Was Beatles Song ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ Really About LSD?

With its dreamy, sitar-accented verse and lyrical references to brilliant colors and hallucinogenic images, the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” is one of several songs marking the Beatles’ foray into the area of psychedelia. Written in 1967 as a track on “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” this deceptively simple song stands as another shining example of the compositional wizardry of Lennon and McCartney, the intelligent contributions of Ringo Starr and George Harrison, and the prodigious skills of producer George Martin.   

The Beatles’ ability to work together to deliver a great song is very much in evidence on this recording.  John’s languid vocal melody on the verse is underpinned by a cryptic, hypnotic figure played on an organ — recorded in such a way that it mimics the sound of a celeste or harpsichord – while George Harrison’s use of sitar and tambura imparts a mystical Eastern flavor.  Ringo Starr’s crisp drumming in the chorus lifts the song to a new, energetic level that allows the hook to burst out at the listener.   

The Beatles Discography – Day Tripper

“Day Tripper,” an uptempo song recorded by the Beatles on October 16th, 1965, clearly illustrates the band’s collaborative abilities, and reflects the giddy heights they could attain when they effectively combined their musical and lyrical gifts.   

Released as a double A-side single on December 3rd of that same year (the flip side was the impressive “We Can Work It Out”) the song scored on both sides of the pond, quickly soaring to No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 5 on the American Billboard Hot 100, becoming a classic amongst the Beatles discography.   

Although “Day Tripper” was recorded at the same time as Rubber Soul — and is clearly musically and stylistically consistent with many of the album’s tracks — it doesn’t appear on RS. However, it can be found on the 1966 album Yesterday and Today. In 1973, it was included on the 1962-1966 Beatles compilation, a.k.a. The “Red” Album.   

John Lennon Songs

What comes to mind when you think of the songs of John Lennon? From his earliest recordings with his fellow Beatles members; the years struggling to make an impact socially on the changing world, to his deeply devoted love for Yoko Ono and his son, Sean, John Lennon’s anthology is a vast array of laments, prayers and hopes for a better world.   

John’s most famous songs emerged mostly after his split with The Beatles. In some ways his output was limited and lacked strong commercial success, but John always had issues with his fame, coming from a working class background. He focused on lyrics that perhaps ranged in subject, except when he wrote about his relationship with Yoko. Of the Fab Four, John was the one most often viewed as the most meaningful and soulful of the group. 

Paul McCartney Songs

When you think of the greatest popular music composers of all time, few come immediately to mind.  However, there is one man who is the epitome of popular song writing and performing; a founding member of The Beatles, Paul McCartney.   

Amazingly, 32 Paul McCartney songs have reached number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart!   

Paul’s writing and composing skills have extensively grown from his original compositions’ as a young man growing up in Liverpool.  His first efforts have often been labeled as light and “silly” love songs, which some may consider to be true when you think of Paul McCartney songs such as: Love Me Do, She Loves You, and Please, Please Me.   

In his co-writing compositions, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave credit and royalties quite easily to each other, not allowing egos to interfere with their early success.   

George Harrison Songs

George Harrison was the ‘quiet’ Beatle, the one whose work was often over-shadowed by that of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

From the age of sixteen, George Harrison joined Lennon and McCartney in the Liverpool group known as the Quarry Men, as lead guitarist and occasional songwriter. 

George had a lyrical style and made every note he played count.  In the early years, every album of The Beatles featured at least one Harrison song including early offerings: Love You Too, Do You Want to Know a Secret and the cheeky hit Taxman – featuring on the Revolver album in 1966. Taxman was the only George Harrison song that opened a Beatles album.

As George Harrison matured he became more experimental in his choice of instruments. The Indian sitar is a signature sound George brought to the group.

The Beatles Albums – White Album

Today considered one of the most important albums in music history, this stark white album bearing nothing but “The BEATLES” in small raised letters was met with great anticipation by  the throngs of Beatles fans eager for a Beatles fix.  Hitting the shelves in November of 1968–11 months after Magical Mystery Tour had taken us on a “mystery trip”—The Beatles both bewildered and elated record buyers accustomed to seeing ever-more fantastic cover art that hinted at what lie waiting inside.  Few imagined that a flat-out masterpiece was actually in hand. 

