OMG!! Holy Crap!! It's really been 50 frickin' years? WTF? Where did the time go? I am so old. LOL Those in my generation will remember the excitement of that time.

I will NEVER forget it. I was in 10th grade. Perfect age to be in the middle of the hysteria. Family watched Ed Sullivan regularly and my sister & I especially were looking forward to seeing the "mop tops" from England.

The next day at school, I still remember the halls buzzing with excitement. Everyone asking everyone else, as they passed by, "did you see it?" Shortly after....Beatlemania hits; Long hair, Nero jackets, Beatle boots... Beatle everything. AND everyone wanted to go to England. LOL It really was something. Glad I was a part of it.

I also remember going to see "Hard Day's Night." Holy crap!! Could NOT hear anything due to constant screaming.

TIS

I was only a fetus when they appeared on Ed Sullivan. There are several tv specials planned to commemmorate this huge event. I wish CBS would broadcast the original show in its entirety.

A fetus? OMG You young thing you. But, I'm sure you were rockin' in the womb.

I know CNN is having a special.


TIS

Epic show and the start of Beatlemania..Seventy-three million people were reported to have watched the first show. It is still supposed to be one of the largest viewing audiences ever in the States.

Part of the local lore in Southern Illinois had to do with George Harrison's visit to downstate Benton, Illinois in September 1963 to visit his sister Louise Harrison. Her husband was a mining engineer working for one of the coal mining companies that operated a mine in that region, and during a break in the Beatle's tour schedule, George actually became the first Beatle to land in the United States with that visit.

There's a ton of information on the web about that visit. Two events are frequently mentioned in those stories. He performed with a local band at a dance at a VFW hall, and he apparently bought a Rickenbacker guitar while he was here. According to the stories, George had the original finish stripped in favor of a solid black color.

If that's a Rickenbacker guitar that he's playing on the Ed Sullivan Show, it's entirely possible that it's the same guitar he bought at that downstate Illinois music store while he was visiting his sister.

tony b.

Cool story Tony B. I hadn't heard about the guitar but sounds reasonable that it "could" be that guitar. Btw, I knew George had a sister but didn't realize she lived in the U.S.

I regret not seeing them in person back in the day. I know they performed in Detroit at least once but sadly, I missed it.


TIS

Very cool story, but George didn't play a Rickenbacker, but John did. The Rickenbacker name is on the head stock, parallel with the neck (see John's guitar). I'm pretty sure George is playing a Gretsch.



I was in 9th grade. And yes, it was quite the buzz. We watched it...even my parents. They sure changed the musical world, but I still loved R&B more.

Good eye Mary....it's a 57 Gretsch Duo Jet or according to one article a Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman guitar. Not sure which or if both are the same....but it's definitely a Gretsch.

Wow, you guys know your guitars. I like their sound, some look cooler than others and I can get down to the rhythm but don't know brands.




TIS

I could never play worth a damn but the 2 big electric guitars when i was growing up was the Stratocaster Hendrix used and the great classic Gibson Les Paul. Everyone wanted the Gibson Les Paul model that Jimmy Page played.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" hitting #1 on US charts, according to a report I heard. That song is as fresh today as it was then.

Hard to believe that it's been fifty years; it seems like yesterday. I remember it well. A few weeks prior to this my cousin told me about a new group from England .... he said they "all looked like Moe" (referring to their haircuts). That was the first I heard of them.

Personally, it was a mixed time for me. I was busy studying for my bar mitzvah (which would follow on Feb 22nd) when my favorite uncle died suddenly (50 years ago today - Feb 1st). His death really crushed me but I did watch the Ed Sullivan Show the following week to see the Beatles first appearance. (I would often watch the show when I was at my uncle's house on Sunday).

A few weeks later, three nights after my bar mitzvah, heavyweight champ Sonny Liston lost his title to a brash upstart named Cassius Clay (later changed to Muhammad Ali). I taped the fight on my tape recorder (off the radio - this was LONG before videotape). It was an exciting time in history to be around.

