[披头士口袋指南]The.Beatles.The.Essential.Pocket.Guide

FirstpublishedinGreatBritain2003byPocketEssentials,POBox394,Harpenden,Herts,AL51XJ,UKDistributedintheUSAbyTrafalgarSquarePublishing,POBox257,HoweHillRoad,NorthPomfret,Vermont05053Copyright©PaulCharles2003SeriesEditor:DavidMathewTherightofPaulCharlestobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeenassertedbyhiminaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyform,orbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise)withoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher.Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorisedactinrelationtothispublicationmaybelia-bletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.Thebookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,re-sold,hiredoutorotherwisecirculated,withoutthepublisher’spriorconsent,inanyformorbindingorcoverotherthaninwhichitispublished,andwithoutsimilarconditions,includingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpublication.ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.ISBN1-904048-19-624681097531BooktypesetbyWordsmithSolutionsLtdPrintedandboundbyCox&WymanDedicationAcknowledgementsThankstoIonMillsandPaulDuncanforthepagestofill.BigthankstoAndyandCorafornotbeingscaredofthenewsoundsandfinallytoCatherinefortheeyes,ears,heartandredpen.CONTENTSIntroduction....................................................................7ItWasFortyYearsAgoToday…1:ComeTogether...........................................................82:TheFirstTwoSingles..............................................14LoveMeDo&PleasePleaseMe3:TheFirstAlbum........................................................19PleasePleaseMe4:Beatlemania..............................................................22SheLovesYou,IWantToHoldYourHand&WithTheBeatles5:They’reGoingToPutMeInTheMovies................29AHardDay’sNight,BeatlesForSale&Help!6:TheStudioYears......................................................39RubberSoul&Revolver.7:SgtPepper’sLonelyHeartsClubBand.................528:TheBeatles?.............................................................67ThreeHundredThousand,EightHundredAndOne9:TheBigWheelKeepsOnTurning...........................76AbbeyRoad&LetItBeTheBeatlesLegacy......................................................867Introduction:ItWasFortyYearsAgoToday…ThethingaboutTheBeatlesisthatherewearewiththisPocketEssen-tialpublication,celebratingthe40thanniversaryofthereleaseoftheirfirstalbumPleasePleaseMe,whichwasreleasedonFriday22ndMarch1963,andgloballyitcouldbearguedthattheyarenowmorepopularthanever.AcoupleofChristmasesago,EMIputtogetherallofthegroup’snumberonesinglesonacompilation,cameupwiththeinnovativetitleof‘1’anditbecametheofthefastestsellingalbumsofalltime,movingover23.5millionrecordsinamatterofamonth.Ithasnowsoldinexcessofaphe-nomenal35millioncopies!I’mnotsurethattherearetoomanypeoplearoundwhodon’tknowTheBeatles’story;abouthowGeorgeHarrison,JohnLennon,RingoStarrandPaulMcCartneygottogether,metBrainEpsteinandwentontofameandfortune.It’sbeenwelldocumentedinhundredsofbooksovertheensuing40years.Sotheintentionhereisnottodwellmuchonthatsideofthings;insteadwewouldliketoconcentrateontheofficialrecordedworksoftheirshortcareer.Ontopofwhich,we’dliketotryandshedsomelightonsomeofthereasonsfortheirincrediblesuccess.Lookingback,it’sveryeasytosaythatTheBeatleswereamega-group,thebiggestandmostpopulargroupthattheworldhaseverknown.Theybrokenumerousperformancerecordsandsetstandards,commer-ciallyandmusicallyspeaking,whichIbelievewillneverbebettered.Buttheirsuccesswasn’tanaccident.Theimportantthinginallofthiswasn’tthattheyhadsomanyhitsbecausetheywereabiggroup;thereasontheyhadsomanyhitswassimplybecausetheyhadgreatsongs.Ifinditincrediblethatyoucouldgooutonthestreetandwalkuptoastrangerandmentionasongtitle,anyoneoftheir208songs,andninetimesoutoftenthestrangerwouldbeabletomakeapassablestabatsing-ingthemelody.We’renotjusttalkingaboutthetwenty-twoofficialsin-gleshere,oreventheirB-sides.Tryitatyourplaceofworkorinthepuboratadinnerparty.Evensimplerthanthat,takealookatthelistoftheirrecordedtitlesatthebackandseehowmanyofthemyoucanrememberand/orsing.Let’stakeachronologicaltripthroughthefantasticadventureofTheBeatlesusingtheirsinglesandalbumsasislandsalongthewayandmaybewithafewpromptshereandthereonthevarioussongs,Imightevenbeabletohelpyoutoremembersomeofthetunesinquestion.Withoutfur-therado…81:ComeTogetherFirsttherewasJohn-JohnWinstonLennon.BorninLiverpoolOcto-ber9th1940.John,anonlychild,wasbroughtupbyhisAuntMary-‘Mimi’-andUncleGeorgeSmithbecausehisdadwasawayatseaandhismother,Julia,waslivingwithanotherman.HisUncleGeorgediedin1955.JohnattendedQuarryBankGrammarSchool;helovedbooks,writ-ingstoriesanddrawing.JuliaapparentlycouldplayanythingwithstringsandtaughtJohnukulelechords.Thankstotheskifflecrazesweepingthecountryin1956-ledinnosmallwaybyLonnieDoneganandhisnumberonesingleRockIslandLine-JohnLennonformedaskifflegroupcalledTheQuarrymenwithhismatesfromQuarryBankSchool.Thefollowingyear,on6thJuly1957,