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Post by Paul Sylvain on Feb 9, 2014 11:28:03 GMT -5
Beatles. Ed Sullivan. Feb. 9, 1964. For a nation still mourning the loss of JFK just 10 weeks or so before, the Beatles' first US appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show was more than theraputic. And, as we know, it was the start of the so-called British Invasion in America. CBS is airing a special tonight (8:00 Eastern / 7:00 Central) about the show and those early days of the Brit Invasion. I remember that show so clearly, so it will be fun revisiting those days tonight. Here is a link to a column I wrote about the Beatles and John for my former hometown paper in New Hampshire. Enjoy: www.nashuatelegraph.com/opinion/commentary/1028419-474/nashua-felt-beatles-impact.html#Paul
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Post by loucapitano on Feb 9, 2014 14:48:54 GMT -5
You are so lucky to be able to write about the Beatles for publication. I have a similar story. JFK's death was devastating and I tried to bury myself by taking guitar lessons which started that December. I got my first acoustic jazz guitar for Christmas and once I saw the Fab Four on Ed Sullivan, I had to play their songs. My first sheet music purchase was "I Want to Hold Your Hand." I still have it. My first favorite Beatle was George because I wanted to play lead guitar like him. But my talents eventually drew me to John's rhythm guitar skills. A few years later in college I found I could almost make a living playing bass guitar like Paul. I wasn't good enough for a permanent music career. Never the less, my most prized possession to this day is my "Complete Beatles" book of sheet music. Every song is there, except a handful that had copyright issues. In fact, as soon as I sign off the website today, I'm going to play from it until the CBS Special tonight. Nice job Paul! Lou from Long Island
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Post by mjbrathwaite on Feb 9, 2014 19:07:40 GMT -5
Good article, Paul. In New Zealand we got "The Ed Sullivan Show" five years behind you, so our 50th anniversary will be in 2019! It was normally shown on weekday afternoons, but the Beatles ones were shown in prime time, although we never got the one where the sound balance was terrible, and I didn't see it until I bought a bootleg copy in America in 1988. Initially my favourite Beatle was Paul, but when they came here, John's wit in TV interviews soon made me switch my allegiance to him. I got put back a year in high school because when we were given three days off to study for our exams, I played the "A Hard Day's Night" non-stop, and couldn't resist playing along with it, with the result that I failed my course by 5 marks and had to do it all again the next year. George was my first inspiration when it came to playing lead guitar, but I didn't make much headway with it until I discovered Eric Clapton. As an autograph collector, my greatest disapointment is that I've never managed to meet a Beatle. I hoped to meet Ringo when he came here last year, but at the end of his concert he sang "Give Peace a Chance", then ran out to a waiting car and headed for the airport. In 1964, the Beatles thought New Zealand was behind the times, and Ringo must have thought Beatlemania was still in full swing!
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