1974 NME Awards

At the end of 1974 (40 years ago) New Musical Express published its annual music awards


British Male Singer: David Bowie
British Female Singer: Maggie Bell
British Group: Yes
British Stage Band: Genesis
Most Promising New Name (British): Leo Sayer
Disc Jockey: John Peel
TV Show: 'Old Grey Whistle Test'
British Single: The Who - '5.15'
British Album: Pink Floyd - 'Dark Side Of The Moon'
Best Guitarist: Eric Clapton
Best Keyboardist: Rick Wakeman
Best Bass Guitarist: Paul McCartney
Best Drummer: Carl Palmer
Best Producer: David Bowie
Best Instrumentalist: Roy Wood
Best Songwriters: Elton John/ Bernie Taupin
Best Soul Act: Stevie Wonder
Best Dressed Album: Yes - 'Yessongs'
World Singer: David Bowie
World Female Singer: Diana Ross
World Group: Yes
World Stage Band: Alice Cooper
World Album: Pink Floyd - 'Dark Side Of The Moon'
World Single: Golden Earring - 'Radar Love'
World's Most Promising New Name: Golden Earring

1964 NME Awards

At the end of 1964 NME (New Musical Express) published its annual awards

1964

Outstanding Male Singer: Elvis Presley
Outstanding Female Singer: Brenda Lee
Outstanding Vocal Group: Beatles
Outstanding Musical Personality: Elvis Presley
British Male Singer: Cliff Richard
British Female Singer: Dusty Springfield
British Vocal Group: Beatles
British Vocal Personality: Cliff Richard
British Rhythm and Blues: Rolling Stones
British Instrumental Unit: Shadows
British Tv Or Radio Programme: Ready Steady Go
British Disc Jockey: Jimmy Savile
British New Disc or TV Singer: Mick Jagger
British Disc This Year: The Animals 'House Of The Rising Sun'

New George Harrison Box Set available soon!

Good news for all you George Harrison fans out there!

The Harrison family just announced that there will be a new box set with previously unavailable material released on September 22, 2014. The box will contain 6 albums that George Harrison released on the Apple label between 1968 and 1975.

The albums are:

- Wonderwall Music
- Electronic Sound
- All Things Must Pass
- Living In The Material World
- Dark Horse
- Extra Texture (Read All About It)

Gleison Tulio and Keilla Jovi at The International Beatle Week

I don't understand why Gleison Tulio and Keilla Jovi played a concert called "The Songs The Beatles Gave Away", because they only played true Beatle classics like You Can't Do That, Love Me Do, Ticket To Ride, or Paul's Coming Up. Still, their funky sound was very refreshing.

Highlights were:

- Ticket To Ride
- I've Got a Feeling
- Coming Up

Beatle-ness: 2/5 (they don't look like The Beatles, don't sound like The Beatles, don't feel like The Beatles)
Originality: 5/5 (never heard The Beatles sounds so funky, so inventive, so creative as when Gleison does his one-man-show)
Technical Skills: 5/5 (Keilla does a nice job on the bass, but Gleison is phenomenal when he starts bashing his guitar)
Crowd Interaction: 3/5 (I'm sure he could fine-tune the show so that the audience gets more involved)
Selection of songs: 3,5/5 (I would have liked to see some more original songs, for example something like Dear Prudence)

My verdict: 4 stars out of 5 and the title of most original tribute band of BW 2014

Beatline and Seppo at the International Beatle Week

The first group to play at the Alma de Cuba (during the "Songs The Beatles Gave Away") was Beatline & Seppo.

Together with Them Beatles they stayed true to the concept of the show, and mainly played songs by Lennon & McCartney that were recorded by other groups.

Highlights were:

- You Got What I like
- One and One is Two
- From a Window

Beatle-ness: 4/5 (three guitars and one drum, matching suits, nice harmonies)
Originality: 4/5 (fresh songs, funny texts between songs, nice mix in musical styles)
Technical skills: 3,5/5 (good straight rock, no frills)
Crowd Interaction: 3,5/5 (nice warm-up, but they were better at the Cavern Live Lounge)
Selection of songs: 4/5

My verdict: 4 stars out of 5

Liverpool Beatles Auction

During Beatleweek there was also a Beatles auction at the Paul McCartney Auditorium (Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).

There were some nice items that I wanted to bid on:

- Lot 43: School photograph featuring Paul McCartney and signed by Paul aged 10 (£1250-£1500)
- Lot 79: Please Please Me album signed by George and Paul (£300-£400)
- Lot 163: Menu card for the Grand Central Hotel Belfast signed by John, George and Paul (£1200-£1500)
- Lot 300: Very rare Cavern Club photograph of The Beatles in 1961, complete with negative and copyright (£1500-£1750)

But in the end I just bought a signed copy of Mark Lewisohn's Tune In.

What is your favourite Beatle Lyrics?

The Beatles have written some memorable lyrics:

- "The Love you Take is equal to the Love you Make"

- "When the brokenhearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be"

- "Words are flowing out / Like endless rain into a paper cup / They slither while they pass / They slip away across the universe”

- "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see"

- "All you Need is love"

And what is your favourite line?

