Welcome to the Beatles Timeline Key!
Following are short explanations for each of the symbols shown in the iconic moments (middle) section of the Beatles Timeline Poster.
1956
Guitar – John received his first guitar
Trumpet/Guitar – Paul was given a trumpet by his father. He convinced his father to allow him to trade it in for a guitar
Guitar – George received his first guitar
1957
Drum set – Ringo received his first drum set
Ritchie and the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group – Well before joining the Beatles, and well before having the nickname “Ringo”, Ritchie Starkey (Ringo Starr) wast he drummer for the Eddie Clayton Skiffle Group (skiffle was the music craze in England before rock and roll made it big.
Garden Fete, St. Peter’s Church, Woolton, Jul 6 – This is when Paul McCartney first met John Lennon. Lennon and his group, the Quarrymen skiffle group, were playing at the St. Peter’s Church fete. They were playing the song, Come Go With Me, when Paul first heard them.
New Clubmoor Hall, Oct 18 – Paul played for the first time with the Quarrymen. He was playing lead guitar for the song, Guitar Boogie, and he was struck with stage fright and did not play well. This was a contributor to him later being the bass player for the Beatles with George Harrison playing lead.
The Cavern Club – The Cavern Club first opened in 1957. At the time, rock and roll was not allowed. Although the “Beatles” first played the Cavern Club as early as 1957, their prominence playing the Cavern Club did not occur until later in 1961 (to 1963).
1958
That’ll Be the Day and In Spite of All the Danger, Jul 12 – The Quarrymen paid for a recording of themselves covering the Buddy Holly song, That’ll Be the Day, and their own song, In Spite of All the Danger.
The Jacaranda club, Sept – The Jacaranda Club (opened in September by Allan Williams, who would be the Beatles first manager. ) was a local club where the “Beatles” played occasionally but would more often hang out.
1959
The Casbah, Mona Best – Mona Best (Pete Best’s mother, and later mother of a child with Neil Aspinall) began the Casbah Club where the Quarrymen/Beatles often played.
Ken Brown, George and the Les Stuart Quartet – 1959 to early 1960 was a slow time for the Quarrymen (Beatles), so George Harrison played for a short period of time with the Les Stuart Quartet. Ken Brown of the Quarrymen would also play with this group.
Rory Storm and the Hurricanes with Ringo – Rory Storm and the Hurricanes was the most prominent skiffle/rock group in Liverpool as the Beatles were trying to achieve success. Ringo was a successful musician long before the Beatles were, and he played with Rory Storm up until he was asked to join the Beatles in August of 1962, when the Beatles would be recording at EMI (Abbey Road) studios.
1960
Bob Wooler, Compere, Cavern Club, Jan – Bob Wooler had many roles in the music scene as the Beatles were coming up. He began as a manager for a local group, but then moved on to be a disc jockey (compere) at local events, until he landed the job at the Cavern Club in 1960. Wooler was connected with Alan Williams, the Beatles first manager (as well as Bill Harry of the Mersey Beat publication). Wooler promoted local rock groups, including the Beatles to play at the Cavern Club (The Beatles first played there in Jan of ’61).
Harmonica, John, Arnhem, Aug 16 – On their way to perform in Hamburg for the first time, Alan Williams and the Beatles stopped along the way in Arnhem, Netherlands, where John stole a harmonica from a local music store.
Exis, Oct, Astrid Kirchherr, Klaus Voormann, Jurgen Vollmer – The “Exis” were the existentialists that the Beatles met and became friends with during their first trip to Hamburg. Stu Sutcliffe left the Beatles because he fell in love with Astrid Kirchherr. Klaus Voorman had been involved with Astrid, but after a fight, went off to the Kaiserkeller, where he heard the Beatles play and was so impressed that he brought his friends back to hear and see the Beatles. Klaus Voorman later designed the Revolver LP cover. And Jurgen Vollmer later, in Paris in October of 1961, cut John and Paul’s hair to be the famous Beatles-style moptop haircut.
German flag, Indra & Kaiserkeller, 8/19 – 11/28 – The Beatles first played Hamburg in 1960 at the Indra Club and then the Kaiserkeller Club.
1961
My Bonnie, The Saints, Jun 22, Oct 23 – While in Germany, the Beatles were asked by Bert Kaempfert to back up and record a record with Tony Sheridan. They recorded My Bonnie, The Saints, Why, and Cry for a Shadow. The My Bonnie single was credited to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers and charted in Germany.
