Paul Merton is a respected British comedian, broadcaster and writer who appears on the BBC panel show 'Have I Got News For You'. In this BBC Radio 2 production, he imagines what would have happened if the Beatles (along with some of their famous friends) had re-united for a one off concert in 1974. In a four part series, Merton, a Beatlemaniac like all the rest of us, presents this concert with a Terry Wogan-esque narration. Have a listen at the link below and just imagine what it might have been like:
And if that isn't enough, Martin Freeman (Yes, John Watson himself is a massive Beatles fan, didn't you know? Sherlock though, he can't understand the appeal!) presents a documentary also on Radio 2 about Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band. You can also listen to it free and un-geoblocked (The BBC are totally fine with everyone in the world listening to their radio) right at the link below:
As part two of our series, The Beatles Interview Series, we would like to share something a bit different. In 1963, The Beatles appeared on the UK television show, Juke Box Jury, where panelists voted whether the latest songs were going to be a "hit" or a "miss." According to Jay Spangler of The Beatles Ultimate Experience, "The video of the Beatles' appearance on Juke Box Jury
seemingly no longer exists. Luckily, the audio from this television
appearance has survived" and it is from this audio, that this "interview" was transcribed. There was a rumor late in 2013 that there was a lot of lost footage from the 1960s found at a Nigerian television station and that this episode of Juke Box Jury might have been among the recovered footage, but no word since then. Here's to wishful thinking!
Song heard: Kiss Me Quick - Elvis Presley PAUL: "The only thing I don't like about Elvis now is the songs.
You know, I love his voice. I used to love all the records
like 'Blue Suede Shoes' and 'Heartbreak Hotel,' lovely. But I don't like
the songs now. And Kiss Me Quick, it sounds like Blackpool
on a sunny day."
(laughter, followed by applause) RINGO: "I didn't like it at all, no." GEORGE: "I must admit I didn't like it very much. Not at all.
It's an old track. And I think, seeing as they're releasing
old stuff, if they release something like 'My Baby Left Me' it'd be
number one. Because Elvis is definitely still popular, it's just
the song's a load of rubbish. I mean, Elvis is great. He's fine. But
it's not for me." JOHN: "Well, I think it'll be a hit because it's Elvis, like people said. But I don't think it'll be very great. (comically) I
like those hats, though, with 'Kiss Me Quick' on it!"
(laughter)
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: HIT)
Song heard: Hippy Hippy Shake - The Swinging Bluejeans RINGO: "I liked it. I thought it was good. But it's not as good as the original by Chan Romero. It still swings, and it should
sell. I hope it does, anyway." GEORGE: "I think it could possibly be a hit, because I know for a fact that The Hippy Shake's a very popular song around
here. We used to do it ourselves."
(John laughs comically, the crowd of fans cheer) GEORGE: "I know a lot of the groups around here do this song, and they're expecting somebody to come up with a new version
of it. I think it could possibly be a hit. I like the way the Bluejeans did it, but I still prefer Chan Romero's version." JOHN: "Yeah, I think it'll be a hit because they sort of re-made it for the last one, and it's better. Especially without
that banjo. I like Bill Harry's version as well. I think it'll be a small hit, at least."
(laughter) PAUL: "I think it'll be a hit too, because I don't think it matters much about the Chan Romero record being greater, 'cuz
I don't think many people will remember the fact that he did it, and he wrote it as well. You know, I don't think people will
remember. They'll just think of it as a new song."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: HIT)
Song heard: Did You Have A Happy Birthday - Paul Anka GEORGE: "Well, I had a happy birthday, yeah."
(laughter) GEORGE: "But I mean, If I'd have heard the record first, I maybe would have cut that out."
(laughter) GEORGE: "You know, I definitely don't like it. It's not for me. (jokingly) And I didn't get the flowers either that he
sent me."
(laughter) JOHN: (jokingly, at the top of his voice) "I LIKE IT !!!"
(laughter) JOHN: "I don't like these sort of sob songs, and it sounds as though he's on tremelo, technically. You know, it sounds a
bit wobbley. Anyway, I don't like it." PAUL: "Well, I don't like it either, because of that little crack in his voice. He sounds, you know, off his head."
(laughter) PAUL: "Instead of 'Happy Birthday' it's (comically) 'Woo woo woo!'"