Wings at the Speed of Sound and Venus And Mars have been delayed!

Normally the two new Wings Archive Collections were due to appear on September 22, 2014. Unfortunately production has been delayed until the beginning of November 2014.

Wings At the Speed of Sound Box Set will include:

• The original 11 track album, remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London
• 7 previously unreleased bonus audio tracks, including a version of ‘Beware My Love’ featuring John Bonham
• DVD featuring previously unreleased footage of Wings in Venice in 1976, a new behind-the-scenes edit from the 1976 Wembley shows, as well as the original music video for ‘Silly Love Songs’
•Plus downloadable 24bitkHz high-resolution audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks
• All set within a 112 page hardbound book containing memorabilia, many previously unpublished images by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, a new interview with Paul McCartney, and expanded track by track information.

Wings Venus and Mars Box Set will include:

• The original 13 track #1 album, remastered at Abbey Road Studios in London
• 14 bonus audio tracks (including the hit single ‘Junior’s Farm’)
•DVD featuring previously unreleased and exclusive content, including footage of the band in New Orleans and rehearsing the songs from Venus and Mars at Elstree Studios, and the original TV commercial for the album, directed by Karel Reisz
• Plus downloadable 24bitkHz high-resolution audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks
• All set within a 128 page hardbound book containing memorabilia, many previously unpublished images by Linda McCartney and Aubrey Powell, album and single artwork and a full history of the album, including a new interview with Paul McCartney and expanded track by track information

The Paul McCartney Archive Collection

Paul McCartney has embarked on a wonderful odyssey: He plans to remaster and re-issue his solo back catalogue over the next years.

So far the following Archive Collections have already appeared or are expected:

- Band on the Run (Wings: November 2010
- McCartney (Paul McCartney): June 2011
- McCartney II (Paul McCartney): June 2011
- RAM (Paul McCartney): May 2012
- Venus and Mars (Wings): November 2014
- Wings at the Speed of Sound (Wings): November 2014

Most Deluxe editions (so-called Box Sets) contain:

- 2 or 3 CDs containing the remastered album, bonus disc(s) with unreleased material
- a DVD with videos, promotion material, concert edits and documentaries
- A hardcover book (approximately 120 pages with interviews, "the making of" and unpublished pictures
- Facsimili, for example posters, handwritten lyrics, pictures, ...
- Downloadable songs in high-resolution format

The Beatles Live at the Convention Hall, Philadelphia

On September 2, 1964 The Beatles appeared at the Convention Hall, in Philadelphia. Also called "The Municipal Auditorium" and "Nation's Most Historic Arena), the concert hall seated more than 12,000 Beatle fans on that historic day.

Famous American DJ Hyman Aaron "Hy" Lit booked the band for Philadelphia for $25,000. Tickets went on sale in May 1964 and sold out within 90 minutes (pre-online days!!). The concert was also transmitted on local radio. It would be great to hear if somebody still hase a tape of that concert.

Other groups that appeared on the same evening were:

- The Bill Black Combo
- The Exciters
- Clarence 'Frogman' Henry
- Jackie DeShannon

When looking at pictures of the concert, you can't help but notice that the audience was "all-white". Normally The Righteous Brothers were also scheduled to appear, but they stopped touring with The Beatles because of the "loud and unruly" behaviour of Beatle fans.

At 9:30pm exactly, The Beatles appear on stage and 12,000 teenagers scream: "OMYGOD, THEY'RE HERE! THEY'RE REALLY REALLY HERE!

They play the following setlist:

- Twist & Shout
- You Can't Do That
- All My Loving
- She Loves You
- Things We Said Today
- Roll Over Beethoven
- Can't Buy Me Love
- If I Fell
- I Want to Hold your Hand
- Boys
- A Hard Days Night
- Long Tall Sally

Unfortunately, the "Philadelphia Convention Hall and Civic Center" no longer exists, having been demolished in 2007 and replaced by the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

Picture of the new Perelman Center

The Beatles: All These Years - Tune In Extended Version

At the recent International Beatleweek in Liverpool, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Lewisohn (writer and historian, widely regarded as the world's leading authority on The Beatles).

Aftewards I bought the Extended Version of the first volume of All These Years, what promises to be the definitive biography on The Beatles.

It is the complete, uncut biography of the Beatles’ early years, from their family backgrounds through to the moment when they’re on the cusp of immense stardom at the end of 1962. More than 1700 pages (notes not included) and a true collector's item, featuring hundreds of thousands of words of extra material, as well as many extra photographs.

Beatles Setlist for the 1964 Hollywood Bowl Concert

On August 23 1964, The Beatles played a concert in the famous Hollywood Bowl Theatre.

The Setlist:

- Twist & Shout
- You Can't Do That
- All My Loving
- She Loves You
- Things We Said Today
- Roll Over Beethoven
- Can't Buy Me Love
- If I Fell
- I Want to Hold your Hand
- Boys
- A Hard Days Night
- Long Tall Sally

Un Dia en la Vida at the International Beatleweek

Un Dia en la vida (Spanish for A day in the Life) is a tribute band from Peru. They appeared at the Cavern Pub with 7 members: 5 guitar players (!), a drummer and a keyboard player (also a guitar player)

I enjoyed the show a lot, because of the mix of different styles (old & new Beatles), the gifted lead guitarist and the way the singer tried to overcome the chatter and banter of part of the audience.

