Beatles Trivia #43
1) What Beatles' Album yielded the most songs on the RS's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs List? a) Sgt. Pepper, b) White Album, c) A Hard Day's Night, d) Revolver
2) According to RS Magazine, the Beatles recorded how many songs? *This number always varies due to the fact that many tracks that were 'recorded' didn't show up on a Beatles album but DID show up on some of the solo LPs. In any event, according to RS, how many total songs were recorded? a) 206, b) 211, c) 217, d) 219
3) Of the RS 100 Greatest Beatles Songs, how many were written by John? a) 40, b) 37, c) 42, d) 34
4) Same as above: how many were written by Paul? a) 33, b) 35, c) 41, d) 43
5) Same as above: how many were written by George? a) 6, b) 5, c) 8, d) 4
6) As of 2004, how many total records have been sold by the Fabs according to RS? a) 1 Billion, b)1.1 Billion, c) 1.3 Billion, d) 2 Billion.
7) What Beatles' 45 rpm single had the longest stay at #1 in the U.S. Billboard charts? a) I Want To Hold Your Hand, b) Hey Jude, c) Get Back, d) Yesterday
8) Interestingly, even the Yellow Submarine Soundtrack LP yielded a song on the RS's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs list. What might that one be? *This one's a fill in the blank folks. _________________
9) Name the longest track in the entire Beatles' catalogue: a) I Want Your (She's So Heavy), b) Hey Jude, c) Helter Skelter, d) Revolution #9.
10) Which one of the following cover songs by the Beatles actually made into the Top 10? a) Twist and Shout, b) Money, c) Long Tall Sally, d) Please Mr. Postman.
Answers below:
Answers to Trivia Game #43:
1) b) White Album (Officially titled The Beatles) with 13 songs.
2) d) 219
3) a) 40
4) b) 35
5) c) 8
6) c) 1.3 Billion
7) b) Hey Jude at an astounding nine weeks in the Fall of 1968.
8) Hey Bulldog
9) d) Revolution #9 coming in at (according to RS) 8:22. I have it written as 8:15. The others don't even come close.
10) a) Twist and Shout (#3 duing the week of March 28, 1964; #2 during the fatefull week of April 4, 1964 through to the week of April 25, 1964; #7 during the week of May 2, 1964. After that it fell out of the Top 10. If not for the suddend emergence of "Can't Buy Me Love" during the week of April 4, 1964, T & S would have been another #1 hit for the Beatles.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Beatles Songs
This special issue book contains reviews according to the opinions of the editors as well as facts, viniettes and other special lists by the Beatles themselves. Well worth the $10 it costs and I highly recommend this issue to all Beatles fans. There are some perhaps "surprise" choices here but with that, let's check out the top 25 on this list with a few comments by your humble correspondent.
1) "A Day In The Life." John Lennon complained in the early 1970's that the finished track was "not half as good as we thought it was when we were recording it." Nevertheless, it remains as not only an excellent choice on this most select list but representative of a true collaboration between John and Paul McCartney, one of their last true collaborations in fact. It also ranks highly as one of the most unearthly tracks ever recorded by anybody in history. Absolute genius at it's best, Lennon's disclaimer notwithstanding.
2) "I Want To Hold Your Hand." Great second choice in your correspondent's opinion. Usually we expect tunes like "Let It Be" or "Yesterday" to be at or next to the top pick but this exuberant, refreshing blast aimed directly at the U.S. market was indeed the opening salvo of not only the Beatles' invasion of the U.S. but of the entire so-called "British Invasion." This was the one that launched everything else in the U.S.
3) "Strawberry Fields Forever." Only John Lennon could have written this masterpiece. Soft, dreamy, trippy, evocative, simple, yet complex; it is everything the Beatles were about at the time and to be released during the psychedelic summer of 1967 made it all the more timely. Paul contributed the dreamy opening mellotron riff, Ringo's drumming was impecable, George contributed guitar and there is the famous story of George Martin splicing two different versions of the song together at precisely the :60 second mark because Lennon liked parts of two distinctly different versions and couldn't make up his mind as to which one to use - so they used both. It was John's childhood that inspired the song. The magic of Strawberry Fields which are located directly behind John's house on Menlove Ave.
4) "Yesterdaty." What more could be said about the most popular single tune in human history? It was entirely a Paul McCartney affair and it is still the most played, most covered, most popular song ever written.
5) "In My Life." Your correspondent was most pleased with this choice. I knew it would be on the list, but who knew it would rank so high up? Simply put, John Lennon's first great work and your correspondent's favorite Beatle song of all time. George Martin couldn't play the piano piece in the middle so he played it an octave down at half speed; 7.5 ips on the recording tape. It was sped up to correct speed for the finished recording. Marvelous backing vocals as well as one of Ringo's standout drum riffs. Nicely done one and all.
6) "Something." George Harrison's greatest masterpiece. Appearing on Abbey Road, it was Lennon's favorite cut from that classic LP and George Harrison's only #1 hit tune while still a Beatle. Perfectly written ballad with the opening line lifted from James Taylor's song "Something in the Way She Moves." Unlike most lawsuit happy individuals, Taylor was actually flattered that George "borrowed" from him. It remains the second most covered Beatle song after "Yesterday."
7) "Hey Jude." Was inspired by John Lennon's son Julian and Paul's worry that Julian would be OK after John and Cynthia's divorce. Simple as it is awesome, this is one of Paul McCartney's greatest tunes and had the longest run at #1 in the Beatles' epic career; 9 weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Lennon always saw it as a message to him and Yoko and even admitted that he was sounding then, "like all those crazy fans reading into Beatles lyrics."
8) "Let It Be." Another ballad by Paul and another gem. This is your correspondent's favorite Paul tune. Hymnal in it's expression, just a gorgeous song played brilliantly by all of the Beatles. And to think this tune languished un-issued in the Abbey Road studio vaults for well over a year and no one knew quite what to do with it. Amazing.
9) "Come Together." John Lennon at his lyrical gobbelygook best. The charm here is the group chemistry on the song. John came in with this as a fast rocker. The others, especially Paul instinctively heard it as more bluesy. Paul's swampy bass lick set the tone and Lennon loved the slowed down results; all this while they were in the slow process of disintegrating in the summer of 1969. The band "came together" on this one and turned it into another #1 hit for themselves: the intangible group chemistry turned a good tune into a timeless classic.
10) "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." "Only a guitar player could have written that. I love that song," Mick Jagger famously said in 2002. Considered by many fans to be one of the three best tracks on the "White Album," this tour-de-force was George Harrison all the way with a little help from his friends that included the rest of the Beatles and of course, Eric Clapton famously playing the lead riff on the break. Simply put, the perfect guitar song written by a great guitarists for guitar players. Fabulous music.
11) "A Hard Day's Night." Another great tune crafted during and written expressly for - Beatlemania! This made to order tune still rocks. Besides, how could this song loose when it features the single most important and well known chord in Rock history: the F add 9 George Harrison bangs away with, on his 12 string Rickenbacker to open this great tune?
