Merry Christmas Eve!

The Beatles' 1963 Christmas Record

Will Beatlemania arise fifty years late on the planet Mercury?

As of yesterday, new pictures were taken of the planet Mercury that showcase several craters on its surface. So what does this have to do with The Beatles? Along with nine others, John Lennon has been honored with this particular crater bearing his name. The Lennon Crater sits alongside the Erich Maria Remarque Crater, the Truman Capote Crater, the Alexander Calder Crater and others. Among such important artists and figures of history, John gets his very own. I guess you could say that The Beatles and John are no longer international phenomenons. They're interplanetary phenomenons. Will Beatlemania arise fifty years late on the planet Mercury?

33rd Anniversary of the Death of John Lennon

It's always hard to come up with something to say for John's death. It's just so sad. I want to celebrate the life instead of the death, but at the same time, it's weird to be celebrating anything at all, instead of just mentioning it and moving on. I often wonder what the other two living Beatles, and before he died, George, did each time December 8 came around. A moment of silence? A time to listen to John's songs? A time to swap John stories? But all of those don't seem to come up to par with the life he led in his forty years. John saw in that short time, himself rising from a dysfunctional family to a guitar-player, to a singer in a band of school mates, to a singer in a band in Germany, to a singer in what was to be known as the greatest rock group of all time, to a solo singer, to a father, to a husband, to a best friend. John was one of The Beatles, something unique to only four people, now two people in the world. His life was on fire for those four decades. John lived through the Blitz in World War II, the Cold War, The Korean War, Elvis, President John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam War, the counterculture movement, 1968 the year that turned the world upside down, the SALT talks, and the Iran hostage crisis. With all these instances of war and violence mentioned (from a US standpoint, but sorry I'm studying for my US Foreign Relations final right now), John's most famous phrase and message that still speaks to the world was "Imagine all the people living in peace…Imagine all the people sharing all the world." Despite the whirlwind of change, violence, and war that characterized the period from World War II until the 1980s, John ultimately left the world with that message of peace, understanding, and love. John sang the words "All you need is love" in June of 1967. But thirty-three years after he was gone, his message and all that he gave to the world still reverberates, bouncing from continent to continent. John was from Liverpool, England. But his life has affected everyone, from the hot-shots at Rolling Stone who speak of a global phenomenon (as I have done here) to a seventh-grader in Malibu, California who decided to listen to The Beatles one day. The impact The Beatles have had on my life cannot be understated. Thanks, John.

John Lennon October 9, 1940-December 8, 1980

FINALS

Christmas time is here and that means papers, exams, papers, exams, papers, exams, exams, exams, EXAMS. So, my thoughts pretty much reflects Paul's disgust above, except my eyes are red, I'm in a Walking Dead t-shirt, I have a huge mug of coffee and I generally look less legendary. Posts may be difficult to come by in the next few weeks, but I'll be home for Christmas! Wish me luck...

Song of the Day: You're Going to Lose That Girl (Help! 1965)

This day in 1963

On November 23, 1963, The Beatles performed a Saturday concert at City Hall in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in England. Beatlemania was no joke at this point, as fans, such as the rather worrying two girls above, lined up two nights in advance to get tickets. 7,000 fans reportedly stormed a police cordon. Calm down ladies!

Song of the Day-Lovely Rita (Sgt. Pepper, 1967)

Today marks the first time The Beatles appeared on American television: November 18, 1963-The Huntley-Brinkley Report

A day in the life: The Beatles’ first appearance on American television. This is a momentous day in Beatles history. I would have posted about it earlier but I just found out about it! This link will take you to the Nightly News blog (the Huntley-Brinkley report was an early form of the Nightly News in the 1960s) where you can listen to the audio of the four-minute report and read a bit about its effect. The United States had no idea what was about to hit them in the next four months.

