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