12) "Norwegian Wood." Another fan favorite that was NOT released as a single. Such was the width and breath of the vast repository of GREAT Beatles music that this fantastic song became part of an ensemble cast of tunes for the famous "Rubber Soul" LP. The charm here, as we all know, is George Harrison's use of the Indian Sitar. This song is yet another example of how the Beatles group dynamic would compliment a song with additional and timely ideas that so often enhanced already good music. Between John's basic song offering, followed by Paul's minimalist bass and haunting backing vocals, Ringo's minimalist thumb cymbals and topped of by George's innovative (an absolute first in Western pop music) use of the sitar; Norwegian Wood was elevated from a good tune to timeless classic status.
13) "Revolution." Your correspondent was again thrilled to see another surprise entry high on the list. Again, great song and there was no doubt about this tune showing up but the surprise is how high it is rated by the Rolling Stone writers. Chronically underrated is this John Lennon offering that would have been an A-side single release any other time in history if not for Paul's "Hey Jude" that was written and released at the same time. A hard rocker and one of the first, if not THE first out and out political protest song from the Fabs. Featuring Nicky Hopkins on keyboards and a screeching guitar from Lennon, it is a clever tune that holds up exceedingly well today. Cover art below says Hey Jude but the picture is the Beatles performing Revolution for their video release.
14) "She Loves You." Anothe early masterstroke by the Beatles. Evocative, fast, pounding, unheard of chord changes for pop rock and the clever use of a third person in the narrative to make fans think the Beatles were talking directly to them. Add to that, it''s a great, gorgeous tune and the biggest selling single in U.K. history until Paul McCartney's own "Mull of Kintyre" knocked it to second place in the 1977.
15) "HELP!" Written by John in his Dylanesque mode, it was originally supposed to be a slow, dirge like folk tune describing how Lennon felt about Beatlemania at the time. He famously said that Beatlemania "was beyond comprehension." Most people would agree with that, certainly his other Fabs. Still, John was out-voted in the studio and the fast up tempo version is what we know and love today. John felt that it was a cop out to speed it up but nevertheless, the lyrics were true and among Lennon's own favorites, saying that the lyrics were true then and he felt the same way years later. 
Yet another smash translantic #1 hit in the U.S. and the U.K.
16) "I Saw Her Standing There." The B-side to "I Want To Hold Your Hand" A-side single and a song McCartney plays to this day in concert. It is a gorgeous, fun, raucous pot boiler with the most kick- ass bass line ever (stolen from Chuck Berry) and just a great rocker, which is what the Beatles did best.
17) "Ticket To Ride." Lennon always claimed that Ticket To Ride was one of the earliest heavy-metal records, before they started calling things "heavy metal." Shimmering 12 string Rickenbacker guitar, amazing lead and backing vocals, dazzling drums and spectral lyrics, this song still sounds like it was written last week. Years ahead of it's time and another smash #1 hit gem on the chronically underrated HELP! album.
18) "Tomorrow Never Knows." The first song recorded for the ground breaking "Revolver" LP and placed as the last track on that album, the Beatles can claim to be the first "samplers" in music history. The entire song remains on one chord, C. The bass and drums drone on as Lennon sings his mystical lyrics, most of which were lifted from the "Tibetan Book of the Dead." His own voice was routed through a Leslie speaker for the final four of the seven verses. The charmers here are all the tape loops interspersed throughout the song. Laughing sea gulls, backwards guitars, you name it. Add in George Harrison's omnipresent sitar and the shocking audio experience was complete. Yet another song fearturing unearthly sounds never heard before at the time of release by none other than the forward thinking Beatles. And again, a pleasant surpise being rated so highly.
19) "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds." The song that turned your correspondent into a Beatlemaniac back in the day. Classic Lennon imagery on their greatest LP; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. One of the standout tunes on a great album, Lennon evokes Alice in Wonderland on this dreamy track with the gorgeous Lowry Organ supplying the unearthly sounding keyboard effects throughout the song. Paul's gorgeous bass line walks us through the entire sone; three key changes and two timing changes and it is still one of the great Beatles tunes of all time. Elton John turned it into a world wide smash #1 hit in 1975.
20) "Please Please Me." The Beatles' first really break out tune and their first #1 hit although it got to #2 on the one UK chart that really mattered back then, #1 on four others. Fast, uptempo, great lead and backing vocals, harmonica, bass, drums and guitar. This is a perfectly written pop masterpiece.
21) "All You Need Is Love." Lennon's ode to the "Summer of Love," 1967. Coming only a few weeks after Sgt. Pepper knocked the western world on it's ear, this follow-up #1 hit solidified the Beatles as the true Monarchs of rock. The Avatars of pop! Look and listen for the four other songs heard in this song including those in the bizarre outro.
22) "Eleanor Rigby." With just Paul singing lead vocals and John & George on backing and no standard rock instruments played at all on this lovely tune, the Beatles showed the world anything was possible in rock, even melancholy ballads with a string octet. Lovely, haunting and ultimately sad story of forgotten people, this tune is as memorable as it is sad.
23) "Abbey Road Medley." Inspired choice!! With the Beatles fracturing and one group goal in mind; to go out on a high note, the Beatles threw themselves into the Abbey Road album with a promise to keep the arguing to a minimum and make it a happy album. This on the heels of the massive 30 song output of the then recently released "White Album," and the bitterness of the approxinately 14 track "Get Back" album (Later to be released as Let It Be). With the "Get Back" tapes locked up and no apparent desire to revisit a single song from those January 1969 sessions, new material would have to be conjured from scratch for what became the "Abbey Road " LP and the Beatles were up to the task. When songs were unfinished, like the bulk of the group on the second side of the album, they were strung together in the most innovative and clever ways imagainable as we hear it today. And when songs didn't match up musically( "You Never Give Me Your Money" into "Sun King") , leave it to Paul McCartney to walk in with chimes and cricket sounds to bridge the gap. Inspired and gorgeous, this medley rocks!!!
24) "Happiness is a Warm Gun." Another surprisingly high rating for this fan favorite from the White Album. Most of the top tracks from the White Album can be found on what was side 1 of the old vinyl discs and like all of those tunes, this song was NOT released as a single. Said Lennon of his famous minisuite, "Oh, I love it," he told Rolling Stone Magazine in 1970. "I think it's a beautiful song. I like all the different things that are happening in it . . . . It seemed to run through all the different kinds of rock music." In the Beatles' Anthology Book, a copy of Lennon's own marked up lyric sheet is included that make up all the different sections: "Dirty Old Man," "The Junkie," and "The Gunman." Your correspondent adds here that there are probably four sections if you include the "Yoko" bit via "Mother Superior Jumped the gun. . . . ." The song is complexity in itself featuring no less than 10 timing changes! To wit: the song starts of in Common time (4/4). Briefly jumps to 2/4 before switching back to 4/4, then moving to 5/4, over to 9/8 for a measure, then to 12/8, back to 9/8 back to 12/8 to 2/4 for a measure and resolving into 4/4. Miraculously the tune manages to remain in the key of C the entire time. The opening chords are Am variants; Am being the relative minor to CMaj. It took the Beatles over 70 takes during two nights to get the song completed. It was McCartney's favorite track on the White Album.
