Beatles FAQ

  I play guitar: A, D, E./  I don't play bass cause that's too hard for me./  I play the piano if it's in C .  From Early 1970

I could never see the difference between a beautiful melody and a cool rock ’n’ roll song. I learned to love all the ballady {sic} stuff through my dad and relatives,  Paul McCartney

Basically, it was our stage show, with some new [original] songs.  Paul McCartney

In February 1962, The Beatles played at a youth club in Liverpool, using the church hall. The venue was modest but fit for purpose. With its low ceiling and wooden floors, it provided excellent acoustics for the local fans who managed to squeeze in. Two years later, they travelled to Washington, D.C. in the immediate wake of their triumph on The Ed Sullivan Show . A concert was hastily arranged in a venue used for basketball and boxing. It set the template for all the live shows that were to come: An 8000-voice choir performed last night at Washington Coliseum ... T he choir was accompanied by four young British artists who call themselves the Beatles. Their part was almost completely obscured by the larger choral group, The 'thin voices' of the visiting group could not compete with the thousands of screaming teenagers.  This problem would plague The Beatles for the remainder of their time as a live act. Big stadiums, small speakers We couldn’t hear ourselves when we were live,...

The Beatles had started by playing church halls, coffee halls, and even private homes. Their Ed Sullivan appearance in February 1964 opened a huge new market. This was now only confined by the size of the concert venues available. 

First Ed Sullivan appearance - public domain The Beatles fly from London Heathrow to New York on 7 February 1964. More than 10,000 girls are waiting - a major news event.

In late September 1963, George Harrison becomes the first Beatle to visit America. Map artwork by Jane Samson

Warning! Not exactly to scale This is a surprisingly controversial question. The Beatles fan club and other 'official' sources stated that Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison as the same height: 5'11" (180cm), with Ringo Starr 5'8" (172cm) Early publicity photos emphasise a certain height uniformity. This harmonised with the identical suits and ‘Beatle’ hairstyles. It was as if you could walk over their heads without breaking step. Late 60s photos emphasised individual difference rather than collective branding. They revealed that Paul was/is fractionally taller than John, who in turn had the slightest of edges over George. Ringo was/is closer to  5'6"  (168cm) Great Hoax? A belief that the real (small) Paul was replaced by a taller 'fake Paul' or Faul is a key component of the (bonkers)  'Paul is Dead' conspiracy theory .   'Evidence' of an alleged height disparity  McCartney brazenly maintains that he is still very much aliv...