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."

Welcome to Liverpool!

So remember when I said I'd post my pictures from my England/ Scotland trip from the summer about two months ago? I finally did! These are a select few from our day trip(per) to Liverpool. It was a solid 43 degrees on the northern England coast, even in June, and windy. There's this idea that people have about Liverpool being the dirty part of England, the Fresno of England. But I didn't get that at all. It's a beautiful city, mixing modern glass buildings with historic architecture. As a major economic hub of England, it has turned into a mini-London. It's also a major port city overlooking the lovely and frigid north Atlantic with 18th-century red brick harbors (now a Beatle-themed shopping center) lining the water. These pictures are the city center, which is where very few Beatles sites are  present (except the Cavern Club) but even by itself, Liverpool is a fantastic city with so much to offer. It's usually not a place people traveling to the UK place high on their list, but even if you're not a huge Beatles fan or barely know anything about them, Liverpool is so worth the visit anyway.

Song of the Day: And Your Bird Can Sing (Revolver, 1966)

How I Won the War John Lennon scenes.

To provide context.

This day in 1966...How I Won the War

On September 5, 1966, John Lennon flew to Hannover, Germany to begin filming for his first movie role (excluding The Beatles' movies A Hard Day's Night and Help!) as Musketeer Gripweed in the movie, How I Won the War. His decision to do something substantial without the other three Beatles is extremely significant and effectively is his first solo project, the beginning of the end of The Beatles as a cohesive rock band. In the context of Beatles history, the Fab Four had just finished their final concert at Candlestick Park, San Francisco that August, and each member had begun to move in different directions. Paul had contributed to the score of the Boulting Brothers film The Family Way. George had serious begun to head east, if not physically yet, emotionally for sure. Ringo had no idea what was in store for him. Thus it is clear that John's decision to become a movie star (albeit for one film) was somewhat of a statement to the other three and for their millions of fans. Up until this point, The Beatles dressed the same, had the same haircuts, sounded the same, did the same things, and liked the same things, effectively a "four-headed mop top monster." But by 1966, the turning point for The Beatles emotionally, intellectually and musically, it is clear that How I Won the War is the stepping stone for John to his solo career away from The Beatles, something that all four of them had wanted for a while. September 5 is one of the lesser known "big Beatle days" but is extremely significant as it represents the turning point of The Beatles flash on earth.

Song of the Day: Because (Abbey Road 1969)

One of the most beautiful and haunting songs The Beatles wrote, "Because" is one of my absolute favorites. By late 1965, The Beatles' music had become incredibly sophisticated in content and music style, the pinnacle of which, I believe, is 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. "Because" is potentially the most interesting of all Beatles' songs, especially all the classical music overtones present in the piece that give it that musical sophistication but don't overbear the song as a whole. It is a representation of the sixties, reflectively speaking about nature, love, what they mean, and how we are connected to them as people. Very hippie, if I say so myself. But beyond that I really hope people can appreciate it for all the examples present in it of The Beatles' genius.

This Day in 1963

On September 2, 1963, "She Loves You" had become one of the biggest hits in Britain, selling 500,000 copies in the UK. "She Loves You" is one of the most iconic early Beatles songs, associating "yeah!" with the band and being a prime example of the boys shaking their heads and singing in high-pitch, "OOOOHH!" Paul's father even told Paul and John when they were writing it at Paul's home in Liverpool, that, "It's a very good song indeed boys, but wouldn't it be better if you sang 'yes, yes, yes!'?"