Beatles60

This special mini-episode previews the upcoming Beatles60 podcast series: Early 1964. Also, a fond farewell to the informative and witty podcasts ‘Nothing Is Real’ and ‘I Am The Eggpod.’ Their archives remain evergreen, and will be there to enrich our 60s knowledge as our timeline progresses. The upcoming four-part series delves into the Beatles’ early 1964 experiences, from their American triumph to their stunningly great first film. The series culminates in a candid look at how the Beatles handled their newfound celebrity, a journey documented through photos and films. Join us as we revisit these moments, drawing from the rich insights provided by past podcasts and the enduring legacy of the Beatles’ early days.

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The Beatles got on the Ed Sullivan Show through the efforts of Peter Prichard, a London-based journalist and friend of Brian Epstein. Prichard, who had a connection with Ed Sullivan's talent scout Jack Babb, suggested to Epstein that he could get the Beatles on the show. Despite some initial doubts from Babb, Prichard persisted and arranged a meeting between Epstein and Sullivan. In November 1963, Epstein and Sullivan met at the Hotel Delmonico in New York, where they agreed to schedule the Beatles for three shows on the Ed Sullivan Show. The deal was made before the Beatles had achieved any success in the US market, but their popularity quickly grew after the handshake agreement. The Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964 helped launch their career in America.

In this episode of Beatle60 Live, our guest interviewer — historiographer Rob Geurtsen — and guest expert, Dr. Kenneth Womack discuss Ken’s upcoming book Living The Beatles Legend: The Untold Story of Mal Evans. Available for pre-order now, it’s scheduled for release on Tuesday.

This discussion will be presented in three parts. This is episode one. Episode two will be out in a few days, and episode three by the end of the week. 

In 1963, we find that without George Martin, Brian Epstein and Dick James facilitating and pushing the Fabs’ records, performances and songs, respectively, the Beatles probably would’ve remained in Merseyside, performing round and round the same local ballroom circuit. 

Artists need support and facilitation. Mal and Neil (Aspinall), were both employed directly by the Beatles and played significant support roles.  

Despite being compensated better than most laborers in similar positions, Mal was grossly underpaid. And yet his dedication to his work with the Beatles left a lasting impact on the group's legacy.

An often overlooked factor in the Beatles’ success story was their willingness to take enormous risks. In this sense, Mal fit right in. It’s a mindset that can take you to the toppermost or can do you in. The book aims to provide significant glimpses into Mal's life, including the moments when he could no longer steer away from his collision with his own history. 

New season starts in October.

1962 was clearly an important year for the Beatles. They got signed, finalized their line-up, and even released their first single. But it was still prologue. 1963 would be the year that UK Beatlemania would explode. The Beatles would tour, get significant radio and TV exposure, and reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart, EP Chart, and Album Chart. November would bring the Royal Command Performance, and they would soon be looking to 1964, Ed Sullivan, and Worldwide Beatlemania. 

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In this episode we talk about some of the confident eccentrics who influenced the Beatles, fellow travelers who marched to the beats of different drummers. 

The Beatles were quite busy in the winter of 1962/63, as we’ve talked about before. A Pair of two-week stints in Hamburg, radio and television appearances, recording sessions, ‘Love Me Do’ rising in the charts. And as the winter turned into the Big Freeze, called the worst winter weather since 1739, there was more than just the beginnings of ‘Beatlemania’ happening in the UK.

The other side of the Big Freeze would bring with it a flowering of modern culture. Women wore shorter skirts and mod hairstyles. The Profumo Affair scandalized an already weak establishment. A decade-plus of Tory government would be ending. Fashion, scandal, and the pill were turning the UK into something different. The Beatles would be a large part of the transition. 

At the end of 1962 we look ahead to an historic winter freeze that immobilized most Britons for three months. But it was a great time to be the Beatles. ‘Love Me Do’ had been released on 5 October 1962. It had quite a ride on the UK Singles Chart, moving up and down and ultimately topping out at #17. The impressive fact about the Beatles’ first release was that it remained on the charts for 18 weeks. That was longer than most top ten or even top five singles stayed on. During those eighteen weeks, our boys and Brian Epstein remained as busy as ever.

