In rock mythology, John Lennon was the cynical, acid-tongued Beatle, Paul McCartney was friendly and open, George Harrison was the quiet one and drummer Ringo Starr was the group's clown, always joking around. Satoko Condon remembers it a bit differently.

"Ringo was a bit difficult," says the Osaka native, recalling how he snapped out orders for food. "He hardly spoke and never smiled." McCartney wrote a love letter to his girlfriend. Harrison was reliably shy. And John Lennon? "I found him the friendliest," she says. "He was so comical."

Forty-seven years ago, the Liverpool mop tops came to Tokyo for a historical and ill-fated visit that helped seal the fate of their live tours. Then a young stewardess with Japan Airlines known by her maiden name Kawasaki, Satoko found herself catering to the four most famous men in the world.