Quickly becoming known on the streets as “The WhiteAlbum,” The Beatles (the band’s ninth official studio album) effectively smashed the Pop/Rock album template—as only the Beatles could.  Not only did this two-album, 30-track collection clock in at an unprecedented 93 minutes, it did the unthinkable: it shared the Fab Fours’ spotlight with eight guest musicians (including Beatles road manager and personal assistant Mal Evans, Cream guitarist Eric Clapton, and Beatle wives Pattie Harrison, Maureen Starkey, and Yoko Ono) and utilized dozens of session players.   

The Fab Four – Viva Las Vegas

Las Vegas is Beatles town, except for the casino slot machines, one thing Elvis (one of the band’s biggest influences), has over the FabFour.   

Las Vegas is home to a lot of things that hardcore Beatles fans would not like to miss. There’s the theatrical production Love which is performed by Cirque du Soleil in a purpose-built theater at The Mirage. The brainchild of Paul McCartney and Guy Laliberte, one of Cirque’s founders, Love has been a staple at the popular casino for years now and continues to draw a huge audience.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles/1967–1970, “The Blue Album”

For all intents and purposes, The Beatles album entitled The Beatles/1967—1970 could have been titled The Singles, Volume Two.   

Released in April of 1973, this companion piece to The Beatles/1962—1966 essentially picks-up where the former leaves off–presenting all the single A-sides released in the U. K. during those latter years. Like the so-called “Red Album,” the “Blue Album” features the familiar shot of the Beatles looking down over the stairwell in EMI’s London headquarters—this time sporting the much longer hairstyle they came to be noted for–and adopted by Hippies from Haight-Ashbury to Greenwich Village; Paris to Hong Kong.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles 1962-1966 Red Album

The Beatles ‘Red Album’ was Released in April of 1973 – along with its complement collection, The Beatles 1967–1970 (aka The Blue Album).   

The Beatles/1962—1966 featuring the distinctive shot of the Beatles looking down over the stairwell in EMI’s London headquarters (familiar to U. K. fans as the cover image of the ’63 four-song EP The Beatles [No. 1) is by design a compilation of all the single A-sides released in the U. K. during those early years.   

Said to have been compiled and distributed partly in response to the four-album, 120-minute boxed-set bootleg Alpha Omega (sold mail-order on TV the year before) and partly to expose a new buying public to the Beatles phenomenon, the so-called “Red Album” provides glimpses of some 10 or more albums released in the U. S., U. K., and Canada—drawing heavily on the masterful, Rubber Soul.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles Anthology 2

Released by Apple Records in March of 1996, the Beatles Anthology 2 is the second instalment of the three-volume The Beatles albums, Anthology collection, linked to The Beatles Anthology TV documentary first aired in November of 1995. as three feature-length episodes in the U. S. and six edited installments in the U. K.   

Packaged in a collage of magical Beatles moments and presented on two CDs, these 45 tracks (40 different compositions) span the years 1965 to 1969–with the exception of “Real Love,” one of two Lennon demos recorded at his Dakota apartment in 1979.  In addition to Lennon-McCartney compositions, Beatles Anthology 2 includes John’s take on Chuck Berry’s classic “Rock and Roll Music,” George’s rendition of the Carl Perkins Rock-a-Billy standard “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” (recorded live at Shea Stadium in August of 1965), as well as the Harrison-penned, “Taxman,” “Within You and Without You,” and “Only a Northern Song.”  (No Ringo songs are included.)   

The Beatles Album Covers – The Beatles Anthology 1

In 1995, Apple Records released a trilogy of albums to coincide with the television special entitled “The Beatles Anthology”. The first of these, Anthology 1, contained a “new” Beatles song, an unreleased Free As a Bird. Each album was a double disk containing some never-before-released material.   

It was only suitable that the images to accompany these old and “new” tracks were also a compilation of photos. Nothing speaks better to this artistic theme than a collage.   

