re: The Beatles ... and The Night That
Changed America:
Thanks for the heads-up on the schedule change
for the CBS special ... I don't think my DVR would have recorded the whole
thing.
Clete
That's right, folks ... don't forget ... they've changed the run-time on
tonight's Beatles special to two and a half hours ... so you'll need to
reprogram your DVR (or other recording device) in order to catch the whole
show. (What a shame it would be to chop off the last 30 minutes ... that's
going to be the highlight of the show, featuring the reunion of Paul and Ringo
on stage performing Beatles hits together for the first time in decades!)
kk
Speaking of which, look what CBS did to The Ed Sullivan Theater in honor of
the momentous event!
Kent,
I thought FH Readers would like this photo from New York City, not from 50 years ago, but taken last night! My son, Blake Joblin, took the photo as we were walking down Broadway to The Iridium club. We passed The Ed Sullivan Theater and the marquee was a trip in time. Imagine standing in this exact same spot 50 years ago!
Brad Joblin
Ridgefield, CT
I thought FH Readers would like this photo from New York City, not from 50 years ago, but taken last night! My son, Blake Joblin, took the photo as we were walking down Broadway to The Iridium club. We passed The Ed Sullivan Theater and the marquee was a trip in time. Imagine standing in this exact same spot 50 years ago!
Brad Joblin
Ridgefield, CT
I
can't even imagine how cool it would be to be walking through New York
City ... in February of 2014 ... and coming across this incredible
marquee! Awesome, Brad ... thanks for sharing!
Now compare this photo from the CBS archives to what I
sent you. I had to check twice to make sure this one was really from 1964, as
the marquee is identical to what they put up the other day.
You'll find lots more from that very special day in
1964 here: Click
here: A Really Big Show - The Beatles: Backstage at "The Ed Sullivan Show" -
Pictures - CBS News
Brad
Brad
Some GREAT vintage shots of that
memorable day ... it is SO cool to see the entire country getting wrapped up in
this 50 year celebration. Think about it ... what other events that we have
shared in our lifetimes have had this kind of long-lasting impact ... that can
still strike a nerve all these years later ... and yet take you back to that
exact moment in time? The Beatles on Ed Sullivan ... The Kennedy Assassination
... and The World Trade Center ... Man's First Walk On The Moon (?) How cool is
it that a MAJOR musical event makes such a short and exclusive list!
(kk)
The 2014 "Yesterday and Today" Capitol CD does
not have the unique stereo mixes of "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Dr. Robert" found
on the original vinyl album. That's the reason I wanted this CD. Very
disappointing ... and not really the "Capitol" version after
all.
Bill Mulvy
I've got to totally agree with you there ... a MAJOR
disappointment was not finding the two drastically different mixes between the
mono and stereo versions of this LP. (You'll hear them on the British Mono and
Stereo compilations ... why not here???) I was impressed that the reissued
"Rubber Soul" CD included the false-start "I'm Looking Through You" just like my
original vinyl album did ... but apparently THAT was a mistake rather than a bit
of brilliant marketing. I do like the idea of the two different covers, however
... especially the fact that one is a "paste over". (kk)
Hi Kent -
Thanks so much for the information on the Beatles Special coming up February 9th!
My favorite Beatles Album was "Rubber Soul".
What were their three top albums? When in doubt ask the master ...
Thanks so much for the information on the Beatles Special coming up February 9th!
My favorite Beatles Album was "Rubber Soul".
What were their three top albums? When in doubt ask the master ...
Carolyn
Well, the three biggest
sellers (based strictly on number of units sold) were The White Album (part of that is most likely due to the fact that
it was a 2-LP set), "Abbey Road" and "Sgt. Pepper" ... but if you're talking
chart statistics rather than sales, "Sgt. Pepper" would be #1, as it topped
Billboard's Album Chart for fifteen weeks, followed by "A Hard Day's Night" (14
weeks at #1) and then a tie between "Meet The Beatles" and "Abbey Road", both of
which spent eleven weeks at #1. (By the way, your favorite, "Rubber Soul" spent
six weeks at #1 ... and sold about six million copies.) kk
Kent ...
