Beatles Triv 2

A very brief history of the band. How does that go now? I can't remember....

1956: John and his skiffle group were playing a gig at a church (St. Peter's) one afternoon. Paul was in the audience. Later they talked and it was discovered that Paul knew a lot more chords and songs on the guitar than John and his mates. He was in. Paul had a younger friend George (13 or 14) who also played guitar and had a record collection. That made three. A long line of drummers ensued.

Circa1959-60: Long John Silver and the Silver Beetles. That was an early name for the band, shortened soon to Silver Beetles. They changed the spelling later. Beetles chosen because of their great admiration for BuddyHolly and the Crickets. Played little dances an wingdings in Liddypool with increasing success. The Casbah. The Cavern. Epstein, a record shop owner or manager keeps hearing customers asking for records by the Beatles. He finally goes to see the real thing.
He believes they have charisma, magnetic charm. Offers to manage them.

Hamburg: they first went there in August 1960. A few months later after enjoying some heady success with the band, George (still 17) was deported to grow a month older. Most of the band eventually got deported by November 1960. Paul McCartney and Pete Best were deported after being charged with arson though they claimed the charges were manufactured because of a contract dispute with German club operator Bruno Koschmider. They returned to Hamburg a few times over the following couple of years.

Prior to Ringo, Pete Best was their most permanent drummer. Joining a day before their first Hamburg sojourn he stayed with them for two years before. Best was the most popular with the girls with his boyish mug, perfect coife, and moody James Dean look. John and Paul didn't dig him gettin so much of the attention. A drummer gettin all the girls? John fired him in '62 after a disagreement and hired their pal Ringo who had often sat in when Best was ill or otherwise unavailable.

Stuart Sutcliffe, a sort of withdrawn artist friend of John, his best mate in fact, was a band member during the early Hamburg period. I think he may have gone up there before them. He'd been hired as bass player 'cause John wanted him in, but he couldn't play at all. Just faked it. Actually turning his back to the audience for most of a set according to many accounts. Sutcliffe's German girlfriend Astrid, she of the twiggy-like locks, did some early publicity shots of the boys, some which are well known --cover of Lennon's early 70's "Rock and Roll" album and another of them sitting on a lorry or something Stu turned sideways holding a big white bass (Hofner?) the other Beatles looking tough and scruffy in jeans and leather jackets, hair combed back, ducktails, the "Teddy" look favored by them. That is before Astrid decided at subsequent photo shoot to have them with dry straight hair hanging down over their foreheads. Usual story is that George had washed his hair and failed to comb it. Astrid or somebody liked the look. The rest as the say is...

John's response to an interviewer a couple of years later: Question: Does your hair require any special attention? John: Inattention is the main thing.

Yeah, I guess I remember some of it after all. Check out the CD where they play back up, I think this was recorded in Hamburg, to Tony Sheridan. Rock groups of this time usually had a soloist who's name and face sold the act, and backup band. Holly and the Crickets, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes (Ringo on drums), Gerry and the Pacemakers,etc. Gotta go, more when I get a chance, if yer interested.........