The inspiration for all three album covers came from Klaus Voorman. He created three covers that, when laid side-by-side, would become a long collage representing different stages of the band’s career thus far. He collected his images from previous albums, posters and other photos and used a torn edge to give the impression that these were pages of an assorted story. Like the boys themselves, nothing was regular and predictable; there is a reflection of change, imperfection and something different and unexpected. Perhaps a few secrets lay in between.   

“Helter Skelter” Towards Tragedy

During their reign as the most successful pop group of all time, the Beatles recorded songs that were  ground breaking, songs that were influential, and songs that were wildly controversial.  But probably none of them achieved the notoriety of “Helter Skelter.”

With its stuttering, dissonant guitars, relentlessly smashing cymbals and shouted vocals, “Helter Skelter” was a true departure from form for the Beatles.

It was also ahead of its time: in style and tone it resembled nothing so much as punk, which was not to gain prominence until almost a decade later. Somewhat surprisingly, The Beatles song “Helter Skelter” was composed and sung by Paul McCartney, who is usually associated with the more melodic and commercially accessible aspects of the Beatles’ music. Many fans believed that this raucous, chaotic, raw song had really been composed by John Lennon; for his part, Lennon consistently stated that “Helter Skelter” was completely Paul’s creation.

The Beatles Album Covers – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Fans might be surprised to learn that the total cost for the theatrical, vibrant cover of the Beatles‘ eighth studio album came to nearly ₤3,000, or the equivalent of ₤40,606 today. (That was quite a bit of money when you consider the fact that album covers at that time averaged around ₤50.)   

Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released in June of 1967, features an elaborate, colorful collage of cardboard models that represent approximately sixty famous writers, musicians, film stars, and per George Harrison’s request, Indian gurus. Just a few of the famous faces include Marilyn Monroe, Carl Jung, James Dean, Bob Dylan, Sigmund Freud, Lewis Carroll, Edgar Allan Poe, Karl Marx, Marlon Brando, and even the late Stuart Sutcliffe, the original Beatles’ bassist and the so-called “fifth Beatle.” (John Lennon requested that Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ be included, but they were left out of the final cut.)   

The Beatles Albums – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Inspired by Elvis’s Cadillac going on tour around the world whilst The King sat at home, The Beatles had a revelation! Why not create and release an album that could go on tour whilst the fab four rested easy? Thus the concept for Sgt Pepper’s was born. It took 129 days to record and on its completion Rolling Stone went on to hail it as ‘The Most Important Rock n Roll Album Ever Made’. It was also noted as being the very first concept album in existence; Sgt Peppers was a soundtrack that by definition wasn’t for this world.   

McCartney and Lennon both made scathing remarks towards the industry and were said to be fed up ‘with the four little mop tops approach’ noting that they could send ‘four wax works on tour and that would satisfy the crowds’. Down and out from the endless output, The Beatles were on the verge of breakup. After a 2 month vacation the band reunited with the idea of breathing life into a new concept and sending Sgt Pepper out into the world to save the day.   

The Beatles Album Covers – Help

The Beatles Album Covers – Help

It seems reasonable to assume that the Beatles’ arm positions on the front cover of their 1965 album Help! actually spell out HELP — but this is not, in fact, the case. Photographer Robert Freeman knew he wanted to use flag semaphore positions, which is a system of conveying information at a distance that is mostly used in the maritime world. However, he did not find the semaphore for HELP to be aesthetically-pleasing enough for the front of an album, so he decided to improvise.

The Beatles‘ arms actually spell out the nonsense word NUJV on the UK release and NVUJ on the U.S. release, because Capitol Records also decided to rearrange the letters slightly. Believers in the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy theory thought that NUJV stood for “New Unknown James Vocalist,” because James is Paul McCartney’s actual first name.

The Beatles Album Covers – Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles Album Covers – Magical Mystery Tour   

The Beatles‘ 1967 double LP Magical Mystery Tour features an eccentric, colorful, psychedelic cover designed by American pop artist John Van Hamersveld, who also created covers for the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Kiss, and Blondie, among others.   