Moptop aka “Arthur”, Oct – While celebrating John’s 21st birthday in Paris, John and Paul met up with Jurgen Vollmer (one of the Exis), who convinced them to change their hairstyle to what would become the famous Beatles moptop style. The reference to “Arthur” comes from the Beatles A Hard Day’s Night film in which a journalist asks George what he calls his haircut and George replies: “Arthur.”
NEMS – North End Road Music Store, known as NEMS, was owned by the Epstein family. Brian Epstein, the great Beatles manager (and contender for “5th Beatle” status), became director of NEMS in 1955 at the age of 21. In a961, a new branch was opened at 12-14 Whitechapel. Brian ran the record department, which became one of the biggest record retailers in northern England.
Raymond Jones, Oct 28 – According to Brian Epstein, an 18-year-old Raymond Jones walked into NEMS on October 28th asking for a copy of My Bonnie. Brian claims that this started his interest in the Beatles. He went to see the Beatles on November 9th at the Cavern Club at a lunchtime concert, and then met the Beatles afterward.
German Flag, Top Ten, 4/1 – 7/1 – The Beatles returned to Hamburg, Germany in 1961 and played at the Top Ten Club.
1962
My Bonnie, The Saints, Jan 1 – Decca put out My Bonnie and The Saints (which was recorded in Germany in 1961) in the UK.
Decca Audition, Jan 1 – On New Year’s Day, the Beatles auditioned for Decca Records. They recorded about 15 songs, but were turned down by Dick Rowe, head of A&R, who chose to sign Brian Poole and the Tremeloes instead. Dick Rowe because known as “the man who turned down the Beatles”. But he did later sign the Rolling Stones.
EMI Studio, Jun 6, Sept 4, Sept 11 (+) – EMI Studio, located on Abbey Road, was later renamed Abbey Road Studio. The Beatles first auditioned there on June 6. They returned on September 4th and 11th to record their first single, Love Me Do and P.S. I Love You, released on October 5th.
Bill Harry, Mersey Beat, Jul 6 – Founder of Mersey Beat magazine, an influential music magazine in Liverpool in the early 1960s.
Andy White, Sept 11 – After the September 4th recording sessi0n at EMI, George Martin was not convinced that Ringo would be good enough for the final recording for the first single, so he had Andy White, as session drummer, play drums on September 11th. Ringo played tambourine on Love Me Do and the maracas on PS I Love You.
Little Richard, Oct 12 – The Beatles played Friday night, October 12th, at the Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey. Twelve groups played that night, headed by Little Richard (his organist was Billy Preston). Note: Also playing that night was Lee Curtis and the All-Stars, with Pete Best as their drummer.
German Flag, Star-Club, 4/13 – 5/31, 11/1 – 11/14, 12/18 – 12/31 – The Beatles returned to Hamburg, Germany again in 1962, playing at the Star-Club (for 48 nights total).
1963
TV Set, Apr 13 – On April 13th the Beatles made the national TV debut on the BBC on The 625 Show. The Beatles played From Me Too You, Thank You Girl, and Please Please Me.
Beatles Dropped T, May 12 – On this day, Ringo received his first drum kit with the famous “Dropped-T” logo. It was designed by Ivor Arbiter of Drum City (who was paid 5 pounds), and painted by Edie Stokes. The capital B and the dropped T were intended to emphasize the word Beat.
Rolling Stones, I Wanna Be Your Man, Sept 10 – The Rolling Stones’ second single, I Wanna Be Your Man, was written by Lennon and McCartney (primarily by McCartney). This was the first Stones single to chart and reached #12 in the UK charts. The Beatles then recorded it for their second album, With The Beatles.
Palladium, Oct 13 – The Beatles performed at Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium, a variety show that had millions of viewers. Although their popularity had been rising throughout 1963, the London Palladium performance vaulted them to an even higher level of popularity in the UK and is generally considered to be the start of Beatlemania!
BeatleMANIA!! – After the October 13th performance at the London Palladium, the press started dubbing the reactions of the Beatles fans as Beatlemania! At this point in time, they had the singles releases of Love Me Do/PS I love You, Please Please Me/Ask Me Why, From Me To You/Thank You Girl, and She Loves You/I’ll Get You, and the LP Please Please Me.
Royal Variety Performance, Nov 4 – The Beatles played at the Royal Command (Variety) Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London for the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. Although Beatlemania was already in full force, they were the seventh act of nineteen; but they were the most anticipated act. They performed From Me To You, She Loves You, and Till There Was You. Then John Lennon said to the audience: “For our last number I’d like to ask your help. The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewelry. We’d like to sing a song called Twist and Shout.”
1964
The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night movie poster, Jul 6 – The Beatles first film, A Hard Day’s Night was released in the UK on July 6th. George met Patti Boyd, his first wife, during the filming of A Hard Day’s Night. The title A Hard Day’s Night came from a malapropism from Ringo.