Song of the Day: Martha My Dear (The White Album, 1968)

This day in 1963

On November 17, 1963, The Beatles headed to Coventry to perform at the Coventry Theater. Beatlemania officially made landing in 1963, if not in the US at least in the better part of Western Europe. Fans waited in line to get tickets all night to watch the four lads perform songs off their newest album, With the Beatles. Waiting all night long in the fall in Britain is rough! Dedicated fans indeed.

NEW

Paul is at it again. He's just finished his latest album, New, a fantastic comeback following his just mediocre album, Kisses on the Bottom. I love this! It seems as if The Beatles recorded new work in the year 2013, with songs like "Queenie Eye"   sounding like they could be on a modern version of Revlover. His most moving song, "Early Days," is another heartbreaking tribute to, as Paul so humbly calls him in concert, "my friend John." He sings about the early days of their friendship, "dressed in all black" with "guitars on their backs," walking the streets of Liverpool. This is a wonderful album and is one that proves that Paul's creative flow hasn't slow down in the 43 years that have passed since The Beatles broke up in 1970. Congratulations Paul! It's a winner!

Song of the Day: I Me Mine (Let It Be, 1970)

This day in 1966

On November 13, 1966, a report came out from The Sunday Telegraph that claimed that "Mr. Allen Klein, the American impresario, has been approached by two of The Beatles over their future management." Klein was a very famous businessman in the 1960s. He managed the Rolling Stones and others, finally managing The Beatles for a very short time prior to the breakup in 1970. He is cited as a contributing factor in the breakup, as John, George, and Ringo wanted Klein and Paul wanted Linda Eastman's (soon to be Linda McCartney in March 1969) father to be the new manager. This rift between The Beatles was one of many during the latter half of the 1960s, one inflamed following the death of longtime manager Brian Epstein in August 1967.

Song of the Day: The Word (Rubber Soul 1965)

This Day in 1965

On November 11, 1965, The Beatles finished recording the last three tracks on the newest LP, Rubber Soul: "Wait," "You Won't See Me," and "Girl." Meanwhile, George Martin mixed "The Word" for mono and stereo at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Song of the Day: Not A Second Time (With the Beatles 1963)

This day in 1963

On November 5, 1963, The Beatles continued their tour of the United Kingdom and played at the Adelphi Cinema in Slough. Earlier, John, Paul, George, and Ringo recorded interview for a British current events program called This Week. A typical day in the Beatles' touring career, especially in 1963 which is dubbed as the year Beatlemania broke loose.

Song of the Day: And I Love Her (A Hard Day's Night, 1964)

Happy Halloween!

I AM OFFICIALLY LIVING IN LONDON FOR MY SOPHOMORE YEAR 2014-2015!

Yes, this is true. Pepperdine University, where I am currently a freshman, has an incredible International Programs including Florence, Italy, Heidleberg, Germany, Lausanne, Switzerland, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Shanghai, China, and LONDON, ENGLAND. I applied for the London program (for reasons other than The Beatles, I promise, though I did mention them more than once in my application essay) and as of Friday, October 25, I have been accepted! I attended my first orientation meeting this morning and it's all starting to feel a bit more real. Along with 40 other Pepperdine students, I'll be living in a house that dates to the Victorian era on South Kensington across the street from the Imperial College and the Victoria and Albert Museum for an entire year! I am head-over-heels excited to see what my British sophomore year of college will consist of. The picture above is of happier days in the Beatles' career fooling about in London. See you next year boys!

Paul apparently invented the selfie.

Song of the Day: Sun King-Abbey Road (1969)

"Sun King," is one of the lesser known Beatles songs. On one of the most famous Beatles albums, Abbey Road, it gets lost in the mix of other incredible songs, such as "Come Together," "Here Comes the Sun," and "Something." But "Sun King" should be more celebrated than it is. The only song in which The Beatles speak Spanish in, it has a calm, yet driving bass line topped with lethargic vocals, a quiet guitar riff, and chirping crickets. It isn't quite as revolutionary as some of the other songs I've talked about, like "Because," but it still should merit more attention than it does. Plus, who doesn't want to hear John and Paul sing, "Quando para mucho me amores...?"