In a style reminiscent of Willy Wonka, the Wizard of Oz, and Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, yellow stars spell out the word “Beatles,” and the tracklist is displayed in red, curved text, beginning with “The Fool on the Hill” and ending with “All You Need Is Love.” John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr stand on top of rainbow-colored bubble letters that spell out the words “Magical Mystery Tour.” With arms outstretched, they sport furry animal costumes and masks that obscure their faces, in keeping with the psychedelic theme.   

The Beatles Albums – Please Please Me

The Beatles Albums – Please Please Me   

No one ever thought that the destiny of Rock n Roll and all things good could spawn from the ashes of a Northern English city called Liverpool. It started rather innocuously with four boys hankering around Hamburg and the Cavern with guitars on their back, playing exhaustive sets and injecting a little love back into a barren musical landscape. The fat cats in London showbiz blinkered a blind eye to Mersey beat as pop producers Decca turned down the fab four and Parlaphone swooped in for the kill.   

You could say the release of the band’s debut album was rushed to cash in on the number one success from the title single released only a month earlier. With George Martin behind the desk, scrimping on a measly 400 pound budget and with only three days to spare, it didn’t take long to piece together what was essentially an amalgamation of the bands live set.   

The Beatles Albums – Magical Mystery Tour

The Beatles Albums – Magical Mystery Tour   

In 1967 The Beatles manager Brian Epstein was found dead at his home at the age of 32, it seemed he had overdosed on sleeping pills. It was a blow to the band that had cherished him both as a friend and business associate. Yet with heavy hearts they began filming for the low key film project; Magical Mystery Tour. The movie was set to be the bands take on Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, yet like the Merry Pranksters, the effect was rather ramshackle and misguided.   

The film itself wasn’t much to write home about; in fact it has been dubbed rather critically as The Beatles one true disaster despite 15 million people tuning in to watch the Boxing Day special. Since then critics have tirelessly tossed the film back and forth debating whether it was without direction or whether it should be compared to Buñuel!   

The Beatles Albums, The Beatles Live at the BBC

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles Live at the BBC   

Released in 1994 by Apple Records (in cooperation with BBC Enterprises, Ltd.), The Beatles, Live at the BBC is a digitally-remastered compilation album featuring a selection of “live-in-the-studio” Beatles performances originally aired on various BBC Light Programme radio shows between 1963 and 1965.  (The Light Programme radio station broadcast mainstream “light” entertainment and music from 1945 to 1967, when it became BBC Radio 2.)  Initially available on LP, cassette, and CD, this collection consists of 56 songs—30 never released by The Beatles–and 13 tracks of on-air chit-chat and banter.   

A veritable goldmine of forgotten studio sessions, lost performances, and home recordings of BBC broadcasts, Live at the BBC lets fans share in the music that first brought the Beatles to international attention.  (This collection is of particular interest to American fans not familiar with Beatles’ music prior to release of their original material.)  And while this is not the first such collection of Beatles BBC recordings to reach the public (one of the most popular, the 1971 bootleg Yellow Matter Custard), all earlier releases were low-quality, tinny, third-generation copies of home recordings.   

The Beatles Album Covers – Please Please Me

The Beatles Album Covers – Please Please Me   

The title of the album was taken from the Number One Beatles song at the time, Please, Please Me, capitalizing on its popularity as a chart-topper in early 1963.   

This was the group’s second hit following Love Me, Do and their debut album. To add to its sales, Love Me , Do was even printed on the cover to pump up interest.   

The vision for this cover came from producer George Martin. Originally, he wanted to take a photograph of the four Beatles at the London Zoo, outside the Insect House (a play on the insect-like name Beatles) to help with the overall publicity campaign, but the Zoological Society turned him down, even though he was member!   

Moving on, he hired Angus McBean, a legendary photographer of the theatre world. The photo shoot took place in Manchester Square at the London headquarters of EMI Music. Using the stairwell, McBean posed the four young men looking down at him in the stairwell, which made for a very distinctive and captivating colour photograph. The photo shoot was done quickly, as was the music for the album, to ride on the wave of popularity that was besieging the young band.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles Anthology 1

The king of compilations has to be The Beatles Anthology; no other album has ever come close to cataloging the dazzling musical career of the Fab Four. Three double albums were released to accompany a fine tuned documentary and dazzling book in 1995. Beautifully packaged and bursting with outtakes, demos and bootlegs the Anthology collection is an immense playground for Beatles fans.   