John Lennon’s book In His Own Write, Mar 23 – John’s first published book, In His Own Write, was published on March 23rd.
Ed Sullivan, Feb 9, 16, 23 (& 8/14/65) – The Beatles first performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York on February 9th is considered by Rolling Stone Magazine as the greatest moment in Rock ‘n Roll history. It is estimated that 73 million people tuned in (the US population in 1964 was 192 million). Contrary to popular belief, the Beatles were booked to play The Ed Sullivan Show before I Want To Hold Your Hand went to #1 in the charts in the US on February 1st. The evening of February 9th, the Beatles performed live five songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You, and She Loves You in the first half of the show; then in the second half, they performed I Saw Her Standing There and I Want To Hold Your Hand. The Beatles second performance for the Ed Sullivan Show was broadcast live from the Beatles hotel, The Deauville, in Miami, Florida. They performed six songs: She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. The songs for the February 23rd appearance, Twist And Shout, Please Please Me, and I Want To Hold Your Hand, were recorded on the afternoon of February 9th, but were not broadcast until February 23rd, when the Beatles had already returned to the UK. Their fourth and final performance for the Ed Sullivan Show was recorded on August 14th, 1965 at the CBS Studio, and was aired on September 12th of 1965. They performed six songs: I Feel Fine, I’m Down, Act Naturally, Ticket To Ride, Yesterday, and Help.
Washington Coliseum, Feb 11 – The Beatles performance at the Washington Coliseum was their first US concert. Due to a snowstorm, they had to take a train (instead of a plane) from New York City to Washington DC. They played in front of 8,000+ fans. Opening acts were Jay & The Americans, Tommy Roe, and The Righteous Brothers. The Beatles performed 12 songs.
Carnegie Hall, Feb 12 – The Beatles returned by train (from Washington, DC) to New York City and played two performances at Carnegie Hall on the evening of February 12th. Both shows were sold out (2,900 fans at each show).
Cassius Clay, Feb 18 – The Beatles met Cassius Clay (later Muhammed Ali) who was in Miami preparing for his fight against heavyweight champ, Sonny Liston. (That evening, the Beatles went to a drive-in movie, where they saw an Elvis Presley film, Fun In Acapulco.)
Hollywood Bowl, Aug 23 (US tour Aug 19 – Sept 20) – During their first US tour, the Beatles played at The Hollywood Bowl to a sold out crowd of 18,700 fans. They performed 12 songs. The concert was recorded and many of the songs appeared on the 1977 album, The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl (which also contained songs from their two performances there in 1965 during their second US tour).
Dylan, Aug 28 – The Beatles first met Bob Dylan while they were on their first US tour. Bob Dylan came with his road manager and a mutual friend (Al Aronowitz) to visit them at the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue near Central Park. While there, Dylan suggested that they smoke marijuana. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the first time that all four Beatles had smoked grass. A couple of them (at least John and George) had been exposed to marijuana back in 1960, but it had not left a strong impression on them. Dylan thought that they were already experienced pot smokers because he thought that some of the lyrics to I Want To Hold Your Hand were “…I get high…” They were actually “… I can’t hide…”. It was during this night that Paul came up with a revelation about life: “There are seven levels.” Marijuana became a staple of the Beatles for quite some time. Paul’s song Got To Get You Into My Life on the Revolver album in 1966 was actually written to/about marijuana.
Gator Bowl, Sept 11 – The Beatles one performance in the state of Florida was at the Gator Bowl. It was originally going to be racially segregated, but the Beatles refused to perform if there was segregation. At first, the promoter refused, but the Beatles held fast and the promoter gave in; the Gator Bowl was never segregated again. The Beatles were great fans of black music from the States and could not understand how segregation could exist. Paul’s later song, Blackbird, on the White album in 1968 was about black civil rights in the United States.
1965
The Beatles Help! movie poster, Jul 29 – The Beatles second film, Help! was released in the UK on July 29th. The original title to Help! was Eight Arms to Hold You (four Beatles, two arms each). The name Help was already taken, so an exclamation mark (!) was added to the end of the title.
John Lennon’s book A Spaniard in the Works, Jun 24 – John’s second published book, A Spaniard in the Works, was published on June 24th.
Shea, Aug 15 (US tour Aug 15 – 31) – The Beatles kicked off their second US tour with a record-breaking concert at Shea Stadium (home of the New York Mets) attended by 55,600 fans. They were introduced by Ed Sullivan. This was the first-ever stadium tour. Paul appeared as a guest for the last few numbers of the Billy Joel concert, the last concert ever held at Shea Stadium (before Shea Stadium was torn down).