25) "Here, There and Everywhere." McCartney wrote this piece, ironically, at John Lennon's Weybridge home while waiting for John to wake up one day. "I sat out by the pool on one of those sun chairs with my guitar and started strumming in E," McCartney said. "And soon, I had a few chords and I think by the time he'd woken up, I had pretty much written the song, so we took it indoors and finished it up." A lovely, soothing ballad by any stretch and one of McCartney's own favorites. Interestingly, it was one of John Lennon's favorite Paul tunes as well. Lennon told Playboy in 1980 that it was, "one of my favorite songs of the Beatles." Well said and well done gentlemen.
There you have it Blogsters; what Rolling Stone considers the Top 25 Beatle Songs of ALL TIME. Grab the special edition book and see for yourselves what the other 75 songs are. In the meantime, there will be a trivia test of the additional stats and trivia this edition supplied at the back of the book. We All Shine On.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
"It's Sid Berstein Calling . . . . ." Part II
We draw again from "It's Sid Berstein calling . . . " by Sid Bernstein, Jonathan David Publishers, 2002.
It's still late 1963 and Ed Sullivan's Sunday Night Variety Show was the highest rated show on television at the time. Everybody in the entertainment business considered it the most important vehicle to launch or for some re-launch a career and achieve stardom. In short, if you appeared on Ed's show, "you'd made it."
As most Beatle fans know, one fateful day in October, 1963, Ed Sullivan and his wife Sylvia were returning to New York from a holiday in Europe when they were delayed for a considerable amount of time at London's Heathrow Airport. There was a huge commotion going on and it turned out that the Beatles were just returning, at the exact same time as Sullivan, from a series of concerts in Sweden. While the Sullivan's waited for their flight inside the airport, they saw hundreds, maybe thousands of kids screaming, going crazy and some carrying placards that read: "Welcome Home Beatles!" "We LOVE YOU BEATLES!"
Sullivan walked over to a uniformed airport attendant and asked, "What are Beatles? A circus Act? An animal Act?"
"The Beatles, sir, are England's foremost singing quartet" she answered.
Back in NYC, Sullivan called Brian Epstein to discuss airing the Beatles on his show. Brian told Sullivan that a New York Promoter by the name of Sid Bernstein had already booked the band into Carnegie Hall for February 12, 1964. Sullivan told Epstein, "I know Sid. I'll talk to him."
Without missing a beat, Sullivan indeed called Bernstein directly and got right to the point, which was his habit. "Sid, let me ask you a question."
"Go right ahead, Ed." Bernstein replied.
"I was in Heathrow Airport last week and saw this rather large crowd waiting for a singing group called The Beatles. I called Brian Epstein, their manager in Liverpool, and he told me that you're bringing them to Carnegie Hall on Feb. 12 to make their first U.S. appearance. Is that true?"
"Nothing but." Replied Sid.
"What do you think of them?"
"Ed, they're a phenomenon."
"That's all I wanted to know, Sid. Thanks."
Ed re-contacted Epstein and booked the band for his Sunday Night, February 9th show and for the following week, February 16. As we know now, Ed Sullivan would go on to make television history with those shows althought nobody knew it before hand.
When Sid found out that Sullivan had made a deal with Epstein, he was elated. Even though it would appear that Ed Sullivan brought the Beatles to American first, everyone in show biz knew it was Berstein that broke all barriers and was truly the first to sign and book the Beatles in America. Thus, the Beatles played their pivotal Feb. 9 show to over 72 Million American homes via TV, just three days BEFORE the already scheduled Carnegie Hall concert. There was no doubt in Sid's mind that his show would now be a sellout with the Beatles just having conquered American.
"This was the break I was waiting for. Home Free, I thought. I knew that I could double or triple the ticket price for the Beatles, but I opted not to. My plan had been to do the shows on Lincoln's birthday so that the kids who were off from school that day could see the concert. I was not about to price the tickets beyong their means. No, I thought, I'm going to do just fine financially on these two Beatles concerts. We'll leave the ticket prices just where they are."
*Note: Epstein and Bernstein shared the same concern for the average fan of the Beatles; that of being able to afford seeing the band. Ticket prices were consistently low and affordable for everyone and both of these men made sure they stayed that way. Thank you gentlemen.
"By October, I was more excited - and more nervous. The four guys were piping hot in England, so hat that they had to disguise themselves in public. Brian had campaigned vigorously for EMI, the British parent company of Capitol Records, to release and promote the Beatles records in America, The appeals were in vain. EMI would NOT consent to Capitol releasing Beatles records in the U.S. This gave me agita. Would Brian exercise his right to cancel because there was no American airplay?"
As luck would have it (and the Beatles were uncanny recipents of luck at numerous cross roads in their career), an American airline flight attendant home from England brought with her a copy of "I Want To Hold Your Hand." She gave the record to Carroll James, the DJ for a Washington, D.C. radio station. James put the single on the air and the audience reaction was instantaneous and unprecedented. the station was literally flooded with phone calls. Then, as play continued for the single in Washington, D.C., word spread to New York City. Jack Spector of the WMCA "Good Guys" rotation spun the record to the same response. And New York City was the #1 radio market in America. In no time, ALL the New York radio stations were playing the single constantly. From there, word and the music spread across the U.S. like wildfire.
Capitol Records was completely unprepared for the enormity of what was happening to American teenagers and the music of the Beatles. After refusing Epstein for all that time, Capitol Records couldn't now stamp out enough of the little 45 RPM platters to satisfy the North American demand. Pressing plants were literally operating around the clock and it still wasn't enough to fulfill the obsessive demand for Beatles product.
*Note: How odd that this major record company could have been so completely out of touch with reality for so long.
"As I drove around in my Plymouth, continually switching radio stations, I was elated to find nothing on the airwaves but Beatles music. Brian Epstein would not cancel now. I was counting the days until February 12."
Our story continues with gusto next time, Blogsters. Stay tuned.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
"It's Sid Berstein Calling . . . . ." Part I
Blosgters will recall that your correspondent recently wrote a short essay on having met May Pang at a SuperFest in North New Jersey. Sid Bernstein was there too and that's when and where I first met him. Sid was extremely cordial, gracious and still had a sly sense of humor about him. In short, it was a pleasure to meet the man. For those who don't understand the importance of Sid Berstein.
SB was born on August 12, 1918 as the only child of the Berstein family in Harlem, NY. The Bersteins themselves were Russian Jewish immigrants recently arrived at that time. SB hated school as far back as he could remember. Not long after his Bar Mitzvah, SB began travelling more and more around Manhattan and became enthralled with the Eddie Cantor Show that featured new talent. Around that time, Sid heard a kid singing the Star Spangled Banner at his high school and thought it was the greatest voice he had ever heard. Sid marched up to the kid and said, "Sol, I would like to manage you."