Yesterday Dan Taylor broadcast live at the Plaza -- where the Beatles stayed
50 years ago. He talked to Larry Kane, Berry
Gordy,Jr. Also Cousin Brucie and Harry Harrison, two DJ's who were at WCBS-FM 50 years ago, to talk about the
Beatles.
Berry Gordy, Jr. recalled that 50 years ago Brian Epstein, the Beatles' manager, called him. He wanted to buy three songs at a
discount price. Berry says no. Brian
told Berry, you've got till noon to call me back and make the deal. Two minutes till noon, Berry calls and makes the
deal. Lucky he did. It turns out the albums
were already in stores.
Cousin Brucie remembered 50 years ago. A copy of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was delivered to him by armed guards. He had to sign a release, promising not to play it before 8:40 PM. Of course he played it at 8:30 PM. Never trust a DJ.
Cousin Brucie remembered 50 years ago. A copy of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was delivered to him by armed guards. He had to sign a release, promising not to play it before 8:40 PM. Of course he played it at 8:30 PM. Never trust a DJ.
Tonight, 6:00 PM on WCBS-FM -- Top 30 Beatles
Songs.
The other day in Forgotten Hits someone mentioned Bill
O'Reilly and music.
I watched him the other night. He had Ted Nugent on as
a guest. Of course, everybody wants to talk about the Beatles. Ted had a Paul McCartney story.
Going back 50 years ago, Paul was in Detroit (Ted's
hometown). He was asked how he feels about Ted Nugent. Paul said some bad things
to say about Ted.
They asked Ted how he felt about Paul. He didn't strike
back. He wanted to thank Paul for all his great music. The real problem was
that Ted was and still is into guns and hunting. Paul is a Vegan. (Vegan
... sounds like something from Star Trek.
I guess Sir Paul wasn't always the nice guy he is
today.
Frank B.
Frank B.
Ted Nugent did an excellent cover of the George Harrison song "I Want To Tell You" ... I guess the whole vegatarian thing makes perfect sense.
Ron Onesti planned an all-day Beatles event at The Arcada Theatre today,
too, featuring Beatles tribute bands capped off by watching tonight's CBS
Television Special on his 40' (yes, 40 FOOT!!!) giant movie screen. It's like
the whole world forgot their worries, cares and woes for the weekend ... and
instead are celebrating the music and the memories of this very special moment.
It just doesn't get any cooler than that! (kk)
Kent,
In the entertainment section of today's newspaper there is a lengthy column
about the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show fifty years ago
today.
The former owner-general manager of the CBS affiliate here in OKC
said the possibility was that the Ed Sullivan show might not have been
shown.
He
said that back then, some television stations were considered or called a
"must buy" station as far as advertising. Oklahoma City was considered to
be a station just the opposite. He said that Lincoln - Mercury automobile
generally
sponsored Ed Sullivan in those days and if they didn't want to
buy into the Oklahoma City market, they didn't have to. Hence, the CBS
affiliate here in OKC wouldn't get any network revenue from it.
Channel
9 (the CBS affiliate running Ed Sullivan) had rights to movies from
the MGM, 20th Century Fox and Universal studios film library. They
could have shown a movie instead.
To
make up for the loss of network revenue, the station sold advertising spots
around the Ed Sullivan show which was the most popular variety series
on television at the time.
So,
apparently some fifty years ago, the possibility existed that here locally in
OKC the historic (didn't know it then) show of Ed Sullivan with the Beatles
could have been pre-empted.
Larry
Author addresses the sociological impact
of The Beatles on their fans and the world
“Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans
Remade the World” by Candice Leonard, PhD, will offer a new understanding of the
Beatles' place in American history.
Candice
“Candy” Leonard is a first-generation Beatle fan with a PhD in
Sociology. So not only does she still
carry the Beatles in her heart, but she can explain what she calls the ‘joyful
trauma’ experienced by millions of other Fab Four fans in her forthcoming book,
Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans
Remade the World.
Beatleness tells how the Beatles’
constant presence throughout 1960s transformed the childhood and adolescence of
millions of American kids and how, through these kids, the Beatles “changed
everything.” Based on hundreds of hours
of in-depth fan interviews, the book offers a thoroughly fresh approach to the
Beatles’ impact on the fans and the culture, and explains the unique feeling of
connection first-generation fans still feel toward the band.