Beatle-ness: 3/5 (5 guitars, a keyboard, ...quite original :) )
Originality: 4/5 (see above, a Peruvian Beatle group with even a young guitar player (and we mean YOUNG!) should score well for originality
Technical skills: 3/5 (a good mix of decent guitar playing...especially the lead guitarist, with some nice vocals on pretty difficult songs)
Crowd interaction: 3/5 (not so much in the beginning, but at the end the crowd screamed "Oh Darling")
Selection of songs: 4/5 (The Abbey Road medley mixed with A Hard's Night, need i say more?)

My verdict: 3,5 stars out of 5

picture from the LaRepublica

Hamburg Beat at the International Beatle Week

One of the first bands I saw at this year's International Beatle Week was Hamburg Beat. Don't expect Beatle tunes from them, but pure rock 'n' roll from the days that The Beatles were in Hamburg.

Songs like "Take out some Insurance on me" or "Hippy Hippy Shake". And in the true tradition of The Beatles, the drummer even gets to sing "Slow Down"

My verdict:

Beatle-ness: 4/5 (especially the instruments, the clothes and Stu Sutcliffe!
Originality: 5/5 (for refusing to play Hey Jude in Belgium haha)
Technical skills: 4/5 (good guitar playing, sounds like The Beatles in Hamburg)
Crowd interaction: 4/5 (lots of songs, good interaction, too bad they didn't do a Beatles tune for somebody's 30ieth birthday LOL)
Selection of songs: 3/5 (the Tony Sheridan songs were nice, some others were a bit too predictable)

End Score: 4 stars out of 5

International Beatleweek 2014 - Friday 22 August

Cavern Club Front

Midday Kenny Herbert
1.00pm Now There
2.00pm Meat the Beatles
3.00pm The Backties
4.00pm Red Berry
5.00pm Born Again Beatles
6.00pm The Beatboys
7.00pm The Compleatles
8.00pm Hamburg Beat
9.00pm The Brother Creepers
10.00pm The Calangles Rock Band
11.00pm The End
Midnight Beatline & Seppo
1.00am Beat Love

Cavern Live Lounge

1.00pm Mona Lisa Twins
2.00pm Red Berry
3.00pm The Brothel Creepers
4.00pm Glesion Tulio
5.00pm The Bestbeat
6.00pm Mick Francis & Peter Jones
7.00pm The Beatelles
8.00pm The Sutfliffes
9.00pm Dirty Soul
10.00pm The Tearaways
11.00pm The Peakles
Midnight Johnny & The Moondogs
1.00am The Rockits

Cavern Pub

Midday The Peakles
1.00 The Compeatles
2.00 Beat Love
3.00 Un Dia en la Vida
4.00 Hamburg Beat
5.00 The Bertils
6.00 Now Here
7.00 Johnny & The Moondogs
8.00 The Starrlite Beatles
9.00 Beatline & Seppo
10.00 Born Again Beatles
11.00 Dirty Soul
Midnight The Bestbeat
1.00am The Beatboys

Town Hall Accoustic Stage

11.45am Janne Borgh Identity
12.45pm Jay Goeppner & Maiju Leopaki
2.15pm Jannne Borgh Identity
3.15pm Jay Goeppner & Maiju Leopaki
4.45pm Jannne Borgh Identity
5.45pm Jay Goeppner & Maiju Leopaki

Town Hall Main Stage

11.45am Clube Big Beatles
12.45pm Them Beatles
2.15pm Clube Big Beatles
3.15pm Them Beatles
4.45pm Clube Big Beatles
5.45pm Them Beatles

Adelphi Hotel American Bar

11.30pm Two of Us (Holland)
12.30am Jay Goeppner & Maiju Leopaki
1.30am Rolando & Alex Giambelli
2.30am Mick Francis & Peter Jones

Adelphi Hotel Cromptons Bar

11.00pm The Wigs
Midnight Born Again Beatles
1.00am The Backties
2.00am The Sutcliffes
3.00am Johnny & The Moondogs

Adelphi Hotel Wave Bar

11.00pm Gleison Tulio
Midnight The Yesterdays
1.00am The Brothel Creepers
2.00am The Tearaways
3.00am McDonald's Farm

Royal Court Theatre

8.00pm Paul McCartney "A Retrospective"

Packages International Beatleweek 2014

In liverpool you can attend the International Beatle Week from Wednesday 20 August till Tuesday 26 August.

Here below you can find the different packages that are available (excluding accommodation)

Which one will you attend?

