The Beatles 1. The Pole Star of Popular Music

I was only six years old when the Fab Four came to town, but because I am a life-long fan I was asked by the boss to produce a clutch of features to mark the 50th anniversary . . .

So this is the first of three related articles (the others follow below) about The Beatles having played Shrewsbury Music Hall.

All three articles appeared in the Shropshire Star on Saturday, April 27, 2013.

The Beatles 1. The Pole Star of Popular Music

No. Emphatically NO! Please don’t speak about them in the same breath as JLS or West Life or Take That. We are not today discussing some over-rated boyband.

We are discussing – half a century on from their gigs in Shropshire – the band that would become the pole star of popular music – a fixed brilliant point of light, the constellations of pop stardom charted around them.

In short, people will still be playing the music of The Beatles 100 years from now.

Yet looking here at these old black and white photographs of four young lads from Liverpool, it seems incredible that they would go on to turn pop music on its head.

In not much more than seven years, they created a dazzling catalogue of around 200 songs from A Hard Day’s Night to Norwegian Wood, from Eight Days A Week to Penny Lane, from Across The Universe to Fool On The Hill, from I Saw Her Standing There to The Long and Winding Road.

I was a mere six years of age when I heard, coming out of a tinny transistor radio, Please Please Me, the group’s first number one record.

And I’ve been a fan ever since.

The years rolled by and I went on loving them when they became solo artists. (Hey. I know McCartney’s quality control has dipped alarming on occasion, but such is Paul’s over-arching genius that I’ll defend even some of his most cringe-worthy efforts from the seventies).

But of course John, Paul, George and Ringo were never going to be able to match as individuals what they achieved as a band.

There was the shock of the long hair, the knockabout humour and warmth of their movies, the being cheeky to Her Majesty, the strange moustaches, experimenting with Indian music, going weird, being scruffy, and a legacy of 13 extraordinary albums.

Just think about this embarrassment of riches. Should you ever tire of the White Album, Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road, just go back to the very beginning of it all and listen again to those early LPs. Because their early spontaneity is equal in merit to their late sophistication.

Check out the boisterous rock and roll. Enjoy again those harmonies, those infectious tunes.

Charming, witty, self-mocking, irreverent, clever, and super-abundant music-makers, The Beatles, were always much more than just a pop group.

And that’s why these old pictures of them in Shrewsbury are so important. Because they show the first flashes and twinkles and sparks of this pole star.

The Beatles 2. Beethoven, Buckingham Palace............... and Bigger than Jesus

The Beatles 2. 
Beethoven, Buckingham Palace, 
and Bigger than Jesus

They were still fresh and full of youthful exuberance, still a little shocked by just how quickly things were moving for them, still surprised and thrilled by the joyous reception they were getting from their fans. And yet there was so much more to come.

When they arrived in Shropshire in that spring of 1963 to play a concert at the Shrewsbury Music Hall, The Beatles' all-conquering global fame was still a good couple of years away. 

But on the other hand, they were not exactly unknown at this point, having just enjoyed their first number one record with Please Please Me - and it seemed that just about everyone in Britain was talking about them.

Their domination of the pop world was just beginning.

On the day they came to Shrewsbury, what would be their second number one, From Me To You, had already begun its 21-week run in the charts and would hit the top spot on May 4 (a position it would keep for seven weeks).  

The four lovable moptops were already taking the entertainment world by storm, but they would surely have laughed at you, if you'd suggested that in a few years time they would have not only streets in Liverpool, but also heavenly bodies named after them: four individual asteroids to be named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.

As the lads took to the Music Hall stage that night, they would not have dreamt that just two years later they would be invited to Buckingham Palace to be honoured by the Queen with the presentation of their MBEs.

Nor that just three years later, Lennon would be declaring, not through boastfulness but as a simple sociological observation: “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus Christ”.

And just four years later, the Sunday Times would be calling them ”The greatest composers since Beethoven.”

But even in 1963, people could see this was no ordinary band – even if they were still travelling the length and breadth of the country either by coach or clapped-out old van.

Everywhere they went they generated incredible excitement among the young, and often suspicion and bemusement among protective mums and dads.

This was, incidentally, their third visit to Shrewsbury, having played the town’s Music Hall before on December 14, 1962, and then The Granada on February 28, 1963.

