Beatles FAQ

  Copy of birth certificate Contrary to Aunt Mimi’s later recollection, John Lennon was not born during an air-raid. The shadow of the Second World War was, however, very apparent at his birth. 

Freddie Lennon in the mid 1960s

Beatles go 'capo-crazy' on Rubber Soul A capo raises the pitch of stringed instruments including guitars and ukuleles. They are generally used to either make a chord progression easier to play or to match the vocal range of a singer. Famously Cilla Black failed her first audition for Brian Epstein because the The Beatles backed her in a lower key than she could manage. The three Beatle guitarists were familiar with capos from an early stage - Buddy Holly often played with one. It has been speculated that John uses one on 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' on Beatles For Sale to channel Bob Dylan. In an era without YouTube tutorials to encourage accurate copying, the capo offered an alternative route to a distinctive sound. Going Capo crazy on Rubber Soul Rubber Soul marks a departure point for The Beatles, where they experiment with creating a new more musically complex sound. One of the tools they use heavily is the capo - both John and George use it on the 2nd fr...

  Slim Whitman with his Gibson - the sound George aspired to.  George tried to teach himself [the guitar]. But he wasn’t making much headway. ‘I’ll never learn this,’ he used to say. I said, ‘You will, son, you will. Just keep at it.’  Louise Harrison, mother of George

When he was thirteen, George was admitted to hospital with what turned out to be a minor kidney problem. As with Ringo, a spell on the children’s ward was the catalyst for obtaining his first musical instrument.  To cheer up his sick son, Harry Harrison agreed to buy a classmate’s Dutch Egmond flat-top acoustic guitar. Dutch Egmond Acoustic — George Harrison’s first guitar What George would later describe as a ‘cheapo, a horrible little guitar’ had a selling price of £3 ($4). This was a large sum for a poorly paid bus driver, though it would prove an inspired long-term investment.  Technical issues The Egmond. It proved very difficult to master, partly because it was poorly set up (a common problem with cheaper mass-produced guitars).  Progress was also hampered by an ill advised experiment. Curious to see how the guitar was engineered, George unscrewed the head — and was unable to fix it back on.  Abandoned in a cupboard in two pieces, the Ergmond was eventually res...

Four years after his recording debut, David Bowie had still made little progress. Despite a name change and several changes of musical style he remained a fringe figure. Convinced that Deram (Decca) was mismanaging his career, Bowie was looking for a new label. In the spring of 1968 The Beatles announced the formation of Apple Records, a new label for ‘creatives’. Bowie immediately instructed his then manager, Kenneth Pitt, to submit an audition tape. Swamped As a signed artist with a major label, Bowie might have expected an automatic hearing. Unfortunately, however Apple's offer had backfired. The new label was besieged by aspiring musicians, managers, agents, artists, and hucksters. All were clamouring for an audition.    A further complication was that the new label would only recruit new talent with the agreement of all four (endlessly squabbling) Beatles. The office filled with a mountain of demo tapes. From an early stage any attempt to listen to them was abando...

The first pressing of Abbey Road had something missing

The original pressing of Abbey Road  was a song short

John bore a striking resemblance to his father Alfred Lennon was unmistakably present in his son's physical appearance But he only had a walk-on - or rather walk-off - role in his upbringing.  John would later tell Beatles biographer Hunter Davies "It was like he was dead."