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ON THIS DAY (February 11, 1994) - First Beatles' "Reunion" Session


The historic first Beatles reunion session, when they began work on Free As A Bird, takes place on this day at Paul McCartney’s Mill Studios in Sussex, England. (The Mill is a converted windmill on a hill, overlooking English farmland and the English Channel.)

Following the initial recordings, Paul, George, Ringo, and Jeff Lynne visit a local pub. About the recording sessions themselves, from Paul: “I played these songs (of John Lennon’s) to the other guys, warning Ringo to have a hanky ready. I fell in love with Free As A Bird. I thought I would have loved to have worked with John on that. I like the melody, it’s got strong chords, and it really appealed to me. In the end we decided to do it very simply. It’s Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr during the recording of the new Beatles songs for The Beatles Anthology-crazy really, because when you think about a new Beatles record, it is impossible, because John is not around. So I invented a little scenario; he’s gone away on holiday and he’s just rung us up and he says, ‘Just finish this track for us, will you? I’m sending the cassette...I trust you.’ That was the key thing, ‘I trust you, just do your stuff on it.’ I told this to the other guys and Ringo was particularly pleased, and he said, ‘Ahh, that’s great!’ John hadn’t filled in the middle eight section of the demo, so we wrote a new section for that, which, in fact, was one of the reasons for choosing the song. It allowed us some input.”

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An Open Letter from Tower Records President



This letter was recently sent to artists and industry leaders....

For those that know me know that I have written this myself, no PR folks or copywriters, etc.  You also know how passionate and serious I am about changing the current business climate, if even just from my little corner of the world….so here it goes.

In my first year at Tower, my focus has been on recapturing the vibe of a brand that had seen a lot of damage incurred since the initial 2004 bankruptcy.  We believe that a good plan, honesty and transparency are how we have succeeded in the initial stages.  We are in the process of updating a business plan/model that I strongly believe will succeed financially, fit with the Tower Records brand as a cultural icon, and provide a strong advocate of artists. 

For many of you that have worked with me know, my mission revolves around how to make music enjoyable again to a large audience.  Thanks to various “improvements” in the industry music, especially with the younger generations, music is now background, white-noise.  The majors only get behind the latest fad – content about an artist and the effort they put behind their art is lost. 

Our shareholders have decided that Tower may not fit their portfolio, thus Tower.com, Inc. (Tower Records), including all intellectual property (international trademarks), is on the market for investor(s) or purchaser(s).  Note that this decision was made internally months ago, so this status does not mean that Tower is closing, liquidating or filing bankruptcy.  My reason for sharing this with you is in the spirit of transparency and to ask for your help in “spreading the word.”  If you or anyone you know may have any interest I would greatly appreciate it if you contact me at the below.

We have had many great moments in 2010, but, we are at a point when execution is the key.  The industry is (again) in a state of flux; there are some great models out there but in my opinion, too many choices within them, which means that there is a great opportunity for the right plan with the right brand.  Those who know me or have worked with me understand that my passion is in the advocacy of the arts.  If your music is listened to and enjoyed it is beneficial for the listener as well.  Tower Records is the brand that can get us there.

I would greatly appreciate the following:


Peace,

Richard Flynn, President
Tower Records
Tower.com, Inc.
email: rflynn@tower.com
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ON THIS DATE (February 9, 1964) The Beatles on Ed Sullivan


February 9, 1964, 8:00 p.m., EST, CBS' "The Ed Sullivan Show" took to the airwaves to broadcast the Beatles' first U.S. television appearance. An estimated 73.7 million Americans – a record for its time, and still one of the highest ratings ever – watched as John, Paul, George and Ringo performed "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to 703 screaming teenage fans (mostly girls) in the studio audience. During "Till There Was You," a message flashed on the screen when John appeared: "Sorry, girls, he's married."

         
Although the group realized how important America was to their career, they had no idea just how important the Sullivan show was to domestic audiences. When the full impact of the event hit them just before showtime, John Lennon became so nervous he taped the band's song lyrics to the back of his guitar, just in case.
          
Sullivan read a telegram to the audience just before the band's performance: "Congratulations on your appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and your visit to America. STOP. We hope your engagement will be successful and your visit pleasant. STOP. Sincerely Elvis and the Colonel."
         
Although the music can barely be heard over the screams, this one show had an enormous effect on aspiring rock stars who would later attempt their own version of Beatlemania. In fact, one future music star from Britain also appeared on the Sullivan stage that night – Davy Jones, two years before he became a Monkee, performing as part of the cast of Broadway's "Oliver!"


