as the man for the job, a suggestion that did not sit well with the other three Beatles, as they felt that Eastman would be batting for McCartney’s interests ahead of those of the rest of the group. Klein contacted Lennon after reading his press comment that the Beatles would be “broke in six months” if things continued as they were. Klein was willing to break precedent, and only take a commission on increased business; if Apple continued to lose money, he would be paid nothing.

After a meeting at Klein’s suite in the Dorchester Hotel (opposite London’s Hyde Park, where Klein impressed Lennon with both his in-depth knowledge of Lennon’s work (he could quote lyrics from all of his songs) and his “streetwise” attitude and language, Lennon convinced George Harrison and Ringo Starr that Klein should take over instead. McCartney agreed to pose for photographs with Klein as a show of unity, pretending to sign a new contract, but he never put his signature on the paper. This fundamental disagreement about who should manage them, fueled by a decade-long build up of resentments and insecurity about other matters such as power and influence within the group, was one of the key factors in the eventual break-up of the Beatles.

In 1969, Klein re-negotiated their contract with EMI, granting them the highest royalties ever paid to an artist at that time; 69 cents per $6–7 album. In exchange, EMI was allowed to repackage earlier Beatles material as compilations, which Brian Epstein had not permitted. Klein oversaw the issuing of the single “Something,” “Come Together,” at a crucial point when Apple needed income. He helped rescue the abandoned “Get Back (sessions)” Get Back project (released as Let It Be), by bringing Phil Spector to England to work with the band. He also transformed office habits at Apple, installing a time clock for the staff and insisting meals be pre-ordered from the building’s kitchen (instead of cooked on demand). Klein slashed expenditures at Apple, canceling payouts and charge accounts for many Beatles associates, and friends of friends, who had worked or consulted for the company.

On the other hand, Klein also managed to alienate many of the people who had previously been part of the Beatles’s business and personal circle, with his abrasive style of management and negotiation. His cost-cutting measures at Apple included what was considered by some to be the “cold-blooded” firing of many of the employees who had flocked to the band’s experiment in “western Communism” (including the erratic Magic Alex, and Epstein’s old friend Alistair Taylor). Klein also closed the Zapple Records imprint. He spoke occasionally at Apple and Beatles press conferences; a reporter for the London Evening Standard remarked later that Klein “must have set some kind of record for unprintable language” at one such conference. He was also unable to save Northern Songs from a buyout by ATV, which took away ownership of nearly all the band’s song copyrights.

McCartney continued to distrust Klein, though admitting to him at one point “If you are screwing us, I don’t see how.” Following their informal agreement to split in late 1969, he eventually sued the other three Beatles for what he called “a divorce,” and the Beatles as a business unit came to an end. McCartney has stated he chose to legally dissolve the Beatles rather than allow Klein to milk and diminish their artistic legacy.

Although the Beatles broke up in 1970, George Harrison surprisingly rehired Klein for his Bangladesh Concert at Madison Square Garden.
I find this puzzling after his previous dealings with the Beatles, but knowing Harrison’s outlook on life back then, perhaps Klein was just plain forgiven by Harrison.

Klein was quoted as saying:

John Lennon had hired him to protect his interest in The Beatles, because he wanted what he called “a real shark – someone to keep the other sharks away”.

Was Klein’s life a rags to riches story?  Being a huge music mogul and owning his own firm was quite a long way to come for a man whose Mom died when he was an infant and spent several years in an orphanage and then was raised by his Aunt and his Grandmother. Maybe it was his sad upbringing that paved the way to his shark-like business ethics.

A little more from the BBC News:

Music entrepreneur Allen Klein, blamed by many for contributing to the demise of The Beatles, has died in New York at 77 after suffering from Alzheimer’s.

In a career spanning five decades, Klein earned a reputation as a ruthless operator, extracting lucrative deals from labels for his clients.

In the mid-1960s, he managed The Rolling Stones for five years.

Later managing The Beatles, he tried and failed to secure control of copyrights on their behalf.
 
“Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, because I’m the biggest bastard in the valley”

Allen Klein, parodying the 23rd Psalm. Though reviled by many, others admired his ability to negotiate with record labels.

“Don’t talk to me about ethics,” he once told Playboy magazine. “Every man makes his own. It’s like a war.”

Accountant at heart

“I never wanted to be a manager,” Klein told The Star-Ledger of Newark in 2002. “It was going over the books that I loved. And I was good at it.”

Allen Klein was born in Newark, New Jersey, on 18 December 1931 and spent several years in an orphanage after his mother’s death during his infancy.

Later raised by a grandmother and an aunt, he served in the US Army before joining a Manhattan accounting firm, according to his company.

He started his own firm, which later became ABKCO, in the late 1950s.

His other clients in the music business including Sam Cooke, Bobby Darin and Herman’s Hermits.

According to the Associated Press, he was reputed to be the basis for the slick manager Ron Decline played by John Belushi in the 1978 film The Rutles, as well as the inspiration for John Lennon’s 1974 song Steel and Glass.

His funeral will take place in New York on Tuesday.

Klein’s life story is the perfect example of, you can do whatever you want in life if you want it bad enough. But at what price?
In your push to make your dream a reality in life, one should realize along the way, that the way you live your life can greatly affect others. But I don’t think Klein cared one way or the other how people perceived him. 

This reminds of a  quote from  the movie Bronx Tale. When ”Sunny” who was played by Chaz Palminteri was asked if he would rather be feared or loved, his answer was:

“That’s a good question. It’s nice to be both, but it is difficult…but if I had my choice, I would rather be feared. Fear lasts longer than love.”

In my opinion, with Klein’s soured reputation, it was obvious that he preferred to be feared rather than loved. One may wonder if his passing on the 4th of July, was some sort of final message from Klein to his past clients. Although some disgruntled clients may say that Karma finally caught up with Klein in the end with him suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, many who knew Klein’s personality, may think that Klein probably had the whole thing planned to pass away on the 4th of July, so he can go out with a bang. A bit far fetched? Sure, but it certainly matched his style.

When someone messes with mega music greats like the Stones, the Beatles, Bobby Darin or any of his “associates,” it’s hard to find sympathy for them. It would seem Klein’s only agenda was to exploit these creative legends for his own personal gain. Of course I mean no disrespect to his family or friends, but I am sure I am not alone with my feelings about the passing of Allen Klein.

So, RIP Allen Klein, if anything, at least you have taught future greats in the music business to be fearful of sharks.