This day in 1964

On October 22, 1964, The Beatles played at the Odeon Cinema in Leeds, England, pictured above. Meanwhile, producer George Martin continued to mix songs on mono at Abbey Road Studios in London. Pretty average day at the height of Beatlemania.

Paul surprised tourists with an impromptu mini-concert at Times Square in New York!

So once again, Paul performs in the U.S. and I'm not there to see it. It's kind of difficult not being bitter, as you can probably guess. It's so awesome though! Just another reason why the 71-year-old rockstar is still as fab as ever! Last Thursday, October 10, Time Square tourists in New York City saw some speakers and amps and instruments being set up. Assuming they were just a small little local band, people probably just walked by. But then, out of nowhere a man in a slightly hoarse Liverpool accent came over the speakers, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I'm Paul McCartney, and this is my band." As a chill went down everyone's spine and the moment where your stomach flips over became known to everyone, people rushed to see the legendary bass player, singer, piano-player, guitar and ukelele player, drummer, and, wait for it, Beatle. Oh! I can imagine it quite clearly. I wasn't there despite this little anecdote that says otherwise, but the closest I can get to it is thinking about what it was like. Congrats Paul! You've given us yet another reason to love you!

Come on Johnny! Get up Johnny boy!

In honor of John's 73rd birthday, I've posted an awesome compilation of some of John's funnier moments. Enjoy!

Happy 73rd Birthday, John!

Today, October 9, 2013 is not only my birthday, but John Lennon's as well. He would have been 73 years old.

John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool, England. He was the second Beatle to come into existence (Ringo being three months old at the time) and the first child of his family. Of course, he would think he was the only child of his family until he was 17 years old and received news that he had a half-sister named Julia. John only lived with his biological mother for 5 years. His father, Alfred, had come back from fighting in the war to his five-year-old son and a wife that had taken up with another man. Both Alfred and Julia asked John who he wanted to live with, Alfred in Australia or Julia in Blackpool, when Julia's sister, Mimi, stepped in and took John. From that point on, John lived with his Aunt Mimi and Uncle George until he went to art college in his late teens. Mimi and John's relationship is fascinating and touching, with her tough and seemingly emotionless personality coming into conflict with John's chronic need to rebel, as the picture above can attest. Nevertheless, Mimi cared deeply for John and considered him her own son, one of the few people that knew John inside and out and stayed with him until the end. John called Mimi as soon has his new band, The Beatles, arrived in Hamburg, Germany. He called her every week until he died. If you want to know more about John's early life, I recommend the 2009 movie, Nowhere Boy. It's unbelievably well-done and gives incredible insight into who John really was.

I'm not going into too much detail right now, but John's band changed its name and shrank to the Fab Four by 1962. Following the enormous success of "Love Me Do," in England, The Beatles were teetering on the edge of Liverpool fame and national fame. But by 1964 after the four had conquered Europe, the single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" broke all barriers that existed between Britain and the United States. From that point on, Beatlemania was a worldwide phenomenon, complete with girls screaming their larynxes out and trampling each other to get so much as a glimpse of the boys.

John always considered himself to be the leader and frontman of the band, despite fellow songwriter Paul McCartney who unfortunately thought the same thing. It was a curious friendship between the two, that some would categorize as a "bromance." John and Paul were very different in fundamental ways yet their friendship remained intact throughout The Beatles and survived the break-up (they reconciled around eight years later, two years before John was killed). Though their friendship was rift with disappointment and barriers that were hard to overcome, John and Paul understood each other.

After The Beatles broke up in 1970, John was deep into drug addictions. Out of the four, he took the hardest drugs, including heroine and cocaine. His new wife, Yoko Ono, who some unfairly credit the breakup of The Beatles to, was an integral part in getting him clean and back to music. Their music group, The Plastic Ono Band knew a lot of success, with songs such as "Merry Xmas War Is Over," "Give Peace a Chance"and John's most famous post-Beatles song, "Imagine." John took a break from the music scene in the late '70s after the birth of his second son, Sean. But in early 1980, John and Yoko combined to create John's last contribution to the music world, Double Fantasy.

