Black Maria For the Beatles (1963)

 

Black Maria for the Beatles

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Nelson Leader

August 2, 1963

    Beatles night at the Imperial and once again, teenagers flocked to the ballroom on Wednesday night to idolize the phenomenon of four Liverpudlian lads who shot sensationally from obscurity to the Top of the charts with the ditty entitled, "Please, Please Me".

     In all, there were 1,800 young people at the Imperial to see the Beatles. Among them were four of the younger members of our editorial staff. Here's what our four had to say about the Liverpool four.

     Leah Morrissey, age 20, our Young Ones columnist: "The Beatles are certainly tops in their field. They gave a polished performance on Wednesday, though the night itself was not quite so chaotic as when they last visited Nelson."

    Tim Proctor, age 23, chief reporter: "I enjoyed the music and the atmosphere, but I wouldn't care for it too often."

     Rita Sutcliffe, age 17, junior reporter: "They were very good. It was an exciting night."

     Roger Siddall, a 26-year-old sub editor and music critic: "Horrible discord. About as musical as a regiment of Cavalry charging over a tin bridge. If this is being "with it" then I'm obviously being a so-called square."

    The ingredients which went into making it a night to remember, for most young folk, were similar to those when the Beatles last visited Nelson:, a capacity audience, hysterical girls overcome by either the almost unbearable heat or excitement, fainting like nine pins, photographers' flash bulbs, and of course, a royal helping of scouse sound. 

    A small party of people had flown over, especially from Belfast, to be at the Imperial ballroom on this night of nights. They were Mrs. Margaret Curran and her two children, Jennifer, 14, and Robert, 12, who are related to the wife of one of the Imperial directors, Mr. Rowan Court. 

    The two happiest Beatles fans, though, must surely have been 16-year-old Lynn Peake of Victoria Street, Barrowford, and Christine Brown, 16, of Regent Street, Nelson. Out of the hundreds present, they were chosen by the management to meet the Liverpudlians. 

    "We chose them because, in our opinion, they are Nelson's biggest Beatles fans", said manager Bob Caine.

     But like all good things, it had to come to an end. Then the Beatles left almost as mysteriously as they arrived, in, of all things, the local Black Maria. "It's the only way we can get them away from here," said a sullen, exhausted police officer as the van vanished into the night.