Yellow Sub - £95

Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Songs The Beatles Gave Away, The Fab Faux Shaux, Fab Four Party, Beatles Convention and Adelphi All-Nighter. Plus free entry into The Cavern Club on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Red Album - £ 115

Sunday 24th & Monday 25th August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Beatles Convention, Adelphi All-Nighter, All You Need Is Peace & Love, The British Invasion Concert, The Overtures' Finale, Chris Montez and Tommy Roe plus free entry into the Cavern Club on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

White Album - £140

Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Town Hall Reception, Paul McCartney 'A Retrospective', Threatles Party, Songs The Beatles Gave Away, The Fab Faux Shaux, Fab Four Party, Beates Convention, plus free entry into the Cavern Club on Friday and Saturday.

Blue Album - £170

Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Town Hall Reception, Paul McCartney 'A Retrospective', Threatles Party, Songs The Beatles Gave Away, The Fab Faux Shaux, Fab Four Party, Beates Convention, Adelphi All-Nighter plus free entry into the Cavern Club on Friday and Saturday & Sunday

Silver Beatles - £170

Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th & Monday 25th August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Songs The Beatles Gave Away, The Fab Faux Shaux, Fab Four Party, Beatles Convention, Adelphi All-Nighter, All You Need Is Peace & Love, The British Invasion Concert, The Overtures' Finale, Chris Montez and Tommy Roe, plus free entry into the Cavern Club on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Gold Anthology - £230

Friday 22nd, Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th & Monday 25th August

Price includes tickets to the following shows: Town Hall Reception, Paul McCartney 'A Retrospective', Threatles Party, Songs The Beatles Gave Away, The Fab Faux Shaux, Fab Four Party, Beatles Convention, Adelphi All-Nighter, All You Need Is Peace & Love, The British Invasion Concert, The Overtures' Finale, Chris Montez and Tommy Roe plus free entry into the Cavern Club on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

1964 - 24 Concerts in 23 Cities

At the exact same day that The Beatles left London for the U.S, many Americans are doing exactly the opposite...only 50 years later.

Many North Americans are flying into London today to join other Beatle fans in celebrating the most important musical group ever. Beatle Week is starting from Wednesday 20 August 2014.

And what did the Beatles do 50 years ago in the United States and Canada? Well, spending 25 days in 23 Cities, playing 24 concerts (New York City saw them twice).

I created a quick map in Google Maps, and boy did they have to fly from one corner of the US to the other. In 1965 their trip was much better organised, because really... flying from Montreal to Jacksonville and then back to Boston is not my idea of a clear itinerary.

The Beatles Flying...to San Francisco

Exactly 50 years ago today, The Beatles embarked on their first "real" US & Canada tour. During 25 days they would travel all over North America, including the famous first Hollywood Bowl concert.

Were you present at any of these concerts? Then let us know, we'd love to hear from you!

A list of their concerts:

19 August 1964 - Daly City (San Francisco area) - Cow Palace

20 August 1964 - Las Vegas - Convention Hall

21 August 1964 - Seattle - Seattle Center Coliseum

22 August 1964 - Vancouver - Empire Stadium

23 August 1964 - Los Angeles - Hollywood Bowl

26 August 1964 - Morrison (Denver area) - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

27 August 1964 - Cincinnati - Cincinnati Gardens

28 August 1964 - New York City - Forest Hills Stadium

29 August 1964 - New York City - Forest Hills Stadium

30 August 1964 - Atlantic City - Convention Hall

2 September 1964 - Philadelphia - Convention Hall

3 September 1964 - Indianapolis - Indiana State Fair Coliseum

4 September 1964 - Milwaukee - Milwaukee Arena

5 September 1964 - Chicago - International Amphitheatre

6 September 1964 - Detroit - Olympia Stadium

7 September 1964 - Toronto - Maple Leaf Gardens

8 September 1964 - Montreal - Montreal Forum

11 September 1964 - Jacksonville - Gator Bowl Stadium

12 September 1964 - Boston - Boston Garden

13 September 1964 - Baltimore - Baltimore Civic Center

14 September 1964 - Pittsburgh - Civic Arena

15 September 1964 - Cleveland - Public Auditorium

16 September 1964 - New Orleans - City Park Stadium

17 September 1964 - Kansas City - Municipal Stadium

18 September 1964 - Dallas - Memorial Auditorium

20 September 1964 - New York City - Paramount Theater

Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 6

And now a though one: which Beatle-related song is disguised behind this picture

The Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 5

Which Beatles song do you think is behind this picture?

The Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 4

The picture here above was taken in 2008 I think, and fits well to a Beatle song... but which one?

I'm sure a real Beatle fan will come up with some great suggestions...looking forward to hearing them

The Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 3

I have started a project where I try to create pictures based on Beatles songs.

Which song do you think represents this picture?

The Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 2

While we are waiting for Beatle Week to begin in Liverpool, I thought of entertaining you with a small Beatles Quiz.

I took this picture here above in Austria. Which Beatles song do you think it represents?

Beatles in Pictures - Quiz 1

Here above you can see a picture I took. It is based on a Beatles song. Can you guess which one?

The Chipmunks Sing The Beatles

In the first week of August 1964, the famous cartoon figures of The Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, Theodore) released a tribute album to The Beatles.

The original LP contained 12 songs, later re-released often only 10.

