7 January – The Daily Mail newspaper reports 4,000 potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire; this article, along with a follow-up article on the death of Guinness heir Tara Brown in a car accident, inspires lyrics for The Beatles song "A Day in the Life".[1]
7 February – Micky Dolenz of the Monkees meets Paul McCartney at his home in St John's Wood, London, and they pose together for the press. His impressions of the visit feature in the lyrics of "Randy Scouse Git".[3]
12 February – Police raid 'Redlands', the Sussex home of Keith Richards in the early hours of the morning following a tip-off about a party from the News of the World; although no arrests are made at the time, Richards, Mick Jagger and art dealer Robert Fraser are subsequently charged with possession of drugs.
3 March – Eric Burdon & The Animals refuse to perform a show in Ottawa, Ontario, unless they are paid in advance. The audience of 3000 riots, causing $5000 in damages to the auditorium.
4 March – The Monkees release their latest single, "Randy Scouse Git", inspired by Micky Dolenz's recent visit to London. Having seen Till Death Us Do Part on TV while there, he uses the term "Randy Scouse Git" from the programme for the title of the single, not realising it is an offensive term. The title is changed to "Alternate Title" in the UK, where it reaches #2 in the chart (#1 in the Melody Maker chart).[5]
31 March – Kicking off a tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdinck at The Astoria London, Jimi Hendrix sets fire to his guitar on stage for the first time. He is taken to hospital suffering burns to his hands. The guitar-burning act would later become a trademark of Hendrix's performances.
15 May – Paul McCartney meets American photographer Linda Eastman, his future wife, at the "Bag O' Nails" club.
19 May – Linda Eastman photographs The Beatles at the London Press Party for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band held at the Belgravia home of Brian Epstein. Media there are perplexed by the band's fashion statements and the music itself.
23 August – Brian Epstein's last visit to a Beatles' recording session, at the Chappell Recording Studios on Maddox Street, London. The last new Beatles song he lives to hear is "Your Mother Should Know".[6]
27 August – The Beatles, in Bangor, Wales, with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi since 25 August, are informed of the death of their manager Brian Epstein, and they return to London at once.
31 August – Paul McCartney calls a band meeting to discuss his TV movie idea about a psychedelic bus ride.
15 December – The Who release their third studio album The Who Sell Out. It is a concept album, formatted as a collection of unrelated songs interspersed with faux commercials and public service announcements.
26 December – The first broadcast of The Beatles' made-for-TV film Magical Mystery Tour on BBC1. It is shown in black & white, upsetting the band because it does not show the intended psychedelic colour effects.