Sol Strausser was shocked but went along with it. They went home and met Mrs. Stausser and Sid wrote out a simple agreement on a piece of paper stating that Sid would get 10% of Sol's earnings in exchange for getting him work. Sol signed the contract and at age 14, Sid Berstein had his first act. *How many of us would have been that bold, that audatious??? Not me, that's for sure.
Sid next talked his way into the "The Major Bowes Amateur Hour" show and broght Sol along with him. Sol sang an opera piece, "Vesti la Giubba." Major Bowles was "bowled" over and put Sol on the show. Sol went on to win the competition and was then offered a contract for $200/week as a contract singer. Not bad money considering it was 1932 and the Great Depression was in full swing. Sid got his $20 a week for a while until the authorities realized he was a friggin' 14 year old "manager" and ended the arrangement. But Sid was on his way. This just serves to give you an idea of how aggressive Sid Bernstein was. Sid was born for promotion. He would go on to completely revitalize Tony Bennett's career, book acts from Sam Cooke to Judy Garland. The legend of Sid Bernstein was building nicely and then, along came a long haired band from Liverpool, England . . . . . . .
Your humble correspondent with Pete Best (Middle) and the inimitable Sid Berstein, 2010.
Sid's book is utterly fascinating and I could review story after story but to keep this blog reasonable in length, I will fast forward to 1963 and the Beatles involvement with Mr. Berstein.
TRIVIA: Sid married his wife in Nantucket by a justice name Coffin. Henny Youngman, the famous comedian, was born in Liverpool, England to American parents.
In 1963, Sid Berstein was working as an agent for talent, not as a promoter and as such had more free time. He opted to take classes at New York's New School for Social Research, in Greenwich Village. The brilliant teacher, Dr. Max Lerner was one of Sid's lecturers. Max Lerner inbued Sid and the other students with the idea that if you wanted to learn about democracy in America, it was incumbent upon students to read about other democracies in the world. What better example could there be then, than Great Britain? Thus, Sid started buying and reading British newspapers he could obtain at a special news stand in New York.
Lo and behold, what do you think Sid Berstein started reading about in all the Brit papers as 1963 rolled along??? Sid started reading more and more about this long haired group of young boys that were causing "hysteria" in Britain and the more he read, the more there was to read as the papers, especially the Daily Mirror; they all couldn't stop talking about the Beatles. *Funny how one thing leads to another in life. Had Sid not taken that class on world democracies and then not thought to buy British newspapers, he no doubt would not of heard of the Beatles until much later.
Sid wisely began to read the music trade papers like Melody Maker and The New Musical Express. These papers were even more fulsome in praise about the Beatles than the regular newspapers. Sid smelled an opportunity. Eventually, Sid bought every British newspaper available in New York each and every week and saw a very interesting headline in the Manchester Guardian one week: "Beatlemania is about to sweep Great Britain!" It was then he realized that he needed to talk to their svengali manager, Brian Epstein.
Sid was working as an agent at the GAC Talent Agency at the time and as an agent, he was not allowed to also be a promotor. He kept sending memos to his boss and their man in London and literally no one was intersted in talking about the Beatles at the agency. After fruitlessly trying to track down Epstein, a chance encounter with a record agent named Bud Halliwell changed everything. Halliwell not only knew Epstein personally, he had Epstein's number! Sid duly called Brian in Liverpool. Let's go to Sid's book and recreate the conversation exactly as Sid remembers it:
"Hello, this is Brian Epstein." I was immediately struck by his dignified tone and manner. I was finally on the phone with Brian Epstein. I froze. Somehow, I knew that this was the most important phone call of my professional life. I was literally tongue tied. *As Sid said in a caption under the picture of Brian Epstein in his book, "The charming Brian Epstein. With one word, a simple 'yes', he changed my life."
". . . . . Mr. Epsteen. This is Sid Berstein," I finally said.
"Excuse me, Mr. Bernstein. My name is pronounced Epstyne."
"Oh, I see. My name is pronounced BernSTEEN and yours is EpSTYNE. Mr. Epstyne, this is confusing. Perhaps we could call each other Sid and Brian?"
"Fine," he said. "How may I help you?"
"Brian, I have been reading about your group, the Beatles, for some time now, and I would like to present them here in America. I'm sorry to call you at home, but it's the only phone number I could get for you."
"I understand," he said. "Tell me Sid, why would you want to persent my boys? They've had no radio airplay in American at all. I'm having great difficulty breaking through or getting any response from the American market, and I will not permit my boys to play to a house that is not 100% full."
"But you will, Brian. You'll get your airplay. I'm sure you will. Tell me Brian, has anyone else called you from the States?"
"No, you are the first. Tell me Sid, where would you present them?" I was not prepared for this question. I had planned only to chat with Brian and win him over - just a hello, not a detailed exchange.
". . . . . Carnegie Hall."
"What? You want to present my boys at Carnegie Hall?"
"Yes, it's one of the most cherished concert halls in America."
"I know it well. Not three or four days ago, I saw a movie on British telly. It was called, of all things, Carnegie Hall."
"That's the place."
"Wait till I tell the boys at Isow's!" Brian said. "Have you any idea how much my boys are earning in England right now?"
Oh, no, here it comes, I thought. "Uh . . . . . no, I don't know Brian."
"We are earning top dollar. The equivalent of two thousand American dollars per show. This is what we earn in the music halls of Great Britain."
I breathed easier. I had (just) paid Judy Garland twenty-five thousand dollars per night. I had been perpared to pay Bob Hope the same amount for one afternoon. I had gotten ten thousand per show for Tony Bennett. Two thousdand dollars for the Beatles was definintely something I could handle. "What are the capacities of those music halls, Brian?"
"Oh, easily upwards of fifteen hundred seats, and at some venues, even better," he said.
"Carnegie Hall has 2,830 seats, but I believe the Beatles will fill it. Not to worry."
"Sid, so many requests are coming in for my boys that it is nearly impossible to fill them all. We are getting superstar money. When would you present them?"
"Three months from now," (the time line here is about March, 1963) I said arbitrarily. "Brian, I will offer you $6,500 for two shows in one day at Carnegie Hall."
Brian was delighted. "Wait till I tell the boys at Isow's (a popular London Pub for agents and talent) that an American is offering me $6,500 for two shows in one day! . . . . But three months is too soon."
"Then, let's make it four months."
"No Sid, I do not want my boys to play to an empty house."
"OK, Brian. When would you want to come over?"
He thought for a moment. "Not till early next year (1964)."
Next year?!?!@?@!@#@!#?? I had been dreaming about this for several months. It was paramount that I get the Beatles and especially that I be the first. I had to be first. It would be a long wait, but if I agreed, I would have them. And my intuition told me that this man (Epstein) would keep his word.
