The Beatles Boxed Set (7 page)

Paul
came back home in time for Christmas. He had the same smile, but there was no
denying the change in his body frame. Mike recalled, “There stood an emaciated
skeleton that was once my brother.”

            Paul
was enthusiastic as he showed his brother his new watch, boots and electric
razor and gave Mike a blue raincoat and told him that the Hamburg trip was a
success. But Mike noted, “But nothing could detract from the fact when he sat
down, the ankles showing above winklepicker shoes were as thin and white as
Dad’s pipe-cleaners.”

            Paul
found a job driving a delivery van for a few days, then as a custodian at the
Massey and Coggins electrical plant. He was promoted into an entry-level job
after his superiors learned about his years at the Liverpool Institute.

            For
the next few weeks, there was no contact between the Beatles members. And then
John and George appeared in the work yard. John told him that they’d just scored
a few gigs at the Casbah. Paul looked around the yard and shook his head. He
told them that he had a steady job, earning him more than seven pounds a week.
But he quickly realized that it wasn’t the kind of life he really wanted. Paul
recalled, “I bunked over the wall and was never seen again by Massey and
Coggins.”

            At
the Casbah, the kids had no idea who the band that was to play that night was.
The Quarrymen had been at Casbah 16 months earlier, and the posters that
promoted the show that night advertised a group called the Beatles who were
“straight from Hamburg.” That sound like a German group.

            But
when the Beatles came onto the stage with their guitars, the crowd was
surprised. They recognized them! Paul counted for the first song then boom! The
band played it like they had back in Hamburg.

            As
they played, the crowd went quiet. Everybody was stunned, remembering that
these were not the styles of these boys 16 months ago. But all hell broke
loose. The kids rushed to the front of the stage and danced madly. It only served
to energize the band to escalate their playing.

            Chas
Newby, a temporary replacement for Stu, said, “We all knew that George could
play guitar, Paul could sing like Little Richard, and John could do the
gravelly-voiced stuff. But now they were so tight, so fiery … they were simply better
than everybody else. By far.”

            On
December 27, the band was scheduled to perform at the Litherland Town Hall. The
house was packed with teenagers that night. The evening’s compere, Bob Wooler,
was about to introduce the next act. Paul and his band mates were behind the
curtains, instruments at the ready. Wooler said in the microphone, “Ladies and
gentlemen…” but never got far for Paul stepped toward the microphone and
launched into
Long Tall Sally
. The kids rushed onto the front and began
leaping and dancing.

            It
was like pandemonium and the band mates didn’t know how their set ended. But
they knew that it was only the start of a series of shows and performances that
they’d be doing around and in Liverpool.

            The
first quarter of 1961 was such a busy time for the Beatles. In April, they were
back to Hamburg for another three months of all-night sessions at the Top Ten
Club. Fellow musician Tony Sheridan recalled the living conditions at the club.
“John, George, Paul, Stuart and Pete and I were booked to open the smart Top
Ten in the Reeperbahn. We moved into a dormitory over the club and slept in
bunks. It was terrible really, now I look back. We all washed our own shirts
and socks so the place smelt like a Chinese laundry. But we had great times and
I’m afraid we used to tease the life out of the old lady who took care of us.”

            It
was also during their second visit to Hamburg when the Beatles had a chance to
be in a professional recording studio when they backed Sheridan on a variety of
sides, including
My Bonnie
. They also recorded a few tunes, including
Ain’t
She Sweet
.

            Around
this time, Paul was becoming ambivalent about having Stu in the band. How could
he and John focus on their musical partnership if Stu was in the way? Years
later, Paul said, “I was always practical, thinking our band could be great.
But with him on bass there was always something holding us back.”

            And
so Paul became critical of the band’s bassist, often commenting loudly when Stu
fluffed a note. Even when they were onstage at the Top Ten one night for a
performance, Paul found himself at the side of the stage on the piano. He was
so frustrated he began to direct insults at Stu. At first, Stu ignored him. But
when Paul included Stu’s fiancée, Astrid, into his insults, Stu snapped. He hurled
his body at Paul and they both fell on the stage. They punched and kicked each
other with such violence, and it only ended when the song ended and the other
members could pull them apart.

            Stu
finally decided to leave the band, deciding to move in with Astrid and continue
his painting. He even handed his Hofner bass to Paul and told him that he could
keep it. Though Paul was not eager to take on the bass, he had no choice as
George was the lead guitarist and John was in no way switching instrument.

            The
Beatles played at the Star-Club in November 1962, and Ringo Starr had been
added to the band as the drummer.

While
the Beatles enjoyed relative popularity in their own hometown, it would be one
man who’d help propel them to fame and success. They would come to the
attention of their future manager after Paul and John resorted to
Mersey
Beat
to perpetuate the band’s image.