Before the Beatles' rise to national and then international fame, just how cool was the UK? There was The Goon Show, Hammer Horror, and others (tell us what you remember!). But did it come close to reaching the level of cool in the US? Didn’t the cooler UK musicians strive to be more like American artists? Weren’t the coolest of films and their stars coming mainly from the US? What could make that change?

'Love Me Do,' the Beatles’ first single, was released on 5 October 1962. Interestingly, Dr. No, the first 'Bond film' was released the same day. Music and film from the UK was about to start having a huge impact in the UK, in the US, and worldwide. At this point starts a period of 'proto-mania,' the very beginning of the UK becoming the coolest of the cool. 'Please Please Me,' the Beatles’ second single would have its time on/atop the UK charts between January and March of 1963. So in this episode, we’re talking about the six-month period that preceded nationwide 'mania' in Britain. And we call it the 'Between the Singles' period.

It’s September 1962. Ringo had been put in place as the final member in the Beatles’ lineup. Recording sessions had been done and the first single had been chosen. Before long, George Martin was to become very happy with the progress made by his funny-named band from the north. Welcome to Season 2, Episode 1 of the Beatles60 Podcast. 

The Casbah Coffee Club was closed. Pete was leaving the group. It was like the end of the introduction of the book of The Beatles. Stress was coming from Parlophone and George Martin, who had not yet accepted that The Beatles should be recording originals. He wanted “How Do You Do It?”, written by Mitch Murray. Meanwhile, Cynthia had some big news for John. The Old World was coming to an end.

In the New World, Ringo would join the group and on August 18, 1962, The Beatles were complete. George Martin gave in to The Beatles’ musical decisions, mainly because, well, he just really found them to be charismatic and got along with them so well. Brian Epstein took care of John and Cyn’s sudden wedding and even let them live rent-free in a flat that he owned. Did they know that unimaginable fame was on the horizon? Of course not. But the pieces were starting to be put into place. Join Larry and me for a discussion of The Beatles in the summer of 1962 in this episode of the Beatles60 podcast.

Our members page has the details to listen live on August 7th. Denise gives full details. Very easy signup. 

We’ve talked before about the circumstances surrounding the signing of The Beatles. But what is even more important is how their relationship with George Martin blossomed. Martin cared little about The Beatles and didn’t care that much for their music. He was happy to pass on the responsibility of recording our boys to his assistant, Ron Richards. But something else happened.

In this episode of The Beatles60 podcast we’re talking about how Martin was won over by the charisma of The Beatles. Also, how he came to see that the fact that they wrote their own songs, something that was almost unheard of at the time, would work hand in hand with his own desire to experiment with music. And finally, the serendipity of a situation that would bring together this particular pop group and this particular producer to create the story that we still talk about sixty years later.

One of the earliest told stories of the signing of The Beatles to EMI’s Parlophone Records division in May of 1962 goes like this: While Brian Epstein was having the Decca audition tapes transferred to acetate for easier distribution to labels, the songs were heard by Sid Colman, who ran EMI’s Ardmore and Beechwood Publishing division. He was interested in obtaining the publishing rights to The Beatles’ original songs. And that’s where the story seems to split into different tellings.

Brian Epstein would relate that Colman took the recordings to George Martin, who liked them very much and would be willing to give them an audition. Martin remembered it differently. He said he “wasn’t knocked out at all.” So how did The Beatles eventually get signed? In this episode we talk about the fairy tale version and the version that is closer to what really happened.

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Members of The Beatles, John and Paul especially, had experienced loss in their young lives. Both had lost their mothers while they were teenagers. John had also lost his Uncle George, who was more like a father to him than his actual father. But as a unit, The Beatles had never had to deal with the level of tragedy that would come in April of 1962.