Elvis, Aug 27 – The Beatles met Elvis Presley in Hollywood during their second US tour while Elvis was filming a movie win Hollywood. They met at Elvis’s mansion at 525 Perugia Way, Bel Air, Los Angeles. The meeting was arranged by Brian Epstein and ‘Colonel’ Tom Parker. The meeting was awkward at first, but then guitars were brought out and the Beatles and Elvis jammed. No press were invited and no pictures or recordings were taken.
Hollywood Bowl, Aug 29,30 – The Beatles played at the Hollywood Bowl on August 29th and 30th of 1965. As with their performance there in 1964, these performances were recorded and an LP, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl, was released in 1977. There were 18,000 fans at each show and the Beatles played the same 12 songs for each of the two nights, beginning with Twist and Shout and ending with I’m Down.
MBE, Oct 26 – On October 26th of 1965, the Beatles were awarded the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) medals at Buckingham Palace by Queen Elizabeth. On November 25th of 1969, John Lennon returned his MBE with the following statement: “I am returning this MBE in protest against Britain’s involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against Cold Turkey slipping down the charts.”
Indica Gallery Nov ’65 to Nov ’67 – Indica Gallery was a counterculture art gallery begun in the basement of Indica Bookstore, and was open from November, 1965 to November, 1967. Indica Gallery was run by Barry Miles, Peter Asher, and John Dunbar (MAD) and was supported by Paul McCartney (he had also been the very first customer of Indica Bookstore). On November 7th, 1966, John Lennon attended a preview event for Yoko Ono’s exhibition, Unfinished Paintings (that would run from November 8th to the 18th) and met Yoko Ono. John was impressed with one of her works… he climbed a ladder and the word “Yes” was written on the ceiling with a magnifying glass hanging nearby to help read it. Another one of her exhibits was an apple on display (this however was not the inspiration for the company name Apple; the inspiration for Apple was the 1964 Magritte painting, The Son of Man, with a green apple in front of a man’s face). Note: Peter Asher is Jane Asher’s brother; Jane was Paul’s girlfriend/fiance’ for 5 years, from 1963-1968.
Accident, Paul, Dec 26 – On December 26th of 1965, Paul McCartney was riding on a moped while visiting family in Liverpool, and distracted by the landscape and a beautiful moon, had an accident. He chipped a tooth and split his lip, requiring stitches, and leaving a scar. Paul has claimed in later interviews that this prompted him to grow a mustache to hide the scar, but he grew his mustache much later on (approximately 10 months later). Note: Riding along with him on another moped was his friend, Tara Browne, a Guinness heir, who later died in a car accident, prompting John to write about his death in the song, A Day In The Life.
1966
Jesus comment, Evening Standard, Mar 4 – On March 4th of 1966, an interview by Maureen Cleave with John Lennon title How does a Beatle live? John Lennon lives like this was published in the UK in the Evening Standard. Amongst other things, John stated: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” There was no controversy in the UK over these remarks.
“Butcher photo,” Mar 25 – The Beatles sat for photos by Robert Whitaker, who had the idea of doing satirical photos based on German Surrealist artist Hans Bellmer’s work. The photos contained the Beatles sitting with dismembered dolls and raw meat. One of these photos was used as the cover art for the US release of the Capital record, Yesterday… And Today. Capital pressed copies of the record in June of 1966, but due to an outcry by record retailers, the record was recalled and a replacement photo, also shot by Robert Whitaker, was used. To save money, Capital then decided to paste the new cover over the old one. Original copies with the Butcher photo that remained in circulation are extremely valuable. Pasted-over copies are also collector’s items and quite valuable.
Alan Civil, May 19 – Alan Civil played the french horn solo on the song written by Paul, For No One. He was paid 52 pounds and 50 pence.
Ravi Shankar, June – George first met Ravi Shankar in June of 1966 in London at the home of the Angadis, an Indian man and his British wife, Ayana Deva Angadi and Patricia Angadi. The couple had created the Asian Music Circle, which they ran out of their home and was a meeting place for many Indian musicians. George Harrison was first introduced to the Indian musical instrument, the sitar, during filming of the movie Help!. But with Ravi Shankar, he began seriously studying how to play the sitar. The Beatles first used the sitar, which George played, in the Lennon song, Norwegian Wood on the Rubber Soul album (released on August 5th of 1966).