And here’s a fascinating fact: It had been while the Fab Four were travelling by coach between York and Shrewsbury for their Granada concert that John and Paul had written From Me To You. Writing smash hit singles would become second-nature to them.

Another Shropshire date, by the way, had been Whitchurch Town Hall on January 19, 1963.

For the record, other gigs in the Midlands leading up to their 1963 Music Hall date included the Plaza Ballroom at Old Hill in Sandwell, the Birmingham Ritz, the Birmingham Hippodrome, The Gaumont in Wolverhampton, and a couple of dates in Stoke-on-Trent.

Radio and television appearances would quickly accelerate the growth of their fame, then the conquering of America and beyond.

But let us just go back to that Whitchurch appearance for a moment for a personal recollection from Albert Griffiths, 73, a Whitchurch man who remembers that day well.

He said: "They arrived in an old transit, it was as much rust as it was van. At the time we always had great bands performing in Whitchurch on a Saturday night.

"In many ways it was just another gig but there was an extra bit of excitement around The Beatles.

"When they came on stage John Lennon was stood right in front of me. He had that sort of cheeky look on his face and was wearing a pair of really old tatty jeans. I remember it well because he had a safety pin on his fly to hold them up.

"It was a great night. I can't remember most of the songs but I can remember Love Me Do like it was yesterday, it really stood out."

Pam Shaw, from Whitchurch, was also at the show which took place in what is now the Civic Centre, in High Street.

She said: "I was there! I went along like I did to many of the dances but I can remember a lot of people were there to see the Beatles.

"It wasn't Beatlemania, there wasn't people screaming and fainting, but there was a lot of excitement. I can remember being there, dancing and thinking how good they were.

"I really liked them and from that day I started to take a keen interest in them. I even went up to see them at The Cavern Club in Liverpool. From that day I was a big fan and have remained a big fan ever since. It was wonderful."

Councillor Doris Ankers said her late sister, Margaret Raine, met the musicians on the night.

She said: "My sister went and she never let us forget it. They were just a group from Liverpool who came down to play and after the show were talking to the crowd. My sister actually sat by the band and was talking to them, they were just starting to get famous but she always said they were very nice."

Very nice? The Beatles would be called many things in their time: brilliant, innovative, thrilling, ground-breaking, revolutionary . . . and also, as it happens, very nice.

John (the thinker), Paul (the romantic), George (the mystic) and Ringo (the clown) would themselves grow and develop from showbiz stars to spokesmen for their generation.

And 50 years on from their initial success, we’re still talking about them now, they are still making the front covers of serious music magazines, and many of us are still completely under their spell.

The Beatles 3. Their Growing Fame

Beatles 3 - Their Growing Fame

It seems bonkers now, but even with a storming number one record behind them, The Beatles were still travelling the length and breadth of the country either in an ordinary (far from luxurious) coach or in a clapped-out old van.

Did Take That have to suffer such indignity after their first number one?

And despite their already substantial fame at this point, the Fab Four were playing not large venues, but relatively humble places like the Shrewsbury Music Hall.

Again, it’s hard to imagine nowadays a band, at that level of fame, playing quite small theatres.

But what we forget is that in 1963, rock and roll as we know it today was still being invented.

Firstly, there was still a post-war mentality that demanded show business acts (and that is exactly how the Fab Four would have been perceived at this time) had to pay their dues.

They had to go out there and learn their craft – like four little Arthur Askeys or four little Jimmy Tarbucks – playing, to begin with, pubs and church halls and dodgy clubs, then small theatres, and eventually bigger theatres.

Not only were they making records, but they were being interviewed on radio shows (regularly) and TV shows and for magazines. It was all good publicity.

One day, if they were very very good little Beatles and kept their noses clean, they might get the chance to play to bigger audiences, maybe even tour in Australia and Japan. But they would have to pay their dues.

Secondly, it was unheard of at this time for pop groups to play sports arenas.

The age of super-tours with bands taking over football stadia was still some way off.

But it would be The Beatles and groups that followed in their wake that would change all that.

They had already grown from playing purely in the Liverpool area to playing across the UK.

1964 would prove a turning point.

They began the year with 10 appearances in London. Then it was off to Paris for 20 shows. And then America.