Track List

Side One
1."All My Loving"
2."Do You Want to Know a Secret"
3."She Loves You"
4."From Me to You"
5."Love Me Do"
6."Twist and Shout" (P. Medley/B. Russel)

Side Two
1."A Hard Day's Night"
2."P.S. I Love You"
3."I Saw Her Standing There"
4."Can't Buy Me Love"
5."Please Please Me"
6."I Want to Hold Your Hand"

The Beatles Live at the Seattle Coliseum

August 21, 1964 was a special day for Seattle. The Beatles appeared for the first time at the Seattle Coliseum (they would come back two years later on August 25, 1966). Almost 15,000 fans saw them play a 30-minute set.

Just before the concert The Beatles held a quick press conference.

Here is a snippet from that conference, where The Beatles talk about the constant screaming that accompanied their gigs:

Q: "Well, it was said in Las Vegas and in Frisco that your performance couldn't be heard because of the noise. Now, how do you feel about this? Do you consider it might hurt your future concerts?"

PAUL: "It's been going on for a couple of years, you know."

Q: "How many more years do you think it will go on?"

PAUL: "Don't know. We're not..."

JOHN: "We're not taking bets."

Q: "Have you got any idea? Will it be three? Four? What do you think?"

GEORGE: "Till death do us part."

(laughter)

Before the concert there were the usual opening acts: Bill Black Combo, Exciters, Righteous Brothers and Jackie DeShannon.

The Beatles played: "All My Lovin,' "Twist and Shout," "You Can't Do That," "She Loves You," "Can't Buy Me Love," "If I Fell In Love With You," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Boys", and "Roll Over Beethoven."
They ended the concert with "Long Tall Sally.

Here is a trip down memory lane from Suzie B.

I was 15 on August 21, 1964, and it was the summer before I started high school (which started in 10th grade then). I thought I had kept the ticket stub to the concert, but I just looked and couldn't find it. I did find a diagram of the seating in the Seattle Coliseum, and I had documented my seat number. I am thinking the ticket cost $4. I remember the seat was up high, and Jackie DeShannon was one of the warm-up acts.

I tried to resist the whole Beatlemania thing, but that did not last long. My friends and I were just gaga over them (and all things British). I had to acknowledge that Paul was the cutest, but John was the most appealing to me. Yes, I knew he was married, but that was no match for a schoolgirl crush.

I tried to sing Twist and Shout just like John--I couldn't do it without ruining my voice for a day or so, so it's good to know that he couldn't either.

p.s. The Seattle Coliseum is now called the KeyArena (formerly the Washington State Pavilion, Washington State Coliseum and Seattle Center Coliseum).

The Beatles 5 times in the Classics 100 edition 2014

Every year the Flemish radio station Radio 1 publishes a list (compiled by listeners) of "classic" songs.

This year, The Beatles were featured 5 times. Here the top 10 and the other Beatles positions

1. Stairway to heaven - Led Zeppelin

2. Born to run - Bruce Springsteen

3. Like a hurricane - Neil Young

4. Martha - Tom Waits

5. Child in time - Deep Purple

6. Like a rolling stone - Bob Dylan

7. A day in the life - The Beatles

8. Wish you were here - Pink Floyd

9. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

10.Ne me quitte pas - Jacques Brel

15. Imagine - John Lennon

42. Hey Jude - the Beatles

50. Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles

78. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - The Beatles

91. Here comes the Sun - the Beatles

The Beatles take the top 5 positions in Billboard

What happened on 4 April 1964 is not very likely to happen ever again.

On that day The Beatles occupied the top 5 positions in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And not only that, they also had 7 other songs in the top 100!


    1: Can't Buy Me Love (Capitol)
    2: Twist And Shout (Tollie)
    3: She Loves You (Swan)
    4: I Want To Hold Your Hand (Capitol)
    5: Please Please Me (Vee Jay)
    31: Saw Her Standing There (Capitol)
    41: From Me To You (Vee Jay)
    46: Do You Want To Know A Secret (Vee Jay)
    58: All My Loving (Capitol)
    65: You Can't Do That (Capitol)
    68: Roll Over Beethoven (Capitol)
    79: Thank You Girl (Vee Jay)

Country and Western Songs by The Bealtes

The Beatles are primarily known for being a straight Rock 'n Roll band (in the early '60s) and later on a band that changed the face of popular music, but they have also had some Country & Western-influenced songs.

The most famous one will probably be Rocky Raccoon from the White Album, but there are many more (and Ringo would later go on to record a whole bunch of them on Beaucoup of Blues).

Here are some that you might consider listening to:

- Act Naturally: a Ringo cover of a Buck Owens country song

- What Goes On (the only song credited to Lennon-McCartney-Starkey)

- Don't Pass Me By (again Ringo)

- I'll Cry instead

- Many songs on Beatles for Sale - I've Just Seen a Face: a Paul McCartney song that was influenced by Country & Western. In an interview Paul says: "It was slightly country and western from my point of view... it was faster, though, it was a strange uptempo thing". If it had been slowed down a bit, it would have been pure country. And if you had added fiddle and banjo, you might even have had a bluegrass or cajun song!

p.s. why was Ringo so fascinated with Country & Western?
Well, first of all, he watched a lot of cowboy movies and read cowboy comics when he was young. Allegedly the name Ringo comes from a character (Johnny Ringo) that took part at the Gunfight at O.K. Corral.

