Capitol Records Slated to Release New Beatles LPs in U.S. after Christmas
HOLLYWOOD — Capitol is lining up Beatles material for a year-end sales splurge. Newest product in production is the LP “Beatles ’65,” which will be released the day after Christmas, featuring sevennew tunes by Lennon-McCartney.
The LP being produced by Dave Dexter will follow the two-record special, “The Beatles Story,” out later this month. Dexter said the new LP will not be identical to same titled album to be released in England because the group’s latest single, “I Feel Fine“ backed with “She’s A Woman,” will not be included.
Despite the many British rock guitar groups which have followed the Beatles, Dexter feels the Beatles are immune to weakening sales action. Since they were the first mop-tops, he feels they have captured the “hearts” of teen-agers. But he does say that new groups have to develop a different sound since the guitar sound is not new any more. END
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Information, credit and news source: BILLBOARD, November 28, 1964
THE BEATLES’ STORY Capitol Records, released November 23,1964
Nothing has ever happenedlike it before. This is the opinion of astute tradesters about the forthcoming Beatles tour.
Five months before the (Beatles) tour hits the road in August, promoters are selling out their one night stands to the armies of Beatles fans.
In Toronto, The Maple Gardens sold out its tickets to the Beatles September show in just a few hours. In New Orleans mail orders only in five days amounted to a $12,000 advance.
In Detroit, promoter Art Sheridan sold out the Liverpool Lads first show, has half sold the second (Sept 4), and is trying to convince the boys and manager Brian Epstein and GAC to let them do a third show. (P.S. They won’t).
Promoters are finding The Beatles the most saleable item since Elvis Presley. According to GAC spokesmen who are booking the four Liverpool lads, even Elvis didn’t sell out this far in advance.
The way the promoters are pushing the concerts are via a radio spot or two or a newspaper ad or two. And it works. Beatles fans apparently can’t get rid of their money fast enough, and the orders are pouring in.
In New York, where Bill Grumann of Limelight Productions is promoting the show at the Forest Hills L.I. Tennis Stadium August 28-29, reports are that both shows are already sold out too.
Promoters are paying a guarantee of $20,000 for weekday nights and $25,000 for weekend nights or 60 per cent of the net receipts, whichever is greater. These figures mean that a promoter has to gross close to $50,000 to break even.
At first this scared a lot of veteran promoters, who were trepidatious about The Beatles and concerned as to whether they would be as hot in August-September as they have been in January–February–March.
However, now that the lads are proving they can sell out the box office months before they come to town, many vet promoters are screaming for another chance. They are calling GAC and begging for dates. It’s too late for some of them, for most of the dates are filled, from California to New York and including Canada.
There appears to be little doubt today that The Beatles tour will gross over $2 million. For their end The Beatles stand a chance to take out $1 million. Seats are scaled at $3, $4, $5, with most of the orders for the $4 variety.
The Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein arrived in New York from London last Friday to look over the tour scene, and to watch another act of his, Gerry and The Pacemakers, on CBS television’s The Ed Sullivan Show. All bookings for The Beatles tour are okayed by him, wherever he is. END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; May 9, 1964
Beatles’ George Chimes On Set of Group’s Second Major Motion Picture Film
MUSIC BUSINESS (4/14/1965) — “We arereallyenjoying making ‘Eight Arms To Hold You.’ It is a knockout!” George recently told Music Business. “Our travels have taken us pretty well all over the world but in this our being our second film, we filmed in three countries-Nassau in the Bahamas, Austria and of course England.
“The film plot is very involved and totally different from our previous film, “A Hard Day’s Night.’ The opening night scene is devoted to a high priestess, played by Eleanor Bron, in an Eastern temple. According to sacrificial rites the priestess must wear a ceremonial ring but it has fallen into the hands of Ringo Starr. That’s where we come in!
The Chase Scene
GEORGE HARRISON. Photo shot from a scene in the Beatles’ second film, ‘Eight Arms To Hold You‘.
“Gangsters, hired bythe cult, then chase us through the three countries mentioned, the first of which is England. Incidentally we filmed this part last and are in fact filming at the moment at Twickenham in Middlesex. In this part of the film chase scenes include a set with us fleeing down Salisbury plain in a television outside broadcast van!