The Anthology is broken down into three parts. Anthology 1 contains ‘Free as a Bird’ the latest musical offering from McCartney, Harrison and Starr based upon one of John Lennon’s unfinished recordings. It was certainly a buyer’s hook to hear new music from the band decades after their tear jerking split. Yet Anthology 1 is a mixed bag of goodies; the emphasis seems to be on showcasing their 50’s rock and roll era with the Hamburg sessions in place and even some rare glimpses into ex Beatles members Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. From the all-out raucous rock and roll to the soft flamenco twang of Besame Mucho, this is a whirlwind ride back into the past and gives a new edge of nostalgia to the notorious mop tops. It’s certainly not a beginner’s album, but fans will lap it up with a silver spoon and feel satiated.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles 1

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles 1   

Perhaps more aptly titled “The Beatles’ #1 Singles,” The Beatles:1, issued on November 13, 2000 (on the 30th anniversary of the Beatles’ highly-publicized break-up) is simply a collection of 27 Beatles singles that hit #1 on the UK and US charts between 1962 and 1970. (The B-side single “I Am the Walrus,” which has the distinction of simultaneously holding both the #1 and #2 slots on the charts is oddly missing from the package, as is the phenomenal “Strawberry Fields Forever” which according to the criteria used, only reached #2 on both charts.)   

Beginning with “Love Me Do” (released in the UK on October 5, 1962 and April 27, 1964 in the US), and ending with their swan-song offering “The Long and Winding Road” (released in the US on May 11, 1970), The Beatles:1 essentially tracks the Beatles’ sensational career across nine years as their music climbed to the top of the record charts, reigned as the archetype supreme of quality and creativity, and then took fans on one unimaginable ride after another–until their own journey came to its heartbreaking end.   

Beatles Instruments: the Basics

Tell me why the Beatles used the instruments they did, you have asked?  Here’s why!   

Although the Beatles used the standard guitar/bass/drums instrumentation line-up common to the early Rock ‘n’ Roll genre, the brands of instruments they chose speak as much to their final product as their musicianship itself. Indeed, as emulators and imitators of their music quickly discover, the texture and timber (quality of tone) of their songs was the result of purposeful instrument selection. And accordingly, as their musical genius expanded, so did their choices of expression.   

For many fans and fellow musicians, it was Paul’s Hofner semi-hollow “violin” bass that first drew the attention in publicity shots and live performances. Custom-ordered during one of the band’s early stints in Hamburg, Germany, this beautiful left-handed instrument was his weapon of choice until late in 1965 when he switched to a Rickenbacker model 4001S for the recording of RubberSoul, its distinctive sound easily distinguishable on singles like “Paperback Writer.” While Paul briefly used a Fender Jazz bass during The Beatles/“White Album” and Abbey Road sessions, the Rickenbacker became his primary instrument for the remainder of his Beatles career—though he revisited his trademark Hofner during rehearsals and recording of Let It Be, wielding it masterfully during the famous “Rooftop Concert.” (Paul is said to have also recorded with an old upright bass once belonging to Elvis’ bassist Bill Black.)   

Beatles Memorabilia (items auctioned/sold)

Although the Beatles had already stirred considerable interest within days of releasing their first Parlophone single “Love Me Do”/“P.S. I Love You,” it was their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, February 9, 1964 that elevated that interest to fanatical proportions—rightfully deemed, “Beatlemania.” (An estimated 73 million Americans tuned in to see what all the fuss was about.) And once this mania began to spread, anything and everything “Beatles” became like holy relics to be collected and coveted. Following their stay at the Whittier Hotel in Michigan in September of 1964, for example, the sheets the four slept on (and their untold guests) were cut into 164,000 1″ squares that, though originally selling for $1 each, have reportedly brought hundreds of dollars per square. And since that time, virtually anything the Beatles touched–or in many cases, simply bears their names—have drawn enormous fees from fans and professional collectors of the memorabilia market.   