Candy Leonard
received her BA in Communications from Queens College, MA in Developmental
Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia, and PhD from University of NH. She has taught sociology, psychology, and
mass communications at the college level.
Candy Leonard
will be participating in the Women
Beatles Historians panel at the Fest for Beatles Fans in New York City,
Saturday, February 8 at 12:30 pm. The
discussion will center on the Beatles' legacy, past, present and
future.
Candy is currently scheduling interviews to discuss her book
and her unique take on the social impact of Beatlemania.
“Beatleness: How the Beatles and Their Fans
Remade the World” will be published by Skyhorse/Arcade Publishing and
will be released in August. It can be
pre-ordered at Amazon.com. For more
information, go to: http://www.beatleness.com.
I had to work a ten hour shift on Saturday, the only high point of which
was being able to listen to The True Oldies Channel while I was there, alone in
the office. As such, I am happy to report that Scott Shannon is doing a GREAT
job of celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles' appearance on The Ed
Sullivan Show this weekend. Referring to it also as "The Launch of The British
Invasion", Shannon has programmed about three Beatles songs per hour ... all the
hits and best-known, landmark album tracks ... along with a ton of other music
by the British acts that rode the tidal wave when their music invaded our shores
(and took over the charts, dominating the music scene for the next couple of
years.)
The only disappointment was the fact that Shannon himself wasn't there at
the microphone ... as I believe he would have liked to have been ... and SHOULD
have been.
In a surprise announcement on Friday, Scott stepped down from his role as
co-anchor of his 22 year radio show in New York on WPLJ. (We'll have more on
this story tomorrow in our Monday Radio Feature). Maybe there was just too
going on personally at the time for him to record this very special Beatlemania
radio tribute ... but I, for one, truly missed him. There aren't many left on
the air today who can measure up to Scott's sheer talent ... and genuine
appreciation of this music.
Thursday, February 6, 2014, begans "NYC FAB 50: Celebrating The Music of The
Beatles," and SIR GEORGE MARTIN provided an exclusive message that was read at
the events which started at the Apollo Theater at 7:30 on Thursday evening.
Sir George Martin, the Beatles' producer, one of the most respected names
in music history, sent the following words to NYC FAB 50 producers Charles F.
Rosenay, Daniel Levine, Patrice Samara and Dennis D'Amico to share with U.S.
fans and attendees:
“I
am amazed how quickly time passes and that the Beatles appeared in New York for
the first time 50 years ago. Hard to believe – I feel like Rumpelstiltskin! The
first record I produced with them – “Love Me Do” was merely a warm up. “Please
Please Me” was the biggie that swept Britain in 1963 and paved the way for their
debut in the USA. And when that happened it was like an exploding keg of
dynamite. The wonderful people of America took the Beatles into their hearts and
never let go. They were crazy days, and I remember being in New York and
listening to the radio, and no matter where you turned the dial you would hear
the Beatles singing. It was complete saturation, never before heard and never
since. The Boys loved the USA and they loved performing there, but the world now
demanded their attention, so they began an exhausting round of Europe and the
States in an effort to satisfy the demand for their attention. The people of
America have always been generous to those that they like, and the Beatles will
always be grateful for that wonderful display of love and support they received
back in the Sixties. Me too!”
This statement was read as part of the opening ceremonies at the Apollo by Geraldo Rivera,
Special Guest Celebrity MC added to the event. Geraldo not only interviewed all
four Beatles, but also produced the famous New York City One-To-One charity
concert with John Lennon.
The Apollo charity concert, "Twist & Shout: New York
Celebrates The Beatles," also featured performances by Dionne Warwick,
Lulu, Mary Wilson of The Supremes, Lloyd Price, Gary U.S. Bonds and others.
Complete information at www.nycfab50.com/Apollo.htm.