Their appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show have become the stuff of legend. This was considered a milestone in American culture and the beginning of what would become known as ‘the British invasion’.

And in the summer of 1964 they played 25 concerts across the United States and Canada. There was no stopping them now.

Gradually, the sound systems were becoming more sophisticated. Rock fans were developing an appetite for bigger concerts and outdoor festivals.

Although there were still British tours to come for The Beatles, the likes of the Shrewsbury Music Hall would not see them again.

The people of Shropshire would now have to watch from afar as the rest of The Beatles’ story unfolded.

A Day of Self-Indulgence

You know you must be getting on a bit when you daren't stop on a busy high street in case some do-gooder wants to help you across the road.

Okay, I know I'm not quite at that stage yet, but there are times when I realise I'm not as young as I used to be, and there are days when I want to shout out (to anyone who'll listen): "Stop the world. I wanna get off!"

It's at times such as these that there really isn't anything else for it but a day of therapeutic self-indulgence – and, for me at least, this almost always involves a large helping of Shrewsbury.

And so it came to pass that I treated myself to just such a day last week, a day packed full of the things I love.

Oh, before you ask, by the way, my wife and my mother-in-law (always listed among the things I love, needless to say) had taken themselves off to the Shrewsbury Flower Show for some quality mother-and-daughter time, and our sons were out and about doing other things. So, yeah, I had the whole day to myself.

The delicious ingredients of my special day were beginning to arrange themselves into an irresistible soufflé.

So let me see now. There was my aforementioned large helping of Shrewsbury, there was chocolate, The Beatles, beans on toast, the library, a long chat with a dear friend, sunshine, coffee, Castlefields, a riverside walk, and a Neil Gaiman novel.

It was a day that ticked a lot of boxes.

In brilliant sunshine I walked over the Castle Walk and the Castle Bridge (a stretch that, as a boy, I walked twice a day, first on my way to school, then on my way home). And then I was in Castlefields and the life-enhancing streets of my childhood, streets packed with history and happy memories. This always does my heart good.

Strolling along the riverside on such a beautiful day, my cares began evaporating. And then it was on to the splendid Shrewsbury Library for peace and contemplation within its elegant rooms. There can be few other libraries in this kingdom quite as lovely.

Upon my return home it was time for a revitalising spot of lunch: good old lovable beans on toast. And music – The Beatles debut album, Please Please Me. Now, contrary to popular belief, I do listen to groups other than The Beatles. Hundreds of bands and artists feature in my extensive collection, and I certainly do not confine myself to a particular era or genre, but we are talking here about a day of total self-indulgence, and although I 'like' plenty of other bands, I actually love The Beatles. On such a day, it had to be them.

A good cup of coffee and a chocolate bar and your humble columnist was now at the gates of Paradise.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door. It was my dearest old friend (and, yes, I'm going to name him) – Steve Parry. (This will embarrass him, but what the heck!)

Steve and I go back a long way . . . to when we were about eleven, in fact. And it was great to see him on this day of reconnection and pampering of the soul.

He and I went to Belvidere School together, and we went to Tech together. We went to the same dreadful discos together in the seventies, and wore the same appalling fashions – rust-coloured eight-inch flares and shirts with rounded collars and stupid motifs (I remember especially a monocled gentleman in a bright green top hat repeated dozens of times, turning a humble shirt into a ridiculous work of art).

We've been great friends for 45 years and if I can't let him into my day of therapeutic self-indulgence, who can I let in? Anyway, a cup of tea and a long chat with him, and he was on his way.

Then, an hour or so of reading the Neil Gaiman novel I am so enjoying at the moment (Neverwhere), a book of pure escapism, a book that somehow draws upon Dr Who, Star Wars, Monty Python and traditional fairy tales, while maintaining grit, horror, and plenty of humour too, and it was time to go and pick up the girls from the Flower Show.

I've got to say. I feel a lot better now. (Thanks for asking).

The Bootleg Beatles

Tom Stickley pointed out to me (at the Prince of Wales on Christmas Eve) that I hadn't written anything on my blog for ages and ages and ages . . . . (he's a fan, you see).