Jesus comment, Datebook, Jul 29 – The US teen magazine, Datebook, republished comments of John’s Evening Standard interview with Maureen Cleave out of context in which he said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus Christ. John had stated: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first – rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.” This set off a wave of Beatles burnings in which people came and brought their Beatles albums and other Beatles paraphernalia, and burned them in large bonfires. These occurred primarily in the South of the US. There were also death threats against the Beatles. John eventually apologized on August 11th. However, this cascade of events along with the circumstances of the Tokyo and Manila tours largely convinced the Beatles to stop touring. Their last public concert (until their rooftop performance on January 30th of 1969) was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29th of 1966.
Tokyo, Jun 30 – Jul 2 – The Beatles performed five concerts over the course of three days at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo. However, the Nippon Budokan Hall was considered by many Japanese to be a shrine to their war dead, and therefore a sacrilege to have a pop group perform there (at the time, it was used for martial arts exhibitions). As a result, death threats were made against the Beatles and they were largely confined to their hotel rooms for the entirety of their stay. The Beatles performed in front of 10,000 fans and 30,000 uniformed police were used for security. These circumstances contributed toward the Beatles decision to stop touring. Another contributing factor was that the Japanese fans were quieter and the Beatles could hear how the quality of their playing had deteriorated. Note: It was while in Japan that all four Beatles painted a painting titled Images of a Woman.
Manila – Jul 4 – The Beatles time in Manila, Philippines, was their most traumatic. The first lady, Imelda Marcos, felt snubbed because the Beatles did not show for a reception and luncheon (which they did not know about) later in the morning after they had arrived at 4AM. As a result, many Philipinos turned against them. The concerts themselves were a success; they played two performances for 30,000 and then 50,000 fans. However, after the performances, their security was removed and they were temporarily locked out from their hotel, surrounded by angry people. Getting to the airport was also fraught and they were manhandled by police while waiting for their plane. On their way to the plane, Brian Epstein and Mal Evans were punched and kicked. Their Manilla experience, along with the controversy regarding John’s Jesus comments in the US and their Tokyo experience, and their deteriorated quality of play, and their general fatigue, led the Beatles to choose to stop touring. Their last public concert (until their rooftop performance on January 30th of 1969) was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29th of 1966.
Beatle Burnings, Aug – As a result of the controversy in the US after some of John’s comments in his Evening Standard interview were re-published out of context in the US teen magazine, Datebook, (see March 4th and july 29th above) Beatles burnings were organized in which people came and brought their Beatles albums and other Beatles paraphernalia, and burned them in large bonfires. These occurred primarily in the South of the US. These events, along with other events of 1966, convinced the Beatles that they should stop touring.
Shea, Aug 23 (US tour Aug 12-29) – The Beatles returned to Shea Stadium in New York City on August 23rd of 1966. Although very successful, it was not as successful as August, 1965 when they sold out the entire stadium; 11,000 of the 55,600 tickets were unsold (perhaps in part due to the backlash against the Beatles after the “Jesus comment” was re-published in the US in Datebook magazine). This was a further incentive for the Beatles to stop touring. The Ronettes were one of the opening acts. The Beatles played 11 songs, opening with Rock and Roll Music and ending with Long Tall Sally.
Candlestick Part, Aug 29 – Other than the Rooftop Concert in January of 1969, The Beatles last concert performance was at Candlestick Part in San Francisco on August 29th of 1966. They played to 25,000 fans (the park could fit 42,500 people, so a large number of seats were unsold). The Beatles played 11 numbers, beginning with Rock and Roll Music and ending with Long Tall Sally. After many unpleasant experiences during their 1966 tour (see above events), and the fact that as their music became more complex, it became increasingly difficult for them to play most of their recent songs, the Beatles were quite certain that this would be their last live concert. Knowing that, they even took pictures of themselves with their backs to the audience to commemorate the moment. Stopping touring meant that the Beatles could spend more time in the studio, with their next album being Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Granny glasses, Sept 6 – John had a role in the Richard (Dick) Lester (director of both A Hard Day’s Night and Help!) film, How I Won The War, and in preparation for the film, cut his hair and began wearing government-issue eyeglasses, that became known as granny glasses. John did not keep the short haircut but did continue to wear the granny glasses until the end of his life. Note: John was always very self-conscious about being near-sighted so he had never wanted to wear glasses in public. He had always been impressed that Buddy Holly was willing to wear his eyeglasses.