Stuart Sutcliffe’s influence on The Beatles started as soon as he joined the group in January of 1960. He helped come up with the band’s name and was the first to try on different clothes and hair styles. Not to mention he was John’s closest friend. Though he left the band to stay in Hamburg with his fiancée, Astrid Kirchherr, he would be remembered by The Beatles in such ways as a reference in John’s “In My Life” as well as being on the cover of the Sgt. Pepper album. Had he lived he would certainly have contributed, if not musically, through his art. After being extremely ill for several months, Stu died on April 10, 1962 in Hamburg just as The Beatles were returning for a residency at The Star Club. That's where this episode of The Beatles60 podcast begins…

Decca Records famously rejected The Beatles a few weeks after their January 1, 1962 audition. Dick Rowe, the head of the company, reportedly told Brian Epstein that “groups of guitarists are on their way out.” Rowe would deny that he ever said that, but nevertheless, Decca did not end up signing The Beatles and Epstein had the sad duty of relaying the bad news to the boys.

But was it really all that bad of a thing? Imagine The Beatles being labelmates with Cliff Richard and never working with George Martin! How different would the story have been? Would we even be talking about The Beatles right now if Decca had signed them? We’re talking about all this and more in this episode of The Beatles60 broadcast! We also catch up with Stuart Sutcliffe, who's still living with Astrid Kirchherr and studying with Sir Eduardo Paolozzi. Ringo Starr returns from Hamburg after the flood in early 1962. Today’s episode is called “Beatles Rejected.”

Small scale history such as that of a pop group is inevitably filled with incredible coincidences, randomness, quirks, strangeness and charm. To revisit the lifeworlds of young adults in 1962 as they climbed their way to the toppermost is by nature a kind of hermeneutical study. Sounds fancy? It's just another word for interpretation/understanding.

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We have a HUGE set of links to accompany this episode. Please see the illustrated page. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll wet your pants. Share with friends:

The Beatles first played at the Oasis Club on February 2, 1962. Six days later they were at The Playhouse Theatre to audition for a BBC radio performance. They passed the audition, so on March 7 they were back at the same theatre to record three songs for the BBC radio show, “Teenager’s Turn – Here We Go.” It was the first time they wore suits in front of an audience. The show was aired the next day. What do all of these things have in common? They all took place in Manchester! Note: on a special page we’ve compiled 43 informative and entertaining links that’ll take you on a deep dive into all that’s discussed in this episode. See: https://barmyoldcodger.com/beatles60-podcast The Beatles wisely chose Manchester as their first opening to the nation. In retrospect, it makes good sense to include Manchester among "Beatles cities" that would propel the group to the toppermost (alongside Liverpool, Hamburg, New York and London). Located about 35 miles east of Liverpool, Manchester was in 1962 (and still is) the prime gateway for all media in the North of England. Radio appearances recorded in Manchester and their first television appearance filmed by Manchester’s Granada TV would give The Beatles their first national exposure. It could be said that Manchester wasn’t just a random stop along the way to London. It was the main route that had to be taken. In this episode of the Beatles60 podcast, we have some special guests! Beatles historian Steve Bradley and radio presenter Phil Salter are area natives. They're the voices behind the mics on the Arrive Without Travelling podcast. It’s an information-packed discussion, and our guests make it perfectly clear that the Beatles’ path to nationwide fame would begin in Manchester, the north's media centre. Listen or Share via YouTube: https://youtu.be/K_56fuTuP0o Arrive Without Travelling (radio show & podcast) https://arrivewithouttravelling.com/radio-%26-podcast   Lots of Manchester links! https://www.facebook.com/113527093818469/posts/497399238764584/

January of 1962 was the beginning of Brian Epstein managing The Beatles. He got to work right away. He started by convincing Deutsche Grammophon’s Polydor Records division to release 'My Bonnie,' the song that they had recorded in Hamburg in June of 1961 backing Tony Sheridan, as a single in the UK. That would happen on January 5, 1962. Added bonus, instead of crediting the group as Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers, Epstein convinced them to call them Tony Sheridan and The Beatles. It’s success was minimal to non-existent.

But Epstein wasn’t done. He also needed to formalize a management contract with The Beatles. He looked at sample of such contracts and found them lacking, specifically in their treatment of the musical artists. What he wanted was a fair contract, one that would treat The Beatles with the respect they deserved as well as one that the group could get out of if necessary. This episode of the Beatles60 podcast looks into what was going on in The Mind of Brian.