I watched an episode of the game show "I've Got a Secret" from 1964, and in attempting to guess the contestant's secret, one of the panelists made a remark suggesting that the recently arrived Beatles were inconsequential and would fade out of memory in short time.

I bet he was wrong.

Harrison was playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman. Lennon played a six-string Rick, McCartney a Hofner bass, and Ring was playing Ludwig drums.

We were returning from our honeymoon when we heard "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" for the first time. Right away I knew things were changing. Beatlemania just took over NYC and the rest of the country. I loved it. But it took until "Rubber Soul" was released in '65 for critics to recognize that the Beatles were serious composers and musicians, not just the Moptops. "Rubber Soul," IMO, is their best--maybe the best pop album ever recorded.

No doubt Rubber Soul is great and I think most critics would agree with you TB (Norwegian Wood, Run For Your Life, etc couple of my favorites). However in my opinion it's the White Album that I like best. Such a large selection of mostly "Great" songs.




TIS

Did anyone see the group of teenagers that were photographed by Ringo? They had cut school to try and get to the airport and see the Beatles arrival, but couldn't get near the place. After a while, they left. Driving down the road, they came up next to four limos, sure enough, it was the Beatles. Ringo asked them to roll down their window and he spoke to them and took their picture.

There were six of them back then, but I believe the driver of the car has since passed. The remaining five gathered to re-create the photo and they got to meet Ringo, who published a book called Photographs with the pictures he has taken.

http://www.today.com/entertainment/ringo-starr-reunites-mystery-beatles-fans-photograph-2D11650628

SB,

I saw the picture when they were looking for those kids but didn't know the rest. How totally awesome. The one guy said he got a call from his friend in Boston saying "The Beatles are looking for you." Ha ha Music to his ears I'm sure. Talk about a Beatle story to tell.


TIS

IMO Revolver is there best album.But being the Beatles freak that i am, every album is great.

Im currently working at the private residence for the elderly and while i was cleaning a guests room i noticed a original 1967 Sgt Pepper vinyl, be interesting to know the value of that..

Great story, SB. Thanks for posting! The people in the current photo look almost as old as I do.

TB, didn't you have your picture taken with Irving Berlin when he had his first hit in 1911, "Alexander's Ragtime Band"?

A couple years ago I was listening to the radio. They have a "Beatle Years" show every weekend and they had an expert on album collections and what they are worth.

I don't recall what a Sgt. Pepper album was worth today but of course sealed & in mint condition brings in big bucks. Speaking of Sgt. Pepper, did you know that each Beatle picked 10 people they wanted on the cover? Two of John's picks were Jesus Christ & Adolph Hitler. Both were rejected. (This was shortly after John made the famous "Beatles are more famous than God" comment.

Also, they discussed the White Album and evidently a limited number of copies were made that had a 3 digit number (I believe in front). THOSE were worth a few thousand. I immediately check my very old White Album which had no such number.



TIS

Actually, MC, Irv and I co-wrote the song. It was originally titled, "Turnbull's Ragtime Band." But we had a squabble about the publishing rights, and he bought me out.

MaryCas, Giancarlo and Turnbull each observed (quoting Turnbull)...

Quote:

Harrison was playing a Gretsch Country Gentleman. Lennon played a six-string Rick, McCartney a Hofner bass, and Ringo was playing Ludwig drums.

Good eyes!

George was never very fond of the Rickenbacker he bought in the States. From a Rickenbacker fan page maintained by Bjorn Eriksson...

George Harrison´s Rickenbacker 425
The second Beatle to get himself a Rickenbacker was George Harrison. In September 1963 he bought a Jetglo model 425, while visiting his sister Louise in Benton, Illinois. In a letter I have received from her she confirms that George bought this guitar in a music store in Mount Vernon, Illinois.

