Paul Lashes at Sniping Beatle Fans (1966)

 Paul lashes at sniping Beatle Fans

By Ray Coleman

Disc & Music Echo

June 18, 1966

    Paul McCartney has only one regret at being famous. It finally hit him one day when he woke up to find that an admirer had painted messages on the front door of the Beatle's new house in London. 

    "Who do they think we are, mugs?" He exploded. "I don't think the people who take liberties and do things like this can really be fans. They're troublemakers, and we can do without them, because they're just not decent people.

    "People explain it all away by saying, 'Oh, well, Paul, if you're in business as a big star and you like the limelight, you've got to take all that goes with it.' That's a load of crap. I've never believed that we have to put up with this sort of treatment, and we wouldn't, whoever we were. 

    "I've got a new house, and like anybody with a new house, I take pride in it. I don't expect people to come up there day and night and dab paint all over it. I expect they thought, 'Ha, ha, isn't it cute painting the front door pink for Paul?' Well, it depends on the shade of pink. 

    "Fans should realize that we are normal human beings who occasionally like to get away from it all. I don't have any time for the wreckers, because they just can't be fans if they treat us like fools."

     The penalties of Beatledom affect autograph hunters, too. Paul is hounded by those who have discovered where he lives, and he says he finds it embarrassing to deal with them. "They think, 'Oh, he's hanging around doing nothing. He'll sign this for me.' The trouble is that if you sign a few one day, the fans who got them that day will be back later with a dozen other friends, and the thing snowballs like mad.

     "Surely people can realize that we like a bit of time off. Some of them must wonder why we run away, and we won't sign autographs, but it's not a question of being lousy or tight or difficult. We've just got to protect ourselves from being invaded all the time, every day. That's why pop stars don't talk to fans as much as they'd like to. The fans don't make it easy. 

    "I still love meeting fans, but if I went up to a fan and start talking, I just make things impossible for myself.

    "Why do you think the Walkers don't talk to people very freely? It's just the same, fans go mad and make stars' lives hell. 

    "Do you know Joan Baez never gives autographs? We were with her once in the States, and when somebody went up to her and asked her to sign. She said, 'Sorry, I don't sign autographs, but I'll shake your hand.'"

     But despite the rigors of fanmanship, Paul thinks Beatle life well worth the trials. "Sometimes," he said, "I wonder about it all. We have to go through all this business with the so-called fans, but for every dozen who are wreckers and fools, there are about 1000 real fans, and we never get tired of them. They make it all worthwhile."

Apple Offices

 

McCartney-Harrison

 

It's the Beatles Choice (1964)

 

It's The Beatles' Choice

Disc

May 9, 1964

    What records do the Beatles listen to in their all too rare off-duty moments? Mainly, they like what in this country is usually called "rhythm and blues" or the big American coloured sound, although the four boys themselves are loath to put a name to it. "I don't even know what R and B is," says John, for example. But whatever it is, there's no denying that it's big beat and coloured sound that shows itself repeatedly in the Beatles' choice of discs. 

Ringo:

 "I Gotta Woman" by Jimmy McGriff. This is just a great song, and I like it a lot. Jimmy McGriff is one of my favourite artists.  I like the organ too.

"What Kind of Fool"by the Tams. This is one I think is really marvelous. It's a great song, and the bass player's sound in it is fabulous. I also like the way the voices harmonize and change during the number.

 "It's All Right" by  the Impressions. Apart from the backing on this one, which is great, I like the way different voices come in to take the lead. In particular, I like the falsetto lead, which sings really high.

 "Monkey Time" by Major Lance. This is about the only dance I learned to do in America, and I think this is a great number to do it to. I like the sound as well.

 "Love is Blind" by Emma Franklin. Emma's a lovely singer. I dig her marvelous, coloured voice particularly on this one. She sings it slow with plenty of feeling

 "Um, Um,Um Um Um" by Major Lance. Another Major Lance, I know, but I think he's marvelous. This is one of his later releases here, and although it wasn't a hit, I thought it was good.

John:

"Can I Get a Witness" by Marvin Gaye.  This is the best Marvin Gaye record I've ever heard. It's marvelous. I love the voice. In fact, I love everything about it.

 "Hey, Little Girl" by Major Lance.  Anything by Major Lance is okay by me. This one stands out because of the arrangement.

 "Two Lovers" by Mary Wells.  This is a fine song, and the way she sings it makes it even better. The beginning is really outstanding, and the backing is particularly attractive.

 "Who's Loving You" by The Miracles. They sing this dead slow, and the singers do fantastic things with their voices. The tricks they do in this number are fantastic.