Around midnight on December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot five times in the back by Mark David Chapman in front of his home in the Dakota Building in New York City. He died on the scene.

It isn't right to focus on John's death on his birthday. His life is what remains important. It was then and it certainly is now. Though his life was anything but perfect, in fact one of the more dysfunctional ones, music was the fire that fueled his heart and mind. Musical contributions aside (though they are great. The Beatles are pretty cool, I guess...), John's life influenced people the world over and focused on the greater aspects of our lives: peace, love, and passion. Following something and never letting go of it, even through all the obstacles, is what John did and by example taught others to do. John was truly a remarkable man whose contributions to music and life continues to reverberate through time today. In 200 years, someone will be writing a blog post like mine, on John Lennon.

                                        JOHN LENNON
                           October 9, 1940-December 8, 1980
 

This day in 1965

On October 7, 1965, George Harrison was photographed at his home in Esher, Surrey, England for the Beatlemania-era magazine called The Beatles Book. George was always the most private of the Beatles. Both John and Paul seemed to love the fame and bustle (at least at the beginning) than George, who viewed it more as a curse than a blessing. By 1965, his naive and joyous bewilderment had begun to fade, as fame encroached more and more on his life and even his family members in Liverpool and Illinois, U.S. This photo shoot probably represented his deepening dislike of the spotlight that would increase exponentially in 1966, culminating in the collective decision of the four to stop touring after Candlestick Park, San Francisco.

This day in 1968

On October 1, 1968, The Beatles continued to work on the rather long-winded album, The Beatles, more commonly known as the White Album. It took months to create The Beatles' biggest album, the longest it ever took them to churn out songs. In the early '60s, the boys recorded entire albums within 24 hours. This day in the process, they worked on Paul's 1920s-style love song, "Honey Pie." Paul later said that this song was in honor of his father, who in the 1920s led a swing and jazz band in Liverpool, called Jim Mac's Jazz Band.

I'm licensed folks.

That's what John's saying, back in 1965. This picture was taken the day the witty Beatle passed his driving test and received his driving license. He was 25 years old. 48 years later, I passed my driving test in Thousand Oaks, California at the age of almost 18! John and I have a lot in common, we both were born October 9, we both got our license obscenely late, and...well...maybe that's it. Congrats John!

Why did the Beatles cross the road? To become the most legendary band of all time.

We've finally reached the final stage of the Beatles-portion of my trip to England. Moving out of Liverpool, the last few pictures are pictures I took at Abbey Road studios in London. (Though, admittedly, the last one I did NOT take.) It was one of the relatively few sunny days in England and we hopped off the tube to the other side of London to take in the place where it all happened. Every. Single. Beatles. Song. Was. Recorded. In. This. Building. I just sat there staring at the entrance not even coming close to realizing what I was seeing. We're not allowed to go inside, partially because it's still an active recording studio, but mainly so hordes of people like me don't swarm the place. So, an outsider's picture behind a gate will have to do. The sidewalk is right outside of the studio, where the four took the infamous Abbey Road album cover photo in 1969. I took the picture the right angle, not the opposite side, like some people were doing. I had to stop myself from correcting them. The writing is my signature on the wall outside the studio, and as you can see, I'm one of many fans who have traveled the world to see this sacred place for music-lovers. Mine reads, "There are places I remember all my life though some have changed. With all my loving, Abby 7/1/13." It's the closest I've ever felt to  the Beatles. I like thinking, even though my signature is now obscured beneath the thousands of people who have gone there since July, that I left my permanent mark on something that The Beatles loved, were familiar with, and housed their great creative spirit. It was a fantastic trip, and thanks to my family for making this all happen. I remember every now and then that I've been to all the places I've read about for years and I am just shocked that I had the privilege to see where The Beatles became The Beatles.

Well shake it up baby now!

