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These were quiet times in the world of The Beatles, with everyone laying low trying to figure out what they were going to do next.
John and Yoko went to Denmark, where they stayed with Yoko’s ex-husband Tony Cox and daughter Kyoko. They would remain there until late January, during which time, says The Beatles Bible,
- A press conference was held [at which] they performed a Danish folk song called O Kirstelighed, and pledged to donate all their future royalties to their peace campaign.
- Lennon decided to withdraw his support for the International Peace Festival, announced to be held in Canada in 1970 but which never took place, unless the promoters agreed to waive an entrance fee.
- [John] decided to crop his hair to an inch.
- Lennon gave Cox a cassette containing 25 minutes of compositional demos for She Said She Said…. and a second tape containing recordings of him and Kyoko singing and improvising stories.
Two other tapes from this period are also floating around, including one of Kyoko singing with John and Yoko, and one that contains 13 minutes of Tony Cox playing a Jew’s harp. I have not gone out of my way to locate them.
Meanwhile, according to Bob Spitz’s The Beatles, Paul was pulling himself out of his funk.
One day just after Christmas in 1969, Paul began to emerge from the foggy wreck. He had a Studer four-track installed at his house in St. John’s Wood and, in an attempt to “get it together,” began doing the only thing he knew how to: making a new record.
Good for Paul; he had to do something, even if it was making the first of many, many less-than-Beatle-quality solo albums.
Ringo was in the U.S. during this period. Wikipedia says that he recorded a version of “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing” at A&M Studios in Los Angeles on December 26. But both the backing track and the vocal would be re-recorded before the song appeared on Sentimental Journey.
George’s activities during this time are completely unknown, as far as I can tell. But that’s George for you, innit — man of mystery. Hopefully he was getting some rest; he would be a busy, busy boy in 1970.