Paul?, Nov 9, ’66, Jan 7, ’67, Oct 12, ’69 – There was a myth that circulated (and still circulates) that Paul McCartney died and was replaced by a fake Paul (sometimes referred to as “Faul”, or named as William Campbell, William Sheppard, or Billy Shears). This myth was propagated largely on college campuses starting in 1969. Depending on whom you listen to, Paul could have died on a UK motorway on November 9th of 1966 in a car accident (he was not even in the UK then, he was out of the country on vacation with Jane Asher), or January 7th of 1967 in a car accident on the M1 motorway (his Mini Cooper was in an accident but it was not being driven by him and he was not even present at the accident). The rumor gained a lot of traction on October 12th of 1969 during a call in to DJ Russ Gibb on radio station WKNR-FM in Michigan. The caller, named Tom, instructed Gibb to listen to Revolution 9 backward. Paul did have a moped accident on December 26th of 1965 in which he chipped a tooth and needed stitches in his upper lip, but he certainly did not die. Note: The “Paul is dead” myth was spurred on by supposed clues found in the Beatles songs and on their album covers. Beyond the insanity of this belief generally, if Paul really was replaced, then the replacement was able to write such masterpieces as Penny Lane, Hey Jude, Get Back, The Long And Winding Road, Let It Be, etc.etc. This would mean that there could be two Paul McCartneys of this talent stature that could exist in history, let alone in the 1960s?!
1967
The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour movie poster, Dec 26 – The Beatles film Magical Mystery Tour debuted on BBC1 on December 26th, 1967. It was a colorful, rambling, psychedelic film that was shown in black and white and was the Beatles first artistic critical failure, roundly panned by most all critics and the public alike. The film was produced and directed by the Beatles and was largely the brainchild of Paul.
David Mason, Jan 17 – On January 11th of 1967, Paul McCartney was watching television and saw a performance of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto by the English Chamber Orchestra, with David Mason playing a very high piccolo trumpet. He was impressed and spoke to George Martin about it the next morning, so it was arranged for David Mason come to EMI (Abbey Road) studios on January 17th to play on Penny Lane. Two takes were done that were overdubbed onto the otherwise completed song.
Our World, Jun 25 – on June 25th, shortly after Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was released, the Beatles represented Britain and performed on Our World, the first ever live television satellite link-up show that was seen by approximately 400 million people. John Lennon wrote All You Need Is Love especially for the occasion; the song needed to be simply in lyrics given it would be seen and heard by many people who did not speak English. The rhythm track and some vocals were pre-recorded; the rest was performed live. Fourteen countries were involved and the entire show lasted approximately two hours.
Apple Boutique, 12/7/67 to 7/31/68 – On December 7th, 1967, the Apple Boutique opened at 94 Baker Street in London. Apple Boutique began as a tax haven, but became a very groovy store that sold clothes designed by The Fool design company. In November, they had a psychedelic mural painted on the outside of the building, but due to complaints, the City Council forced them to repaint the building. It was managed by Pete Shotton (boyhood friend of John Lennon) and Jenny Boyd (Patti’s Boyd/Harrison’s sister) and was a commercial failure, largely due to shoplifting. The Apply Boutique closed on July 31st, 1968, when all the remaining stock was given away.
Maharishi, Bangor, Aug 25-27 – On august 24th of 1967, the Beatles (minus Ringo, whose son Jason had been born five days before) attended a lecture by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at the Hilton Hotel in London. Inspired by the Maharishi, all four Beatles, along with Cynthia and Pattie (and Mick Jagger, Marianne Faithful, Jenny Boyd, and Alexis Mardas/”Magic” Alex) traveled to Bangor in north Wales on the 25th to attend a retreat with the Maharishi. However, Brian Epstein died on the 27th, so the Beatles cut short their trip and returned to London. They later traveled to the Maharishi in Rishikesh, India for an extended period of time in early 1968.
How I Won the War movie poster, Oct 18 (Filmed Autumn ’66) – How I Won The War is a film directed by Richard (Dick) Lester (who directed both A Hard Day’s Night and Help!), with John Lennon playing a character named Musketeer Gripweed. The film is a dark comedy about war. It was filmed in the fall of 1966 but not released until October 18th of 1967 (because Richard Lester began working on another film, Petulia, after completing the filming of How I Won The War. Part of the shooting was done in Spain and John rented and stayed in a villa called Santa Isabel, which had wrought iron gates and beautiful grounds and vegetation, which reminded him of Strawberry Field, a Salvation Army home for children that was near his home in Liverpool. This inspired him to begin writing the song, Strawberry Fields Forever.
1968
Yellow Submarine movie poster, Jul 17 – The Beatles film, Yellow Submarine, had its world premiere in the UK at the London Pavilion on Piccadilly Circus on July 17th of 1968. All four Beatles were at the opening. John with Yoko, George with Pattie, Ringo with Maureen; only Paul attended alone (Jane Asher, his fiancé at the time, announced the end of their relationship three days later). Other than writing a few songs for the soundtrack, the Beatles had very little to do with the film. Actors supplied their voices. They did have a short appearance in the final scene of the film (to fulfill their obligation to United Artists to appear in the film). The animation was done in a psychedelic style and was and is regarded as a commercial and artistic success that raised the regard for animated films. Note: The instrumental music was composed by George Martin.
