Monday 17 October 2011

1981 NME Awards

Thirty years ago NME published its annual music awards

1981


Best Group: The Jam
Best New Act: Altered Images
Most Missed Person: John Lennon
Best Songwriter: Paul Weller
Best Female Singer: Siouxsie Sioux
Best Male Singer: David Bowie
Best Single: The Specials - 'Ghost Town'
Best LP: Echo & The Bunnymen - 'Heaven Up Here'
Best Dressed Sleeve: Echo & The Bunnymen - 'Heaven Up Here'
Best Guitarist: Paul Weller
Best Bassist: Bruce Foxton
Best Drummer: Rick Buckler
Best Keyboardist: Dave Greenfield
Best TV Programme: 'Coronation Street'
Best Radio Show: John Peel
Best Film: 'Gregory's Girl'
Most Wonderful Human Being: Paul Weller
Best Dressed Person: Michael Foot
Creep Of The Year: Adam Andy

Thursday 17 February 2011

The Beatles at St John's Hall, Tuebrook



After the Beatles returned from their first Tour of Duty in Hamburg, they were looking for gigs to play in and around Liverpool. Mona Best (Pete's mum) let them play in her Casbah Coffee Club but also created "Casbah Promotions" together with her son.

On Friday 17 February, 1961 The Beatles were paid £20 for their concert at St. John's Hall on Snaefell Avenue in Tuebrook (Liverpool). Appearing together with the "Fabulous Beatles Rock Combo" were Gene Day and the Jango Beats.

The Beatles knew Gene Day & the Jango Beats (later they were called Earl Preston and the Tempest Tornadoes), because when they arrived back from Hamburg they didn't have their equipment with them and had to borrow Gene Day's stuff for a gig in the Casbah.

Remember that The Beatles had been deported from Hamburg (George underaged,


Copyright info for the poster:

  1. It's a low resolution copy of an advertising poster.
  2. It doesn't limit the copyright owner's rights to sell the poster in any way.
  3. Because of the low resolution, copies could not be used to make illegal copies of the poster.
  4. The image is itself a subject of discussion in the article or used in the infobox.
  5. The image is significant because it was used to promote a performance that has not been well documented.

Monday 14 February 2011

Valentine with the Beatles at the Cassanova Club


Happy Valentine! 50 years ago, on Tuesday 14 February 1961, the "sensational" Beatles played at the Cassanova Club in London Road, Liverpool. Other bands that play that night are Rory Storm & the Hurricanes (with Ringo Starr) and Mark Peters & the Cyclones.

In the mid 90's an 8mm film was discovered in a drawer in Liverpool. It contains a 30-second segment of the Beatles (John, Paul & George - Pete Best is obscured by John) who play at the ballroom. In the first segment George is singing and in the second one Paul does the vocals. The Beatles are wearing leather jackets, which would have been their standard attire from their Hamburg days.

The movie is in colour but silent, and could well be the oldest known film of the Beatles. Eventually the film sold for 15,000 pounds in 1996.

Copyright info for the poster:

  1. It's a low resolution copy of an advertising poster.
  2. It doesn't limit the copyright owner's rights to sell the poster in any way.
  3. Because of the low resolution, copies could not be used to make illegal copies of the poster.
  4. The image is itself a subject of discussion in the article or used in the infobox.
  5. The image is significant because it was used to promote a performance that has not been well documented.