(laughter) PAUL: "It's a bit off, and I don't like it." RINGO: "Uhh, I didn't like it at all. It's such a big drag, man, the way it sounded, you know."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: MISS)
Song heard: The Nitty Gritty - Shirley Ellis JOHN: "Uhh yeah. I like it. I thought it was somebody else. I've never heard of Shirley Ellis. I like all those kind
of things. I'll buy it. But I believe it won't be a hit." DAVID JACOBS: "Who did you think it was?" JOHN: "At first I thought it was Mary Wells. I liked that." PAUL: "The same as he said. In fact, I will say exactly the same 'cuz I agree with him. I love these kind of records but
I don't think this one will be a hit, 'cuz I dunno... It doesn't say anything." RINGO: "You know, we all like this sort of thing. I'd buy it, but I don't think it'll be a hit." GEORGE: "Well, it definitely won't be a hit, in England anyway. It probably will be, or probably is already in the States.
But I don't think it'll be a hit. The public haven't got 'round to that sort of stuff yet. When they do, I mean, that would
be..." DAVID JACOBS: "So, you mean you think that our teenagers are behind the Americans in their tastes?" GEORGE: "Yeah I mean, just lately they've been going for some more way-out stuff, and Rhythm and Blues, and THIS sort of
thing we've always liked. We've liked it for years. And it still hasn't caught on in England." PAUL: "Well it's just that people who buy the records, their taste doesn't match the teenagers generally. Lots of teenagers
love this kind of music but don't buy it, because they don't buy records."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: MISS)
Song heard: I Can't Stop Talking About You - Steve And Eydie PAUL: "Uhh, yeah. I don't think it's a good'n. It's alright. That kind of thing is catchy. It may be catchy, but I just don't
think it's good, generally." RINGO: "I like it, you know. I think she carries them, actually."
(laughter) GEORGE: "I think it's equally as good as (sings) 'da de-de-de-de de-de da-deee.' It's great, I like it, the sort of relaxed
style of both. Yeah, I like it and I think it's a hit." JOHN: "I don't like it as much as their last one. I don't even like it... I usually like everything Goffin and King write,
but not this one. It's too sweet, you know. de-da-de, you know. A bit Christmassy, maybe. I don't like it, though. It'll be a
vague hit." DAVID JACOBS: "A vague one." JOHN: "A vague hit."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: HIT)
Song heard: Do You Really Love Me Too - Billy Fury DAVID JACOBS: "Do you really love me too, Ringo?" RINGO: "Not you."
(laughter) RINGO: "I didn't like it, you know. I've never bought one of his records, but he's very popular, so it's just uhh... no." GEORGE: "Not bad, but it was okay, but I wouldn't buy it. And I thought the guitar is just exactly the same as Cliff's. In
fact, it's only about a note difference." JOHN: "He just said the bit about the beginning, didn't he, being like Cliff's one. The tune's not bad. It's quite pleasant.
It's one of those you gotta hear again... uhh, tomorrow."
(laughter) PAUL: "I quite like it, and the same things John said jokingly. The only thing I thought, as well as the guitar bit being like
the Cliff Richard bit, the tune is just a little bit like (sings) 'Well I feed the cows and I milks the sheep and I...'"
(laughter, followed by applause) PAUL: "But I still think it'll be a hit."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: HIT)
Song heard: There I've Said It Again - Bobby Vinton GEORGE: "Umm, it's quite nice, but I mean, I don't think the record buying public buys this sort of stuff, I mean, the majority --
which will make it a miss. But you know, it's quite alright. I wouldn't buy it me-self." JOHN: "Uhh, well, I dunno. What is Bobby Vinton doing? He's
bringing the oldies back. He might do it, but people always
cover them over here. But especially anything old. You know, everybody
does it all at once. And he missed it with the last one here.
(loudly, comically) I THINK HE'S GONNA MISS IT WITH THIS ONE TOO!!"
(laughter) PAUL: "Umm, yeah. I think the thing about bringing back old songs
and doing them these days, teenagers don't really want old
songs brought back. I'm sure they'd like to have songs that they can
call their own instead of bringing back their mum and dad's songs." DAVID JACOBS: "Well now, just a minute. What about Frank Ifield and all that lot?" PAUL: "Yeah, okay." GEORGE: "What about Mule Train?"
(laughter) PAUL: "Yeah well, you're probably right. But I'm sure that if you could get songs these days as GOOD as the old ones, only new
songs, that would be ten times better." JOHN: "Frank Ifield... that's just practically the same as the old." DAVID JACOBS: "I might tell you that I'm terrified of disagreeing with you chaps, you know, in front of all these people. However,
let's see what Ringo says. Ringo." RINGO: "I liked it, you know. It's nice and smooth. And if you're sort of staying in one night, put it on."