Apple Corps, 95 Wigmore St., Jan 22, 3 Savile Row, Jul 15 – Apple Corporation originally opened their offices at 95 Wigmore Street in London on January 22nd of 1968. They moved into their new offices at 3 Savile Row in London on July 15th of 1968. A recording studio was placed into the basement of 3 Savile Row and was the location for much of the work for the Let It Be album and film (January 21-31). The Rooftop Concert was performed on the roof at 3 Savile Row on January 30th of 1969.
Hey Bulldog, Feb 11 – On February 11th of 1968, the Beatles went to EMI Studios at Abbey Road to film a promotional video for Lady Madonna, which was to be released while they were in India with the Maharishi. However, they decided instead to record a totally new song, which became Hey Bulldog. This is notable for two reasons. One is that they did release the video from that day with Lady Madonna playing over it, but fans started to realize that the audio and video did not match, and it was discovered that this was actually Hey Bulldog and not Lady Madonna. More important, Hey Bulldog does not really mesh with the timeline of the evolution of the style of music that they created. It is an old-fashioned rocker that sits between the psychedelic music of Sgt Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour that preceded it, and the largely stripped down style of the White Album or the lush sound of Abbey Road that followed it (although the White Album did have a few rockers on it). Hey Bulldog was released on The Yellow Submarine album in January of 1969, nearly a year after it was recorded. The popularity of Bulldog has grown incredibly in recent years.
Maharishi, Rishikesh, Feb 16 – Apr 12 – After their time with the Maharishi in 1967 in Wales was cut short by the death of Brian Epstein, the Beatles agreed to go to the Maharishi in Rishikesh, India, in early 1968. They arrived in February. Ringo and Maureen left first, having spent about two weeks, citing the difficulty for Ringo to eat the Indian diet of food, and missing their children. Paul and Jane left after about a month; Paul felt that he gained what he needed to gain. George and John stayed the longest, not leaving until mid April. The circumstances of George and John leaving were mired in drama, as they had been told by Magic Alex (and they believed him) that the Maharishi was having sexual relations with one of the attendees. George and John left without giving the Maharishi the chance to defend himself. The likelihood is that Magic Alex lied because he was trying to cut John’s allegiance to the Maharishi so that Magic Alex could have a more prominent role in John’s life. Note: The song Sexy Sadie was written by John about the Maharishi.
Guitar – Eric Clapton, Sept 5 – Because George felt that his guitar playing was not quite as good as it should be (he had been practicing mainly sitar for the past two-three years) for the guitar solo on his song, While My Guitar Gently Weeps, he invited his friend, Eric Clapton, to come into EMI Studios at Abbey Road and play the guitar solo for the song. A further advantage of having Clapton there was that it helped to improve the harmony of the working relationship of the Beatles, which had deteriorated since returning from Rishikesh, India. (This is also true of when Billy Preston joined the Beatles in January of 1969 for the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions.
Two Virgins, May 19 / Nov 29 – John Lennon and Yoko one recorded the music for the Two Virgins album (more fully titled Unfinished Music No 1: Two Virgins) on May 19th of 1968 when Yoko Ono first came to visit John at his home, Kenwood, in Weybridge, Surrey (as a result of John’s prodding, Cynthia was out of town on a vacation in Greece with friends). Two Virgins was released in the UK on November 29th, 1968 (it was released on November 11th in the US). The music style was avante-garde, which was quite controversial at the time, especially for a Beatle. Even more controversial was the cover art, which showed John and Yoko on the front cover with full frontal nudity, and on the back cover with full nudity from the back.
1969
Twickenham, Jan 2 – 16 – The Beatles recorded the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions in January of 1969. It was an ambitious project in which they were to write 14 new songs and film themselves practicing and refining them, and then playing them live in front of an audience. The Beatles had last played for a live audience on August 29th of 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Although they did not exactly achieve their goal as set forth, they did create an amazing set of songs, all filmed and recorded at Twickenham Studios, and then at the new Apple Studio at Savile Row. The final concert was the famous “Rooftop Concert” held on the roof of Apple at 3 Saville Row on January 30th. The resulting album, Let It Be, was not released until May 8th of 1970, and the resulting film of the sessions, Let It Be, was not released until May 20th of 1970, after the Beatles had officially broken up (Paul quit on April 10th). As a result, the Let It Be film was seen in a darker light as a film about the Beatles breaking up, instead of a film about the four lads from Liverpool working together to create the Let It Be album of songs and perform the iconic Rooftop Concert. The 2021 Peter Jackson documentary, Get Back (running 7 hours and 48 minutes), was an incredible restoration and re-envisioning of the experience of January of 1969. During the Get Back sessions, the Beatles were at Twickenham studios from January 2-16, of 1969.
