Thursday 30 January 2014

The Beatles in America - The US Albums

On 7 February 1964 , the Beatles set foot on American soil for the first time . They were greeted by the cries of many ecstatic fans. Two nights later, millions of viewers in the United States ( 9.74 ) and Canada plugged into CBS to watch the Beatles make their debut on American television as guests of the Ed Sullivan Show. The four musicians played five songs for one of the most watched television event in history. Beatlemania already at its peak in the United Kingdom , the phenomenon is spreading like wildfire across America and around the world. The British Invasion has begun.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of this turning point in the history of culture in the United States, Apple Corps Ltd. / Capitol Albums release "The U.S. albums" on January 20, 2014. The box is a collection of 13 Beatles albums published overseas , from '' Meet the Beatles ! ''  in 1964 to '' Hey Jude '' in 1970 . The albums published in America differ from those available in the UK at the time. They are distinguished by their tracklist for example , title or cover .
The albums are remastered in mono and stereo , with the exception of '' The Beatles ' Story '' and '' Hey Jude '' , which are only in stereo. The CDs , which are faithful reproductions of the original LPs in their cases , are accompanied by a luxurious 64-page booklet of photos and promotional images of the time. It is also possible ( for a limited period ) to get the albums individually.
At the end of 1963, Beatlemania had already surfaced in the United States . U.S. radio played Beatles  songs to meet the incessant demands of listeners. It was then that Capital Records hurried to release the single'' I Want To Hold Your Hand '' on December 26 , three weeks in advance. Over one million copies sold in 10 days. In January 1964 the record company published the single '' Please Please Me '' and '' Meet The Beatles! '' , The first Beatles album signed by Capitol . It remained on the singles top U.S. charts for seven consecutive weeks and the album had sold over 3.5 million copies in the United States.
Upon arrival on the continent , the Beatles are followed everywhere, the media have to follow their every move. Ed Sullivan commented on the event: '' New York  has never been the same enthusiasm as that generated by these four boys from Liverpool , The Beatles '' . After appearing on the show , Ringo , Paul, John and George gave their first concert in the country in Washington DC before an audience of 8,000 people.
In April of that year , 12 titles of Beatles appear in the top 100 of the Billboard singles , a unique performance.
The Beatles are now the most famous band in the world and the favorite of many fans. Beatlemania has become a global phenomenon. Preaching respect for everyone, peace and love, the Fab Four have entered into the heart of people all over the world.
Exactly 50 years after the first performance of The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, a special evening of two hours will be devoted to this event. On this occasion , many guests will play the Beatles songs . '' The Night That Changed America '' will be broadcast in high definition on CBS 5.1 format this Sunday, Feb. 9 .

Friday 17 January 2014

The Beatles are Number One in America with I Want to Hold Your Hand

Today (although some source claim that it was on 15 January) on 17 January 1964 The Beatles received news that their latest single, "I Want to Hold your Hand" reached the top spot in the American charts.

The charts we are talking about were called the "Cash Box Chart" and the single (their first one for Capitol Records) jumped from position 43 to number one.

The news was particularly exciting because the Beatles were scheduled to tour America only three weeks later. This assured an increase in the bookings.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

The Beatles at the Cyrano Cinema in Versailles

On January 15th 1964 Ringo Starr took a BEA Vanguard airplane from London Airport to Paris. At that moment a very famous picture was taken, which shows Ringo holding up a TLES sign behind the BEA logo.

The picture can be found here: http://www.stareditions.com/Photo/7358-The-Beatles

In the afternoon The Beatles (minus Ringo) walked around the Champs-Elysées and had a coffee in the street. Many people (tourists and press) took pictures. Here is a typical example of such a picture: http://www.allposters.ie/-sp/The-Beatles-Sitting-Outside-a-Cafe-on-the-Champs-Elysees-in-Paris-January-1964-posters_i4164495_.htm

In the evening they went to the  Cinéma  Cyrano in Versailles, where they performed (together with 8 other acts) for a crowd of approximately 2,000 guests. Some bootlegs are rumored to have taken their material from this appearance, and the lack of screaming girls is a refreshing thing to hear.

Other acts included Sylvie Vartan and Trini Lopez, who was having several hits at that moment with "If I had a Hammer" and "This Land is your Land".

Tuesday 14 January 2014

The Beatles in France

50 years ago to this day, The Beatles (minus Ringo) flew to Paris for a series of concerts.

They left from London Airport on the afternoon of January 14, 1964, and landed at Le Bourget airport in Paris.

There were 60 fans and press waiting for them. Joining them were Mel Evans and Brian Epstein.

Ringo had been planning to fly from Liverpool to London, but there was a lot of fog and he missed the connecting flight. He would join the other Beatles the next day.

The Beatles stayed in the posh George V Hotel, where John and Paul went immediately to work to write new material for their upcoming film "A Hard Days Night" and also two songs for Billy J. Kramer and Tommy Quickly. As far as I can tell, the song for Tommy Quickly never saw the light of day and Tommy retired from show business in 1965.

George preferred to see Paris, and went to the "Club Eve" with Derek Taylor. According to some sources, the Club Eve does not exist anymore, but is called "La Nouvelle Eve" now

Wednesday 1 January 2014

She Loves You enters the Belgian Ultratop Charts

On January 1st 1964, She Loves You entered the Belgian Single Charts (Ultratop) at number 12

ULTRATOP 20 - Belgium - 01 January 1964

1. Maria Elena - Los Indios Tabajaras
2. Tombe la Neige - Adamo
3.If I Had a Hammer - Trini Lopez
4. This Land is Your Land - Trini Lopez
5. Alleen - John Larry
6. Richard Anthony - Tchin Tchin
7. Don't Talk to Him - Cliff Richard & The Shadows
8. Bossa Nova Baby - Elvis Presley
9. Verlaten Hart, Verloren Hart - Will Tura
10. Blue Bayou - Roy Orbison
11. Be My Baby - The Ronettes
12. She Loves You - The Beatles