For example, in April of 2013 a signed copy of the Beatles’ 1967 LP Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sold for $290,500 at a Texas auction. In 2011, a Lennon fan (reportedly a dentist) paid $31,200 for John’s extracted, rotted tooth; in 2009 a pair of John’s trademark round “grannie” glasses sold for $97,000; and in 2009 a watercolor John painted at age 11 sold for $123,000! In 2011 an anonymous bidder paid $154,000 for one of the hand-scrawled “Bed Peace” posters from John and Yoko’s famous “Bed-In for Peace.” And extraordinary as these fees may seem, they were mere “drops in the proverbial bucket” compared to some other Beatles sales.   

Another Contender for the Title ’5th Beatle’ – George Martin

Throughout the extraordinary career(s) of the Beatles, a number of peripheral players and insiders have been honored with the “Fifth Beatle” designation, including Klaus Voormann (bassist and artist who designed the famous Revolver cover), Derek Taylor and Neil Aspinall (the Beatles’ public relations manager and road manager-turned-business-executive, respectively), Eric Clapton (after his intuitive contribution to “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”), and Billy Preston (following his masterful work on “Get Back,” “Let It Be,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” and “Don’t Let Me Down”). But few would dispute that the true Fifth Beatle was George Martin—the mastermind behind the Beatles’ sound. Record producer, musical arranger, conductor, audio engineer, composer, and fellow musician (a graduate of Guildhall School of Music in London), Sir George Henry Martin (January 3, 1926–) was not only responsible for creating the Beatles’ public appeal (musically-speaking), he was instrumental in bringing their creative ideas to fruition—which once started, flooded out at an astounding rate.  

As an A&R man (Artists and Repertoire talent scout) for EMI’s Parlophone record label, it had been Martin’s job to make Parlophone competitive with Columbia and HMV/RCA records, but as of the spring of 1962 had only managed to keep the label afloat by creating a stream of comedy albums (one of his best-sellers, Peter Ustinov’s Phoney Folklore Mock Mozart). The fundamental obstacle was that the more successful labels were already cashing in on the Skiffle and Rock-music teen market, having signed popular stars like Cliff Richard (“Living Doll”) and Tommy Steele (“The Writing on the Wall”)–who Martin had a chance to sign but thought too derivative of Elvis Presley. So George was essentially waiting for the next great “thing” to walk through the door when talent manager Brian Epstein approached him in May of 1962 with a demo from a band who had already been turned down by Decca and several other British labels.   

The Beatles Album Covers – Abbey Road

The Beatles Album Covers – Abbey Road

It’s the most famous pedestrian crossing in history, and the home to the studio where the Beatles recorded almost all of their albums and singles between 1962 and 1970. No album cover has inspired more imitations, conspiracy theories, and tourist stops than Abbey Road, the Beatles’ eleventh and final studio album (although Let It Be was technically the last to be released). The now-iconic cover photograph, which was based on a series of impromptu sketches by Paul McCartney, features all four members of the band crossing the street in tandem. John Lennon leads, from left to right, followed by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison.

Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan published a book in 1966 that featured a photo of Yoko Ono, Yoko introduced him to John Lennon, and John subsequently invited Macmillan to photograph the album cover for Abbey Road. On the morning of August 8, 1969, Macmillan had a mere ten minutes to snap the photo from his position atop a stepladder while police held up traffic. There were only six takes, and the fifth photo was selected for the cover. It was the only shot in which John, Ringo, Paul, and George’s legs were all in perfect formation, and the only one in which we see Paul McCartney smoking.

The Beatles Movies

As is now part of popular Beatles lore, virtually from the beginning of their phenomenal climb to super-stardom, cameras were constantly rolling; indeed, videography paralleled and documented most every facet of the Beatles’ lives and creative processes. Thus it comes as no real surprise that the “Fab Four” (and individual Beatles) accumulated a considerable amount of rehearsal, studio, and live performance footage, and subsequently gravitated into feature films (A Hard Day’s Night and Help!), the promotional film/“music video” genre (with “Strawberry FieldsForever” and “Penny Lane”), art-house film-making (The Magical Mystery Tour), animation (Yellow Submarine), and documentary format (Let It Be).   