Savile Row, Jan 21 – 31 – …following from the above comment, the Beatles left Twickenham studios because it was a large, cold, cavernous environment and went to the new Apple studio in the basement of Apple at 3 Saville Row (where they were joined by keyboardist, Billy Preston). The Beatles were at Savile Row from January 21-31 (which included the Rooftop Concert itself on January 30th). The new environment did much to improve the harmony and good feelings of the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions.
Rooftop Concert, Jan 30 – The Beatles culminated all their work from January 2nd to January 29th of 1969 with the iconic Rooftop Concert held on the roof of Apple at 3 Savile Row. The concert was 42 minutes long and had keyboardist, Billy Preston, playing with them. Ten cameras were used to shoot the film: five on the roof, one on a roof across the street, three on the street below, and one in the lobby of Apple. The set list was: Get Back (take 1), Get Back (take 2), Don’t Let Me Down (take 1), I’ve Got a Feeling (take 1), One After 909, Dig A Pony, God Save The Queen, I’ve Got A Feeling (take 2), Don’t Let Me Down (take 2), Get Back (take 3)
Bed-in Amsterdam, Mar 25-31 – John Lennon and Yoko Ono were married on March 20th of 1969. Knowing that their wedding would attract attention from the press, they decided to use the moment to campaign for peace (the Vietnam War was happening at the time). They told that the press that they could come to the Lennon/Ono hotel room at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam where they were spending their honeymoon. Given that the Two Virgins album had recently been released in which they were seen fully nude from the front and back (November 11th of 1968), the press went expecting to possibly see John and Yoko having sex. Instead, John and Yoko were fully clothed in pajamas that revealed nothing. They were surrounded with signs for peace, and used the interviews to campaign for peace. The press were invited to visit from 9AM to 9PM, and the bed-in lasted for 7 days.
Bed-in Montreal, May 26-June 2 – John Lennon and Yoko staged a second bed-in for peace (see the above comment) in Montreal at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Canada. It lasted for eight days and was similar to the first bed-in in Amsterdam. John and Yoko had originally wanted to have this bed-in in New York, but John was not allowed into the US due to a cannabis conviction the previous year. John and Yoko spoke to hundreds of journalists and hundreds of radio DJs.
Give Peace a Chance, Jul 4 – The single Give Peace A Chance (B-side: Ono’s Remember Love) was written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono during their bed-in for peace at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal (May 26 – June 2 of 1969). It was recorded on June 1st at the hotel, and it was released in the UK on July 4th of 1969. The song was originally credited to Lennon and McCartney. Give Peace A Chance reached number 2 on the charts in the UK, and number 14 in the US.
Angus McBean, ’63 & ’69 – Angus McBean was a Welsh photographer who shot the cover photo for the Beatles first album, Please Please Me, in 1963 at the balcony of the EMI House in Manchester Square. He returned to shoot the Beatles in the same location in the same positions in 1969. The 1969 photo was originally intended as the cover for the Let It Be album, but was replaced with different cover photos. However, the 1969 photo was used on the Beatles 1967-1970 compilation album (The “Blue Album“), and an outtake from the 1963 Please Please Me photo shoot was used on the cover of the Beatles 1962-1966 compilation album (the “Red Album“). The contrast in the Beatles’ appearance from the 1963 to 1969 photos is striking.
1970
Let It Be movie poster, May 20 – The Beatles film, Let It Be, was directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg during the Get Back (Let It Be) sessions from January 2-31 of 1969, but was not released until May 20th of 1970. The project was intended to film the Beatles rehearsing 14 new songs for a live appearance in front of an audience. However, because the film was released shortly after the Beatles had broken up, it was viewed more as a film that documented the disintegration of a band. This impression remained for 50+ years until the Peter Jackson documentary, Get Back, was released in November of 2021 (running at a length of 7 hours and 48 minutes). Get Back showed that the Beatles, with some artistic argument as any band would have during a creative process, especially with the stress of being continuously filmed, were essentially four old friends, the lads from Liverpool, who enjoyed the process of creating music together, and clearly had a wonderful time performing the Rooftop Concert as the culmination of their work, on January 30th of 1969.
