BEATLES DAY

I usually post on Thursdays but I couldn’t resist the fact that today is Beatles Day. On July 10 1964, they returned to Liverpool from their American tour. They got back just in time for the premiere of their film A Hard Day's Night. The day has been celebrated as Beatles Day for the last 16 years in both Liverpool and Hamburg.

These two cities were key to their success. Liverpool because they were born there and became part of its vibrant music scene. It became the centre of what was termed Merseybeat.

Hamburg was important because the Beatles spent August 1960 to May 1962 playing in clubs for up to eight hours a day, a gruelling experience which polished their skills and, allegedly with the help of little pills, their stamina.

Most of the clubs they played in were in the seedier parts of the city, where prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers and Liverpudlian bands wandered free. It was a violent place; a bouncer at one of the clubs befriended them and acted as an unofficial bodyguard.

The manager of one club got irate when they broke their contract and reported George Harrison for being too young to work there. He was 17 at the time and deported. Paul McCartney and Pete Best were shortly deported for suspected arson at his premises. They said it was an accident.

They returned to Liverpool and soon become one of the most successful and popular bands in the city. In November 1961 Brian Epstein came to see them at a lunchtime performance at the Cavern Club. Two months later he became their manager.

Epstein made numerous trips to music companies in London to try to secure a record contract. He had no success. The big companies who rejected him included Columbia, Pye, Philips and Decca. It’s said that one executive told him, ‘Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein.’

Eventually, George Martin of Parlophone signed them. Apparently, he offered them £50 a week for life (which is about £1,500 today). They said no. But at first their royalties were one old penny per sale - split between the four members of the group.

The rest of their story is well known. Their second single, Please Please Me was released on 11 January 1963 and became number one in most of the various British charts. It begun a career which was more spectacular than anyone could have imagined.

Like many pop groups, the Beatles soon made a film. After a heavy day’s work, Ringo Starr said, ‘That was a hard day’s night,’ and John Lennon used the phrase as the title of a song, the film and the album.

It is difficult nowadays to realise the impact The Beatles had on the world. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Tommy Steele and Chris Richard had all shaken the musical world and had huge followings of devoted fans.

Fans screaming for Tommy Steele in 1957.

But Beatlemania was a worldwide phenomenon like nothing seen before.

As well changing the world of music and popular culture they changed society in ways which have remained to this day. Perhaps the best description of it comes from Dick Lester, the Director of both A Hard Day’s Night and their second film, Help.

‘The general aim of the film was to present what was apparently becoming a social phenomenon in this country. Anarchy is too strong a word, but the quality of confidence that the boys exuded! Confidence that they could dress as they liked, speak as they liked, talk to the Queen as they liked, talk to the people on the train who 'fought the war for them' as they liked. ... [Everything was] still based on privilege—privilege by schooling, privilege by birth, privilege by accent, privilege by speech. The Beatles were the first people to attack this... they said if you want something, do it. You can do it. Forget all this talk about talent or ability or money or speech. Just do it.’

Of course, lots of people just do it and fall flat on their face. The Beatles had talent, ability and a verbal facility which was not expected of people from their background. And it made them plenty of money. The Swinging Sixties changed Britain and the world for ever. And The Beatles were the mainspring of it.