[magnumlady]

Originally Posted by notnumber

http://www.thegrandsocial.ie/event/mersey-beatles

anyone going?

I went to see them in Sligo. Brilliant, I would really recommend them.

[Latchy]

Originally Posted by Welsh Megaman

Excellent documentary. Best can't be too glum...the royalties from 'Anthology 1' made him a millionaire.

Yes indeed but in many interviews I've seen of him ,his anger and frustrations still shows through which is quite understandable .He had to sit through many years of Beatlemania knowing that faith had decided he was only going to be a footnote in Beatles history and not part of it all .

I remember as a child the Beatles singing All You Need Is Love to a world wide tv audience and their last performance on TOTP singing Get Back .I did meet Ringo once in Amsterdam (simply because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time ) ,met the Fist Beatles manager Alan Williams a few times and I got to see Paul play a cracking set in concert last December at the Liverpool Echo Arena .They wont be the only group that influenced my musical tastes , they were the first and most important one at that .

[OU812]

Originally Posted by kunst nugget

George Harrison with My Sweet Lord iirc. Didn't do him much good considering the controversy over plagiarism.

As the Beatles were officially disbanded in April 71, the first solo hit cannot be applied to George Harrison.

Under the strictest terms of being after the Beatles actually split and with a solo career, the honour goes to Ringo Starr and "It don't come easy". It's notable that in fact the one of two of the Beatles has music hits whilst still firmly together, writing film scores and songs for others; McCartney for example.

[DEFTLEFTHAND]

Any truth to the rumours that J Lennon put an end to Pete Best. I've recently read that Lennon didn't like the fact that Pete got quite a bit of attention from the ladies. The usually excuses that are given are incompetence on the drums and refusing the image change.

Pete could play just as good as Ringo and he would have gone along with the hairstyle and image given the chance.

[mathepac]

Originally Posted by DEFTLEFTHAND

... I've recently read that Lennon didn't like the fact that Pete got quite a bit of attention from the ladies. The usually excuses that are given are incompetence on the drums and refusing the image change.

Pete could play just as good as Ringo and he would have gone along with the hairstyle and image given the chance.

All untrue.

When the Beatles did their first recoding audition with Parlaphone in London, Pete's playing was reported as being diabolical, losing the beat at times and speeding up and slowing down at various stages. When George Martin agreed to a second recording session he booked a session drummer to replace Pete for the session.

In the meantime, between the two sessions, Brian Epstein wanted to consolidate himself as the Beatles' manager, with no possible challenges to his authority. Having succeeded in getting them the initial Parlaphone test, he reportedly needed to stamp his authority on all future dealings.

Pete's mother ran a coffee shop and was the Beatles' unofficial booking agent as she had a phone (unusual in those days) and the lads tended to hang out there between gigs. Epstein needed to eliminate her as a "middle-woman" between the Beatles and possible bookers / venues and route all revenue-making enquiries through his own offices.

There are reports that he also wanted an older level-headed accomplice in the musicians camp as his eyes and ears. Ringo, an experienced performer and tourer and already a Mersey-side celebrity before the Beatles arrived on the scene seemed to fit the bill. He was also 3 or 4 years older than the other three, lending him in Epstein's eyes at any rate, a certain gravitas.

So Pete and his Mammy out, Ringo in and nothing to do with looks or competition with John for fans' affections.

When the Beatles showed up for their second session, this time with George Martin in attendance at the studio, the session drummer was already in situ so Ringo didn't play. Martin didn't know Ringo was not the original bad drummer he'd heard on the earlier tapes.

Some people confuse stories about Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. Stuart, the original bass-player, left the Beatles voluntarily, setting up house with Ingrid, Klaus Voorman's former girlfriend in Germany when the rest of lads went back to Liverpool. Ingrid took most of the earliy pictures of the Beatles and was at least partly responsible for the early "black leather" look. Stuart died of a brain haemorrhage before the Beatles returned to Hamburg. He was certainly the main female attraction in the Beatles and IMHO if he'd survived, would have been the teeny-bopper pin-up par excellence from the original line-up.

Sources:

"The Beatles, Images of an Iconic Band" (X-Factor fans please note the word "Iconic" - not "very Iconic", not "more Iconic".
"The Beatles - 10 Years that Shook the World"
"The Beatles Anthology" by The Beatles
various other books, articles, magazines, critiques and my own interpretations and prejudices (which are few!).

[Latchy]

Originally Posted by DEFTLEFTHAND

Any truth to the rumours that J Lennon put an end to Pete Best. I've recently read that Lennon didn't like the fact that Pete got quite a bit of attention from the ladies. The usually excuses that are given are incompetence on the drums and refusing the image change.

Pete could play just as good as Ringo and he would have gone along with the hairstyle and image given the chance.

I heard it was Paul ,not John who was most vocal in wanting Best out because he was getting the most attention from the fans at the Cavern and also because it was felt by all that his personality and humor wasn't in sync with John Paul and George's .Good or bad drummer is debatable but Epstein needed a good reason to fire him from the group and Best's mother Mona was also deemed to be an unwanted influence to .

[trashcan]

Originally Posted by Latchy

I heard it was Paul ,not John who was most vocal in wanting Best out because he was getting the most attention from the fans at the Cavern and also because it was felt by all that his personality and humor wasn't in sync with John Paul and George's .Good or bad drummer is debatable but Epstein needed a good reason to fire him from the group and Best's mother Mona was also deemed to be an unwanted influence to .

From my reading of McCartney it quite possible that he could have been the prime mover, however, while I think he was ruthless when it came to the band, I think it was all music related. (See also the Stuart Sutcliffe situation, who he was also accused of forcing out.) McCartney was such a good player, and knew what he wanted in the band and couldn't tolerate anyone who he felt didn't match up. Oh, and on Pete Best, if you listen to the version of Love Me Do on the anthology with him playing, I think you can hear why he was replaced. It's not the best (no pun intended )

[Ziegfeldgirl27]

Originally Posted by mathepac

Stuart, the original bass-player, left the Beatles voluntarily, setting up house with Ingrid, Klaus Voorman's former girlfriend in Germany when the rest of lads went back to Liverpool. Ingrid took most of the earliy pictures of the Beatles and was at least partly responsible for the early "black leather" look. Stuart died of a brain haemorrhage before the Beatles returned to Hamburg.

Her name was Astrid, not Ingrid.

[mathepac]

Thanks. Astrid Kirchherr, my bad.

[Ziegfeldgirl27]

Went to the Olympia on saturday night to see "Get Back" - has anyone else seen it?

I was so so impressed, they could imitate the Beatles speaking voices to a tee, which was really quite wierd! And of course their performance was just out of this world. My father, who was with me, even said that they were actually BETTER than the Beatles!

[CUPimus]

The Beatles are sucha legendary band! Where would music be without them?

[Jijsaw]

I'm resurrecting this thread, with two of my favourite Beatles songs.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M-2lMstw6qs
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qMfrllQQ6_U