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ON THIS DATE (February 7, 1964) Beatlemania Arrives in the US

When The Beatles left the United Kingdom on 7 February 1964, an estimated four thousand fans gathered at Heathrow, waving and screaming as the aircraft took off. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" had sold 2.6 million copies in the US over the previous two weeks, but the group were still nervous about how they would be received.

The Beatles arrive in the United States for the first time, being welcomed with extreme media coverage and already rampant Beatlemania. The demands on their time never let up from the moment they set down at John F. Kennedy International Airport, greeted by 5,000 screaming fans, until their return home on February 21. Reporters, photographers, radio stations, and TV news crews follow their every move. Added to this was the film crew accompanying The Beatles to shoot a documentary of their first American visit. The results of the documentary filming was a UK broadcast on February 12 titled, "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Beatles in New York" and a US broadcast on February 13 called, "The Beatles in America" (the US broadcast was presented by actress Carol Burnett as part of a weekly documentary series called "The Entertainers").


The Beatles Arrive in New York

Over the next few days, The Beatles give extensive interviews to disc jockey Murray the K and Ed Rudy. The Beatles' US merchandising company, Seltaeb, is inundated with requests for licenses to market Beatles merchandise. It was also the day that Baskin-Robbins introduced "Beatle-Nut" ice cream. The Beatles entourage included record producer, Phil Spector, a hearty contingent of press, and for the first time in public, Cynthia Lennon. They are wisked through immigration into a chaotic press conference: a reporter asks, "Aren't you embarrassed by all this lunacy?" John Lennon says, "No. It's crazy." When asked what he thinks of Beethoven, Lennon says, "He's crazy. Especially the poems. Lovely writer." Their off-the-cuff wit wows the hard-nosed American media...and the world will never be the same.
 


They gave their first live US television performance two days later on The Ed Sullivan Show, watched by approximately 74 million viewers—over 40 percent of the American population. The next morning one newspaper wrote that The Beatles "could not carry a tune across the Atlantic", but a day later their first US concert saw Beatlemania erupt at Washington Coliseum.

Ed Sullivan Show (February 9, 1964)

The band appeared on the weekly Ed Sullivan Show a second time, before returning to the UK on 22 February. If The Beatles expected to be able to rest upon returning to England, they were wrong. Arriving at London Airport in the morning, they hold a press conference, which is broadcast in the middle of a popular sports television show, "Grandstand." Pathe News covered The Beatles return to England and made a documentary film out of the footage for distribution to theaters. There was plenty of radio coverage, too. The Beatles gave a phone interview to Brian Mathew for the program "Saturday Club." That interview was followed by a song request dedicated to George Harrison for his upcoming birthday; it was sent in by his mother (and the song was Shop Around).

During the week of 4 April, The Beatles held twelve positions on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, including the top five. That same week, a third American LP joined the two already in circulation; all three reached the first or second spot on the US album chart. The band's popularity generated unprecedented interest in British music, and a number of other UK acts subsequently made their own American debuts, successfully touring over the next three years in what was termed the British Invasion. The Beatles' hairstyle, unusually long for the era and still mocked by many adults, was widely adopted and became an emblem of the burgeoning youth culture.

SHOP: The Beatles Boutique at Tower
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ON THIS DATE (February 2, 1973) The Midnight Special makes it series debut.

The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman and airing on NBC.  The Midnight Special was noted for featuring musical acts performing live, which was unique since most television appearances during the era showed performers lip-synching to prerecorded music. The series also occasionally aired vintage footage of older acts (such as Bill Haley & His Comets).

First Show line-up
Host: Helen Reddy
--Helen Reddy (host) - "I Am Woman," "Peaceful" & "Come On John"
--Ed McMahon (walk-on cameo) - wishes the show sucess
--Ike and Tina Turner Revue- "I Can't Turn You Loose" & "With a Little Help from My Friends"
--George Carlin (comedian) - stand-up comedy monologue
--Curtis Mayfield - "Superfly"
--Don McLean - "Dreidel" & "If We Try"
--Rare Earth - "We're Gonna Have a Good Time" & "I Just Want to Celebrate"
--Kenny Rankin - "Comin' Down"
--The Byrds - "Mr. Tambourine Man" & "So You Want to Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star"
--The Impressions - "Preacher Man"
--Helen Reddy, Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions - "Amen"





List of guests appearing on The Midnight Special


1972 (pilot)

First aired: 8/19/1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

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