           
Mersey
Beat
was a music newspaper by Bill Harry, a friend of John back in Art
College. Harry wanted to fill space in his paper, and so he promoted his
friends and assigned the front page of the first issue to John’s “Being a Short
Diversion on the Dubious Origins of the Beatles.” John also contributed some
articles to the newspaper and Paul provided band photos along with the band’s
latest engagements.

These
photos were brought to the attention of Brian Epstein, who was in charge of the
record department of the family’s newly-opened NEMS music store. He decided to
go to the Cavern to hear the band for himself.

The Beatles and their manager, Brian
Epstein

            Brian
was quickly impressed with the band. He noted the passion in their voices, and
the intensity of their playing.

            Peter
Brown, a close friend who worked for Brian at a NEMS store, recalled, “He came
and told he was going to manage them.”

            Brian
came back to watch more performances at the Cavern and became more decided to
manage the group. Eventually, the Beatles agreed to make Epstein their manager.
They signed their contracts and Brian didn’t waste a moment in booking his new
charges.

            As
manager, Brian was entitled to 25 percent of their gross income. He formed a
management company, NEMS Enterprises, and told his parents that being manager was
just a part-time work and it would not interfere with the family business.

            He
was able to book the band for an audition with Decca Records scheduled on
January 1, 1962. But Brian had made it clear to them that they would have to
follow his directives. No more smoking, drinking, eating, or gum-chewing
onstage. No more wearing unwashed clothes during their performances. He told
them it was time to invest in matching suits and ties to appear like a
professional band.

            But
making the band wear suits took time. He said, “I encouraged them, at first, to
get out of the leather jackets and jeans, and I wouldn’t allow them to appear
in jeans after a short time, and then, after that step, I got them to wear
sweaters on stage, and then, very reluctantly, eventually, suits.”

            Lennon
particularly was averse to wearing suits and ties, but later on said, “I’ll
wear a suit; I’ll wear a bloody balloon if somebody’s going to pay me.”

            Also,
they have to write their set lists before their shows and stick to them. The
boys were also told to acknowledge the audience’s applause after a song with a
deep, choreographed bow.

            Brian
made numerous trips in London in search of record companies who’d give the
Beatles a chance, but he was rejected by many. Brian had paid Decca producer
Tony Meehan to produce the studio recordings. And while negotiations were
underway, Brian also approached other record company executives, who all
declined to offer a contract.

            Brian
then invited Mike Smith of Decca to go to Liverpool and watch the Beatles at
The Cavern Club. That led to an audition in London in January 1962. Their
audition for Decca didn’t go well as Brian was told that the audition tapes had
been rejected. Brian then presented the tape to other record companies, which
led him to George Martin, the A&R manager of Parlophone who signed the
group to a contract.

            The
Beatles had their first recording session on June 6, 1962. Martin quickly
observed that it would the band good if they use an experienced studio session
drummer instead of Best. Paul, John, and George then asked Brian to fire Best.
It wasn’t easy for Brian, but he eventually dismissed Pete Best without giving
an explanation.

            Brian
then offered the vacant position to Ringo Starr who was then playing with Rory
Storm and the Hurricanes.

            The
Beatles became more popular in the United Kingdom in 1963 and in the United
States in 1964. The frenzied adulation for the band became known as
“Beatlemania”, with Paul being chosen as the cute Beatle.

            Some
of the earlier songs the Beatles presented to Martin were
Love Me Do
,
Ask
Me Why
and
P.S. I Love You
. Martin was “quite certain that their
songwriting ability had no saleable future.” But the band played well enough.
Love
Me Do
was re-released as the band’s first single with Paul’s
P.S. I Love
You
on the flip side.

            Then
the catalytic moment came in November when the Beatles recorded
Please
Please Me
as a follow-up to their first single. It was also successful.
Martin told the band, “Congratulations, boys. You’ve just made your first
number one.”

            Soon,
the Beatles found themselves back on Abbey Road shortly after the single
Please
Please Me
shot up the British charts to record their first full-length
album. The album,
Please Please Me
was rushed by Parlophone to
capitalize on the success of the single and
Love Me Do
. They finished
recording the same day of February 11, 1963.

The Beatles’ first album

            Eight
of the songs were written by McCartney-Lennon. And even years after the band
disbanded,
Please Please Me
was voted in 2012 as the 39
^th
on
Rolling
Stone
magazine’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

            The
album hit the top of the UK album charts in May 1963 and remained there or 30
weeks before it was replaced by
With the Beatles
. Years after it was
released, Allmusic noted that “the album still sounds fresh,” the covers are
“impressive” and the originals are “astonishing.”