 "Please, Please, Please" by James Brown. This is a medium, slow number with a high, almost screaming voice. This and the fab organ playing really knocks me out.

 "Stay a While" by  Dusty Springfield. I like the way Dusty sings. She gets a real coloured sound in her voice. I like the song as well. I think it's just right for her. 

"Gonna Send You Back to Georgia" by Tim Connor.  I just like this one for no particular reason except that I like the group and the guitar solo. 

Paul

 "If You Want to Make a Fool of Somebody" by James Ray.  I like the Oompa bass noise in this disc, which is great. I also love the voice and the overall sound. 

"World Without Love" by  Peter and Gordon. I hate the composers of this, but the way Peter and Gordon sing the number is gear. 

"Canastas" by Trio Athenee.  This is a song that Ringo and I heard when we were on a holiday in Greece last year. I think the number is actually Spanish, though it's a marvelous song, and this trio sings it really well. The harmonies are marvelous. 

"Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" by Ray Charles. This is my favorite Ray Charles number, and it is obviously not the same number that Gary Marsden wrote. It's the B side of "Let the Good Times Roll", and Ray sings it slow with a big orchestra.

 "Long, Tall, Sally" by  Little Richard. I love this. It's just fantastic. The way Little Richard makes his voice.  The disc generates a terrific beat and feeling, and the whole thing swings like a bomb.

 "Pride and Joy" by Marvin Gaye. I love anything Marvin Gaye does on record, but this one is a real knockout. It's my favorite number by Marvin-- a gas. 

"I Keep Forgetting" by Chuck Jackson. Again, it's the voice I go for on this one. I think this artist is marvelous. I play this disc all the time. 

"Hitchhike" by  Marvin Gaye. Sorry, but I always come back to Marvin, as I said. He's one of my favorite recording artists, and this one's never off my record player for long. Once again, I've got to say it's great.

 George 

"Daddy Rolling Stone" by Derek Martin. This is issued on the American Sue label, and it's a marvelous R&B sound. The voice is great, and so is the female backing. I also particularly liked the rhythm, particularly the drums.

 "Walk On By" by Dionne Warwick. Dionne is a great artist, and I love her voice on this one.

 "High-Heeled Sneakers" by Tommy Tucker.  Great guitar on that one. This one, the voice and the organ are good, too, a Bluesy feel.

 "What's Easy For Two is so Hard for One" by  Mary Wells. Mary Wells is one of my all-time favorites. This is perhaps my favorite of all her numbers at the moment. Great voice, great song, great feel.

 "Hitchhike" by  Marvin Gaye. I never got Marvin Gaye's disc off the record player. This one I play all the time. Marvin's voice is just right. The rhythms fab, and the backing is swinging.

 Since I Fell For You" by Lenny Welch. This isn't commercial, but it's got a great, big orchestra and a good feel. I think it's catchy with some nice, pleasant notes in the tune.

 "You Might as Well Forget Him" by Tommy Quickly. This is going to be a big hit for Tommy. We're all convinced it'll be his first big impression on the charts. Tommy Rowe wrote it for Tommy, and it's a very good song and a very good backing. Well done, Tommy!

"Dawn, Go Away" by the Four Seasons. This is a better melody than some of the others the Four Seasons have recorded. I like it. 

"Mockingbird" by Inez Fox. This is just marvelous. She and her brother Charles are great. The beat really gets me on this one.

"I'll be There" by the Majors. It's really the trumpets which makes me like this one. They thrill along, catchily, very pleasant. 

Another interview

 

All Aboard the Beatles Special (1964)

 

All Aboard the Beatles Special

Disc Weekly 

March 7, 1964

    All this week, the Beatles have been spending around 11 hours each day in a sealed five-coach special train supplied by British Railways at a reported cost of £600 a day for the opening sequence of their new film for United Artists.

     The train has been speeding from Paddington Station to Minehead and is fully equipped with technical equipment, cameras, film crew, makeup coach, restaurant car, and bar. To celebrate the first day of shooting, producer Walter Shenson presented the Beatles with a big bottle of champagne. The Beatles, in turn, gave a glass to the members of the Film Unit, who numbered about 50!

     "Everything has been laid on by the film company to make the Beatles' filming as comfortable as possible, "says publicity director Tony Howard, "excellent menus have been prepared by the chefs on the train, and on Monday, they were offered a variety choice of food, including roast pork and apple sauce, soup, ice cream, Melba, cheese and coffee."

     The boys are real professionals and have taken their film directions in a willing and easy-going manner. They arrived at Paddington Station at 8am, and the filming on the train runs right through 7pm.  Special suits have been made for the Beatles by the film company. And these train shots will give a general picture of how they travel to and from their engagements.