Later on Ringo joined a band called The Raving Texans and even Rory Storm and the Hurricanes were performing Country & Western songs in their setlist.

The Beatles try water-skiing

On Monday 17 February 1964, The Beatles took a day off after their succesful appearence on the Ed Sullivan show.

One of the things The Beatles did that day, was waterskiing from the back of a 23-foot Formula race boat in Biscayne Bay.
Dezo Hoffmann took some very nice pictures of The Beatles in the water, including one where Paul is resting with his waterskis still on.

The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show for the second time

On Sunday February 16, 1964, The Beatles appeared a second time on the Ed Sullivan show, this time transmitted from the Napoleon Room in the Deauville Hotel, Miami, Florida.

At 2pm The Beatles had a full rehearsal. According to some sources this was taped and intended for broadcast, but this never happened.

The Beatles performed from 8 pm till approximately 9pm and about 2,500 fans attended. More than 3,500 tickets had been given out by CBS, so the Miami police had a lot of work to contain the 1,000 fans who were not allowed to enter.

Other artists on the bill included: - Mitzi Gaynor (an actress, singer and dancer who was born as Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber): She performed for an unprecedented nine-minute segment and "Too Darn Hot" and a blues medley
- Myron Cohen, the comedian
- Joe Louis, a professional boxer
- Sonny Liston, a professional boxer who would later fight against Cassius Clay (whom the Beatles would soon meet)

The Beatles performed six songs: She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You and I Want To Hold Your Hand.

The first Ed Sullivan had 73 million viewers, and this one about 70 million.

The Beatles in the Napoleon Room

Today, on 15 February 1964, the Beatles rehearsed for their second Ed Sullivan show. The CBS show would be broadcast from the Napoleon Room in the Deauville Hotel, and that is where the rehearsal took place. On the internet you can find lots of pictures that show The Beatles in swim trunks inside the Napoleon Room!

After the rehearsal there was a second rehearsal (called "dress rehearsal) in front of an audience of 2,500 people.

The next part of the day they went fishing

Relaxing in Miami

Valentine's day 1964 saw the Beatles still in Miami, getting ready for the second Ed Sullivan show which was scheduled for 16 February.

The went to the set (at the Deauville Beach Resort) and did some basic rehearsals (sound & lights check)

Afterwards they relaxed at the pool of an employee at Capitol Records. Reporters from LIFE magazine were allowed to take pictures, and they are among the most famous photographs taken in 1964.

They also met Bernard Castro, inventor of the convertible couch (no relation to Fidél) who lent them his yachts. Ringo managed to damage the boat but according to an interview with him, the owners didn't seem to mind.

At night they went to the hotel's nightclub and saw entertainers Don Rickles, Myron Cohen and Carol Lawrence.

Don Rickles was an agressive loud-mouth comedian, and The Beatles were not accustomed to hearing comedy that was so personal and direct (they grew up with a complete different sense of humour).

He was a very different kind of performer, very close to his public and approachable. Probably his first job as a salesman in the garment industry played a role in that!

Carol Lawrence finally was a singer and actress who rose to fame in her role as Maria on the Broadway production of West Side Story. Younger readers might remember her as the matriarch Angela Eckart on General Hospital

Run For Your Life

Run For Your Life is a John Lennon composition (credited to Lennon-McCartney) from the 1965 record Rubber Soul.

It often figures on the list of least liked Beatles songs, and John Lennon himself considers it his worst song (together with 'It's Only Love').

The misogynistic text comes from an Elvis Presley song called "Baby let's play house" and led to the song being banned on several Canadian radios.

Lennon's text:

"Well I'd rather see you dead, little girl
Than to be with another man
You better keep your head, little girl
Or I won't know where I am

Elvis Presley's text

Now listen to me, baby
Try to understand.
I'd rather see you dead, little girl,
Than to be with another man.

The Beatles at the Deaville Hotel in Miami, FL

On Thursday 13 February 1964, the Beatles travelled from New York to Miami, Florida.

This time they didn't travel by train (the weather had improved) but the took a National Airlines flight. At Miami Airport they were greeted by a huge number of fans (police at the time estimated between 6,000 and 7,000 fans).

They stayed at the Deauville Hotel and Paul McCartney described it as "Paradise". Paul said he had never seen a policeman in real life with a gun (in England policemen never wore weapons) and he took loads of pictures with his Pentax camera of motorcycle cops.

A special guest of the Beatles was Murray the K, who convinced George Harrison to share a room with him.

In the evening they went partying: first at the Mau Mau lounge to see The Coasters (Ringo in particular was a big fan) and later to the Miami Peppermint Lounge. There they saw Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, a popular doo-wop group. At the time they were considered one of the most risqué bands with song like "Sexy Ways" and "Get It"

The Worst Beatles Songs ever?

As you might imagine (no pun intented) I am a Beatle fan, and so are most authors here on the blog.