"All right," I said. I turned to Feb. 1964 in my calendar. It was after the Christmas Holidays and New Year's festivities. The first holiday in the New Year was Lincoln's Birthday. That was also a Wednesday, and I thought that Carnegie Hall would probably be available on a weekday. "How about February 12, 1964, Brian? It's a legal holiday here in the States. The kids will be out of school and we can do the two shows."
"OK. The idea of playing Carnegie Hall is intriguing, and the money is suffcient. I will agree to everything, with one proviso: If the boys still haven't gotten airplay in American by this coming October - October of 1963 - I have the right to cancel."
"That's fine," I said. By now, I was prepared to agree to almost anything. I was struck by the man's decency. Brian Epstein was a business man to be sure, but he also had great sensitivity, which would remain evident throughout the years. He was a mensch. "If you have to cancel, so be it. I'll take the loss. But I am confident that the airplay will materialize. Don't worry about it. I can handle it. It was a pleasure speaking with you."
"No, Sid, the pleasure was all mine. Until next time . . . . Cheers!"
I was ecstatic! I did a jig around the office. I would be the first to bring the Beatles to America.
*Opinion: Note Brian Epstein's uncanny timing here; this concert, organized MONTHS before Ed Sullivan had even heard of the band, was set; and then along came Sullivan with that pivotal TV spot that virtually guaranteed that Carnegie Hall would sell out; to say nothing of their future hit record, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" that when finally played, took the Americans by storm - all at about the same time!!! For all his faults and for all his screwed up deal making; when it came to just presenting the Beatles, nobody did it better than Epstein. And in Sid Berstein, Epstein had found a kindred spirit with the EXACT same instincts. Bernstein indeed was the first person in the entire United States to think to bring the Beatles over to America. Epstein and Bernstein were light years ahead of the curve and they were the perfect empressarios to promote this band. But wait, it gets better.
More on the incredible inside story of Sid Bernstein and the Beatles in our next installment, Blogsters.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at, www.beatletracksband.com
Beatles Trivia #42
Pic of the band, August 8, 1969 on the steps of Abbey Road Studios; very near the end.
1) Who was the first manager of the Beatles? a) Alan Williams, b) Brian Epstein, c) Allen Klein, d) Ken Sandler
2) Which Beatle steadfastly refused to sign a new managerial contract with Allen Klein? a) John, b) Paul, c)George, d)Ringo
3) Who was placed in a bed inside Studio 2 while recording continued for "Abbey Road?" a) Yoko b) Linda c) Maharishi
4) On Sept. 20, 1969 a new contract with EMI was ratified for the Beatles giving them a substantially higher royalty rate on the wholesale price of each new LP. What was the new rate? a) 10%, b) 13% c) 18% d) 25%
5) T or F: George Harrison was upset when Lennon announced that he (Lennon) was breaking up the band.
6) On Dec. 31, 1970 Paul McCartney did what that was so shocking? a) Released two LPs at once, b) Sued his bandmates and Allen Klein, c) Ran for Public office, d) formed a new Beatles group.
7) According to investigative reporter Peter McCabe, Allen Klein and his company ABKCO skimmed money from the supposed benefit LP "Concert for Bangladesh" to the tune of how much per LP? a) 10 cents, b) 15 cents c) 67 cents, d) $1.14
8) One of Allen Klein final positive acts as Apple Manager was to authorize the release of the two "official" collections of the Beatles' greatest hits; 1962-1966, and 1967-1970. They appeared in matching jackets the first using the photo from the Beatles' first LP, the second LP using a nearly identical picture taken by the same photographer at the same site but with the Beatles looking like they did in 1969. The latter picture was originally taken to be used as the cover art to what Beatles LP at the time? a) Get Back, b) Hey Jude (LP), c) All things Must Pass, d) Plastic Ono Band
9) The Beatles' 13 year partnership was finally legally dissolved in London High Court on: a) Jan. 1, 1972, b) Jan. 1, 1973, c) Jan. 1, 1974, d) Jan. 9, 1975.
10) The Beatles finally settled all lawsuits with Allen Klein on Jan. 9, 1977, for how much $$? a) $1M, b) $2M, c) $3M, d) $5M+.
Answers below:
1) a) Alan Williams
2) b) Paul
3) a) Yoko (anybody surprised?)
4) d) 25%
5) F: He and Ringo were happy about it actually.
6) b) Sued his bandmates and Klein to get out of the contract he never signed in the first place so that he could be rid of Klein.
7) d) $1.14
8) a) Get Back (Funny, the picture was Lennon's idea)
9) d) Jan. 9, 1975 (There's the #9 again)
10) d) $5,009,200
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
The Beatles knock a number of big name acts from the #1 Charting spot.
We draw today from "Fab Four Faq," by Stuart Shea and Robert Rodriguez, Hal Leonard Books, 2007.
1) Feb. 1, 1964: Bobby Vinton's "There. I've Said It Again." Vinton was the first American entertainer to taste the seismic storm change in pop music when the Beatles arrived. Vinton's remake of the 1945 Vaughn Monroe ballad was his third chart topper and it was expected to stay at the top for good long while. It lasted four weeks until "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was rush released. By it's second week, IWTHYH was firmly entrenched as #1 knocking Vinton out and down fast.
2) August 1, 1964: The Four Seasons' "Rag Doll" was knocked off by the rapidly rising "A Hard Day's Night." The Four Seasons had enjoyed four #1 hits before Rag Doll but again, their stylings were hopelessly out of place in the wake of the British Invasion. The Four Seasons would have one final #1 long after the "Invasion" however; their disco inspired "December , '63 (Oh, what a night)" released in late 1975.
3) December 26, 1964: The Supremes' "Come See About Me" was knocked out of the top spot by "I Feel Fine." Interestingly, the Beatles were HUGE Motown music fans. Just as interestingly, "I Feel Fine" was knocked out of the #1 spot itself by another Motown act, The Temptations and their hit "My Girl" in January 1965 only to be themselves knocked out of the top spot by a resurgence of "I Feel Fine" the following week. Thus, we have a two-fer with I Feel Fine.
4) May 22, 1965: Herman's Hermits' "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter," was knocked out of the top spot by the infinitely superior Lennon classic "Ticket To Ride." Ticket to Ride, incidentally, featured a spectral musical arrangement including proto heavy metal drumming, shimmering 12 string guitar and unmatched lead and harmony vocals. Literally your correspondent says now, there had never been anything like it before.
5) January 8, 1966: Simon and Garfunkle's "Sounds of Silence" had a enjoyed a two week run at #1 when the Beatles' "We Can Work It Out" finally toppled the coffee house folk hero's big hit. "We Can Work It Out" was itself a bit folky but again featuring dazzling vocal harmony along with the very effective use of the harmonium during the middle 8.