     During some of the sequences, fans will see two girls on the train who realize that they are traveling with the Beatles and who make eyes at them.

     The Beatles will get a break on Saturday and Sunday, as there is no filming on those days, but resume work before the cameras on Monday. At press time, it was not set whether it would be in a studio or on location, but it is expected that all the train shots will be finished by tomorrow, Friday. 

Written by Walter Shenson

    I want to make the Beatles picture as colourful as possible, but that's easy, as the boys are colourful characters themselves. And one thing I do know is that if the film is successful in England, then the rest of the world should take care of itself.

    As for their music, well, that is international. But I would still love to have a movie camera and sound apparatus on hand when the Beatles see themselves dubbed in Italian. 

    The film will be shot in black and white. Why not color? Because the Beatles are pretty well black-and-white characters, seamless. We don't intend to play up one of the boys more than any other. We find that in real life, they tend to feed each other and work as a team. 

    Our film is definitely not a musical. If it were, there would be about 14 numbers in it, but since there are only six and no other music groups, and all the songs have been written by John and Paul. 

    Will we be filming in Liverpool? Quite possibly, but our headquarters will be a studio in London. Whether we shoot in film studios one day or on location depends on the weather, and that's even more unpredictable than the Beatles.

     Since I decided to make this film, I've been asked again and again if I think the boys can really act. Well, let me tell you that when it comes to delivering dialogue, the boys are naturals, especially making up their own. 

    They're great at handling the press, as they proved in America, and they're only too good at sending up people, as I found out, to my cost. So it is important that we keep their own identity in the film.

     There's this quality, of course, that has contributed to their success. They're not conformists, a bit intervariant. They speak to the fans in their own language, as it were, but their humour also appeals to adults. They're nice looking kids too, and well dressed. And these are big assets. 

    I think they are going to make a great film, and just as they did when they appeared on the Royal Show at the Palladium, they're going to surprise a lot of people with their talent. 

Beatles Take Ticket to the Top! (1965)

 Beatles Take Ticket to the Top!

By Nigel Hunter

Disc Weekly

April 17, 1965

    It all started four months ago during rehearsals for The Beatles' Christmas show at the Hammersmith Odeon. Beatle publisher, Dick James, went down there on one of his periodic visits to the boys in connection with John and Paul's songwriting activities.

     "I sat with Paul in the stalls watching some of the other acts," he recalled. "Then Paul sang a few snatches of melody to me, which he and John had in mind for future songs."

     Soon afterwards, John started on some of the same tunes Paul had been singing out front. "There's a sort of title I've got in my mind, which I can't get rid of," he told Dick. "She's got a ticket to ride." Dick liked the phrase, for it was a slightly more original idea than usual for expressing goodbye and parting. He encouraged John and Paul to work on it, and the matter passed into the back of his mind for a while.

     "Ticket to Ride" next cropped up in early February, when Beatles A&R man George Martin joined John in Switzerland for some skiing. "One evening, John borrowed a guitar from their skiing instructor and strummed through a tune. I liked it straight away," said George, "and John said he'd get together with Paul as soon as he got back to London and finish it off.

    "It went in with the rest of the songs the boys had lined up for their forthcoming film, and it was one of the first we recorded during the week in the studios before they went off to the Bahamas on location."

     Dick James came back on the scene during the recording sessions. He always visits the Beatles at the St John's Wood studio, so he can keep right up to the minute on the progress of the boys' songs. 

    "As usual, I received a rough acetate of 'Ticket to Ride' when it had been cut exactly as it was, without any technical treatment."

    The song was then registered with the British Museum in the same way that every newspaper, magazine, and book published is registered by a copy being deposited there. The contract for John and Paul was drawn up, and the song was registered with the Performing Rights Society to safeguard its copyright and royalties when performed live by other singers or bands, and with the mechanical copyright protection society, which fulfills a similar function where disc versions are concerned. 

    Dick says that John and Paul's enthusiasm is a major factor behind the success of "Ticket to Ride"; like all their other hits, it's his recipe for success all the way in pop music: enthusiasm plus talent. "They really work at their songwriting. A lot of their ideas and groundwork happen in hotels, dressing rooms, and while traveling, and often George and Rigo help out too when they've got something definite that needs to be finished. 

    "Then John and Paul will lock themselves away and get on with it until it's completed to their satisfaction."

     That's the story of "Ticket to Ride," a phrase John Lennon couldn't get out of his mind, a snatch of melody worked out by Paul and him, a tryout for George Martin on a Swiss skiing instructor's guitar, plus unlimited enthusiasm and talent. 

Ringo with Hugh

 

Peace in the Neighborhood

 

Beatles with Tails