But somebody asked me to provide a list of "bad" songs. Now this is an impossible task, because what you like might be completely different from my tastes, and the same goes for things we hate.

So I tried to make an objective list, based on what most people write here on the internet. Here is the (not-definite) list of weakest Beatles songs. if you disagree, please leave your comment at the bottom, and I will regulary update this list.

Top or Bottom 10 of the Worst Songs by The Beatles

1. Revolution #9

2. Yellow Submarine

3. Wild Honey Pie

4. Obla-di, Obla-da

5. Why Don't We Do it in the Road

6. Flying

7. Dig It

8. Maxwell's Silver Hammer

9. You know my name

10.Within you Without you

What do you think? Change this list by adding your comments

Which Musicians were heavily influenced by the Beatles?

The Beatles have been influenced by many others (Elvis Presly, Carl Perkins, The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, ...) but in return The Beatles influenced a lot of other artists (contemporaries and later).

I would like to make a list here of those artistis.

Artists influenced by The Beatles:

- Crowded House: Four Seasons In One Day

- Oasis: almost all of their songs, just listen to Wonderwall, Looking Back in Anger, Roll with it,...

- Blur: Beetlebum :)

- Radiohead: Karma Police, Paranoid Android

- The Smithereens: Meet the Smithereens is an almost exact copy of Meet The Beatles

- The Ramones: They took their stage name from an old Paul McCartney alias Paul Ramon, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"

- Foo Fighters

- The Hollies

- Nirvana: About a girl

- Ozzy Ozbourne (!)

- Elvis Costello: Party Girl (remeniscent of Carry That Weight), Alison

- The Monkees

- U2: look at the video of "Where the Street have no names"

- Fools Garden: Lemon Tree

- Badfinger - Cars: You Might Think, Drive

- Bluetones: Autophilia

- David Bowie: Young Americans, Sufragette City, ...

- 10cc: You've Got a Cold, Feel the Benefit

The Beatles Live at Carnegie Hall - Twice!

After a quick visit to Washington, The Beatles returned by train to New York City on Wednesday 12 February, 1964.

It was a public holiday (Lincoln's Birthday) and thousands of fans showed up at the station to welcome them back.

The Beatles then performed twice at Carnegie Hall (7:45 pm and 11:15 pm) and each time about 3,000 (mostly female) fans showed up.

They also received a gold disc from Swan Records because they sold one million copies of She Loves You. Incidentally, they met Shirley Bassey backstage. Later in her career she would cover The Beatles 4 times: Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday and Something.

The Beatles Live at the Washington Coliseum

50 years ago on Tuesday 11 February 1964, The Beatles were due to appear at the Washington Coliseum.

Because of a heavy snow storm, Murray the K advised Brian Epstein to travel by train from New York to Washington instead of catching a plane.

They all travelled on the Pensylvania Railroad express train in a carriage that was aptly named "The King George".

When they arrived in the capital, they were greeted by approximately 2,000 fans (Murray the K. claims there were 10,000, but in those weather conditions it was already a miracle that 2,000 fans braved the wintery conditions).

The Beatles then went to WWDC, which was allegedly the first US radio station to have ever played a Beatles record.

In the evening they played a set at the Washington Coliseum, together with Jay & the Americans, The Righteous Brothers and Tommy Roe (whom they knew from the old days).

They performed 12 songs: Roll Over Beethoven, From Me To You, I Saw Her Standing There, This Boy, All My Loving, I Wanna Be Your Man, Please Please Me, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Want To Hold Your Hand, Twist And Shout and Long Tall Sally.

This was also the night that they were pelted for the first time with Jelly beans (after George had told a newspaper that he liked them).

What Beatles songs did Ringo NOT play on?

Ringo played drums for the Beatles, that everybody knows.

On some rare occasions, he didn't.

- P.S. I love you has Andy White on drums (Ringo on Tambourine)

- Love Me Do: some versions have Andy, others Ringo

- Back in the U.S.S.R and Dear Prudence have Paul on drums (Ringo had temporarily left the band)

- The Ballad of John & Yoko was Paul - Ringo was playing in a movie at that time (it is rumoured John was so grateful for Paul stepping in, that he decided to release "Give Peace a Chance" with Lennon/McCartney credits

- Eleanor Rigby (no Beatles played any instruments on this one)

oh, and there is one more song that Ringo doesn't play drums to: BECAUSE, since it does not have percussion at all :)

The Beatles on CBS - Tonight on The Night That Changed America

If you have the possibility to tune in on CSB tonight, February 9, 2014, then you are in for a treat!

CBS is celebrating the 50th anniversary of that wonderful evening on February 9, 1964 when The Beatles took the state on the Ed Sullivan show.

Historians generally agree that this performance was a milestone in US popular culture, and probably changed the way youth culture was perceived in America.

During the CBS "The Night that Changed America" extravaganza, you will have the chance to see Paul, Ringo and Dhani perform some of the most memorable Beatles tunes.

