crazylibertarian Loc: Florida by way of New York & Rhode Island

THE BEATLES

IT WAS SIXTY YEARS AGO TODAY



On February 9, it will be the sixtieth anniversary of The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. About 73 million viewers tuned in for that historic performance.

It was their first live performance on American television, not, as thought by many, their first TV appearance. On November 18, 1963, NBC had a segment about them on the Huntley-Brinkley Report and on January 3, Jack Paar did. Walter Cronkite had scheduled a segment on CBS News for November 22 but it was pre-empted by the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy.

After the Kennedy assassination, America and the world needed something to get them out of the doldrums. The Beatles with their flip insouciance provided that opportunity for distraction and healing. The assassination and The Beatles, in many ways, really began what we remember as the 60s.

At New York University, we began hearing about their upcoming Ed Sullivan Show appearance in mid January. Their records astonished us at how quickly they were climbing the charts.

We all crowded into dormitory lounges and the Student Union to watch the show. The camera focused on each one in turn by first name. From the start, Paul McCartney was the cute one who seemed full of himself, George Harrison the shy, quiet one, Ringo was the funny one while John was the leader.

With John, it added, “Sorry girls, he’s married.” I figured two things from that, correctly; that his wife had been pregnant before the marriage and that it was doomed. Few marriages could survive an unparalleled surge like that into world wide fame.

Ringo seemed a little detached from the others, perhaps due to his being the newest Beatle, having replaced Pete Best just twenty months earlier in June 1962. That had caused a lot of turmoil. Best had a fan base.

Some thought it was due to jealousy, that Paul resented Best’s better looks and popularity with the girls. Others, thought it was due to Best’s drumming which many considered uneven; sometimes good and sometimes less so.

After their first recording session, the producer, George Martin, had asked John, Paul & George if they could do something about their drummer. They had often worked with Ringo, who was with another Liverpool band, Rory & The Hurricanes, and recruited him to replace Best. John later stated that they had needed a drummer and settled on Best only for the interim until they could find a better alternative.

But there also was a personality issue. Best didn’t interact much with the other Beatles and after sessions would simply go off by himself. Ringo did interact during their session and after, would stick around with the others. Plus, pictures showed that Best didn’t wear his hair in the pudding pot style like the others but in a 1950s pompadour Elvis style. As one fan put it, drumming aside, Ringo was a better Beatle.

I wasn’t too impressed with them, at first. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” & “She Loves You” soared to the top of the charts but I thought they were bubble-gum fluff.

Early on, Paul had composed one song with George as had John but they were largely forgotten. By February 1964, John and Paul had settled into the team that was destined for greatness. They had a backlog of other songs and many were excellent. On their first two American albums, George had just one song. All the other tracks were covers of songs by others and originals composed by John & Paul. Many were impressive.

By early 1965, Lennon and McCartney often were composing separately even though they continued to credit Lennon-McCartney. It was also apparent that they were great pop composers. “Yesterday” made everyone take notice. Later, it became the most recorded song of all time, displacing Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust.” “And I Love Her,” a lush ballad, was similarly much different from the usual pop music of the time. Great songs were piling up.

In December 1965, The Beatles released “Rubber Soul.” The versions in the USA and United Kingdom were different. Tracks on each were & weren‘t on the other.

It was the first album that they specifically took time out to record. The earlier ones had been random affairs, often thrown together between tours. It had just one or two tracks that I didn’t like. I listened to it so much that I knew the order by heart. I think the USA version is much better and that the tracks included in the UK version are a distraction.

Of course, The Beatles went on to their string of great albums with ever more complex lyrics, melodies and accompaniments. George developed into a very good songwriter. I really didn’t care that much for his early contributions other than “Taxman” on “Revolver” but I thought that he had the two best songs, “Something” & “Here Comes The Sun,” on their last recorded album, “Abbey Road.” A third song was almost included, “All Things Must Pass” which would have been very appropriate. It would have been a suitable closing to their chapter.

The Beatles wanted to make it in America. That February 1964 appearance enabled it. It facilitated their musical odyssey to become the greatest band in the history of western pop music. They went on to sold out tours around the world.

Music and culture would never be the same.

LostAggie66 Loc: Corpus Christi, TX (Shire of Seawinds)

Very True. I remember watching with brother and sister. At the same time our collie was having her first litter and there were 4 later my sister named John, Paul, George and Ringo.