Beatles song based on Bach?
None of The Beatles had a background in classical music.
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Why was early Dylan a key influence?
Always intensely competitive, The Beatles monitored the output of their rivals closely. None came close to matching their commercial success. Why Dylan loomed large For The Beatles record sales this was not the only criteria that mattered. Above all, they wanted to impress their peers: especially those young people in Liverpool and London who were also avid readers of the music press, buyers of imported records and habitues of the coolest clubs. Of their direct competitors, Bob Dylan loomed largest. Lennon later conceded that their British rivals never felt like too much of a threat. They liked The Stones, The Who and the Kinks and would sometimes borrow their innovations - the guitar sound on You Really Got Me for, for example. But they never doubted that they would lose their top spot in the NME poll. Dylan was different. For a start, he was American and this automatically gave his status an uplift. They believed him to be authentic In some respects he represented mu...
How bad was John Lennon's eyesight?
John Lennon was very short-sighted but in his teens refused to wear spectacles in public.
Who was 'Mean Mr Mustard?
John Lennon was later embarrassed about the source of one of his contributions to the Abbey Road medley. It was based on a newspaper story he read early in 1967.
First pop single sample?
On 29 September, I967, John Lennon worked with George Martin and the Abbey Road sound engineers on a potential new Beatles single.
Christmas 1960
In December 1960 The Beatles returned to Liverpool from Hamburg, where they had built a reputation as a live act. This earned them a prestigious new date for 27 December 1960 as the headliners at the Litherland Town Hall Ballroom. This was arranged by the influential local DJ, Bob Wooler — months later the victim of an infamous assault by John Lennon. Wooler announced them on stage in typically hyperbolic fashion: Direct from Hamburg — the sensational BEATLES The performers on stage were dressed in black leathers and drainpipe trousers. They had American guitars and amps and seemed from another more exotic world. Some in the crowd were amazed that these strange Germans spoke to the audience in fluent Scouse speakers, . To a roar from the packed hall, Paul launched into Little Richard's Long Tall Sally.
Who was 'late but very clean'?
Outside Paul's family home in the early 1960s Soon after first seeing them at the Cavern, Brian Epstein invited The Beatles for a formal meeting at his office. This was arranged for the afternoon of Sunday 3rd December 1961 at 4.30. Epstein wanted to manage the band but had doubts about their reliability and professionalism. The Beatles for their part had achieved success in Hamburg and Liverpool but had no record deal or national profile John, George and Pete took the bus to the meeting. They arrived on time - but after forty five minutes there was still no sign of Paul. A call was made to the McCartney family home. This revealed that Paul had just got up and was having a bath. Epstein exploded, "How can he be so late for such and important meeting?" To which Harrison famously replied, "He may be late but he's very clean". A frosty silence melted into laughter. Why was Paul so late? On one level Paul's lateness was symptomatic of what ...
Which Beatle was 'late but very keen?
Outside Paul's family home in the early 1960s Soon after first seeing them at the Cavern, Brian Epstein invited The Beatles for a formal meeting at his office. This was arranged for the afternoon of Sunday 3rd December 1961 at 4.30. Epstein wanted to manage the band but had doubts about their reliability and professionalism. The Beatles for their part had achieved success in Hamburg and Liverpool but had no record deal or national profile John, George and Pete took the bus to the meeting. They arrived on time - but after forty five minutes there was still no sign of Paul. A call was made to the McCartney family home. This revealed that Paul had just got up and was having a bath. Epstein exploded, "How can he be so late for such and important meeting?" To which Harrison famously replied, "He may be late but he's very clean". A frosty silence melted into laughter. Why was Paul so late? On one level Paul's lateness was symptomatic of what Epstein...