A Hard Day’s Night   

In the fall of 1963, movie producer Walter Shenson of United Artists films approached Beatles manager Brian Epstein with the idea of the Beatles starring in feature film about their phenomenal popularity, with the working title, Beatlemania. Widely considered the first time a movie was made primarily for the resulting soundtrack (UA thinking that even if the film was a flop they would recoup their investment through the music), the Beatles began shooting in March of 1964, with production ending about four weeks later. The final product (basically the behind-the-scenes goings-on surrounding a performance at Scala Theatre in London) premiered on July 6, 1964 in London (August 11 in New York City), with a reported 1 ½ million copies of the soundtrack sold by July 17 and the “A Hard Day’s Night” single certified gold by August 25.   

The Beatles Albums – The Beatles Live at the BBC Vol 2

Released on November 11, 2013, The Beatles, On Air–Live at the BBC Volume 2 is a live-in-the-studio compilation album featuring 63 tracks from the Beatles’ 1963–1964 BBC Radio broadcasts—including 37 previously unreleased performances, and 23 newly-available dialog tracks.

Like The Beatles, Live at the BBC (generally considered its prequel) this collection is a mixture of live recordings of Beatles covers and originals (the hits that rocketed them to international stardom), as well as in-studio banter—all remastered and presented on two CDs or in a three-LP package (which also includes a 48-page fan-book and/or five photo cards).

Selected from a total of 275 unique musical performances of 88 songs the Beatles delivered at BBC Radio studios between March of 1962 and June of 1965 for broadcast on various Light Programme radio shows (a station broadcasting mainstream “light” entertainment and music from 1945 to 1967), 10 of these songs have the unique distinction of never being recorded by the group for EMI (their British recording and publishing company), two of which are released here for the very first time: Chuck Berry’s “I’m Talking About You” (performed direct-to-air) and the Stephen Foster traditional, “Beautiful Dreamer.”

Capitol Records (of Los Angeles*) and the Beatles

While for most American Beatlemaniacs Capitol Records was virtually synonymous with Beatles music, as of mid-1963 this EMI Records (of London) subsidiary actually wanted nothing to do with the band, convinced that American ears were “not attuned to this essentially British sound.” (Offered the single “Please Please Me,” they flatly turned down, utilizing their contractual “first rights of refusal.”) And even though the Beatles had by this point been invited to perform at the most prestigious venue in the US, Carnegie Hall in New York City–indeed, the most prestigious concert hall in the world–Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein at first balked at the offer, citing that it would be professional suicide to present the boys without first having a hit record in America. And without a major record company like Capitol behind them—that seemed highly improbable.   

Desperate for American distribution, EMI and Epstein offered “Please Please Me” to New York City-based Atlantic Records–who flatly turned it down. It was then offered to the Chicago, Illinois-based label Vee Jay—who agreed to release it for a guaranteed $20,000—but the song ultimately died at the bottom of the charts. EMI then offered “She Loves You” to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based Swan Records–which agreed to release it–but it too went virtually unnoticed. Realizing then that the Beatles (and their music) is a visceral experience—both he and producer George Martin had not become true fans until actually seeing them—Epstein decided that what was needed to connect with the American audience was an appearance on a major American TV show. But why would a TV producer want to book a band that had no hit record and wasn’t getting airplay? Unbeknownst to Epstein, “She Loves You” had by now caught Capitol’s (Canada) attention and was now interested in knocking Swan out of the competition. (By some accounts, EMI eventually forced Capitol to promote the band in America.) 

Apple Corps and the Beatles

By early 1967, PaulMcCartney was actively campaigning for the establishment of a Beatles-owned company, tentatively named Apple, to run in coordination with Brian Epstein’s management company, NEMS Enterprises. As John would later clarify, “Our accountant came up and said ‘We got this amount of money. Do you want to give it to the government or do something with it?’” Thus while ostensibly founded to promote new artistic talent (the Beatles were constantly being approached to promote new artists or invest in new projects), such a business entity was largely needed to protect the Beatles’ finances. (Even by 1963 the Beatles were bringing in such unheard-of income that manager Brian Epstein had began utilizing various tax shelters.) And even though Epstein did his best to warn the boys of the potential pitfalls of their plan—stressing that business decisions are best left to business experts—Paul insisted the plan move forward. Only John, apparently, had serious misgivings.   