The Cavern Club was by far my favorite stop in Liverpool or in all of England for that matter (though the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London is an extremely close contender). I still get the chills thinking about it. The Magical Mystery Tour bus, the tour where I got all the other pictures, dropped us off at the club, which is kind of in a back street of the main city center. We hopped off and instantly I was struck with what I was seeing. The neon red letters that have called music fans since the late 1950s were still blazing above the door that leads down to the cavern. There are plenty of pictures of the boys in front of this sign and the line of girls waiting to hear them play "Twist and Shout." Once we entered, we trapised down three or four flights of stairs to the underground club. Hot (comparatively speaking, we are in England, mind you), full of people, with the sound of music playing, it was the closest I have ever felt to The Beatles.

Except for the absence of the coffee shop that Cilla Black ran during the 1960s, the addition of artifacts and a shop, The Cavern Club looked exactly like I had seen in pictures. Standing next to the stage where The Fab Four played 274 times before they were fab was absolutely incredible and I just stood there in silence gazing at the place where it all started.

The Cavern is extremely significant for a couple of reasons. Brian Epstein, then an upstart record-store manager and hopeful band manager, heard The Beatles play at this club in 1962 for the very first time. He was instantly hooked by their tight performance skills and friendly but cheeky charisma. After a bit of signing, Mr. Epstein became Brian and The Beatles were well on their way to becoming international music icons. In addition, The Cavern is responsible for compiling their huge following in Liverpool and in some cases English cities and towns well outside of it. Regular Cavern-goers referred to The Beatles during their Cavern days as "their boys." Well, hate to break it to you ladies, but they are also my boys and millions of other peoples' boys now.

The Cavern Club was absolutely wonderful. It's free entry most days of the week, except Thursdays and the weekend I think, with a small cafe, a souvenir shop, and something called the Cavern lounge. The resident Beatles tribute band of Liverpool plays there every Saturday evening on the stage where the originals made their mark. It's an awesome place, a true pilgrimage for any Beatles fan.

Lennon-McCartney

The photos above were taken on my Magical Mystery Tour in Liverpool. The first two are of Mendips, the childhood home of John Lennon. If you've ever seen the 2009 movie Nowhere Boy, Mendips probably looks familiar. I'm not sure if they used the actual house at all in the movie, but this is certainly what it looks like. John grew up here with his Aunt Mimi during his Quarry Bank days and it witnessed the forming of The Beatles. Compared to George, Ringo, and even Paul's Liverpool homes (seen below) it is clear that John grew up in the most comfortable life, though it was often rife with family problems and devastation. The bottom two pictures are from Paul's childhood home on Forthlin Road. John and Paul wrote some of the most famous Beatles songs here, including the 1963 hit, "She Loves You." Both Mendips and Paul's home are part of England's National Trust now, thanks to Yoko's work to preserve both as they would have been in the 1950s. It's incredibly difficult to get a tour inside each house, and it is recommended that they be booked at least six months in advance. Still, it was incredible to stand on the streets that both Beatles grew up on and look upon the same sights as they did while they were forming the Beatles.

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eye!

I have to split up my Liverpool trip into several "albums" because I took so many pictures! The above pictures are from my Beatles Liverpool Magical Mystery Tour. And I'm not being punny, that's what the tour is called, complete with a big painted magical mystery tour bus! Two Liverpudlians took us around the outskirts of Liverpool and in and around the city to all of the major points in Beatles history. So let's go through them, shall we?

The first picture is, of course, none other than the real Penny Lane. We all know the song was based on a real place in Liverpool, but actually standing on the street, complete with the Barber's shop (also above) and the roundabout, was mind-blowing!

