50 years of Beatlemania

[Radio64]

This year will see a very USA-centered celebration of Liverpool's finest pop band, but a good excuse perhaps for hearing everyone's views on the Fab Four, their music, their lives etc.

Their US Capitol albums have been re-released in special remastered CD and digital formats. I got the first one Meet The Beatles! which contains both mon and stereo versions of the original album tracks.

[Nick Armstrong]

I went through my first Beatles phase a couple of years ago, enthused by a young relative - and took hugely to the energy of the early albums. I never warmed to the dreamier, more psychedelic 'Strawberry Fields' type stuff later. Usually have one of the early albums in the car CD changer

[MrGongGong]

Liverpool's finest pop band, .

Erm

I'm going to tell my mate Andy you said that

Not so "fab" IMV

But, we liked going to Cynthia Lennon's farm for cub camp

I think the "experimentalism" of the Beatles is over played (in spite of having Stockhausen on the album cover!) and they were more music hall than Cafe Oto.
BUT, if songs are your thing then the made some wonderful ones.

(apologies for repeating this)
What puzzles me is that they seem to be dying in reverse order of talent.

[Radio64]

Erm

I'm going to tell my mate Andy you said that

Andy? McCluskey?

What puzzles me is that they seem to be dying in reverse order of talent.

Interesting point!

[MrGongGong]

Andy? McCluskey?

Yes
but he's not really from Liverpool

[Radio64]

Yes
but he's not really from Liverpool

What a coincidence! I am also a big OMITD fan ..

But we digress.

[MrGongGong]

What a coincidence! I am also a big OMITD fan ..

But we digress.

Andy's mum was our crossing lady

but we do digress indeed .......

[Gordon]

....Liverpool's finest pop band.....

Really!! Liverpool was alive with talented Pop bands in the early 60s when I was a student in the city. Most of the bands of the time [even those not from that great city - even Manchester!!] exuded youthful "you've never had it so good" energy, having the scene pioneered by their predecessors. Beatles struck lucky early and had a talented mentor. Never rated them myself, got too pretentious.

[Radio64]

.. Liverpool's finest pop band, ...

Ok so.. edit to: most famous? most disputed? most over-rated? most sold?

[jean]

Really!! Liverpool was alive with talented Pop bands in the early 60s ...

Liverpool was alive with musical talent of all sorts in the early 60s.

There was the RLPO under John Pritchard, for example. There were amateur choirs and orchestras in abundance. There was Caleb Jarvis (that's one for Mr GG.) Even though I left Liverpool in 1961, just before they became famous, I was always irritated by the way the Beatles were suddenly seen as giving Liverpool an identity, as though it didn't have one already.

(I remember my father getting very annoyed at the time when you kept hearing things like The Beatles put Liverpool on the map.

Quite right, Daddy, I would say, It was slavery that put Liverpool on the map.

That used to make him even more annoyed.)

[Gordon]

Ok so.. edit to: most famous? most disputed? most over-rated? most sold?

Most famous!! And, almost certainly, most sold.

Liverpool at that time was divided in its loyalties to its bands. Back then Anfield's PA system - they'd not long come up from the second division - always played the latest local offerings. I remember the queues in the Liverpool record shops when their discs were released. The NEMS shop just by Lewis's seemed always first with stock of all the Liverpool bands. I suspect they had a deal with the record companies!

[Radio64]

Good to hear from folks who lived through it first hand!

The NEMS shop was owned/run by one Brian Epstein I believe.....

http://st33.wordpress.com/record-shops/closed/nems-record-shop-liverpool/

[Gordon]

I wonder why it was that a G&P song [...remembered for being the first band to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles...] became the Anfield anthem and not a Beatles song!! JL, McC and GH were all from South Liverpool and even Ringo from Dingle!! If this is right then Gerry was also from S Liverpool!! This suggests that Gerry and his brother were born in Dingle like Ringo. The groups obviously knew each other.

Look at this too!! Several photos with both the Beatles and G&P in them. Scroll down the list. If you go well down you'll get to a poster for a "Royal Iris River Boat Shuffle" in August 1961. Note that Acker Bilk is top of the bill with the Beatles at the bottom!! The boat The Royal Iris was a well known Liverpool vessel that plied the river often used for student events in Rag Week.

I was always irritated by the way the Beatles were suddenly seen as giving Liverpool an identity, as though it didn't have one already.

Quite so jean!! More like the other way round - the city fostered the conditions that allowed those bands to emerge - all those sailors bringing back American blues records eg. The City's motto is: "Deus Nobis Haec Otia Fecit", "God gave our leisure". The Uni's motto was: "this leisure fosters our studies".

And then there was all those comedians....and I don't mean Everton!

[johncorrigan]

Well they don't seem too popular on this thread but I thought they were wonderful - first single I bought with my own pocket money was 'From me to You'. They were down to earth kinda guys, it seemed to me as a twelve year old. Some wonderful and lasting songs along the way and with the help of George Martin did some very unusual and pretty innovative things - a great range of music. Paul gets a bad press but the guy could write a song in just about any style and make a good job of it, John had a great way with lyrics and I think they were very fine vocalists and by the end George was coming into his own. For seven years they changed the face of popular music and while you may not like what they did all the time they have created a great catalogue of songs - personally I can stick on any one of their records and find loads to enjoy.

[french frank]

I sort of enjoy saying I never bought a Beatles reord - but my mother did ...

They were all right but they got a bit self important. All those screaming girls turned their heads. Happens to most of them.