The Beatles Boxed Set (18 page)

Brian
Epstein, whose family owned the NEMS store, was a music columnist for the
Mersey
Beat
which Bill Harry began for the purpose of tracking all the bands in
the local area. He was six years older than John and was a closet homosexual.

            Several
accounts of how Brian Epstein ended on November 9, 1961 at the Cavern differed.
One account claimed that one Raymond Jones ordered a
My Bonnie
record at
NEMS. On a return visit, Epstein informed him that he would order the record,
which was probably German. And then came two more requests from women.

            Epstein
was able to track down
My Bonnie
, featuring Tony Sheridan and backed by
“the Beat Brothers” and ordered twenty-five copies. They sold out immediately,
and then Epstein ordered 50 more.

            Another
account indicated that it was Alistair Taylor, Epstein’s assistant, who
invented Raymond Jones and put it in the NEMS log as a customer requesting a
Beatle record so that Epstein would notice the local phenomenon. But other biographers
contested this, asking why Taylor did not request for the record himself and
play it for Epstein.

            Whatever
the version of the story was, Epstein decided to see the band for himself. One
observer recalled, “He came in with his red tie. Everybody knew who he was, and
Wooler even made an announcement, so there was this strange self-consciousness
in the air about his appearance. It was as if the schoolmaster had come down to
take a look around.”

            The
Beatles quickly recognized “Eppy,” as they would call him, as the slick manager
of the largest and best local record store in Liverpool.

            Epstein
approached the Beatles after their set. Goerge casually asked, “What brings Mr.
Epstein down the Cavern, then?” Epstein looked at the disheveled, grotty
teenagers who smoked and swore at their own audience.

Brian Epstein became the Beatles’ manager
from 1962 until his death, during which he successfully turned the boys into a
professional band

            Epstein
introduced himself then invited the boys to come to his NEMS offices for a
meeting. Paul remembered that the record shop, which was deserted after hours,
“felt like a cathedral.” Epstein then offered a proposal: if they agree to make
him their manager, he promised that he would secure them a recording contract.
Or at the very least, arrange their bookings and secure them better fees.

            At
first, the Beatles were skeptical about his offer. According to Paul, the fact
that Epstein had this big car, a sleek Zodiac that was Ford’s luxury variant of
its sporty Zephyr, contributed to their agreeing to hire Epstein as their
manager. Paul said, “The big impressive thing about Brian was his car. He had a
bigger car than anyone we knew.”

            Epstein
had many requirements for the boys to follow. Right after they signed the
contract with Epstein, he sent them to Horner Brothers to manicure their
haircuts. He told them, “Lose the leather, gum, ciggies and swearing, tidy up
the hair, perhaps,  but its length was somehow intriguing… and put them in
matching suits. That should do.”

            Brian
Epstein was successful in removing the leather, ciggies, bad words and pissing
about between songs. He had convinced the four lads to present themselves in
suits and ties, though it took a while before John finally relented. He had
tightened up their set pace and insisted that they be punctual and avoid
interacting too much with the audience.

            Feeling
that his boys were ready, Epstein brought with him a record of
My Bonnie
and made the trip to London to secure a recording audition and to convince
Polydor to release the single in Britain. His first stop was at Decca Records.

            After
securing the band an audition, Epstein brought the news to the Beatles. The
audition was scheduled for January 1, 1962. He helped them choose the songs
they would play for the audition, including some Lennon-McCartney originals.

            Unfortunately,
the audition didn’t earn the band a recording contract. Dick Rowe, an executive
at Decca, rejected the band with the comment “Guitar bands are on their way out.”
Years later, after the Beatles became successful, Paul would say, “He [Rowe]
must be kicking himself about now” to which John replied, “I hope he kicks
himself to death!”

            Epstein
continued to go from one recording company to another in between booking the
band gigs wherever he could. He was able to negotiate a higher fee for the
band. In February, following a final rebuff from Decca, Epstein took the
reel-to-reel Decca audition tapes to Pye and then Oriole, both of which refused
to grant a recording contract.

            Epstein
never lost hope, still looking for a company that would give the Beatles a
chance. Brian Epstein arrived at EMI’s HMV retail shop on Oxford Street in
London where the manager, Bob Boast, was an acquaintance. One thing led to
another, until Sid Coleman of Ardmore & Beechwood, a publishing office,
contacted Parlophone’s George Martin. An appointment was made for the following
Tuesday.

