I spent this whole week trying to figure out something to blog about. It's so hard when there is so much to talk about. I'm past the individual bios and I'm moving on to their career. I prefer learning about them rather than what they did though. However as always this book is no let down.
The Beatles got big fast. The fans were crazier than ever. They would make death threats to any of the Beatles' lovers. Hundreds of fans would wait outside for them if they were sick. People were even willing to buy Ringo's tonsils when he had them taken out. The Beatles were the first to make it big in the U.S and they were the ones to open the gates to the British invasion. When they made in the States (the U.S.A) it really took off. The fans there were the worst. "Hoses had to be turned on screaming fans to control them," (Davis 184). Even the police were as bad. They also demand autographs and once George caught one going though their pockets. This was Beatlemania.
The Beatles got big fast. The fans were crazier than ever. They would make death threats to any of the Beatles' lovers. Hundreds of fans would wait outside for them if they were sick. People were even willing to buy Ringo's tonsils when he had them taken out. The Beatles were the first to make it big in the U.S and they were the ones to open the gates to the British invasion. When they made in the States (the U.S.A) it really took off. The fans there were the worst. "Hoses had to be turned on screaming fans to control them," (Davis 184). Even the police were as bad. They also demand autographs and once George caught one going though their pockets. This was Beatlemania.
At first, before it got wild their goal was to top the charts then as they went on that's all they were producing number one hits after hits. "Records were broken everywhere, but to the Beatles themselves it all became meaningless," (Davis 203). They never even cared for awards. They didn't believe in them. They just accepted the awards to piss off everyone else who didn't win. One famous joke John made was by telling everyone to clap their hands and everyone in the royal box to "...just rattle your jewelry," (John 183). This joke hit all the front pages the next day. The Beatles became lovable; everyone loved them. They even began to make movies along with touring.
However for a long, long time as early had their first big American tour they hated what they were doing. "They disliked dragging around the world, appearing publicly in a glass box like a peep show. They disliked performing onstage in the same old way...Neil and Mal, their road managers, disliked the tensions, the panic and the chaos of it all," (Davis 213).
"It was like the end of a cycle. In Hamburg (their first tour) we had played for up to eight hours at a stretch, loving it all, getting to know each other and what we could do. It was a read freak-out in those days; the things we did were really wild," (Harrison 214). When they were in Hamburg they did things the way they wanted to do them and even when they were back in Liverpool and the shows were shorter they were still able to be apart of the audience compared to when they got big. When they toured they had to be polished, they had to play for a different audience each day, and they did the same things every concert. They got no satisfaction from it. could even hear them. "It was wrecking our playing. The noise of the people just drowned anything. Eventually I just used to play the off beat, instead of the constant beat. I couldn't hear myself half the time, even on the amps, with all the noise," (Starr 214). No one enjoyed the stresses of touring, so they just stopped. "The Beatles had no hesitation. They saw it as the end of Chapter One. Being naive and simple, they did it without knowing what Chapter Two was going to be," (Davis 215). It was the end of Beatlemania.
"It was like the end of a cycle. In Hamburg (their first tour) we had played for up to eight hours at a stretch, loving it all, getting to know each other and what we could do. It was a read freak-out in those days; the things we did were really wild," (Harrison 214). When they were in Hamburg they did things the way they wanted to do them and even when they were back in Liverpool and the shows were shorter they were still able to be apart of the audience compared to when they got big. When they toured they had to be polished, they had to play for a different audience each day, and they did the same things every concert. They got no satisfaction from it. could even hear them. "It was wrecking our playing. The noise of the people just drowned anything. Eventually I just used to play the off beat, instead of the constant beat. I couldn't hear myself half the time, even on the amps, with all the noise," (Starr 214). No one enjoyed the stresses of touring, so they just stopped. "The Beatles had no hesitation. They saw it as the end of Chapter One. Being naive and simple, they did it without knowing what Chapter Two was going to be," (Davis 215). It was the end of Beatlemania.
I think it was brave of them to stop touring at their height of fame. Of course they still made music. Their music became for complex, like having a whole orchestra so it would have been hard to tour anyways. Once again the Beatles gave up everything for their dream. This opened my eyes to the fact that they didn't care about the fame; they just wanted to make the music and enjoy other people enjoying their music. They didn't get that with the tours they went on with the thousands of people screaming so loud there was no music to be heard. The fact that they had no hesitation to stop touring shows their love for making music rather than having fans. Finally one of their singles didn't reach number "Paperback Writer" enterprisingly later "Penny Lane" and "Strawberry Fields", but it didn't matter to them. I don't think I would be able to give that up if I was one of them. Like in last week post it was "Help!" was a cry for help and so they they helped themselves. In the end it made them happy.
Their first not number one
Don't know how to respond?
Would you risk your future to be happy?
What do you think about their decision on stopping the tours?
Anything about the fans shock you?
Don't know how to respond?
Would you risk your future to be happy?
What do you think about their decision on stopping the tours?
Anything about the fans shock you?