With legal and business guidance from Brian Epstein’s attorney and accountant, Alan Davis and Harry Pinsker, the first step towards creating this new business were put into motion, a partnership called Beatles and Co. (established in April of 1967). Under this new business structure, each Beatle would own 5% of Beatles and Co., with a new collectively-owned corporation (soon known as Apple) controlling the remaining 80% . All profits above individual songwriting royalties would go directly into Beatles and Co. coffers–and taxed at a far lower corporate tax rate.   

The Beatles Album Covers – Yesterday and Today

This album has two names really, since it contained the single Yesterday, it is also named “Yesterday”…and Today with a distinction to the song it features.   

The most controversial cover of all the Beatles’ works, this Yesterday and Today album cover has led to some of the most valuable collector pieces of all time. Recently a cover still in its cellophane seal, sold at auction for $39,000!   

In 1966, photographer Robert Whitaker invited the group into his studio for a series of photographs, mostly to be used for promotional materials. Known for their enjoyment of black humour, and tired of the ordinary photos used up until this point, the boys agreed to being dressed in white lab coats. Sitting amid a display of bloodied headless naked dolls, the heads, and an assortment of fresh meat, they are smiling.   

The cover was nicknamed the “Butcher cover” and The Beatles were later quoted as saying the photo was used as their statement about war, the war in Vietnam particular, and immediately drew immense criticism; the first the band had received that was critical and in many cases, negative.   

Cover Versions (Beatles Songs by Other Artists)

It has often been said that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And while the Beatles were instrumental in spawning a number of cool cultural trends–from hairstyle (long–including the famed “Beatles’ haircut”) to eye wear (though “granny glasses” are often attributed to Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, John single-handedly took it from fad to fashion) to leg wear (bell-bottoms ala Go-Go dancer Toni Basil)–perhaps the greatest flattery the Beatles have received is other performers recording cover versions of their extraordinary music. While their “Pied-piper-like” influence did effectively result in a generational rift via the “counterculture” youth movement of the 60s–70s, their music ultimately served to bridge the generations as nothing had before or since. (Even 40s—50s crooner Frank Sinatra recognized the Beatles’ genius, recording “Something” and deeming it a masterpiece.)   

The Beatles Album Covers – Rubber Soul

The famous “stretched” photo effect that graces the cover of the Beatles’ sixth studio album, Rubber Soul, came about purely as the result of a happy accident. After photographer Robert Freeman took a series of photos of the band at John Lennon‘s house, he projected them onto a piece of cardboard to simulate how they would look on the actual album cover. At one point, the album-sized slide card accidentally tilted backwards, resulting in an extended, stretched-looking image. The Beatles liked the effect so much that they asked if Freeman could recreate it for the final cover.   

Of the picture itself, Freeman says, “It was becoming difficult to get the four together for a photo session. The photograph for Rubber Soul, the last album cover in which I was involved, was taken in the garden of John’s house in Weybridge, the central point for three of them. The distorted effect in the photo was a reflection of the changing shape of their lives.” The original album artwork was later auctioned off at Bonhams, along with a letter of authentication signed by Robert Freeman.   

The Beatles Album Covers – Yellow Submarine

In 1966, seven months prior to the release of this album, Yellow Submarine, the film debuted. The album was based more or less on the film. The title track Yellow Submarine had been a single on the Revolver album, and the submarine appears in the story of Sgt.Pepper’s LonelyHearts Club Band.  

The cover artwork is very typical of the psychedelic era, a collage-like display of abstract images and colours with plenty of soft edges and swirls. The four band members are decked out in their finery poised atop a surreal surface above the submarine. The submarine is their mode of transportation while adventuring under the sea to save Pepperland and defeat the “Blue Meanies” (symbolic of the police, or bad politicians). Surrounding them are other images from the Sgt. Pepper’s story.   

There has been a great deal of interpretation of the artwork used for this cover. Some believe the submarine is like a capsule, a pill to oblivion and invites listeners to partake, others say is more a symbol of an arc, where we can gather our friends and come aboard.