though, was that for all Lennon's assurances that he would put down the gloves and play good music, he was in the grip of heroin addiction.

A car crash, addiction, arguments and missed sessions

Things didn't start well as they came together in the studio.

Just days before recording was scheduled to begin on July 1, Lennon and Yoko Ono were injured in a car crash. Lennon had 17 stitches and Yoko, too, was badly hurt.

As a result of the accident, Lennon missed the first sessions.

Meanwhile, anticipating his arrival, he demanded a double bed be installed in the studio with a microphone that would allow Yoko to add her thoughts to the creative process.

When he recovered from the accident, the first song set for recording was McCartney's — Maxwell's Silver Hammer.

Likeevery Beatles album, there was one clanger. According to Lennon, this was it. He refused to play on the track.

Unfazed, the band continued on, but not without eruptions.

According to music writer Ian MacDonald, the sessions went from "cold tolerance to childish violence".

"Lennon twice argued savagely with McCartney, at one point taking a less than peaceful swing at his wife Linda," he wrote.

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When asked about Abbey Road, Lennon downplayed the sessions, remarking that all that he could remember was recording Come Together and it was like a haze.

Little wonder, really. Lennon, torn by his narcotics addiction, had effectively surrendered his ego and sense of self to the drug and Yoko Ono, other band members would say.

From 'insignificant song scraps' to hits

As it happened, Come Together had taken its title