The
other NYC FAB concerts included:
~~ "Across
The Universe Music Festival" featuring Spin Doctors and five other acts on
Friday night
~~
"America Celebrates The Beatles: All-Star Concert: featuring Tommy James, Al
Jardine (Beach Boys), Gene Cornich (Rascals), Fred Schneider (B-52s), Marshall
Crenshaw and many others on Saturday night
~~
"Across The Universe Music Festival: Grand Finale" featuring Son of Origin and
six other acts on Sunday night Feb. 9 at 8pm at the Bitter End: www.facebook.com/events/756264771068224/
Complete
information on all events at www.NYCFAB50.com or email info@NYCFAB50.com
Hi Kent:
Just a quick correction. The Hey Jude LP was released between Abbey Road & Let It
Be, not before Abbey Road.
Setting aside these contemporary artists doing
Beatle Songs on this Sullivan anniversary show ... Why wouldn’t Paul and Ringo or
somebody be doing I Want To Hold Your Hand or She Loves You? These are the two
Monster hits at the time that are taking the country by storm!! On most charts
they are #1 & #2 on February 9, 1964. That seems kind of silly / ridiculous to
me. For these modern artists, I’m sure when they do Beatle Songs it will be the
peak of their careers.
Ken
Honestly, I think those two songs are SO associated as John and Paul numbers that NOBODY else could do them in a way that would have the same amount of impact that simply showing the vintage clip from that night would have ... and I believe THAT is how they'll handle this.
I'm really looking forward to this. Reading part of the interview that David Letterman did with Paul and Ringo, it's funny to hear their recollections of that infamous night ... perhaps the biggest of their career in retrospect ... after all, conquering America was the final step.
Ringo comments about how much BIGGER The Ed Sullivan Theater was in his mind ... the moment was huge and he recalled being so wrapped up in the moment that they were performing before thousands of screaming fans. (Letterman quipped that they have since removed the balcony in the theater ... so it actually DID hold "a few more people"! lol)
Paul remembers how nervous he was taking the stage alone to perform "Yesterday". The Beatles were, after all, a BAND ... and stepping out front and solo was a nerve-wracking experience for him at the time. (Of course he's done it nightly ever since for over 40 years now ... but that first time was a terror!)
I'm pleased to see that tonight will celebrate more than just the excitement of that special moment ... it will also illustrate the timelessness of this music. Incredible to think that 50 years later today's most popular, contemporary artists couldn't wait to sing a Beatles song! (kk)
Hello
This is Beatle Bob, community radio DJ, music journalist, and cable
TV show producer from St. Louis, Mo. I came across your boss looking site while
doing some research on who played the first Beatles record in America. It was a
superb article and I've since viewed many of your other older blogs as
well.
I did come across a few errors, however in your piece.
he first televised story on
the Beatles was on November 18, 1963. NBC’s Huntley - Brinkley
Report aired a four-minute story on the Beatles at 6:53 p.m. The segment,
which utilized film of the Beatles and the crowd at the group’s November 16
concert at the Winter Gardens Theatre in Bournemouth, was filed by Edwin Newman,
a correspondent based in New York who had previously headed the network’s London
bureau. Below is a link the entire audio portion of that story. Unfortunately,
NBC did not keep the video
files.
The Jack
Paar Program did not air their Beatles segment until January 3, 1964. In
fact, Paar was even beaten to the the CBS Mornings News who actually broadcast a
great story on the Fab Four that was also supposed to have been repeated on the
CBS Evening News. Unfortunately, the date it was broadcast was November 22,
1963, just a couple of hours before JFK's assassination. Hit the video link to
hear that original broadcast.
Luckily, Walter Kronkite
somehow remembered the report and decided to rebroadcast it on December 10,
1963. Hit the link below to read the entire story.
And hit the youtube link
below to hear what could have been the first, or close to the first broadcast of
The Beatles "Please Please Me" on the WLS by boss DJ Dick
Biondi.
Besides being a St. Louis music journalist, radio DJ and public
cable music reporter, I also serve as the MC of some stages at such big
festivals as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Wakarusa, New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival.
Thank You,
Beatle Bob
Beatle Bob Bio
An
interview with me by the press at Bonnaroo.
Below are two sites that conducted interviews with me three years
ago, as they honored me in St. Louis on August 10, 2010, as being the day I
attended my 5,000 consecutive night out seeing a live concert. The site just
below is that of Jambase, one of the world's biggest jam band concert sites, and
the story they did on my special night. Just below that site, is the interview
Kevin Johnson, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (our only daily newspaper)
conducted with me marking my special concert
milestone.