Indeed, it seems I haven't put anything on my blog since last August when I included the sleeve to the classic single, Orville's Song, by Keith Harris and his giant green duck, Orville. This 1982 smash had been a favourite of our dad's.

So, yes, it really is about time I added something fresh to my blog before my fans abandon me in their thousands and go off in search of a blog that is updated more regularly!

Tonight then I offer you a few paragraphs about the Bootleg Beatles.

My darling wife Carol, my darling son Tom and darling son Alex, along with dear, dear, darling friends Kerri and Julie, set off just before Christmas for that dear, dear, darling little intimate venue they call the NIA. And we all had a lovely, lovely, darling time.

This is the darling review wot I wrote for the newspapers for which I work:

The Bootleg Beatles Birmingham NIA by Phil Gillam For those of us whose love of The Beatles runs deep, witnessing a Bootlegs concert - especially if the atmosphere is right - can be akin to a religious experience. And such was the case last night at the NIA. The lads have been together since 1980, formed from the West End musical, Beatlemania, and are not only technically spot-on in terms of the instrumental sound they make, but are also often breathtakingly realistic in their on-stage personas. Having said that, Bootleg Paul last night did sometimes, during his between-songs patter, sound rather more like Ken Dodd than Macca. And the vocal performances of Bootleg Ringo sounded a little odd. But these are minor points. Over all, this was another superb show from one of the longest-lived tribute acts. From I Wanna Hold Your Hand to A Hard Day's Night, from Help to Paperback Writer, from Magical Mystery Tour to Strawberry Fields, and from While My Guitar Gently Weeps to Come Together, the band told the story of the Fab Four with temendous panache. I must have seen them at least half a dozen times over the years - in venues including Whitchurch Town Hall, Shrewsbury School, Oakengates Theatre and Wolverhampton Civic Hall - and they never fail to deliver the goods. Hey look - we're talking about the week before Christmas and the music of the greatest group of them all being performed live on stage with energy, wit and style. It doesn't get much better than this. I recommend them unreservedly. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Ringo plays Birmingham

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Birmingham
Symphony Hall,
Concert review by Phil Gillam

Yes, yes, of course it was terribly ‘cabaret’ at times, but what were you expecting, for goodness sake? This is Ringo.

Now, you might say there are two types of performer in popular music: the artist (such as Bob Dylan) and the entertainer (such as Engelbert Humperdink). Ringo has never professed to be an artist, but he’s never stopped being an entertainer. And entertain is what he did supremely well last night.

“If you don’t know this next song, you’re in the wrong venue,” he told the crowd as he launched, into Yellow Submarine.

Surrounded by top-notch, if ancient, musicians – all of whom were major players in their time – Ringo, a sprightly 70 years old, gave us energetic renditions of Honey Don’t, Back Off Boogaloo, Photograph, and of course With A Little Help From My Friends.

Starr has suffered down the years at the hands of critics. But it turns out the mop-top caricatures of John the thinker, Paul the romantic, George the mystic and Ringo the clown were pretty accurate after all.

Last night he proved he was still the clown, still the master entertainer, and still, a much better drummer than many give him credit for. Ringo . . . you’re fab.

The above was the review (short and sweet) which appeared in the Express & Star. I wanted to be kind to Ringo. And I was.

If I had had the space in the newspaper to say any more about the evening, I might have said that I would have preferred a great deal more Ringo and a lot less of his All Starr Band. Yes, I realise that these musicians were all big in their day (now faded stars), but it was Ringo we the people had gone to see. He could have done so much more . . . other songs which he'd recorded with the Fabs, other songs he had recorded as a solo artist. And it would have been really nice if he'd been a little more chatty and told us a few stories along the way.

But with each of his band members having generous guest spots in a two hour show, there really wasn't much room for manoeuvre.

Shame really. I reckon Ringo could easily have put together a much more Ringo-flavoured evening for us. Oh well.

Just one further thought . . .

Back in the sixties, few within the Fab Four's circle escaped the sting of Lennon's acerbic wit and, famously, when asked if Ringo was the best drummer in the world, John replied: “He's not even the best drummer in the group”. But he was missing the point. Ringo was always so much more than the guy who kept the beat. He was the Chaplin-esque depressive in A Hard Day's Night, he was the cuddly, lovable one in Help!, and, throughout the whole adventure, a crucial part of the phenomenon. Even if Ringo was not the best drummer in The Beatles, he was the best drummerfor The Beatles.