The tribute concert in Los Angeles features for example Ringo Starr performing "Matchbox," "Boys" and "Yellow Submarine" and then Paul McCartney and band will come on and do "Magical Mystery Tour," "Birthday," "Get Back," "I Saw Her Standing There," Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "With A Little Help From My Friends" (with Ringo on vocals of course), and "Hey Jude" (with Ringo on drums). Dhani Harrison (George's son) also performed with Jeff Lynne and Joe Walsh

The Most Important Night in Television

Yes, this is it. 50 years ago to the very day, The Beatles changed the way popular music was perceived.

Many historians have called 9 February 1964 at 8pm the most important night in Television. The Big Bang of Rock 'n' Roll. A giant leap for mankind...

At that exact moment, Ed Sullivan addressed the American audience (73,000,000 in a time when there was only one TV set in the house...if there was a TV set!) and shouted: "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles".

Goosebumps everywhere, and many kids thought "I want to be a rock 'n' roll singer", just like Pat DiNizio of the New Jersey rock band The Smithereens.

Often people still remember where they were when Kennedy was shot. But do you know where you were when the Beatles performed on the Ed Sullivan Show, singing five songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, I Want to Hold Your Hand

Where were you on February 9th, 1964 around 8pm?

Many people still remember where they were when JFK was shot in Dallas. Or for the younger generation: where they were when they heard about the deaths of Lady Di/Kurt Cobain/Michael Jackson.

But who remembers the Ed Sullivan show of February 9th, 1946? The "Night that Changed America" as it is sometimes called. The night when The Beatles appeared for the first time on an American show and 73,000,000 (almost 40% of all Americans at that time) sat in front of their TV set to watch the Fab Four from Liverpool, England perform 5 songs.

So, here is my question to you all: where were you? Did you get the chance to see it live?

The Beatles Celebrate 120 weeks in the Ultratop Albums in Flanders

The collection of Beatles hits called "1" is celebrating its 120th (!) week on the Ultratop Albums list in Flanders, Belgium.

It used to be a number one itself (about 120 weeks ago) and still sells well.

1 is a compilation album by the Beatles, released on 13 November 2000. The album features virtually every number-one single released in the United Kingdom and United States from 1962 to 1970 by the Beatles. Issued on the 30th anniversary of the band's break-up, it was their first compilation available on one compact disc. 1 was a commercial success, and topped the charts worldwide. 1 has sold over 31 million copies.
Tracklist One "1" by The Beatles


1."Love Me Do"

2."From Me to You"

3."She Loves You"

4."I Want to Hold Your Hand"

5."Can't Buy Me Love"

6."A Hard Day's Night"

7."I Feel Fine"

8."Eight Days a Week"

9."Ticket to Ride"

10."Help!"

11."Yesterday"

12."Day Tripper"

13."We Can Work It Out"

14."Paperback Writer"

15."Yellow Submarine"

16."Eleanor Rigby"

17."Penny Lane"

18."All You Need Is Love"

19."Hello, Goodbye"

20."Lady Madonna"

21."Hey Jude"

22."Get Back"

23."The Ballad of John and Yoko"

24."Something"

25."Come Together"

26."Let It Be"

27."The Long and Winding Road"

John Lennon and George Harrison on the eve of their memorable US visit

On Feburary 6th, 1964, John Lennon and George Harrison gave an interview about their upcoming trip to the States.

The interview was taken by June Harris, who went to the USA for the Mirror Group to report on rock and pop. Her articles (many related to the Beatles) later appeared in NME, Disc and Music Echo, Hit Parader, etc...

In the interview, John says he will buy "stacks of records". We also learn that most of the musical equipment (drums, amplifiers,...) will be provided by the organisers of the different events they will play at.

Ringo Starr's First All-Starr Band 1989

Official Line-up for the First Ringo STarr's All-Starr Band from 1989

Ringo Starr - drums, vocals
 Joe Walsh (Eagles and James Gang) - guitar, piano, talkbox, vocals
 Nils Lofgren (E Street Band) - guitar, accordion, vocals
 Dr. John - piano, vocals
 Billy Preston - keyboards, vocals
 Rick Danko (The Band) - bass, vocals
 Levon Helm (The Band) - drums, harmonica, vocals
 Clarence Clemons (E Street Band) - saxophone, tambourine, percussion, vocals
 Jim Keltner - drums

Guests
 Zak Starkey - drums (several shows on songs where Ringo was not on drums)
 Garth Hudson (The Band) - accordion (several shows)
 Bruce Springsteen - guitar (During one show played on "Get Back" sung by Billy Preston, "Long Tall Sally", "Photograph", "With a Little Help From My Friends")
 John Candy: tambourine

She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand in the Belgian Ultratop Charts

On the first of February 1964, She Loves You by the Beatles climbed the Belgian Ultratop charts to position 5, while I Want to Hold Your Hand made a chart entry at number 9

Here is the Ultratop chart of February 1964

1. Los Indios Tabajaras - Maria Elena
2. Adamo - vous Permettez, Monsieur?
3. John Larry - Alleen
4. Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Maria No Mas
5. The Beatles - She Loves You
6. Richard Anthony - Chin Chin
7. Adamo - Tombe la neige
8. Trini Lopez - Kansas City
9. The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand
10. Elvis Presley - Mexico

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 .

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.

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".

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

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