“To escape we travel to Austria. Didn’t have any time to practice skiing, though. John was the only one who has ever tried his hand at it before. Unfortunately the script included a chase scene down a mountain slope on skis! So we were given a gentle but firm push and the film producer shouted ‘Action.’ Just as well it was only a short scene because we couldn’t keep upright for long!
“Austria was a dead loss as we couldn’t move from the village between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. because the only pass was closed owing to avalanches caused by melting snow.
“All we had time for was filming and had to get up at the unearthly hour of 5 a.m. to start. Who says it’s an easy life?
“The film script then demanded that we should go to the Bahamas, so off we were again, still being chased. I don’t think Ringo wanted the ring anyway! He’s got enough to last him a lifetime – every fan letter he gets has a ring in it and a ‘please wear it for me’ message! Fortunately he manages to get the ring off his finger and the film ends with another poor bloke being chased!
Confusing But Fun
“That’s the film plot – very confusing isn’t it, but we had a great laugh. I’d like to make films until I was pensioned off but I wouldn’t make them without John, Paul and Ringo. Filming is less strenuous than ballroom work but the hours are much longer and filming can become a drag when you have to spend three hours or more preparing a ten minute scene.
“I’d like to make a script myself but it would mean being off the scene for about nine months and I couldn’t afford that length of time. It might not be a good one anyway so I think it’s better for the professionals to do it.
“I’ve read the script for our next film, in which we play cowhands, and am really looking forward to making it. I’d like to take a week off before shooting commences and practice horse riding or it might end up like the skiing episode!” END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; April 14, 1965
NEW YORK — The recently released “Beatles’65” on Capitol which was No.98 on Billboard’s LP chart two weeks ago, soared to top position in the album chart last week. No album in the history of Billboard’s charts has ever scored such an advance in a single week.
The LP has just been certified by RIAA as a million-dollar LP. “The Beatles Story,” on Capitol, also was certified. Their cur- rent single is a winner, too.
To solidify their position in the pop record field, the Beatles also are holding down the top spot in the singles chart for the second consecutive week with “I Feel Fine.”
This isn’t the first time an album hit the top spot within a week after getting on the chart.“The Beatles Second Album” hit at 16and jumped to the top the following week. Another Beatles’ album, the United Artists “Hard Day’s Night” soundtrack, hit at No. 12 and topped the list a week later.
And in 1962, “The First Family” made its debut at No. 11and was No. 1,seven days later.
The Beatles now have six albums on the chart, three in the top 10.Five of the six disks are on Capitol; one is on United Artists.
During 1964, the Beatles held the top album position for 30 of 52 weeks. “A Hard Day’s Night” held the top position for 14 of these weeks, and “Meet The Beatles” led for 11 weeks. “The Beatles Second Album” was No.1for five weeks.
The album charts during 1964 showed relatively few changes in the top position. Only eight LP’s during the course of the year held the No.1position.
In addition to the Beatles’ album, other top LP’s were the “Hello Dolly” original cast version on RCA Victor, Louis Armstrong’s “Hello Dolly” on Kapp, Barbra Streisand’s “People” on Columbia, “The Beach Boys Concert” on Capitol, and “The Singing Nun” on Philips. END
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Information credit and news source: Billboard, January 16, 1965
ELEVEN WEEKS overall on the singles pop charts, “I Feel Fine” by the Beatles peaked this week at #1 (3 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100. Beginning December 20 through week ending, January 9, 1965. (Source: Billboard Pop Annual)
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For our previous Billboard 1964 Number One U.S.A. Hits go HERE
This record finalizes the 1964 Number One singles — 23 total — according to the Joel Whitburn’s Billboard Pop Annual.
George Martin, Who Records Beatles for Parlophone, Now Has a Big Hit in His Own Right
GEORGE MARTIN (Photo: Music Business)
MUSIC BUSINESS — September 26, 1964 — His life changed. George Martin is a man whose entire life has been changed by the Beatles. This tall, lean, and quiet-spoken Englishman is the man who signed the Beatles–when they were very unknown–to a contract with EMI, the English record manufacturing giant. He is the man who records all of the Beatles sides for Parlophone (the boys’ English label) and the man who scored the soundtrack for their hit movie “A Hard Day’s Night.”