The Beatles' Story, in the second picture, is the main Beatles attraction in Liverpool. I've posted a few pictures from inside the museum, with the George part of the trip, but this is the outside of it. It's structured like you're going down into the Cavern Club. Built on the historic Albert Dock, The Beatles' Story is an incredible and fantastic museum that really gets you as close to the boys as you can get outside of journeying to the actual places themselves. You begin in the 1940s during Hitler's Blitz on England during World War II (Liverpool was the second-most bombed city, short of just London) and you're taken through Liverpool in the 1950s, John forming the Quarrymen, Hamburg, Beatlemania, U.S. tours, the psychedelic years, the breakup and finally each of the four's solo careers. The cool thing is that they have some of the most valuable artifacts, such as George's first guitar, but they place them in reproductions of entire places and rooms. They recreate the Kaiserkeller, the club they played at in Hamburg, the street that the Cavern is located on, and the Cavern Club as it looked in 1962, complete with "Twist and Shout" playing ear-shatteringly loud. The Beatles' Story is the most comprehensive way to not only learn about The Beatles, but to understand their story. I loved it so much and recommend it to EVERYONE regardless of how big of a fan you are.

From there, we have the home Ringo was born in. These houses are shut down now, but that little one that I had to zoom in on is where the first Beatle was born on July 7, 1940.

St. Silas School is the next picture, which is where Ringo attended school for a few years. He was very sick as a child and was consequently in the hospital most of the time that he would have been in school.  So when he finally went back, the administrators had to re-enroll him because nobody recognized him!

After that is THE barber shop on Penny Lane that Paul famously references in 1967's "Penny Lane."

Sorry about the reflection of me in the window, but this next house is the childhood home of The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Shows how wealthy he was compared to the boys.

Perhaps the most historical place that we visited was St. Peter's Church. We only got to drive by it but this was the sight of one of the most famous meetings of all time. In 1957, John Lennon met Paul McCartney in the yard at this very church! I get the chills just thinking about it.

John's art college is the next picture. He didn't attend the Liverpool College of Art very long, but he did meet a young man named Stuart Sutcliffe here. Stu became the original bassist of The Beatles and traveled with them to Hamburg, Germany.

Finally, the last picture is the sight of John and Cynthia's marriage in 1963. It was a hasty wedding, partially due to Cynthia's pregnancy, but the two were married until 1969, having one child, Julian Lennon, who is the subject of "Hey Jude."

I'm sorry this is such a long post, but this was the bulk of my trip to Liverpool this summer. I have a few other pictures from Liverpool and then some from London.

"I've had caviar and I like it, but I'd still rather have an egg sandwich."

George Harrison spoke those words at a press conference in 1964, and they provide testament to the person he was, someone that loved music but was bothered by all the glamour and shallowness that came with it. The pictures above are the "George" part of my trip to Liverpool. The first three pictures are No. 12 Arnold Grove, where the lead guitarist was born. He only lived there for a few years, but it's the only house they have access to in Liverpool. A little old lady lives there now and is happy for her home to be the subject of various blog posts like mine! The last three pictures are from the main Beatles attraction, The Beatles' Story, which is a fantastic exhibit telling (who knew?) the story of The Beatles. The little acoustic guitar what GEORGE'S FIRST GUITAR, as you can see in the picture of little George playing it. The second guitar was the one George played on The Beatles' last performance at the famous Cavern Club. George was an incredible person and my favorite, and seeing his mementos and his home, makes him seem a little closer than legend.

Living is easy with eyes closed

Yes. These are the actual Strawberry Fields gates, the ones that inspired the song. Covered with beautiful graffiti, these red iron gates stand testament to the lasting and resounding impact that John Lennon had on millions of his fans. Strawberry Fields was a Salvation Army children's home in Liverpool, one that held a special place in young John Lennon's heart growing up in a broken family home. Despite the millions of dollars that John earned as one of The Beatles, he always remembered that small children's home with the funky, seemingly anachronistic, psychedelic, red iron gates. John kept up solid support until his death and after it closed down. It has been shut down for a number of years now, but with the help of John's widow Yoko Ono, there are plans to revive it as youth community center for the children of Liverpool. John's 1967 song, "Strawberry Fields Forever" has catapulted this quite place on the outskirts of Liverpool into rock and music fame. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see."