This instrument never became George´s favorite. He only used it for a short time. He can be seen using the guitar in "Ready Steady Go", a TV-show broadcasted on October 4 1963 (now available on video-cassette).

And, as it turns out, that very guitar was part of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Beatles Exhibit according to Rolling Stone Magazine.

tony b.

I was a little young and don't remember the first appearances, but I do remember when they performed "Yesterday". My Aunt, who was 17 at the time, had about 20 of her friends over to watch it. We had one of those RCA consoles that had a large external speaker so it played really loud. It had to, with the way they were screaming at the tv. I remember them singing "Act Naturally" and "Help" too.

True story. Ringo actually passed on the chance to add people to the cover, saying that whomever the other three selected were good with him. If you notice the top row of people on the cocer, there are two empty spaces, which had people, who had to be deleted. One, I believe, was one of the "Bowery Boys," who denied permission to use his likeness uless the Beatles paid him, and I forget the other.

On the back cover photo McCartney abruptly turned his back to the camera before the shot just as Harrison had done on an album cover. This fueled the rumor about Paul being dead and replaced by a Canadian.

Each night this week Letterman has a musical guest perform a musical tribute to the Beatles. Two nights ago Lenny Kravitz did an amazing version of Get Back. Last night the Flaming Lips, joined by Sean Lennon, did Lucy in the Sky, which wasn't as good. Lauryn Hill performs tonight.

Of course, Letterman is hosting the Sunday night special on the Beatles with many special guests, including Stevie Wonder, whose version of We Can Work it Out is the best Beatles cover I've heard.

Kly, thanks for the Beatle info. I didn't know that Ringo did not choose his ten (or if I knew at one time I forgot)

I heard about Letterman's Beatle tribute and hope it's on "On Demand" cause I can't stay awake to watch.

In my area (well L.A. - about 30 mis from me) they have the Beatle tribute group "The Fab Four" which I saw in Vegas and was excellent. They have 3 costume changes for different stages/eras of Beatles. They go from Hard Day's night to a great version of my favorite, "Day In The Life." I'd love to see it again.

Also, FWIW, the radio played an audio clip of Beatles getting off plane at JFK airport. All the young girls singing, "We Love you Beatles...oh yes we do...." Silly yes but I remember those days and that excitement.

TIS

TIS, my earliest memories of them unfortunately are around when they were breaking up. I remember in kindergarten listening to older kids debate whether John was better than Paul. Of course, all of the girls liked Paul.

I graduated kindergarten in June, 1969, and one of the songs that we sang at our program was "Yellow Submarine."

Kly, you are just a spring chicken. You youngster you!!

Honestly, Yellow Submarine is one of my least favorite Beatle song of which there are only a few. They had Beatle cartoon show also, by the way. I can't recall if Yellow Submarine was the title or not.

Paul was always labeled the cute one. I gotta say tho, between him and Ringo, Ringo seems to be aging better IMHO.

When I was in NY a few years ago, I was walking in Central Park by the "Strawberry Fields" Beatle tribute area and coincidentally a teacher with a class of high school choir students came and entertained people by singing a few Beatle songs. Right place, right time I guess.


TIS

Like you, I'm not a fan of Yellow Submarine...or Octopus' Garden. I guess the teacher picked Yellow Submarine because she couldn't very well have the four and five year-olds stand before their families and sing "Why Don't We Do it in the Road."

I have a colleague who did a will for an aging gentleman, who wanted to establish the Beatles' songs to be played at his funeral service: The Long and Winding Road, Let it Be, Strawberry Fields Forever, In My Life, and the closing song of Hey Jude.

The attorney contacted the church before having the will signed, and was told that secular songs- no matter how good- could not be incorporated into a church service. The attorney told his client, who said that would be no problem and he would revise his copy of the will and meet with the lawyer the next day.

The following day he arrived and showed his revision, which merely consisted of the following:

I hereby direct that my funeral service shall not be a church service, and that it shall proceed as described below."