The Mighty Quinns

I can scarcely believe it but it was way back in 1999 when I first came into contact with Tim Quinn. He'd come into the head office of the Shropshire Star in Ketley to discuss with the editor the possibility of creating a children's comic within the newspaper.

This project did eventually bear fruit, but the comic was sadly short-lived.

However, what was destined NOT to be short-lived was our friendship.

Quite by chance that day in the office, Tim and I struck up a conversation and we discovered that we shared a love of Spider-Man, Marvel Comics, Batman, DC Comics, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Dr Who, children's books and comics generally, and pop music, especially The Beatles.

For me, it was like suddenly making a new friend at school. It would not have surprised me one bit if he'd then turned around and offered me an Opal Fruit, some black jacks or a gobstopper!

We were getting on like a house on fire (whatever that means!) . . .

Later I would meet his lovely life, Jane. She's FAB! We would become firm friends.

What happened next?

Well, to cut a very long story short, there came a point when they left their home in Belle Vue, Shrewsbury, to go and live in America where Tim found work on a children's magazine.

I honestly thought I would never see them again.

HOWEVER . . .

Within a fairly short space of time, they were back in Britain, back in Shrewsbury, and back in Belle Vue. They had hated living in America.

From a purely selfish point of view, I was delighted. I could call round for a cup of tea at the drop of a hat. Or call round for a hat at the drop of a cup of tea.

Our friendship was soon thriving again.

I'd meet Tim up town for a cup of coffee and a scone (tragically, the man does not drink alcohol. Oh well). Or I'd just pop round to their place occasionally. It was lovely. This was during their Blue Moon period. Thanks to the financial clout of one of Enid Blyton's rich daughters, Tim and Jane were now producing a children's comic (a dream come true for the Quinns). Alas, like so many of their creative projects, it was dogged by problems. It was poorly distributed and was up against the might of Fireman Sam, Thomas the Tank Engine, and (ironically enough with the Blyton connection) Noddy . . . all of them backed by highly successful television programmes.

Blue Moon was eclipsed – and eventually it was time for the Quinns to move on again.

This time they went to live with the fairies at the bottom of Julie Felix's garden (Don't ask!).

And I honestly thought I would never see them again.

HOWEVER . . .

Years rolled by. We kept in touch best we could, but it wasn't like the old days when I could pop round for a cup of tea and as many biscuits as I could eat.

Anyway, fate intervened once more. And again they returned to Shrewsbury. This time, the area of my childhood, my beloved Castlefields.

The tea and biscuits were back on.

During this period, Tim and I went to see The Searchers together. On another occasion we met Paul McCartney's brother Mike to interview the former Scaffold star. (Again, too long a story to retell here).

The Quinns got into other creative projects, some successful, some not quite so successful.

And then last year (2010) they moved again, this time to Southport.

Now, some unkind people have suggested that they keep moving to get away from me. I have dismissed this notion outright!

Nevertheless, when they moved to Southport . . .

I honestly thought I'd never see them again.

Watch this space.

My Fifty Favourite Musical Artists

I seem to have this compulsive desire to make lists – and I'm a father . . . and so on this Father's Day I am going to treat myself by making a list:

My Fifty Favourite Musical Artists

The Beatles

The Bee Gees

The Hollies

The Kinks

The Move

The Byrds

The Monkees

The Lovin’ Spoonful

The Beach Boys

The Mamas and the Papas

Crosby Stills Nash (and Young)

The Who

The Rolling Stones

Procol Harum

John Lennon

Paul McCartney

George Harrison

Badfinger

Stealers Wheel

Cat Stevens

Donovan

Simon and Garfunkel

America

Bread

Supertramp

The Moody Blues

Wizzard

T.Rex

Lindisfarne

The Strawbs

Paul Simon

10cc

Elvis Costello

Frank Sinatra

The Supernaturals

Crowded House

The Mutton Birds

Jellyfish

ELO

Bob Dylan

Roy Orbison

Tom Petty

Traveling Wilburys

Michael Nesmith

Bruce Springsteen

Elvis Presley

Johnny Cash

Flaming Lips

Teenage Fanclub

XTC