This Day in 1963

On September 16, 1963, George Harrison became the first Beatle to set foot in the United States-indirectly a big moment for Beatles history. George was the youngest of the Harrison children, with two older brothers and an older sister, named Louise. Louise moved to Benton, Illinois with her husband in the early 1960s, far before The Beatles made it big in the United States in 1964. At the time of his visit, The Beatles had enjoyed a year of Beatlemania back home in Britain, but they were still unknown in the United States (they hadn't even been heard yet on the radio waves-first gracing them, that November.) George was able to walk the streets of Benton incognito, shopping, eating, and even jamming with a local band (how cool is that ?!!). It was most likely the last time George was able to walk in public like an ordinary person, something he would cherish dearly in the next few years of Beatlemania. The above picture is the only picture that exists of George's relatively unknown trip to the United States.

Come Together

One, two, three, FOUR!

There are places I'll remember all my life though some have changed. Some forever not for better. Some have gone and some remain...But of all these friends and lovers, there is no one that compares with you and these memories lose their meaning when I think of love as something new...I know I'll often stop and think about them. In my life, I've loved you more.

There are times when all you want to say is encompassed perfectly in a song. But for me, almost all I want to say is perfectly expressed in a Beatles song. This is my first blog post in London, the city that has seen so much and radiates history from its walls. But as I walk around the streets of this great metropolis all I can think of is four twenty-somethings arriving in London from Liverpool to record for the very first time in Abbey Road Studios, strutting about the alleyways following their first number one, dodging screaming fans as Beatlemania cascaded down upon them, leaving Heathrow to fly into JFK International Airport in New York, spending days holed up in the studio recording legendary tracks, walking across the street, and finally performing for the last time to the world on the rooftop of Apple Studios. London itself, is the center of The Beatles, seeing their tentative beginning and modest but incredible end. T

The London scene in the 1960s was a magnificent place to be in world history even without The Beatles' contribution. To be here studying history and with a big place for the Beatles in my heart, is more than I ever could have hoped for. I feel closer to them than ever, despite the fifty-year gap between our lives.

Hopefully, I will be inspired to be a better blogger living here! I'll try to post pictures as much as I can.

PAUL MCCARTNEY AT DODGER STADIUM TONIGHT!!

That's right. Sir Paul will be at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California at 8 pm during his time in the US for his tour "Out There." Who else will be there? ME. In a few short hours Paul will run out on stage and I will see him for the first time with my own eyes, not through a screen or the lens of a camera. I'll try to post pictures, I promise.

P.S. I've had a busy summer, and I'm sorry I haven't posted in what seems like and eternity.

Song of the day: I Will (The White Album, 1968)

In honor of Paul McCartney's 72nd birthday on Wednesday, I'm going to post some of my favorite Paul compositions of The Beatles this week. Here is the White Album's (The Beatles for sticklers) "I Will" from 1968.

This day in 1966

On June 6, 1966, Paul McCartney recorded the final dubbing for Revolver's "Eleanor Rigby." This is also a few months before "Paul is Dead" conspirators believe Paul was killed in his Aston Martin in a car accident and Billy Shears took over as the Beatle. Just as a side note, today is the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing on the beaches of Normandy in France.

This day in 1964

On June 5, 1964, The Beatles arrived in Holland at the Schipol Airport, where they immediately went to a press conference. From there, they were driven to Hillegom to record a program for VARA-TV. In addition, they answered questions at the Cafe-Restaurant Treslong from the audience. What started as a fairly routine performance, turned into a conflict, as the picture above displays. By the sixth song, the audience came on stage and completely smothered them while playing. The audience was resilient and was not able to be ushered off, causing The Beatles to leave. This performance was watched from afar in London by Ringo, who was recovering in the hospital after having his tonsils removed. Jimmy Nichols was filling in as drummer during this period. The Beatles were experiencing even higher levels of mania since they were last on the European mainland in 1963. They had only recently returned from their now legendary first US tour in which they performed to 73 million on the Ed Sullivan Show.

This day in 1963

On June 4, 1963, the first broadcast of The Beatles' own BBC radio series, Pop Go The Beatles! was aired. 1963 was the year Beatlemania broke out and as a result, a whopping 2.8 million people listened to that first broadcast. The boys' popularity would only go up from here. In addition, The Beatles travelled to the north of England to the Town Hall in Congreve, Birmingham.