6) June 25, 1966: The Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" had hit the #1 slot for two weeks before the Beatles' "Paperback Writer" came along to knock it off. Interestingly, "Paint It Black" was an ode to a dead girlfriend and with Beatles inspired sitar and the wizbang rhythm section - this was truly a song that could only have survived and thrived in the 1960's.
7) March 18, 1967: The Supreme's were knocked again; their hit "Love is Here and Now You're Gone" was at #1 until the Beatles' "Penny Lane" knocked it out of the top slot.
8) December 30, 1967: The Monkees' "Daydream Believer" was knocked out of #1 by The Beatles' "Hello Goodbye" release on this date. While it is true most Beatles fans can't stand the Monkees and see them as the manufactured TV friendly fake band that they were; still, the Beatles and the Monkees were friends and socialized quite a bit in those days. This tune was the Monkees' third and last #1 hit ever in the U.S.
9) September 28, 1968: Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley P.T.A" was knocked out of the #1 slot by the Beatles' vastly superior "Hey Jude" that went on to have a strangle hold on the #1 slot for NINE full weeks. Ms. Riley only had this one hit and never made it back to the Top 40 again. It didn't help that no one had the slightest idea what actually happened with the Harper Valley PTA. Whereas nobody cared what Hey Jude was really about - it just sounded so damn good. Years later we learned that it was about Julian Lennon. *Your correspondent has also previously blogged on the Grammy winning song of this very year; "Little Green Apples" not Hey Jude. While Hey Jude achieved iconic status almost immediately upon release and is still frequently heard on radi0 42 years later, Little Green Apples has completely faded from view and has not been played on pop radio for decades. It didn't help that the schmuck song writer was wrong when he kept saying it DIDN'T rain in Indianapolis. Indy has only one professional sports championship: the 2007 Colts and they played the Super Bowl in a torrential downpour-the only Super Bowl game ever played in the rain.
10-11) May 24, 1969 and November 29, 1969: We have another two-fer here concerning The Fifth Dimension. This band was one of the hottest American acts of the late 1960's with their "California Soul" sound and admittedly lush vocals and vocal harmonies. Both of the group's #1 hits came in 1969 and both were booted from the top slot by the Beatles. "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" was by far the bigger hit for the band and was covered by a number of artists that year and into the early 1970's. Their gospel inspired rendition of this song from the equally popular Broadway hit musical "HAIR" sent it to the top of the charts for six weeks in the summer of 1969. It was the Beatles' "Get Back" that finally brought it down to earth in May. Later in the year, The Fifth Dimension's note for note rehash of a minor Laura Nyro hit from three years earlier, "Wedding Bell Blues" became the surprise hit of the year for the Dimensions. This song was knocked from the top slot by the double A sided masterpiece, "Something/Come Together."
12) April 11, 1970: In the second part of our third and final two-fer, Simon and Garfunkle's third and final #1 hit, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," was kn0cked off the top by the Beatles' "Let It Be" featuring one of Paul McCartney's true masterpieces featuring one of Paul's best vocals, lyrics, piano, chordal arrangement, gorgeous backing vocals and a knock out Harrison guitar solo, in all of it's variants.
13) June 13, 1970: Ray Stevens' "Everything Is Beautiful" was knocked off the top slot by the Beatles' "The Long and Winding Road." Irony just drips on this one. Ray Stevens was known for cornpone comedy records only. Out of nowhere he released this anthem to sugar and spice and everything's nice. It's been said the some people got a cavity just listening to this syrupy pap. Another tune that 42 years later, few people can even remember it ever existed. Add to that, the song that knocked it off was a song Paul McCartney vilified as having been overtly sabotaged by Phil Spector and thus ruined. Add to that, the Beatles weren't even a functioning band anymore and they weren't into releasing singles as such. Thus, the Beatles' last single (barring the Anthology material including Free as a Bird), was their literal swan song that McCartney said was destroyed by Spector became their final #1 hit that knocked off a comedy record guy who made one non comedy record in his career. Add to that, the parent album for "The Long and Winding Road" was "Let It Be" that was the Beatles' only LP to win an Oscar for Best Soundtrack to a Movie. As well, "Let It Be" also won a Grammy and McCartney still hated it. Crazy.
As you can see blogsters, the Beatles managed to aggravate just about every big name in the business back in the day and then some with their seemingly endless ability to write high quality, timeless hit songs that consistently knocked others off the #1 perch. And for some, it was their only time at #1 that couldn't be savored very long with the Beatles around.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
"You Never Give Me Your Money" By Peter Doggett
There has been a lot of press and good hype about this recent new book on the Beatles, specifically, the financial and legal issues surrounding the breakup of the band. Your correspondent has read the entire book and is now ready to tell you why everyone is talking about it.
We draw today from "You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup," Peter Doggett, Harper Collins, 2009.
We'll quote from the inside jacket of this incredible book to set the tone: "The world stopped in 1970 when Paul McCartney announced that he was through with the Beatles. His statement not only marked the end of the band's remarkable career, but also seemed to signal the demise of an era of unprecedented optimism in social history. Though the Beatles' breakup was widely viewed as a cultural trajedy, one of the most fascinating phases of their story was just about to begin."
Well said Mr. Doggett and with that, the reader begins a surreal oddessy through what can only be described, at least by this correspondent, as a byzatine labyrinth of back stabs, semi trustworthy managers, fear, hate, loathing, too many lawyers and most of all money.
As a kid, I tried to read "Apple to the Core: the unmaking of the Beatles," by Peter McCabe and Robert Schonfield, Pocket Books, 1972 that covered much of the same ground here. I couldn't understand it. It was too full of details and just a hard read. I tried it again as an adult and still couldn't get through it. Now, we have Doggett's book and it is a great read.
Simply put, the book chronicles the breakup of the band, and the financial mess that Apple, Ltd. had become. This book puts everything down in proper chronological order and it is easy to follow. Although your correspondent has become acustomed to the plethora of lawsuits that have followed the solo Fabs for years, even I was astonished at the sheer volume of lawsuits all four Beatles were involved in over the years. If anything, I would have liked to see a bit more detail in Doggett's book. Such as a summary of the total amount of significant lawsuits all the Beatles were litigated into. There is a very brief mention of the "The Beatles: Rock Band" computer game but no detail as to how it sold. These quibblings aside, "You Never Give Me Your Money" is a fabulous read and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Beatles. Doggett himself is a huge Beatles fan and it shows.
Some interesting passages and facts:
1) Pg. 11-12: "McCartney was an enigma. Fiendishly talented, driven to near obsession by a work ethic implanted in early childhood, the proud owner of a pure seam of creativity almost unmatched in the history of popular music, he was also insecure, clumsy in front of the media, a natural entertainer and a born ham. Ex-employees dubbed him a control freak. But his melodic gift outweighed all his human frailty. So too did his determination, which somtimes overpowered his artistic judgement. This medley of traits and characteristics combined to make him the most commercially successful songwriter of all time. But at some level of his psyche none of this counted if he did not have the respect of John Lennon. With Lennon gone, he was locked into intimate financial partnership with a woman (Ono) whom he had never understood, and who seemed never to have valued him or his talent."