(laughter) RINGO: "But yeah, right. It won't sell." DAVID JACOBS: "Thank you, Don Juan Starr."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: MISS)
Song heard: Love Hit Me - The Orchids DAVID JACOBS: "Three Coventry school gils called the Orchids on 'Love Hit Me.' John Lennon." JOHN: "Well you know, it's just a big cop, or pinch. It sounds... If it had come out before the Crystals and the Ronettes it
would've been great. They've even got that, what is it... castanets?" RINGO: "Tambourine." JOHN: (loudly, giggling) Tambourine, is THAT what it's called!!"
(laughter) JOHN: "It's quite nice, but it's sort of the British version, you know, which... although the song's original, I think. But
it sounds... doesn't sound right." PAUL: "It's okay. It sounds great for an English record, though,
you know. Because about a year ago, if someone had brought
this out and said 'Listen to this record,' I don't think you would've
believed that it was an English one. It's marvelous, the sound
things. And I think it's great. I like it." RINGO: "It's good, you know. I wouldn't buy it. It may sell a few but not that many."
(Beatles laugh) GEORGE: "I thought it was quite nice. I liked the idea of the
British records sort of being on the way to
boom-chicka-boom-chicka, all this. I like the American stuff like the
Crystals, I mean, even though it is a pinch, you know. I'd rather
they pinch the Crystals than carry on doing the stuff they've been
doing."
(Beatles vote by holding up cards. Consensus: MISS) DAVID JACOBS: "They say that it will be a miss, which in fact is most unfortunate, because we do have sitting in the audience
three young ladies called The Orchids. Stand up, young ladies. There they are"
(crowd applauds) GEORGE: (jokingly) "Sorry! Didn't mean it!!" JOHN: (switching his card) "I'll change it to hit!"
(laughter) JOHN: "I'll buy it! I'll buy two!" DAVID JACOBS: (laughs) JOHN: (comically) "I didn't know you were here!" DAVID JACOBS: (laughing) "John thinks it's a lousy trick but we'll get on to the next record."
Song heard: I Think Of You - The Merseybeats
(As time was running out in the program, the Beatles did not share their
comments on this song, but simply held a quick vote. Consensus: HIT) DAVID JACOBS: "This is where I say that unfortunately we have to take our leave of you. So, on behalf of the Jury, that's
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison. Don't forget to join the Beatles later at 8:10 on BBC
television tonight. And join us at the usual time next week for another session of Juke Box Jury. Goodnight."
I wanted to talk about the fact that there is no footage to go
along with this fantastic audio of the Beatles very first appearance on
'Val Parnell's Sunday Night at the London Palladium' in 1963.
This
appearance is what is widely regarded as the beginning of the
Beatlemania phenomenon as a whole in Britain. It certainly attracted the
attention of the newspapers who ran stories the next morning of the
scenes inside and outside of the Palladium of screaming fans and
fainting. Of course, the papers and journalists were months behind the
times as this had been going on, in Liverpool at least, for 3 years
already! But now the term 'Beatlemania' was coined (by the Daily Mirror,
no less) and it was "Happening everywhere... even in sedate
Cheltenham!"
Beatlemania: The Daily Mirror noted that it was 'Happening everywhere' in November 1963.
Sunday Night At the London
Palladium was a variety show in Britain similar to The Ed Sullivan Show
(that the Beatles would debut in America on in February of 1964) in the
United States. The show usually opened with a performance from The
Tiller Girls but this evening, the 13th October, the curtains went up
and the Beatles appeared briefly. The place went insane! Host Bruce
Forsyth (Yep, the same Brucey, he was the same age as Paul is now, back
then!) tried in vain to quiet them and when they finally did he told
them "And if you want to see them again, they'll be back in 42 minutes!"
The
audience, both at home and in the theatre, had to sit through all the
other acts that appeared, which included Singer/comedian Des O'Connor
and American R'n'B singer Brook Benton.
“I went on just before they did and had six minutes for my act, I could barely hear myself. I knew the
audience wanted me out of the way as soon as possible so I made jokes
and sang bits of Beatles songs. When I heard Paul warming up on bass
behind the curtain, I cut my act short by two minutes.” - Des O'Connor
After
Des had done his bit, Bruce Forsyth came back out in a collarless
jacket and Beatle wig, saying; "I thought I'd be a dead ringer for
Ringo! Are you ready?! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Here they are! The Beatles!" and
finally the curtains came back up and the Beatles performed.