2022 is the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac, as was 1962. And that year was a huge one for The Beatles. It started with an audition with Decca Records, on New Year’s Day. Four days later they would technically have their first UK single release, when Germany’s Polydor Records released the version of “My Bonnie” that they had recorded in June of 1961. It would go out under the name Tony Sheridan and The Beatles. Neither of those two events ended up amounting to much, but at least things were getting started.

Starting with EMI and Decca, the rejections from London-based record labels started coming in. Something would have to change. Brian Epstein put The Beatles in suits and the inevitable line-up change would happen in August. A lot has been made about how and why Pete Best was replaced by Ringo Starr, sometimes revolving around the idea that George Martin wasn’t going to let Pete play on their recordings. But it was actually a completely commonplace practice for studio drummers to play on recordings regardless of the live line-up of any group. There must be more to the story…

Guest appearances by Eric Howell and Tim Sommer. Also a secret VIP (known to everyone) contributes his famous voice, briefly. (We signed a "no-promo agreement" with the third guest. It's a low-key but almost unbelievable contribution. Just listen for him. You'll know.)

In December of 1961, Sam Leach tried to get The Beatles a show in London. The results were disastrous. Meanwhile, Brian Epstein was setting up an official photo session for December 17 arranging an audition for The Beatles with Decca Records for January 1. We talk about it all in this week’s Beatles60 podcast, Calling London. Merseyside promoter Sam Leach wasn’t having much luck. He thought that it was about time for The Beatles to start playing shows in London, so he booked them to play at The Palais Ballroom in Aldershot, about 40 miles southwest of the city, on December 9, 1961. Everything went wrong. Their flyers had been torn down, a newspaper ad didn’t appear in the paper, and no one showed up, not even Ivor Jay and the Jaywalkers, who were also supposed to play that night. It would be a rough one. Brian Epstein was having a bit more success in planning the career of The Beatles. He would set up the first official photo session for the group on December 17. Now there would be plenty of great promotional materials for him to give to promoters, agents, fans, and record labels. One of those labels, Decca Records, scheduled The Beatles to come to London for an audition on January 1, 1962. Big things were finally on the horizon… 

The Beatles met with Brian Epstein once or twice around the end of November or beginning of December of 1961. Brian hoped to convince the group that he should become their manager, despite his lack of experience in that type of position. The meetings may have come just in time. The Beatles had become more and more frustrated at playing the same venues around Liverpool over and over again with no prospect of gaining a larger UK audience. They were popular in Hamburg as well, but the prospect of just playing in dive bars forever wasn’t particularly appealing. The prospect of having a real manager was intriguing. Epstein had contacts, knowledge of the music industry, and very importantly, money. In this week’s podcast, we talk about Brian Epstein’s journey to become the manager of The Beatles!

We all have an idea of the importance of George Martin to the history of The Beatles. But he didn’t just come out of nowhere. At age 24, he got a job with EMI. In 1955, at the age of 29, he became the head of Parlophone Records and found a great deal of success, especially with comedy records, featuring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, and more. His success allowed him the freedom to experiment with film scores, electronic music, and anything else he could think of. But the one thing that he really wanted was a huge, hit-producing pop artist. In this week’s podcast we talk about George Martin’s road to success! 

We’ve heard the story for years. A young Beatles fan named Raymond Jones walked into the record department at Brian Epstein’s store, Nems (North End Music Store). He asked for “My Bonnie” by The Beatles. As the disc was a German release, Nems had no copies. But Epstein had a policy to find any disc a customer asked for, and that was what started the search that would result in Epstein finding The Beatles playing a lunchtime show at The Cavern Club on November 9, 1961. On that date, what many consider the most important manager/client relationship in rock music history began. But did it really happen exactly that way? Alternate stories have surfaced over the years that there really was no Raymond Jones, that it was just a tidy story that sounded good. In addition, there are those who would say that Brian Epstein had actually seen and even talked to The Beatles before that afternoon in November of 1961. Can the truth actually be sorted? Is it even possible to know for sure what happened sixty years ago? This episode of the Beatles60 podcast will looks into these questions and more. In 1965, both Paul McCartney and George Harrison, on being awarded their M.B.E.s by the Queen, said "M.B.E. stands for Mr. Brian Epstein."