2) Pg. 45: "The inference was that Ono was disturbing McCartney's intimacy with Lennon. 'It was our careers,' he insisted. 'We were the BEATLES, after all, and here was this girl.' "Shotten agreed: 'Unfortunately her possessiveness and jealousy or insecurity, call it what you will, meant that she couldn't bear to see John enjoying a close rapport with anyone but herself."
3) Pg. 46: "Ono's incursion into the recording process was a tragedy." *Your correspondent would add. 'of epic proportions.'
4) Pg. 49: "Although the Beatles were still contracted to EMI, they had been granted permission to use the Apple logo on their future releases, to maintain the fantasy of independence."
5) Pg. 55: "For George Harrison, Two Virgins (John and Yoko's solo experimental album with the full frontal nude picture) merely confirmed Lennon and Ono's arrogance."
6) Pg. 56: "Within days of Ono's miscarriage (Nov., 21 1968, the day before the White Album was released), she and Lennon were using heroin." *Your correspondent jumps in here and confirms that it was Ono that got John hooked. "Lennon was entranced with the romantic image of the junkie/artist, and was in sufficient pain not to care how it was relieved. He would be battling against addiction for the next five years. With Lennon distracted and Harrison uninterested, McCartney was left to maintain control."
7) Pg. 57: " The Beatles prepared (for the Get Back sessions) in vastly different ways. Lennon snorted heroin, shot films and participated in a Rolling Stones TV special. Harrison experienced a more democratic form of music making in the bucolic company of Bob Dylan's former backing musicians, THE BAND, before staying with Dylan and his family in Woodstock, NY. He was touched that Dylan, one of a few Western musicians he admired, did him the honor of helping him write a song - something Lennon and McCartney had never been prepared to do."
8) Pg. 64: "The Beatles were no longer impressed with their own mythology. As Derek Taylor noted, 'It was not insignificant that they chose a rooftop (for their last concert), their own private rooftop, out of reach and for the most part out of view, to do their last show together."
9) Pg. 70: "Apart from the fact the John Eastman became my brother in law, I trusted him, McCartney recounted. I distrusted Klein."
10) Pg. 80: McCartney speaking -"We were kind of all in it together, and it wasn't really until Allen Klein came in that we got really divisive and started getting our own lawyers and stuff. 'Cos he divided us. It was basically him that divided us."
11) 153: "On 31 December 1970 McCartney's legal advisers filed a writ at the London High Court, 'A declaration that the partnership business carried on by the plaintiff and the defendents (Lennon, Harrison, Starkey, Klein), under the name of The Beatles and Co., and constituted by a deed of partnership dated 19 April 1967 and made bewteen the parties hereto, ought to be dissolved and that accordingly the same be dissolved."
12) Pg. 212: "Two weeks later Apple opened a second front, hoping to isolate Klein in foreign territory and cut off his retreat, Besides suing the Beatles in New York, he would now have to defend himself in London." "FInally, Apple complained that Klein had been responsibile for failing to nuture the careers of other artists on the label among them, amusingly, Yoko Ono." "Invevitably, Klein filed a flurry of lawsuits."
13) Pg. 214: "Apple and the Beatles were now providing full time employment for five legal firms in London and New York."
14) Pg. 229: "The Beatles' 13 year parthership was formally dissolved in the London High Court on 9 January 1975."
15) Pg. 236: "Morris Levy filed a $73 million lawsuit against him (Lennon) within weeks of his return to the Dakota, and the case would linger for another year before Lennon finally emerged victorious."
16) Pg: 253: "Over the weekend of 8-9 January 1977 Ono and Allen Klein negotiated at the Plaza Hotel in New York. On Monday morning Lennon, Ono and Klein assembled at the hotel to make a formal announcement: all the cases involving Apple and ABKCO were now at an end. Apple would pay Klein $5,009,200 as total and final payment of any outstanding management commissions; and with that, Klein's involvement with the Beatles ceased." "Not everyone thought it was such a wonderful deal. 'It's true she (Ono) settled with Klein for $5m,' said Linda McCartney later, ' but it wasn't her money, really. Each Beatle gave a share, Paul included, and he never wanted that man as manager in the first place. Five or Six Million!!! When you think that there were bloody cards (tarot) to see, what they would do!"
These are just a few tidbits from the book and I didn't even mention the "McCartney Overide" clause. So blogsters, do yourself a favor and get this book as soon as possible to discover the true litigous nature of the dissolution of the Beatles. How ironic indeed that the Beatles wound up suing each other, Allen Klein and wound up getting sued by almost everyone they knew -and all of this after they altruistically set up Apple Records as a non-legal, non-commercial expression of hippy artistic freedom. If only they had known what was to come . . . . . . .
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Opposition still strong against the killer of John Lennon
Once again, **** **** ****, the killer of John Lennon is up for parole. And once again, it looks like he's staying put in prison.
*Consistent with Paul McCartney's wish to discontinue advertising the killer and his name, your correspondent has again refrained from giving that man any more historical relevance.
John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono is continuing her staunch opposition to his killer's release, and has submitted her sixth letter to court officials in a bid to deny *** **** parole. The legendary Beatle and peace activist was shot dead in New York in 1980 and *** was subsequently convicted of his murder and sentenced to 20-years-to-life behind bars. Helping the prosecution was his confession and on scene arrest. He became eligible for parole in 2000 and Ono has consistently opposed his release.
Lennon's killer, now 55, will face another parole board hearing early next month and Ono has written to officials again to reiterate that she would not feel safe if her husband's killer was released and free. Ono's lawyer Peter Shukat relayed an additional message to news outlets by saying, "Her position has not changed."
Robert Gangi, head of prisoners' rights group, Correctional Association of America, is fairly certain that **** will not be released after the upcoming parole hearing. And why? "Given that he committed a high profile crime and he killed one of the most famous and most beloved figures literally in the world, it's highly unlikely three parole commissioners would vote to grant him release."
Heartbreaking picture taken of Lennon, very ironically, giving his killer an autograph a few hours before the same person shot him; Dec. 8, 1980.
Comment: Leave him in prison. And what if he did get out one day? How long does anyone realistically think *** **** **** would remain alive??
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
May Pang Interviewed: At Superfest 2010, Fairfield, NJ
After introductions, I asked May for a picture and she graciously agreed. This was it. Right after this, we chatted about her book which I read recently and we discussed the UFO that John saw outside of their Manhatten apartment.
MP: The UFO was about the length of a lear jet. It was oval and kept rolling over on its side to reveal it's underbelly to us. John (Lennon) saw it first and called me up to see it. I swear, it was hoving only a few feet over our heads at one point. It has flashing lights and we were fascinated. I was scared but John was not. (*Note, in the song "Nobody Told Me," there is a line that goes, "There are UFOs over the New York and I ain't too surprised. This is what Lennon was referring to, the time he actually did see a real UFO.)