And below is my interview with the legendary
'60s British Invasion duo - Chad & Jeremy - that I conducted backstage at
the legendary St. Louis concert venue - The Sheldon Concert Hall. This interview
was part of my many segments I air on the local music cable show I produce. You
can watch the video below:
And last, but not least, read my special
moment as the MC of Bonnaroo below:
These pics below were taken at the 2009 Bonnaroo
Festival in Manchester,Tn, where a crowd of 80,000 people per day took in the
4-day shindig. I had the honor of EMCEEing Bonnaroo for the 4th straight year
and the biggest highlight for me , serving as the EMCEE, was introducing Rock
& Roll Hall Of Famer, Grammy -award winner, the R&B great Solomon Burke.
Not only did I get to introduce The King of Rock & Soul, but sing lead
vocals with Solomon on one of his biggest R&B hits: "Everybody Needs
Somebody To Love."
Other acts I got to introduce at Bonnaroo were Levon
Helm, Jacob Dylan, to name a few.
Beatle Bob
And then ...
Greetings Kent,
A few more observations and items to send
your way.
First of all, concerning your story on
The Beatles Wall Of Shame, I certainly agree with you that Dave Dexter Jr.
(please always designate his name with Jr. as we don't want to shame his father
who a very good sports reporter), should be the #1 poster-boy in this
category.
That being said, I thought you let him
off way too easy. Beside almost capsulizing Beatlemania, he also did more damage
to the Fab Four after they signed with Capitol Records. His notorious role, in
resequencing, reconfiguring, remastering, and re-compiling the
group's recordings for the American market, is a criminal act against
the greatest rock & roll band of all-time.
Additionally, aside from the Help! album
deficiencies as a U.S. release, the biggest criticism of Dexter's work derived
from his constant remastering of the original British recordings -- his
sculpting of the Beatles' albums had some basis in raw economics and
practicality, but his re-sculpting of the sound of the actual songs seems to
have been an active, aesthetic choice that he later had to defend many times.
Dexter and other executives at Capitol apparently believed that American
listeners preferred their rock & roll music drenched in reverb,
and added layers of it to many of the group's recordings when they hit these
shores. It made the British originals, when they started coming over as direct
imports, all the more impressive to U.S. ears. And this sacrilege was his
biggest criminal act again the Beatles and their fans.
------------
SOME EARLY SIGNS OF U.S. BEATLEMANIA
Check out the following Top 40 radio
surveys.
KMEN has the Beatles' "From
Me To You" clocking in at #17.
Even more impressive, a competing San Bernadino Top 40 station -
KMEN- had "From Me To
You" making their Top 10, at #9.
How did the Beatles' "From Me To You" rate in the year-end
KMEN survey of the
Top 129 45's of 1963? Good enough to finish #113 for the year! (This from the KMEN - 129 Radio 1963 Sound-A-Thon Souvenir Survey for San Bernardino / Riverside - The K/Men-Dous 129 of 1963
Akron, Ohio's WAKR had "From Me To You"
garnering a spot in their Top 15 with a placement of #13.
And a sign of early Beatlemania on Philadelphia's WIBG which had The Beatles'
"She Loves You" nestled in their Top 99 at #81, just a week before it's initial release on Swan
Records. No doubt being a Philly label helped somewhat in getting the "home
team" some airplay just as WLS helped their home boys
label Vee Jay Records
with "Please Please Me."
Beatle Bob
re:
Let's Spend The Night
Together:
>>>Here's an interesting
and true story regarding this week's WIXY Sixty survey you posted: At Number 16 this week was the Rolling Stones
hit, "Let's Spend The Night Together". Because of it's risque title, many stations did not play it, and as
many people know, Mick Jagger "reluctantly " had to alter the title on The Ed
Sullivan Show to "Let's Spend Some Time Together". Back in WIXY-land, they came up with their own way of
skirting the controversy of the song's title (which is most likely why the
survey only calls the song "Let's Spend" on paper. WIXY had re-spliced the song
to have Mick and the Gang sing it as, "Let's Spend The To-Night-Gether"!!!
Not sure how long that special
WIXY version was used or whether area rivals WKYC or CKLW played the "original
version" -- if at all, but nonetheless I thought it was a great story from a
station who had a lot of creativity and did a lot to draw in the listeners and
keep them there ... something obviously lost in the modern-day radio world.
