Beatles Exam #1 (1962, 1963, 1964)
Where did the name "Beatles" come from according to the video? (There are two versions)
1. John thought of the name, had vision at 12 and a guy on a flaming pie said "from this day on youre the beatles with an A" 2. John was thinking of crickets and when he thought of "crawly" things he then thought of beatles bc it was beat music
what is significant about the song Cry For a Shadow
1st and only time Lennon and Harrison co-wrote a song
How large was the crowd for the first Ed Sullivan show reported to be?
73 million viewers
Who performed and what importance did "Rock around the Clock" have for the Beatles?
Bill Haley, they "riffed" up the cinema
"That'll Be the Day" was the primary song the Quarrymen recorded on that first acetate. Who wrote it?
Buddy Holly
what artists are cited by the beatles as being important to their musical development
Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Bill Haley, Elvis, The Coasters, Big Bill Brunsey, Frankie Lane, Jimmy Rodgers, and Chuck Berry
What was the song that John was playing when Paul first saw the group? Who originally performed it?
Come Go With Me by The Del Vikings
What was the B-side of the acetate? Who wrote it?
In Spite of all the Danger - Paul McCartney
What musical styles were popular in the late 50s?
Jazz and blues
Who brought Stu into the band?
John
What was the question and answer routine that the Beatles used to boost their spirits? (HINT: Where are we going fellas?...)
John would notice the group was depressed bc of their situation so he would ask "where we going fellas" and in fake american accents they would respond and he would ask where again and they would say to the top
How did the Beatles come to their chosen musical instruments?
John: had no idea he wanted to play until her heard rock n roll, mother told him banjo and then he progressed to the guitar Ringo: has always only wanted to play the drums, bought bass drum @ 16 George: at age 13 always drew guitars and got one not too long after that Paul: dad bought him a trumpet as first instrument, but realized he couldn't sing w a trumpet in his mouth and traded it in for a guitar
what 2 songs did the beatles sing as backup players on
My Bonnie and When the Saints go marching in
What is Eddie Cochran's importance to these early days?
Paul knew all the words to the Eddie Cochran song and that blew Johns mind
What song did George play for his audition? And who wrote it? (You might need to do a web search here.)
Raunchy by Bill Justis
how did the jobs and backgrounds of the parents of the beatles influence them
Ringo: George: John: Paul:
what are the backgrounds and jobs of the parents of the beatles
Ringo: baker, dad left when he was young, mom did anything she could George: dad was in war John: raised by aunt bc parents split when he was young Paul: mom- catholic, dad- Protestant, had him @ 40, nurse, cotton salesman and musician
what were the early childhood years like of the beatles
Ringo: very sick as a child and almost died, mother always sang Little Drummer Boy to him George: John: raised by his aunt on a farm and mother played ukulele Paul: listened to his dad play music often
What was the name of Ringo's earlier group?
Rory storm and the hurricanes
Was there an issue in the early days with the Beatles not having a drummer? How did they cover for that missing element?
The gigs they would play would always ask where their drummer was, the guitars kept the rhythm
What two songs did the Beatles perform for their audition?
Think it Over and Ray Von
What was the Jacaranda Club?
a club in the center of liverpool, they would hang before they formed a band, play gigs there
How did the Beatles learn about the Hamburg opportunity?
adam williams drove, Bruno asked Derry to play in hamburg, booked them and said to send another band so the beatles went but needed a 5th person (drummer Pete Best)
Who was the Beatles early manager?
alan williams
What did Stu do after he left the band?
art coverage
Why did Paul become the bass player?
because they didn't have one and lennon said he wouldn't do it so he did it
Where did George Harrison buy the hollow body Rickenbacker guitar?
benton illinois
What were the issues with the Beatles performing for the Queen?
betraying their young fans, changing outfits
What happened to George when they were set to move to the Top 10 club?
busted for being out past curfew underage
What was a feature of "From Me To You" that Paul McCartney demonstrated?
chord in the middle,
What does George Martin mean that With the Beatles was the first song book?
collection of songs, songs that werent good enough for singles went on albums
How would one describe Stu's musicianship?
couldn't play at all and knew he sucked so he didn't care
What did it mean to "make show"?
dancing crazy, knocking heads together, worth the peoples time / money
What aspects of their performance did Brian Epstein seem to appreciate?
dark, smoky atmosphere, beat music, dimly lit stage, presentation desired, most importantly- music / beat / sense of humor
What was George Martin's primary objection to the Beatles when he heard them audition at parlophone?
did like the drummer
What were the reactions the Beatles had to their new found frame?
didn't realize it was about themselves and did basically couldn't believe it, humorous, affects your mold -- including friends and family, treated differently and knew they weren't secure in friends
What do you think is meant by the phrase working class performers?
didn't try to change accents, conform to what the labels wanted, genuine
What importance did the Shadows have on the Beatles thinking and musical influences at this time?
different musical sounds more upbeat and sporadic, outfits (leather),
What were the particulars behind Ringo replacing Pete as the drummer?
dissatisfied, not showing up to gig, ringo would show up, seemed like he needed to be there when he played,
What is the role of Swan and VJ records in the early history of the Beatles?
each took one or the other titles and put them out in america, small label not great success, all songs flopped no matter the label, capital got forced to release it
Who sent the Beatles a telegram that Ed Sullivan acknowledged on the air?
elvis
Who was Helen Shapiro?
established singer, they were embarrassed bc they were just waiting for him not her
What were the three songs they played for their portion of the bill?
from me to you, til there was you, twist and shout
What was the message in the Derry and the Seniors story George tells?
