The Beatles essay #1

Kippen – Beatles MUS321

NB – The following are abridged notes from my PowerPoint slides that will guide you through my lecture and allow you to take your own notes based on what I say without having to copy down everything you see on screen.

2. Early Days: Beginnings to the first number one hit

John Winston Lennon

Parents

Personality

Skiffle

Quarry Men: Lennon’s “gang”

Fateful meeting with guitarist Paul McCartney

James Paul McCartney

Parents

Personality

George Harrison

Parents

Influence of Duane Eddy

Quarry Men early songs

First recording

Holly’s “That’ll Be The Day” & “In Spite Of All The Danger” (McC & H)

Lennon & McCartney: Why did this relationship work?

Mothers

Stuart Sutcliffe

Liverpool coffee houses

Casbah, 1959 (owner: Mona Best)

Jacaranda, 1960 (owner: Allan Williams)

Other Liverpool bands

Richard Starkey, alias Ringo Starr

Drums & Hamburg

Randolph Peter Best

First Hamburg visit

Rehearsal, Hamburg 1960

The Look

Astrid Kirchherr

Back to Liverpool

Sutcliffe & Kirchherr

The Cavern

Momentous decision?

Back to Hamburg

Alternated sets with Tony Sheridan

“My Bonnie” / “When The Saints Go Marching In”

In need of a manager?

Brian Epstein

Taming of The Beatles

Decca session, January 1, 1962

Decca's decision?

Cavern / Hamburg again

George Martin

Parlophone (EMI)

Audition June 6, 1962

Beatles played “Besame Mucho” plus 3 original compositions:

What Martin liked?

What Martin disliked?

What Martin suggested?

The firing of Pete Best

Why was Ringo a better fit?

Ringo Starr

First performance at The Cavern August 22 1962

Rejection of “How Do You Do It?”

“Love Me Do”

Recording session, September 4, 1962

Love, love me do.

You know I love you,

I'll always be true,

So please, love me do.

Someone to love,

Somebody new.

Someone to love,

Someone like you.

Analysis

Drumming?

New session, September 11, 1962

Andy White

Question of chemistry

The right ingredients?