("Uncle T.Jay", KAFM
Radio)
I can't say that I remember hearing
that version of Let's Spend The Night Together on WIXY.
I went back and checked on my
surveys. My collection of WHK surveys ends in January, 1967, so they must have
switched their format around that time. On the WIXY surveys, they switched from
printed ones that I picked up in the record stores, to ones printed in the
Friday newspaper, early in 1967. The last printed one I have is January 9,
1967. The survey you included was January 30. By March 12 (the one I am
attaching), they were listing it as Let's Spend / Ruby Tuesday. It had peaked
at #10 the week before and was on its way down at this point.
I was surprised to see that neither
Let's Spend The Night Together nor Ruby Tuesday appeared on the WKYC charts at
all. I do remember hearing both sides often on the radio, maybe WKYC played it
but left it off of their charts.
On my personal charts, I had Ruby
Tuesday most weeks, although there were a couple weeks when I showed it as Ruby
Tuesday / Night, probably because of how WIXY was showing it on their charts by
then.
I found some more WHK surveys.
Apparently they switched from printed format to newspaper also, early in 1967.
Attached is the WHK survey from February 16, 1967, where they have it listed as
Ruby Tuesday / Night
Doug
I wonder if anybody has a sound
clip of this "unique" edit to share! (kk)
Hi Kent -
From the wixy1260.com tribute website,
they have a clip of the "Clean Version" of the song.
Go to http://www.wixy1260.com/WIXYSoundFiles.htm . At the top of the page, go four clips down. There is a clip of
the version (Probably used a whole roll of spicing tape for this one) as heard
on WIXY from early 1967.
Uncle T.Jay
TOO funny! And people
listening to the radio REALLY thought that's what they were singing?!?!?
Imagine their surprise when they brought the record home and played it!
Some GREAT
vintage surveys here, too ... if you grew up listening to this station, you'll
love this website link. (kk)
And give this some thought for a
moment if you will ...
If you watched that CNN British
Invasion special last week, you saw the "Hollywood Palace" clip that Chet
Coppock is always talking about ... where Dean Martin (talking about how he's
been rolled while he was stoned) introducing The Rolling Stones to the American
audience ... where they then proceeded to perform "I Just Want To Make Love To
You" live on national tv ... yet two and a half full years later, Ed Sullivan
made them change the lyrics of their song to "Let's Spend Some TIME Together".
What's up with THAT?!?!? (kk)
re: Dave Clark:
Kent-
The Beatles
earned their ubiquity, but Ed Sullivan was enamored with another act around this
time as well: The Dave Clark Five. Clark is still going strong, and recently
spoke with us about that time:
I got a call from Ed Sullivan
while all the boys were still working in factories and offices. I'd never heard
of Ed Sullivan. We never got it in England, never got his show, so I turned it
down.
Then I got a call back a week
later from Ed Sullivan's son-in-law Bob Precht, who is a producer. They said
"Look, we'd like you on the show," and they offered us quite a lot of
money.
But the thing that really
inspired us was that we were going to go professional for the first time. We had
a sold-out tour of England a week later. I said to the guys, "Now, what have we
got to lose? They're going to fly us over, all expenses paid."
We went over, did "The Sullivan
Show." I didn't realize in those days that you had a dress rehearsal before a
live audience on the Saturday, and if he didn't like you, you didn't necessarily
appear.
Anyway, we went down so well
that we then went from bottom-of-the-barrel to second, to top of the bill. We
went down so well on the live performance, he called us back on, which cut into
the top act's last song. He said, "I'm holding them over in America for next
Sunday. They're getting top of the bill."
We were already booked in
England, so I said, "I'm sorry, I can't do it." And he said, "But this is Mr.
Sullivan," and I said, "Well, I'm very flattered." So I went into his office. He
said, "Dave, I thought you'd be thrilled; there are 70 million people watching
the show." And I said, "I am thrilled, but if you would have asked me first, I
wouldn't have put you in the embarrassing position." So he said, "Well, look,
I'll buy out the show in England," and I said "Wow, what can I
say?"
Here's the whole interview:
