The Beatles

[tomterp]

Tomorrow, February 9, is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.   Arguably this is the most significant moment in rock music history.  At the least, it initiated a new era of increasingly counter-culture sounds that went on to dominate the pop culture for decades. 

Before the Beatles ever made it NY, a young girl in Maryland saw a BBC special about them and persuaded a WWDC disc jockey to procure a single and play it.  The tune spread, and thus the excitement built for Sullivan's show. 

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2014/02/07/273085051/the-beatles-year-long-journey-to-the-ed-sullivan-show

Fourteen-year-old Marsha Albert of Silver Spring, Md., saw the broadcast and wrote WWDC radio requesting Beatles music. DJ Carroll James arranged to have a copy of the British release of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" hand-carried from England. He played it eight days before Christmas 1963.

The response in D.C., St. Louis and Chicago — where DJs got copies of the record from James — was so great that Capitol Records rush-released the single the day after Christmas. Beatles historian Spizer calls that move brilliant.

"Kids are not in school. And they listened to the radio in those days. There are no video games. Kids that have Christmas and Hanukkah money and Mommy and Daddy can take them to the record store, and the next thing you know 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' is a humongous hit in New York and other cities follow."

5,000 people met the band at the airport in NY.  73m watched the Sullivan Show that night.   The hype was extreme, the performance exceeded the highest of bars.  An era began.

The Ed Sullivan Show



After NY, they boarded the train for Union Station, and on February 11 1964, they performed their first concert in the U.S. at the Washington Coliseum (Uline Arena).

The entire concert lasted about 35 minutes.  (Roll over Bruce)

The set:

"Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry cover)
"From Me to You"
"I Saw Her Standing There,"
"This Boy",
"All My Loving,"
"I Wanna Be Your Man,"
"Please Please Me,"
"Till There Was You," (Meredith Willson for his 1957 musical play The Music Man)
"She Loves You,"
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" and
"Twist and Shout" (Isley Brothers)
"Long Tall Sally" (Little Richard).

It's a bit hard to hear the music for all the screaming.   

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb3K0S3-T18#ws]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb3K0S3-T18#ws

[Terpfan76]

My mom can tell you what she was wearing etc when that came on. She lived the Beatles.

[tomterp]

FYI I had some issues with that post.  The shrinking font below the first video link, and the link to the DC Coliseum concert not appearing as a youtube image, not sure what's going on with that. 

I highly recommend seeing both clips, this is music history.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I posted something about this in some other thread, but in short the first live show in front of a non-TV audience in N. America was here in DC at the old Coliseum by Union Station on 11 Feb 1964...so 50 years ago Tuesday. 

A Beatlesmania kind of shindig will be happening on Tuesday night.  Sounds kind of fun. 

[mitlen]

I liked the Beatles (particularly after Sgt. Pepper).    However, I was originally a Stones man.

[blue911]

I liked the Beatles (particularly after Sgt. Pepper).    However, I was originally a Stones man.

and The Yardbirds, Eric Burdon and John Mayall

[mitlen]

and The Yardbirds, Eric Burdon and John Mayall

Oh yeah, the list is endless.

[OldChelsea]

I liked the Beatles (particularly after Sgt. Pepper).    However, I was originally a Stones man.

I still think the Stones' best work was done during their Decca/London (now ABKCO) years (1964-70) - which was about the same time as the Beatles' active years. I was eleven when that era started - from the Beatles and early Stones and the rest of the British Invasion acts, on through to Led Zeppelin's first two albums - nothing like it ever since as far as popular music, in my experience.

[mitlen]

I still think the Stones' best work was done during their Decca/London (now ABKCO) years (1964-70) -

I think that's the reason I was out of The Beatles' wheel house until Sgt. Pepper (along with Hendrix "Are You Experienced" and Cream "Fresh Cream" timeframe).     Luckily, I was DJ'ing during that period so I stayed exposed to a lot of Top 40 tunes and dance music.     That exposure kept me "balanced".

[PowerBoater69]

I still think the Stones' best work was done during their Decca/London (now ABKCO) years (1964-70) - which was about the same time as the Beatles' active years. I was eleven when that era started - from the Beatles and early Stones and the rest of the British Invasion acts, on through to Led Zeppelin's first two albums - nothing like it ever since as far as popular music, in my experience.

The Stones best era was the Mick Taylor years (69-74), although No Satisfaction (65) is possibly the greatest rock and roll song ever (released while the Beatles were still in their boy band phase).

[Terpfan76]

The Stones best era was the Mick Taylor years (69-74), although No Satisfaction (65) is possibly the greatest rock and roll song ever (released while the Beatles were still in their boy band phase).

I'd go with Whole Lotta Love but Satisfaction is pretty iconic.

[HalfSmokes]

I'd go with paint it black,  but that's probably just me

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I think that Tattoo You was one hell of an underrated album.

[Terpfan76]

Gimme Shelter is my favorite Stones song. My boy likes Yellow Submarine as far as the Beetles go. Me? I don't rightfully know what I'd choose.

[imref]

i was (and still am) a huge beatles fan even though I was born around the time they were releasing the White Album.  I'm still in awe of a band that could go from I Want to Hold Your Hand to Abbey Road in the span of about 7 years.

[zimm_da_kid]

when is the beatles special on TV tonight?

[nats2playoffs]

when is the beatles special on TV tonight?

"The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles" is on CBS from 8pm-10pm ET tonight. 




The Walking Dead returns to AMC with new episodes, tonight at 9 pm ET.

[imref]

The special has been really good so far.

[mitlen]

The special has been really good so far.

Really enjoying it except for the damn commercials.

[imref]

Peter frampton playing in the house band.

[mitlen]

Man, if they could have had Clapton back for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps".

[blue911]

If they didn't end it with A Little Help From My Friends, then they blew it

[mitlen]

There is nothing more painful than watching a bunch of middle aged white people trying to catch a beat.

[mitlen]

Indeed

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Sounds like an Eagles show

There is nothing more painful than watching a bunch of middle aged white people trying to catch a beat.