give up jobs, go to london, and didn't get gigs and pissed off and wanted to beat someone up, adam williams drove them to the club, Bruno found them bc they were cheap and then it led to the slight discovery of the beatles bc inexpensive
What was the outlook by the Decca officials on the future of groups like the Beatles?
guitar groups are on the way out - Like Dreamers Do and Hello Little Girl were the songs played at decca audition
How skilled was Stu at playing the bass?
he could not play it (better to have a bass player that cant play than no bass player at all)
How did Stu Sutcliffe get the funds to buy a bass?
he sold his painting to John Moore exhibitions (75 quid)
What was the role of "fiddling" with the single mentioned in the video? (love me do)
he was buying the spot on the charts
What role did Andy White have in the Beatles?
he was gonna be the stand in drummer for the beatles audition instead of ringo
What is the story behind Paul joining the group?
he was seen as an aspect to make the group stronger because he was better than the other members and knew the words to cover other songs
When "Please Please Me" reached number one, what was number two?
how do you do it
Could the Beatles go home, according to Ringo?
impossible, bc of their new found financial stability they would be looked down upon
explain skiffle
impromptu jazz heard at black jazz parties, acoustic guitars, banjo, washboard, double bass made from string and broom handle, simple songs, way of sounding more authentic, late 1940- early 1950
Why did Paul McCartney say they could not go back to Liverpool if their next song was "How Do You Do It"?
it didn't fit their style, too repetitive
What is meant by the term "laughs"?
its a pun
What was the original type of music played at the Cavern?
jazz / folk club
What prompted Brian Epstein to go to the Cavern for the lunch performance.
kids went to record store and asked for My Bonnie and he found they were a liverpool band but they were playing in the cavern
How did the Beatles keep warm on one trip in the car during the winter?
lay on top of each other w a bottle of whiskey and top got too cold, they got on bottom and keep swigging whiskey
What aspects did Epstein not appreciate and took steps to change?
leather suits / gear
Who wrote Please Please Me"?
lennon, second single and first number one
What was George Martin's experience with rock and roll before the Beatles?
little to no rock n roll, learned together
what are the sights and sounds of the childhood period for the beatles
liverpool: ferries, seagulls, waves
What did the Beatles do for an encore?
long tall sally - little richard
What was Paul's influence in the band?
make sure they were musically very good, created riffs
What were the three M's used to describe Pete Best?
mean, moody, magnificent
What was the nature of the relationship between Paul and George in the beginning? NOTE: See how Paul and George have different recollections about how far apart they are in age.
met at young age but never became friends up later in life, lived near each other, close in age, george was 1-1 1/2 younger than paul, talked down, george says paul is 9mo older not 1yr
Who had a hit with "How You Do It"?
mitch murray
what was the housing arrangement for the beatles while they were in hamburg
no hotel, neighboring club had someone that opened it and allowed them to sleep in the club in the red leather seats, then moved to a hotel for a couple of months (unit 2 - hamburg)
Were these appropriate for the Queen?
not entirely one was recored by an american group -- sophie tucker, and most were very young songs -- twist and shout, and love songs
What role did dexatrim have in their performing life?
only way they could continue on stage, wired and go on for days,
According to Ringo, "see you at the Palladium" means?
place to get to, "you've made it"
What is "Tin Pan Alley"?
publishers found people here to write songs for them
What was the SATURDAY MORNING CLUB?
radio show, never been on one before
What was George Martin's idea for the first album?
record every song in a day -- run through them, lennons voice was gone for twist and shout because of this so he screamed the whole time, only sang it once bc voice was so strained
What is your reaction to the staging of the Beatles at this TV show? (NOTE: The activities of the other band getting ready as the Beatles were performing.)
ringo is really far behind, they were all watching from the side of the stage then went on and started getting ready behind them
Who was Murray the K?
rock and roll disc jockey
Which band was Ringo part of before he joined the Beatles?
rory and the hurricanes
What was it going to take for the Beatles to go to America?
saw it as the kiss of death so they said they werent going until they got a number one RECORD
With the Beatles broke what record?
second LP, advance sells of LP 250000
What was the weather like as the Beatles went to London for the audition?
snowy cold
Who was Tommy Roe?
someone they toured with after shapiro, closed first half of show
Who did Paul see as not contributing?
stu
What observations can you make about the clothing and hairstyles of the period?
suits, ties, slick back hair = greasers
What was the connection between Peter Sellers and the Goons, and George Martin?
the charisma
What was the new lyrical dimension of "She Loves You," according to Paul?
the song was different than what other people had written before, its from someone elses perspective
How did theatre critics usually cover pop music performers?
they didn't cover bc no continuity
How long did the Beatles think they would last?
they didn't know, maybe 4 years, 3 months, 2 weeks
What were the Beatles expectations for the trip to the U.S.?
they didnt know what to expect, they'd never been there
What is the story and meaning behind B7?
they found someone who knew how to play a chord they didn't, so Paul and George traveled on busses to this person to learn the chord and went back home and showed their friends
while in hamburg the beatles were able to have the opportunity to record songs as back up players for who
tony sheridan
What was Astrid Kirchner's role with the Beatles? What was the general name given to people in her group or cliche?
took all their photographs exsies
What are the two areas in Hamburg the Beatles played?
tried to find saint pauly but went to reeperbahn
Who were chasing the Beatles in Paris? (And it wasn't girls.)
tuxedo elders french people, slightly gay looking boys
The orchestra music after the Beatles leave is a rendition of which song they just played.
twist and shout
According to John Lennon, drummers are?
usually idiots, found far and in between
What kind of names did most bands have in Liverpool? Did the Beatles fit that mold? (HINT: No)
very furious names: Marchy wild, billy fury, tempest, storm, hurricane
how high did love me do go on the charts
went to 17 the next couple of weeks