JH: How is Julian these days?
MP: He's better. You have to understand that he was just starting to get reacquinated with his father when John died. But he is better.
Tony Bramwell came over at one point and joined our little discussion. Clearly, I didn't need to keep leaning in on the picture.
We chatted about her book and the contents therein. Yoko's appearance at the Ringo Birthday show and the weird time recently when May and Yoko bumped into each other in Reykjavik, Iceland (of all places???!)
Your correspondent also met up with Pete Best. Sitting to Pete's left is Sid Berstein, the famous promoter who booked the Beatles Carnegie Hall concert and the two historical Shea Stadium gigs, among others.
A splendid time was had by all. Again, look for the Superfest coming to Massachusetts this November.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com
Tony Bramwell Remembers the Beatles: At "Superfest" 2010, Fairfield, NJ
Your correspondent with Tony Bramwell in Fairfield, NJ July 10, 2010.
JH: Let's start from somewhere near the beginning. You were actually "THERE" at what is now considered by some authors, the watershed moment for the Beatles; the legendary Litherland Town Hall gig of Dec. 27, 1960. Author Hunter Davies named this the moment the first traces of Beatlemania started in Liverpool. Was there really a riot that night?
TB: "Oh heavens no. I was on the bus with George (Harrison) that he took to go to that gig. We got there and set up. Remember, the Beatles had just returned from their first trip to Hamburg so it was true, they sounded quite a bit different from the other bands in Liverpool and much different from their own selves before they left. There were only about 60 kids there that night."
JH: But the wall of sound from their amps . . . . .
TB: (laughing) "What amps?!! Their amps were dinky little things that you could almost talk over. There was no sound wave
or whatever coming from the stage. But it is true, they played as loud as they could and it was not really danceable music. The kids were more into listening and they all did gather up to and around the stage. But there was no riot."
JH: Before that, there were the Quarry Men. . . . . .
TB: "There was no such thing as the Quarry Men. What I mean by that is, they only played maybe six, perhaps 12 total gigs. There was always someone missing from the lineup. Sometimes two members. It was rag tag. The Quarry Men have been blown out of proportion. Then, Paul joined and he liked rock and roll like John did. Pete (Shotten) was fired. Colin (Hanton) quit because he perferred skiffle and jazz to rock and roll. Not long afterward, George joined. The Quarry Men was so short lived as to not really have existed."
JH: I re-read your book. It was great! (I had Tony autograph it earlier in the day)
TB: (laughing and rolls his eyes) "Thank you."
JH: Of all the interesting opinions in that book, the one that surprised me the most was your assertion that John has consumated his relationship with Yoko a full 13 months BEFORE the "official" date of consumation. {That is to say, Lennon always maintained he first made love to Yoko the night she stayed over at his Kenwood home on or about May 19, 1968, while TB insists it was in April, 1967 that John began "shagging" Yoko in the back of his Rolls Royce.}
TB: "That was the consensus around the Beatles at the time. John's chauffeur Les Anthony confirms it. John was doing her in his car for an entire year before the official date was announced."
JH: You and May Pang said very similar things about John with Yoko. She said, in her book, that towards the end when she almost got John to go away with her to New Orleans and be with Paul and Linda for the recording of his then new "Venus and Mars" LP, that Yoko pulled him back in and when she next saw him, he was a "zombie"- her word. You said something similar; right after she spent the night at Kenwood, he suddendly couldn't live without her. Just prior to that, she was a bothersome chick he was banging whenever he could fit her in.
TB: "John was easily led. He was looking for something and probably most of all, he was bored out of his skull." (*Again, your correspondent finds this beyond bizarre - the man is a Beatle with the world at his feet and he was bored. What am I missing here?)
JH: It's been said in your book and elsewhere, that Yoko got him onto herion. Is is possible that he hooked him on purpose in 1968 and perhaps again to pull him away from May Pang?
TB: "Oh, quite possible indeed. Let's say it wouldn't surprise me at all."
JH: What is your favorite Beatles Album?
TB: "The Beatles Live at the BBC. That was the Beatles with their original sound. That was them before the studio tricks, it was them at their live best. Ringo didn't even know half the songs then because Pete Best was drumming on those. (Laughing). I love that album and was so glad they released it. John, tell me, what is your favorite Beatles' album?"
JH: Sgt. Pepper without a doubt.
TB: (scrunges up his face as if he just ate a raw lemon) "Sgt. Pepper was the most boring album ever made!"
JH: You've got to be kidding me?@!@#@ Look at the end result. It's documented that they spent over 700 hours making that LP.
TB: "I know that's what the books say but if they spent even 200 hours actually recording, that would be closer to the truth. You see, by that time, they were writing most of their music right inside the studio. They were also stoned much of the time. Consequently, they would just be sitting there for hours, waiting for the inspiration to a new song to come. I was at virtually every session. So BORING! The album, when finished was great just really boring to make."
Your correspondent with Billy J. Kramer (middle) and Peter Santora, the original "George" from Beatlemania on Broadway.
JH: What about the Beatle wives? What were they like?
TB: "Cynthia (Lennon) and Maureen (Starkey) were absolutely wonderful women. They stayed at home, took care of the kids and didn't think to make a fuss with anyone over anything. Patty (Harrison) was a bit wild. She was a model and when George was in the studio, she would want to go out and party at the clubs. They even had me drive her around a few times. George was so sad when she did that. Linda (McCartney) was also a wonderful, wonderful woman. She was polite to us all and absolutely adored Paul in every way. As for Yoko, well now, that was a much different story . . . . ."
JH: So, when Brian died, . . . . .
TB: "People forget how big NEMS was. We were the biggest entertainment agency in the world at that time. Brian had brought in Robert Stigwood, who in turn brought us his clients including the Cream and the Bee Gees. Over the course of the next year give or take, it all fell by the wayside. Pitty really. Brian had actually assembled a hell of an organization. He felt so adrift when the Beatles stopped touring but there was still so much to manage."
JH: What can you tell us about Jimi Hendrix? I read somewhere that the first night he came to London, he played with the Cream?
TB: "I was there too. It was the Cromwellian Club. Jimi came in with Chas Chandler, a good friend of mine and asked if he could jam. The said fine. Now, the guitar he used was a Telecaster of Clapton's. Jimi didn't have his own guitar with him. What you never hear about was that Jimi flipped Clapton's guitar upside down (Jimi was lefty, Clapton righty) and WITHOUT restringing it, proceeded to blow the whole band off the stage that night!" (Laughing)
JH:Tony, any regrets?
TB: "No. Absolutely none at all."
There was more blogsters but this gives you the basic gist of what we chatted about. Tony was genteel, courteous and an absolute pleasure to talk to. Stay tuned: Tomorrow we'll reveal the May Pang Interview. As well, the Super Fest is coming to Massachusetts in November. Watch for it.
By John Haberstroh (Bassist for BeatleTracks) Find us at www.beatletracksband.com