George signed the Beatles after they were turned down by a number of other labels. He has been with them ever since. He was in the United States to supervise their live recording at the Hollywood Bowl two weeks ago.
In his own right. “The boys have done a lot for me,” mused Martin during a lunch with Music Business editors. “They have helped me fulfill my desire to arrange and conduct in my own right.” His own right happens to be a very good right, by the way, because the George Martin recording of “Ringo’s Theme” from the picture soundtrack on the United Artists label in the U.S., has already sold over 200,000 recordings. And his LP, called “Off The Beatles Track” is also a big one for United Artists Records.
Before the Beatles ever came on the scene George Martin had already established himself as a top recording man in London. Some of the artists he records for EMI include Billy J. Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Cilla Black, The Hollies, Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey, Ron Goodwin, Peter Sellers, Rolf Harris, and many others. The artists whose records he supervises comes to 48 in all.
Also a composer. Martin is also a composer of note in his native England. One of his biggest songs here was called “The Niagara Theme,” and he has written many other songs, that so far have been bigger hits there than here.
The Beatles, George Martin, 1963(Credit: Michael Ochs Archives; Getty Images)
A thumbnail description of a Beatles recording session, according to Martin, would go like this. The Beatles come in with a new song, written 99 per cent of the time by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John and Paul sing the song through (none of the Beatles can read or write music) until Martin learns it, and then he sits down at the piano and plays it. Then the boys and Martin work out an arrangement together, with each coming through with ideas. It usually takes about three or four hours to work out the arrangement on each song. After that they are ready to record.
Let him run. Martin has been asked by many people whether he ever intends to put strings behind the boys, or record them with a full orchestra, or with choral backing or whatever. “I don’t intend to change anything they do,” says Martin emphatically. Recording a successful artist is like riding a good horse. The best way is to let him run. All you should provide is a good balance. “The balance that Martin provides for his artists apparently is a very good one. To illustrate this it has been estimated that the records George Martin has produced with his artists have sold over 100 million copies throughout the world. Last year–1963–recordings produced by Martin were in the No. 1 spot on the English charts 37 weeks out of 52. For 17 consecutive weeks recordings he produced for Parlophone were No. 1.
What did it. What made the Beatles take off the way they did in the U.S., Martin was asked, and would American record artists move back into the top rungs throughout the world soon or not? “There was a vacuum to be filled in the pop record business, and the Beatles filled it,” said Martin. “As for the American recordings, I think there has been a great awakening here since last Winter, and many of the new American records are getting right up there. “Among the recording men whom Martin respects very highly here are Bert Bacharach and Hal David, who produce all of the Dionne Warwick recordings. “They have brought fresh, new ideas into the recording world,” says Martin.
Breaking the hits. How does a record company break a new recording in Britain, since there is so little radio time allotted for pop records, Martin was asked. “We break our records via TV, which covers the entire country, not by radio,” said Martin. “There are TV shows like ‘Thank Your Lucky Stars’ and ‘Ready, Steady, Go,’ that put a record over very quickly. Sales of records in Britain are up very much today, according to Martin, with a sale of 800,000 average for a No. 1 recording. (The Beatles, of course, do much better.)
United Artists records is on a big campaign in the U.S. to build George Martin into a recording star, and they are on their way with “Ringo’s Theme.” What kind of recording does Martin want to do in the future? “I’m not certain yet, I know I would like to record many of my own songs for release here, and then I have a number of other ideas. I don’t intend to try to copy anyone’s style, but to create my own. That’s why I recorded all of the Beatles songs in my own way, rather than to use the same arrangements the boys do when they sing them. You know, Paul and John write very good songs.” Sales of Martin’s recordings indicate many other people feel they do too. END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; September 26, 1964
THIRTEEN WEEKS overall on the singles chart, “A Hard Day’s Night” by The Beatles peaked at #1 this week (2 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100. Beginning July 26 through week ending, August 8, 1964. (Source: Billboard)
For our previous Billboard 1964 Number One U.S.A. Hits go HERE
When the Beatles appeared for a three week session at the Paris ‘Olympia’ in January, 1964, John and Paul were concerned with the problem writing all the new songs for their first film — as yet untitled — and in addition they had to cook up a brand new single for release in February.