The
songs they performed were; 'From Me To You', 'I'll Get You', 'She Loves
You' (Their most recent hit) and ending with 'Twist & Shout'. Just
before the last song, Paul's introduction was drowned out by the screams
from the audience, to which Lennon screamed "SHUURRRUP!" to more
screams and a round of applause from the older members of the audience
who were no doubt getting extremely fed up of the teenage girls'
shrieking and screaming.
The Beatles performed once more on the show in January 1964 but after that, never again.
ATV
(Which was later to become ITV in Britain) produced the show and I was
hoping that, since we all know about the BBC and their policy of wiping
in the 1960s and 70s, that ATV wouldn't have done the same thing.
Appears they did. Why? Well because back then, everything that was recorded was bigger and took up much more space and when colour TV came around in the late 60s. The BBC and ITV thought that monochromatic footage was of even LESS VALUE and they couldn't re-use the tapes and subsequently....destroyed the tapes. Yes people. The Beatles' appearances on BBC shows like 'Juke Box Jury' and 'Top Of The Pops' are missing, probably wiped. I can only imagine when the BBC started their archiving in the late 70s and discovered that almost all of their output from the beginning of television in the 1930s to the 1960s was gone, you could probably hear their collective heads banging against the wall.
The
footage is listed as missing and this audio was captured by a TV viewer
who hooked up his record player to record the audio to vinyl. I'd like
to say on behalf of Beatles fans everywhere, Thank you to everyone who
experienced the Beatles first hand and recorded footage or audio of
their appearances! Corporations like the BBC and ATV/ITV obviously
decided posterity wasn't in their best interests! I always say that if I could travel back in time. I'd bring a camera and camcorder for the future!
Coming almost 20 years after the release of the two CD compilation that comprised live recordings and interviews with the band at BBC studios all over Britain between 1962 and 1965, Apple is set to release The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2.
This is reported to have more unreleased material that the BBC have dug up from their archives and it was previously thought to be lost due to the narrow minded policy that the BBC had of wiping and re-using tapes. This policy was upheld in BBC television too and has resulted in the loss of many hours of material, including the Beatles and John Lennon's solo appearances on Juke Box Jury and the Beatles last live appearance on music show Top of The Pops in 1966. It is really quite despairing that, without the use of a DeLorean fitted with a flux capacitor, we will never get to see this wonderful material.
The reported cover art for the second volume of BBC recordings.
The Beatles, due to the constant pressures of fame, touring and studio work stopped giving live radio appearances on the BBC in 1965, despite promises from Brian Epstein, their manager, that they would continue. As their worldwide fame increased, radio was something that they had outgrown and didn't need anymore.
But at least the BBC have found something that we can at least listen to and I for one am looking forward to hearing some wonderful unreleased material that has been gathering dust all these years. Along with the new CD will be a book 'The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-70' written by Kevin Howlett, who has authored two other books about the Beatles at the British Broadcasting Corporation.
The Beatles Live at the BBC Volume 2 goes on sale October 10th.
Although the Beatles were never actually on this very funny 1990's BBC sitcom that starred Nicholas Lyndhurst as time-traveller Gary Sparrow who flits between 1990's London and 1940's War-torn London their influence was strongly felt in the show.
The character of Gary can play the piano and in the 1940's Pianos were everywhere in pubs. Being a time-traveller, Gary knows all about the Beatles 20 years before they came into being and so sings their songs to the war weary masses. But he also claims he wrote them. Which, speaking from a 1940's viewpoint, he did but speaking from a 1990's viewpoint, he most certainly did not. Something which his Liverpudlian friend Ron is keen to point out. "It's not as if John, Paul, George and Ringo are going to walk into the Royal Oak and catch me at it" There was also a very funny episode centered around the song 'When I'm 64'when Gary plays it rather innocently in the 1940's and ends up nearly giving it to George Formby to sing! There have been MANY Beatles references in this show as the writers made Gary a huge Beatles fan and the opportunity for him to sing those songs in the 1940's pub setting was irresistible to them. Here are a selection of them from the show.....
Gary sings 'Penny Lane' in Liverpool, 1942.
Gary invents Psychadelia by singing 'I Am The Walrus' during an Air Raid in 1941
At a Tea dance, Gary serenades a little girl with the Revolver ballad 'Here, There and Everywhere' in 1941
Gary meets George Harrison in the pub in 1941 but not the George Harrison we know!
