_______________
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)
_______________
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
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.
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
_______________
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.
_______________
— George Martin; EMI Records Limited (1964)
_______________
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
_______________
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
_______________
Beatles Schedule for Second North American Tour Here, Late-Summer
LONDON — Brian Epstein has estimated that the Beatles will earn almost $1 million on their second American tour in August. So far there are only 13 concerts on the schedule but another two may be added (see note below).
Epstein was told by New York promoter Sidney Bernstein that even before posters or tickets were printed, more than half of the 56,000 seats at Shea stadium, where the group opens on Aug. 15, have been sold. Bernstein wants them to perform the following night and the date is being held open.
Similarly, their concert at an open-air stadium in Chicago (August 20; two shows) has already been sold out, and unless Epstein agrees to a second show the promoter will have to return a great deal of money sent. After New York the Beatles return to the Mapleleaf Gardens in Toronto for two performances (August 17); a debut in Atlanta, one performance (August 18); Houston, Tex., two (August 19); Minneapolis, one (August 21); Portland, Ore., two (August 22).
Epstein said that he resisted presenting the Beatles at the 100,000-seat Rose Bowl in Hollywood in favor of concerts at the Hollywood Bowl (August 29 and 30). The tour concludes at the San Francisco Cow Palace (August 31).
As previously reported, the Beatles tape an Ed Sullivan show the day after their arrival in U. S. which will open Sullivan’s fall series Sept. 19. The group will have six free days in Los Angeles beginning Aug. 23.
The Beatles’ European tour, which commences with a French televised concert at the Palais de Sport in Paris June 19, will be followed three days later by a performance in Lyons.
The Beatles make their Italian debut in Milan (June 24), continuing to Genoa (June 25) and Rome (June 27), before returning to France for a show in Nice (June 30).
They perform at two large Spanish bullrings, the Monumental in Madrid (July 2) and another in Barcelona (July 3), before returning to London July 4. END
_______________
NOTE: San Diego was ultimately billed into the Beatles 1965 North American Tour (sometime after this Billboard article went to print) prior the group’s arrival in New York City for their first concert stop at Shea Stadium, August 15. Also, as to another possible add, the article made reference about the question whether the Beatles would commit possibly to a second performance to their NYC concert venue at Shea. Beatles’ history would concede they did not. — MCRFB
_______________
Information and credit source: Billboard; May 5, 1965
Debuted #78 week-ending March 28, four weeks playing the Billboard Singles chart, “Do You Want To Know A Secret” climbs to #5, this week, April 12 through week-ending April 18, 1964.
Source: Billboard Pop Singles
Debuted #68 week-ending February 1, twelve weeks playing the Billboard Singles chart, “Please Please Me” drops to #16, this week, April 12 through week-ending April 18, 1964.
Source: Billboard Pop Singles
Debuted #86 week-ending March 7, 6 weeks playing the Billboard Singles chart, “From Me To You” drops out at #58 (final week on chart), last week, week-ending April 11, 1964.
NOTE: ‘From Me To You” was the flip-side title to the Beatles’ VJ single, “Please Please Me”, which dropped to #9, last week, April 11, 1964.
Source: Billboard Pop Singles