            When
they met, Martin was more impressed by Epstein than by the samples he brought.
Still, Martin suggested a meeting with the group.

            Meanwhile,
the Beatles’ gigs grew in number. Early that February, they performed at the
night Tower Ballroom in front of more than three thousand fans. And in March,
Epstein had secured the Beatles their first radio appearance on the BBC Light
Programme show
Teenager’s Turn – Here We Go
and taped
Dream baby,
Memphis, Tennessee
and
Please Mister Postman.

            The
Beatles returned yet again to Hamburg on April 11, 1962, eager to show off
their good fortune. But even before they could begin a gig, shocking news
reached them.

            Since
Christmas 1961, Stu’s family back in Liverpool had received letters from Astrid
in Germany. The letters were about Stu’s recurring headaches and pale skin and
fainting spells. His headaches worsened to the point that he would just black
out. Sometimes Stu would feel fine, working on his paintings without food or
sleep. He also experienced periods of blindness throughout March.

            The
day before the Beatles arrived, Astrid’s mother called her and told her to come
home. Astrid found Stu suffering another bout of intense headache, and she
called the hospital. She sat next to him in the ambulance on the way to the
nearest hospital.

            Astrid
went to the Hamburg airport and told the Beatles that Stu had just died the day
before. Paul and Pete cried while John remained silent.

Stu Sutcliffe, the original bassist of
the Beatles and a close friend of John, died of brain hemorrhage

            Stu’s
death was another blow for John. He had already lost him to painting and to his
fiancée. John could only clench his fists in pain, and memories of the
Blackpool scene when he was five came surging back when he had lost his father.
Then his kindle uncle George Smith died when John was only 14, leaving him with
the stern Mimi. His mother, Judy, died three years later, robbing him of the
chance to bond more closely with her. And now, his best friend, just 21 years
old, died on him, too.

            Despite
mourning Stu’s death, the Beatles still played in front of loud and drunken
Hamburg crowd at the Star Club.

The
Beatles finally secured their first recording contract under EMI’s Parlophone
label under the direction of George Martin. But it took three months before
Epstein heard from Martin.

            As
it turned out, Martin had been busy with sessions and contacted Epstein for
another appointment for May 1962. John was still fuming over Decca’s rejection
of their audition. He, Paul and George never told Pete about it. By then, the
three were growing disenchanted with Pete.

            They
were still in Hamburg when they received a telegram from Epstein in Liverpool:

CONGRATULATIONS
BOYS. EMI REQUEST RECORDING SESSION. PLEASE REHEARSE NEW MATERIAL.

            Epstein also
sent this telegram to Bill Harry at
Mersey Beat
:

HAVE SECURED
CONTRACT FOR BEATLES TO RECORD FOR EMI ON PARLOPHONE LABEL 1
^ST
RECORDING DATE SET FOR JUNE 6
^TH
– BRIAN EPSTEIN.

            The
Beatles were ecstatic. It was the big break they were waiting for.

George Martin of the EMI’s Parlophone
label gave the Beatles a chance at recording when no one else would

            Unknown
to John, when Brian made it back to Liverpool, he had to attend to some issues
which, if ignored, might jeopardize the Beatles’ career. In his memoirs,
Alistair Taylor wrote that a girl, named Jennifer, barely 17, went to NEMS with
her parents. Her mother said, “Our Jennifer is five months pregnant and the
father is one of your Beatles – John.”

            Epstein
paid them £200 and had them sign an agreement never to tell anyone about the
pregnancy. There would be more complaints in the following years about the same
thing, though only a few made it to the papers. Epstein understood that it came
with being a teenage boy. He also knew that the Beatles belonged to their fans.

            On
the morning of June 6, 1962, Neil Aspinall drove the Beatles in his van to
London for their audition at EMI. They met with George Martin’s assistant Ron
Richards, his engineer Norman Smith and tape operator Chris Neal. Martin was
away when the band began their set.

            Norman
Smith summoned Martin to the studio when the Beatles began singing
Love Me
Do
. Martin was so impressed that he stayed throughout the session. They
sang
Ps I Love You
, an original composition
,
followed by
Ask
Me Why
.

            At
some point during the session, Martin expressed doubts about Pete Best’s
drumming skills. He wanted the band to use a session drummer for the recording,
though he still pushed through with signing the contract, predating it June 4.