They had a piano moved into their suite at the Hotel Georges V, and they set to work. By the end of their stay they had laid the foundations for the film songs and written ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ — the single which we recorded in our EMI Paris studios. At this time Paul played me his first ideas for ‘And I Love Her.’
Later, when I was busy orchestrating the background score it was decided to use Beatles music in the background whenever possible. Hence, ‘This Boy’ became ‘Ringo’s Theme’ in the Towpath sequence, and ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was burned into a Jazz waltz for Grandpa’s chase scene from the Police Station. ‘If I Fell’ was not used orchestrally in the film, but I liked the tune so much I did a score anyway, and the end result is here.
I get great pleasure out of arranging the Beatles’ materials, and when the orchestra musicians comments on the quality of the music they are playing, I get an even bigger thrill telling them who wrote it.
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Music score from the film . . . ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
— George Martin; EMI Records Limited (1964)
GEORGE MARTIN’S “AND I LOVE HER”/”RINGO’S THEME” 1964
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George Martin Orchestra’s “And I Love Her,” made it’s initial debut on the Billboard singles chart in July, 1964, the same month the Beatles ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ film (and their film album) made its theatrical debut in cities across America. The Martin instrumental, a song composition penned by Lennon-McCartney for the film, stayed 4 weeks on the charts (“Bubbling Under” the top 100) having peaked at No. 105 on August 1, 1964.
But the flip side of Martin’s “And I Love Her,” titled, “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” another Martin instrumental score from the movie, rose much higher in popularity on the Billboard “Hot 100” several weeks later, in lieu after the film’s soundtrack score having been released by United Artists, on June 26, 1964.
“Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),” peaked higher than “And I Love Her,” having topped off at No. 53 during its eight week run on the Billboard “Hot 100,” on September 12, 1964.
In Detroit, “Ringo’s Theme” made the playlist on album-oriented radio stations WJR, WWJ, WCAR, WQTE and WJBK (as heard here), which incidentally by that time WJBK dropped it’s top 40 format for an easy-listening conservative radio sound by August, 1964.
This year, come July, will mark 50 years having passed since the release of the George Martin single and that of the Beatles’ film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night.’ In observance of the Fab Four’s 1964 theatrical film release, also comes the exciting news ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ will hit the silver big screen once again in major cities across the country on July 4, 2014.
United Artists Release Beatles’ LP Score Ahead of Film’s August Debut
NEW YORK — United Artists Records’ soundtrack album of the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night” has become one of the fastest selling LP’s in the history of the record business. Within four days after the album’s introduction at the UA distributor meet in Miami Beach last week, 1,000,000 copies were sold and delivered.
United Artists released the 1,000,000 figure July I and reported that orders were continuing to pour in at the same fantastic rate.
The film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” is slated for saturation bookings and multiple city openings in early August. United Artists toppers are predicting that at least 3 million copies will be sold prior the opening, after which, with the movie play-dates and coast-to-coast personal appearances of the Beatles building sales, it’s anticipated that five million copies will be sold by the end of the year.
The album contains eight vocal selections by the Beatles plus four instrumental themes from the film, all composed by Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
The vocal selections are the title song, “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Tell Me Why,” “I Cry Instead,” “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “If I Fell,” “And I Love Her” and “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
The instrumentals are played by George Martin, the Beatles’ musical director. UA has released a single of Martin’s instrumental treatment of “Ringo’s Theme (This Boy)” and “And I Love Her.”
The Beatles’ next album for Capitol is due sometime in August. Meantime, Capitol has released a Beatles single of the title song. END
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Information credit and news source: Billboard; July 11, 1964
FOURTEEN WEEKS overall on the singles chart, “Love Me Do” by The Beatles peaked at #1 this week (1 week) on the Billboard Hot 100. Beginning May 24 through week ending, May 30, 1964. (Source: Billboard)
For our previous Billboard 1964 Number One U.S.A. Hits go HERE
Capitol Records Slated to Release New Beatles LPs in U.S. after Christmas
HOLLYWOOD — Capitol is lining up Beatles material for a year-end sales splurge. Newest product in production is the LP “Beatles ’65,” which will be released the day after Christmas, featuring seven new tunes by Lennon-McCartney. 
